<p>My son plans to major in Mechanical Engineering Technology. MET (with the emphasis on T) appeals to him because of the hands on/application vs. theory. Additionally, the math is not as intense as with a ME degree. We have done many searches for four year B.S. degrees in MET and have a big, long list. However, I cannot find any rankings. All rankings seem to be for ME not MET. Can anyone help me? He has a 3.5 gpa and ACT will probably be 27-30. So, we're not looking for the BEST school but do want one that is considered good to very good. Thank you in advance!</p>
<p>The popular rankings are for engineering degrees only but if your son is looking at schools which also have engineering degrees, the rankings for those might give him an idea of the overall quality. No guarantees though.</p>
<p>Even if he goes for a MET degree, he will have to take Calculus I and II- Calc II is the hardest course and he will have to pass it anyways. All he will have to take is Calc III and Diff Equations usually to get an Engineering degree vs a Technician degree. I would go for the Engineering degree unless he absolutely hates Math- With proper tutoring and discipline, he can get through the Engineering Calculus sequence.</p>
<p>Thank you for responding. He does not love math but also likes that ET is hands on/applied vs. lots of classes on theory. He read on UNCC website that engineers are innovators and Engineering Technologists are implementers. He said he sees himself more as an implementer. Also, he is not interested in going to graduate school so we thought ET could be a good path for him. Honestly, we’d never heard of the program until a few months ago so we are open to comments about the pros and cons. Colleges that keep popping up on his search for mechanical engineering technology with his other filters are: UNCC, Miami University (Middleton campus, not the main campus), Texas A & M, Rochester Institute of Technology, and dozens of others that I’ve never heard of. If anyone can recommend a school that has a strong program with a successful employment rate, I’d love to hear from you. Thank you.</p>
<p>OP, if your S is more interested in the hands on aspect of engineering as opposed to the academic, I would highly recommend that he consider a school with a strong co-op program where students will often do up to 3 co-op assignments alternated with classes (from your list, RIT would be a good example); in addition, you may also want to take into consideration what part of the country your S would like to work in when he graduates (at many schools, a large number of engineering and technology internships and co-ops are offered by local employers, and these internships and co-ops often lead to full-time employment after graduation).</p>
<p>I am not sure what schools offer MET programs but in addition to RIT, some other strong co-op schools that come to mind include include Drexel (Pennsylvania), Univ. of Cinncinnati, Kettering (Michigan), and Wentworth (Boston). I would also throw in Northeastern (where my S attended) but I believe they moved their technology program out of the undergrad engineering program a few yrs ago and it is now part of continuing ed so I am not sure how it effects undergrads interested in technology.</p>
<p>This won’t necessarily answer your question, but there have been a few threads about the engineering technology programs, including a link to a list of those accredited. I looked pretty thoroughly, but didn’t find anything to suggest ranking. I got the impression the larger and older the program, the better I would feel about it. </p>
<p>Let us know what you find. My son looks like he will be successfully completing his sophomore year in mech eng, but it’s been one hell of a ride.</p>
<p>Here is one</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/1448037-engineering-vs-engineering-technology.html?highlight=engineering+technology[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/1448037-engineering-vs-engineering-technology.html?highlight=engineering+technology</a></p>
<p>and </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1490591-my-son-really-struggling-mechanical-engineering.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/1490591-my-son-really-struggling-mechanical-engineering.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you. I will take a look at the schools that you mentioned. That’s what I need to hear – schools that people know have strong programs. However, I’m not sure that a co-op is what my son will want as he wants the total college experience – college town, marching band, opportunity to play club soccer. Additionally, we feel it is critical that he graduates with a Bachelor degree. What type of degree do students in co-ops earn? I haven’t had a chance to look yet. Again, thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Bradley University has an excellent reputation in the Midwest. The Manufacturing Engineering Technology program is ABET accredited.</p>
<p>[Bradley</a> University: Manufacturing Engineering Technology](<a href=“http://www.bradley.edu/academic/departments/imet/programs/technology/]Bradley”>http://www.bradley.edu/academic/departments/imet/programs/technology/)</p>
<p>OP, co-op programs for engineering technology are often 4-yr programs, although co-ops can extend graduation to 5 yrs, but co-op employers often view co-ops as a training ground for future hires so often try to hire from that pool. Because so many co-op employers are often local, students continue to live on campus or near campus in later yrs, and still have the college experience. S was in concert band and jazz band when he studied engineering at Northeastern, was also on the cycling team for a few yrs. Of course some Ec may be more difficult to participate in during the co-op session.</p>
<p>Bradley also has a good co-op program.</p>
<p>Excellent suggestions. Thanks all. I looked at Drexel, RIT, Univ of Cincinatti, Bradley & all look like what we are after. I guess the co-op route is what I should have been looking at all along. Any other co-op schools that I should consider? All mentioned so far are north = cold! Any a little farther South that are reputable and should be considered? We live in NC. By the way, Kettering seemed to be straight ME not MET. Did I miss something there? Thank you!</p>
<p>oh, I forgot to mention that Wentworth’s website indicated that they are discontinuing the program. Should I be concerned that Wentworth, Northeastern, and Virginia Tech have discontinued the undergraduate BS program for MET?</p>
<p>Honestly, for a lot of the MET stuff, maybe those programs have just decided it is better off as a 2-year degree? Do they still have a 2-year version?</p>
<p>boneh3ad - I’ll need to check on that. I happened to notice that your location is College Station, TX. Texas A & M has the MET program and my son has shown interest in the Corps of Cadets there. Are you an Aggie? Is Texas A & M a good option for MET? It has been on our short list since the beginning. In fact, I believe their website is the first place I came across MET – something I had never heard of until a few months ago.</p>
<p>To add to the spectrum of degrees, my school, Illinois Institute of Technology, has two technology degrees, one is Information Technology and Management and the other is Industrial Technology and Management. These are definitely not engineering degrees and they require only one semester of Calculus. Our decision was to put them in our School of Applied Technology and not worry about accreditation. Both of the programs grew out of degree completion programs (entry after 2 years of CC) but now there are also 4-year versions. I am certain, that other universities have these kinds of degrees and the other aspects of college life that your son is looking for.</p>
<p>I am at A&M but I have absolutely no clue what the MET program is like. I did my undergrad elsewhere so, to be honest, I can’t imagine myself ever having done the corp, but it is the right thing for some people. That is really a personal preference though. As it is, I am working on a PhD in aerospace engineering, so I don’t really have any contact with the MET people.</p>
<p>Add Cal Poly SLO and Pomona to the list. Hands on schools with BS in engineering. Highly regarded and I know Pomona has a great co-op program. </p>
<p>Learn by doing is their motto</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.csupomona.edu/~engineering/[/url]”>http://www.csupomona.edu/~engineering/</a>
[Home</a> - College of Engineering - Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo](<a href=“http://ceng.calpoly.edu/about/]Home”>http://ceng.calpoly.edu/about/)</p>
<p>Thanks for the coop suggestions. I have a good list that we will start to tackle in our research. Now, I’d like to hear recommendations for schools that are not coop and have good MET programs. I think my son should look at both options. UNCC and Texas A & M are on his list so far. What others should we look at? Thanks!</p>
<p>I researched mechanical engineering technology programs intensively for my son, and Ill share what I was able to discern:</p>
<p>Rankings: Ive never seen any engineering technology rankings, and wouldnt put much faith in them if there are any. The ranking of engineering programs in US News is entirely by reputation thats their only criteria which makes them strongly biased towards schools that have heavy research, and that frequently has nothing to do with the quality of undergraduate teaching.</p>
<p>ABET/ETAC Accreditation: Make sure that his program is ETAC accredited. This speaks to both quality and towards gaining potential professional engineer licensure in some states.</p>
<p>Is it a real program? One school my son considered didnt have what I would call a real engineering technology program. They had a program that graduated 7 BSMETs a year, and which was run by an adjunct professor who had a full-time job as an engineer at a local company. Most courses were taught by adjuncts. Many of the classes could only be taken at night, and some of the required courses hadnt been offered in three years. I believe the kids had graduated by petitioning to take mechanical engineering courses in place of these courses. I think they had an IOU of an engineering technology program only for those engineers who faltered in engineering.</p>
<p>Beware of converted 2-year schools: there are a number of 2-year schools that have recently started offering some 4-year degrees. These schools almost always offer BS in Engineering Technology degrees rather than BSE degrees. Those grads Ive interviewed from these schools have been weak, and I was told by one school that they had accepted students into some of their grad programs from these schools, and that they were terrible. </p>
<p>By the way, many people who dont know what they are talking about will say that BSMET programs train technicians. Those with 2-year degrees are technicians. Those with 4-year degrees may be officially called technologists in government reports, but Ive never heard of anyone in the United States with the title of technologist. ET grads carry the title of engineer, unless they get stuck and have to take a lower-level technician job (which also happens to engineers on occasion, too). There is a shortage of engineers now, and that is only projected to grow, so employers arent going to able to be that picky going forward. In general, BSMETs make about 10% less starting out than BSMEs when they graduate from comparable schools. </p>
<p>My prejudice is to look for schools that offer both engineering and engineering technology degrees if possible. These schools have better reputations in the publics eyes, and, unfortunately, engineering technology is considered to be a lesser degree by some employers (some care, some dont care, and some dont know the difference). Schools with stronger reputations in their engineering departments, such as Purdue, Texas A&M and RIT, among many others, will give the BSMET grads a better job starting out.</p>
<p>Then look at the other things. Are the facilities/labs up-to-date and good? Is there off-hours access to labs? This is important because BSMET programs are lab-intensive, and your child will need to work in the evenings on projects. Are classes taught by professors, adjuncts (more than occasionally) or grad students?</p>
<p>Co-ops are good, as mentioned in above posts. Employers are plucking more and more kids from the co-ops. They know the student, and the engineer knows the place before he starts, which is great.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>