<p>Hey everyone, I know a million of these threads have probably been made. So let me simplify it a bit; putting cost and campus feel aside, which of these (university of maryland-college park, texas A&M and Ohio state) has the best reputation/most prestige for an undergrad electrical engineer? I know these aren't the very best and most prestigious, but I'm wondering which degree will afford me the most employment opportunities and, more superficially, which is a bit more prestigious when it comes to electrical engineering. As far as undergrad ECE goes, none are listed in USNWR. This can come from word of mouth or rankings you've seen.</p>
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<p>That’s a naive question. All of them are great for engineering, so saying one is the best would be unfair to others. </p>
<p>If you want to work in:</p>
<p>Midwest: go for OSU
South : go for TAMU
Northeast: go for UMD-CP</p>
<p>Hardest to get into is UMD-CP and easiest to get into is A&M(for in-state)(average SAT is only 1780). Nevertheless, the education quality should be same at all of them as they are tier 1. When you decide, do take cost as an important factor.</p>
<p>All three schools will net you about the same entry-level position and after that…your engineering career will pretty much be about knowing the latest and most in-demand technology and skills for that current time-window. After obtaining experience, your school will be listed at the bottom of your resume.</p>
<p>That is why it is best to look at cost when comparing similar schools.</p>
<p>So, in regards to education and employer appeal they’re basically all equal? I actually plan on working on the west coast after I graduate, so geographically I suppose it’s a toss up which one I choose. I’m leaning towards Maryland, though, but not for any overwhelming reason. I’d still be interested in what anyone else has to say, but thanks for the replies so far!</p>
<p>GlobalTraveler is right…for CS.
But I think for EE, the job market is a bit tighter and its necessary to go to a school which is “on the radar” for the major companies. I would go with Texas A&M in your case.</p>
<p>I am at OSU and have friends who have gotten internships and jobs at Caterpillar, Lockheed Martin, NASA, GE Aircraft Engines, and others. Companies like Whirpool, IBM, and Intel recruit here(Intel brings good pizza!).</p>
<p>I should mention, those were ECE friends.</p>
<p>I’m still leaning towards Maryland. Is there any reason I should pick one over it? From what you guys have said, the schools sound pretty even.</p>
<p>Maybe you should look at the possible specialization within the EE program of each school. Sometimes, for a given specialty, one school may be better (or offer more advanced courses) than the other…even though all 3 schools are similar “overall” in EE.</p>
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<li><p>Maybe one has one of those combined BS/MS programs</p></li>
<li><p>Maybe one has separate required math courses for engineers (instead of taking the more theoretical ones with the math majors)</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Things like that could serve as “tie-breakers” when comparing similar level schools</p>
<p>There are regional biases in university recruiting, so each school is likely to attract more of the smaller local/regional employers than the others.</p>
<p>If the career centers will give you a list of EE-student-seeking companies visiting to recruit, that may be of interest to you.</p>
<p>Of course, as mentioned above, there are enough subareas of EE (electronics, computer architecture, power generation and transmission, communications, etc.) that strength in a subarea of interest may be relevant to you.</p>
<p>Look at research departments because you should get involved in undergraduate research.</p>
<p>UMD-CP:
Total Undergrads: 26775
Land Area: 1250 acres
Graduation rate: 66% (4 year)
Teacher to student ratio: 18:1
16% of classes with 50 or more students</p>
<p>The Ohio State University:
Total Undergrads: 42910
Land Area: 3469 acres
Graduation rate: 51% (4 year)
Teacher to student ratio: 19:1
21% of classes with 50 or more students</p>
<p>Texas A&M University:
Total Undergrads: 39867
Land Area: 5200 acres
Graduation rate: 50% (4 year)
Teacher to student ratio: 21:1
25% of classes with 50 or more students</p>
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<p>Maryland seems like a great choice to me assuming all of them cost the same.</p>