Research Institution vs Liberal Arts College

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

When pursuing a bachelor’s degree in engineering, is it better to attend one of the top Engineering Focused Schools (Caltech, GTech, RPI, etc.) or can a degree from a liberal arts oriented college be just as good if the college also offers engineering (Swarthmore, Union, etc.)?

I understand that there will most likely be more extensive research and greater technology at an engineering/research focused school. However, isn’t there also a chance that you won’t be able to get into the exact research or design projects that you want? Since there are so many students, and since many of these colleges focus more on their graduate students.

Then, at a smaller college, they may not have as much cutting-edge technology, but one would be more likely to have a chance to take part in the exact research groups they want, since there are less students and often less emphasis on the graduate programs.

Thus, taking these points into account, which type of college is better for a prospective engineer to attend? Personally, I do not like the idea of a college with that many students, but I don’t know if a smaller college will have all of the resources needed as an engineer. So, what are the pros and cons of each? Is one definitively better than the other? Feel free to correct me on anything I’ve said. Any advice or input is appreciated. Thanks.

2

My son was initially interested in the “LAC engineering” route, so we visited a few on our east coast swing. He decided that the engineering was too compromised (lack of facilities and courses) and that he wasn’t going to get much more, if any more LA type courses because an ABET curriculum is so packed. He ended up at Cal Poly.

3

They are good questions, and the ideal answer depends a lot on the student’s priorities. (The final answer often has a financial factor too). Keep reading other similar threads to learn more.

Personally I liked attending a STEM school, about 2500 students (mostly undergrad). It meant there was decent course selection in my major. I liked being with a bunch of other serious students with similar studies. There is no right answer for everybody.