Notre Dame Engineering

<p>So this probably sounds really dumb, but I'm an engineering student at Georgia Tech thinking about transferring to Notre Dame for engineering. Is this crazy? I just feel like I'd like Notre Dame a lot better; it's been my dream school for a while and I never was enthusiastic about Tech, but would this be a stupid move career/job placement-wise?</p>

<p>I'm majoring in Industrial Engineering at Tech (#1 program for IE in the country apparently), and thinking about maybe doing mechanical engineering at ND. I like systems engineering and optimization, but Notre Dame doesn't have that, so I figured ME would be the next best thing.</p>

<p>Otherwise, I might major in Economics (which I love), but I don't know how good ND's econ program is, although I know that Tech's is pretty weak. I'm just curious if anyone knows about the job placement and national reputation of Notre Dame's engineering and econ programs. At Tech, the engineers poke fun at the liberal arts students (all in good fun) because our arts school is our weakest college. Would the same be true for ND engineering or economics?</p>

<p>So, stay at Tech and major in Industrial Engineering, or go to Notre Dame for Mechanical Engineering or Economics? Any opinions?</p>

<p>Hi, Joel,</p>

<p>Both ND and Georgia Tech are awesome schools! You can find some statistics on ND’s engineering program’s strong track record of placement (as well as other programs) here:</p>

<p><a href=“http://careercenter.nd.edu/students/success-stories-data/first-destination/”>http://careercenter.nd.edu/students/success-stories-data/first-destination/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>While I can’t speak to GT, in my experience engineering majors at ND are given a lot of respect—it’s a TOUGH major. There will be no sneering, that I can say for sure. </p>

<p>I think you’ll find that the top big recruiters/national corporations will go to both schools. You’ll likely find some regional career placement differences. For example, GT might attract more southern-based small to medium sized businesses. And ND will attract more small and medium sized businesses from Chicago and the Midwest. Both schools have phenomenal alumni networks which are so helpful for internships and job placement after graduation and in the future. As a former recruiter for a big company, I can say that ND’s bright students and heavy emphasis on ethics were very attractive and well worth the stop in South Bend. .</p>

<p>As you point out, sometimes it comes down to where you feel most at home because"home" is where you’ll ultimately reach your potential! Best wishes whatever you decide! If you decide to leave GT for ND, I am sure you will be warmly welcomed.</p>

<p>As an econ/history major I can tell you that Notre Dame has significantly bumped up the quality of the econ department. While grad school rankings lag behind, any undergraduate degree from our college of arts and letters is extremely well valued. One of our faculty members recently recieved a key advisory position in Obama’s administration and they are currently building a brand new facility to house our econ program.</p>

<p>^ That’s good to hear. All I really have to go on regarding ND’s econ department is its USNews ranking, which I believe only considers graduate school. I always thought it seemed low given Notre Dame’s prestige.</p>

<p>Does Notre Dame offer certain tracks/concentrations with its majors? Tech’s IE program for example gives you the option to concentrate in supply chain management, financial systems, etc. Would this be an option with engineering at Notre Dame?</p>