Hi I’m am currently a junior and am looking at different colleges. I am interested in science and engineering but I also don’t mind the studies of social sciences, i.e. psychology, philosophy, etc… I have been reading recently that many employers in the science and engineering fields are looking with applicants with a more liberal arts education in addition to the science & engineer training typically completed. My question is, what are the pros and cons of going to a liberal arts college vs a college of science and engineering and how does it affect my employment?
http://www.puckermob.com/money/college-majors-highest-paying-lowest-unemployment-rates-and-more
This is a fun article. Maybe a little biased, but it gives you a clue.
Great question!
Both liberal arts colleges and a college of engineering in a larger university will have all sorts of courses available. A college of engineering will have many companies at career fairs and some even have career fairs for specific engineering disciplines. A liberal arts school will not have as many companies recruiting for engineers. However, some cities have regional career fairs that you could attend.
There may be fewer research opportunities at a liberal arts school. However, nearly all of the schools (private, public, liberal arts, research universities) my children considered, have a senior design or capstone project so you’d be able to get hands on learning anyways.
We found that some schools who are trying to expand or strengthen their engineering schools offer merit scholarships to entice strong students to enroll.
Many liberal arts schools are smaller in size so there are fewer sections of classes and certain subjects may only be offered annually ( ie only fall semester or only spring). It can impact a student’s schedule greatly and may make it difficult if you want to minor or double major.
The larger schools typically have more engineering disciplines so if you want to change your major, there will be many choices.
I’m sure I’ll think of more pros and cons. However, these are the most obvious differences that we encountered as my kids developed their school lists. Please feel free to ask more questions. I hope this is helpful. Best wishes!
You should pick whichever environment most suits you. The answer is not the same for everyone. You should be able to do well if you get an engineering degree from a LAC or a university.
My D is at a LAC which is strong in engineering – the engineers do very well in terms of both jobs and grad schools (depending which route they choose). They benefit from small classes and many do research with professors. But if you prefer a big school experience, go wit that.
The most important factor is choosing a school that holds ABET accreditation. Ideally you could balance a major in Engineering with a minor in something like philosophy. Bear in mind that many students have a hard time completing an engineering degree in 4 years even without an unrelated minor. But if you could, completing a minor in philosophy, english, communications, or another discipline that is strong in critical analysis and writing skills would make you very valuable to future employers regardless of the type of institution you attend.
S is interested in engineering, but also is absolutely sure a large university is not for him, so we’re exploring LACs with 4-year accredited engineering programs. You should visit a few different types of schools and see what fits you best.
MIT or Carnegie Mellon.
Some schools like Lehigh, Lafayette, Union and Bucknell have had engineering programs for decades and are well known.
It is not true companies don’t recruit from them.
Lehigh is not a true LAC but it has a lot of LAC features.
These schools have excellent academics, and Lehigh, Bucknell and Lafayette exceptional alumni and social scenes. I’m sure Union does as well.