UCSD vs UCI vs UCR Chemical Engineering?

Transfer Students UC Transfers
1

im currently at community college and im hoping to transfer for a chemical engineering major in one of those 3 universities as it is closest to where i live. i still have 2 years left in CC but if i were to be admitted to all 3 schools, which one should i pick in terms of which has the best chemical engineering department? I was actually leaning more on UCSD or UCI (a bit more on UCSD) but then i heard ChemE is actually UCSD’s weakest engineering? any opinions?

thank you

2

SD of course. SD engineering is the best.

3

I think you are putting the cart before the horse.

  1. You still have 2 years at your CC and many things can happen and change especially grades.
  2. You do not need to make a decision until you are ready to apply and with how competitive the UC’s continue to become, you will need to apply to more than these 3 schools.
  3. All will give you a very good education but make sure you look up the major requirements for each school since they can vary.
  4. Definitely TAG to one of the UC’s.

I believe you cannot go wrong with any of the UC’s you have listed. Just remember that it does not matter where you go for Undergrad, what will make you successful is the opportunities you take advantage of at the school you attend.

4

You may want to inspect the UCSD chemical engineering program carefully (if you know any chemical engineers, ask their help), since it appears to be run as an interdisciplinary program through the departments of nanoengineering, mechanical/aerospace engineering, chemistry/biochemistry, and bioengineering (see http://nanoengineering.ucsd.edu/undergrad-programs/degree/bs-chemical-engineering/mission-objectives ), although it is fully ABET accredited in chemical engineering. Check if its emphases and in-major options may differ from that of other chemical engineering programs.

Also, check the ASSIST pages to see how well your community college covers the lower division course work for chemical engineering at each school. If there are many uncovered courses, you would have to take them as “catch up” after transfer, possibly delaying graduation.

UCSD has a residential college system; the residential college you are affiliated with determines your general education requirements (and how much of them IGETC can fulfill).

Of course, which one you can attend also depends on which one you can get admitted to. UCI and UCSD appear to be more selective for transfers to chemical engineering than UCR is, according to https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/infocenter/transfers-major .