SDSU v. UCSC
I really wanted to go to UCSB for mechanical engineering but was rejected. So now I’m stuck between these two SDSU admitted me into the honors program and I love the campus/housing. UCSC is a better academic school. However, SC doesn’t offer mechanical engineering so I’d have to pick another option like electrical engineering at computer engineering. Thoughts on what I should do?
The Webers Honors program is a great perk to have since you get priority registatration (pick of professors and class times) along with access to research and leadership opportunities along with a direct admit into your first choice major.
As long as the ME engineering program is ABET accredited (SDSU’s program is accredited) you will have a comparable academic program to any of the Engineering programs at UCSC. BTW only EE at UCSC is accredited while all the Engineering programs at SDSU are ABET accredited.
http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=5768
http://main.abet.org/aps/AccreditedProgramsDetails.aspx?OrganizationID=95&ProgramIDs=
Thank you so much, how important is it for a school to be accredited?
A program that has ABET accreditation provides assurance that the program meets certain standards with respect to facilities, instructional content, etc. That does not mean that a program without accreditation is not a good one; you just have to look at it more carefully.
ABET accreditation is important ONLY if you intend to become a licensed Professional Engineer (because most states require graduation from a ABET-accredited program to sit for the PE exam). However, the vast majority of engineers do NOT become licensed. It is most common in the fields of civil, mechanical, electrical, nuclear, and structural engineering – and even in those fields, not every engineer will have a PE license. It’s usually required where you’re actually designing and/or building something that could have major safety implications if you screw up (like a bridge falling down).