Id like to major in MechE, and i have a few questions about JHU’s department… Hopefully someone out there has experience with it.
How strong is it?
Pros and cons?
Is it as strong as some of JHU’s other branches? (Obviously BME is #1 but on somewhat same)
How are the internships or co-ops?
Thanks!
I have the same questions but no answers
Hopkins has a relatively small and rather selective engineering program. Last year, the school received about 8000 applications for engineering, about 1000 students were admitted out of which 444 were enrolled. For engineering, enrolled students have SAT around 2300, or ACT around 35.
Of the 444 enrolled students, 43 were in Mechanical Engineering. Total enrollment in the department is about 250. Total number of faculty in the department is 21. That gives a very respectable student/faculty ratio. Given that Hopkins takes pride in its undergraduate research programs, you are sure to be able to work on interesting projects, if you wish to do so. By the way, the department’s research expenditure is about $17 million. This is a good indicator of the department’s research vitality and strength.
In terms of engineering curriculum, you would not find much difference among accredited engineering schools. They all have similar set of courses and graduation requirements. It comes down to professors’ teaching abilities/experience and the school’s commitment to undergraduate education. In that regard, smaller schools, like Hopkins, have an advantage over larger schools with way too many students per class.
Internship, co-op, study abroad, research, … are keywords that one hears at almost every school. Job placement for engineering graduates at most reputable engineering schools is about 90%. So, no school has an upper hand for providing unique experiences/opportunities. Though some schools have a better track record of placing their graduates in highly sought after positions/companies.
There are many good engineering schools with a rigorous technical engineering program, but they generally give only lip service to liberal arts/humanities education which has become increasing important in our modern multi-cultural economy. Hopkins is unique in this regard since it offers a technically rigorous engineering education in a broader university-wide liberal arts curriculum.
It’s a relatively small department. My roommate majored in it and he got a lot of individualized attention. Typical engineering courses. Since it’s hopkins, they do offer some emphasis on biomechanics. They also have required senior design projects that works on real life projects sponsored by companies. They also do well in job markets esp with a glut of defense contractors/aerospace companies near baltimore/dc area that recruits students on campus such as lockheed martin, boeing, etc. I think as emotive mentioned above, a lot of engineering students also have freedom to take classes in arts and sciences-i definitely ran into a handful including upper level poli sci and humanities classes.
Mechanical Engineering at JHU is incredible. From the faculty to the students, it really is a tight knit community that really strives for excellence in learning as well as preparing you well for whatever you want to do. Rankings aside, the quality of the program is very high. There is much emphasis on teaching you how to think so that you could excel whether you go to graduate school or industry. The mechanical engineering professors are awesome and are very well accomplished as shed so much insight into any topic they are teaching. Also, the students in the mechanical engineering major are very close. Because there are a lot of the same classes and labs you take together, you spend a lot of time with them both struggling and having fun. Another pro is that if you are interested in a certain track there is a biomechanics track and an aerospace track that can more focus your learning depending on whatever interests you.
@HopefulDoge Thanks for your helpful post. A few questions about the program:
How many major (semester-long) hands-on projects ME students have to do during the four years?
Do ME faculty have open-door policy? Would you be able to stop by a professor’s office to chat during non-office hours?
What do most ME students do during summers?
@Emotive No problem!
There are definitely a lot of hands-on project opportunities within the four years. Even during the freshman year there are semester long team design projects for a friendly competition amongst other freshman meches at the end of the semester. These hands-on projects will continue through the other years and become more and more complex as you progress in your studies. Some of the labs you have to take can help you with these projects as they teach you designing and machining techniques. Most notably though is the senior design project where you and your team get matched up with a sponsor/company to do a year long design project that ranges from building a prosthetic limb to creating/testing better safety bike helmets.
The ME faculty usually are free to talk whenever they’re in their office and don’t really need to set up an appointment. If you wanna talk with them during non-office hours they are always incredibly welcoming, but some ME professors have packed schedules so it may be a bit harder to find them in their office without an appointment.
It really does vary, but most ME students end up doing engineering research or an engineering internship.
@HopefulDoge Thanks!