My son narrowed down his list of schools to these 4: USC, Northwestern, UIUC, Lehigh. I realize that these are very different schools and would like to get input about the pros and cons for its EE program. He’s seeking a solid program but would also like find a balance with academic rigor and college life. He’s social, well rounded, and mature who ready to spread his wings.
USC - received Presidential merit (1/2 tuition); son loves this school for flexibility in major, school spirit, and chill vibe of school overall. Will get housing with other merit scholarship recipients; will receive additional accommodations as recipients.
Northwestern - also received scholarship to make CoA comparable to USC’s CoA. Loves it too and probably most similar in culture and program to USC, but son feels it’s too close to home.
UIUC - received small $ in merit and James Scholar but about $11k less annually than CoA at USC and NU. Highly reputable ECE program, but very large school and provides least flexibility if he wants to switch into different engineering major. I also wonder if it will be super competitive with many high achieving students. Son got into the CE major. As James Scholar, he will get to register earlier, but he will need to keep a minimum of 3.5 GPA.
Lehigh - received full tuition for the IBE (dual Business & Engineering) program. Have not visited before, but will soon. IBE does not offered a full accredited business degree but not engineering degree; though doing a fifth year he can get it. If he stays on track with GPA, he can qualify for another full tuition scholarship for the fifth year. I read that the curriculum is not very flexible. Also read on CC that it’s not valuable to get a dual degree, and engineering major is more desirable for employment. Also concerned about the party atmosphere and not so great town.
Son is a NMF so some of the schools may give a small amount of additional aid. Also received a larger private scholarship which helps with COA. Our EFC is high so grants and need based aid were not offered.
Thanks in advance for your insight.
I made an error in my previous post. Lehigh’s IBE DOES offer a full accredited business degree, but not engineering degree.
USC sounds like it has what he wants. It has a terrific EE department, plus it’s summer all year round. Every time I go to LA, I’m just amazed at how much work people put into looking terrific. That cuts both ways.
Lehigh is a very balanced school. My sense of IBE is that it’s graduates primarily go into business but have the quantitative skills of an engineer. In finance, this combination is particularly lucrative, far more so than an EE job. So unlike other dual degree combinations, this one in particular can be worth it.
An answer based on academics.
If he wants to go to the strongest EE department, UIUC is the place.
I he he wants to go to the strongest overall school, NU is the place. NU’s EE department is lower ranked than other enginering programs (based mostly on research), but the overall quality of engineering education is high. If he wants to get additional exposure through a Kellogg Certificate or double major in economics (or political science), NU makes it easier. Also, the path to consulting or even finance jobs will be easier. NU wont have a downside if he simply wants to work as an engineer or go to grad school for engineering, but probably wont offer an advantage over UIUC either.
I don’t know how accurate surveys like payscale are but it always as Lehigh graduates in STEM areas as garnering the highest salaries. I would definitely give consideration to Lehigh unless there is a fair amount of uncertainty about what he wants to study - in which case the flexible program is the best.
The Lehigh IBE degree is not like the others. It’s really an AACSB-accredited business degree with a strong engineering component, and is intended for those who are interested in tech-related executive/management or finance. Apparently it has strong placement into those fields, and the admissions are very competitive.
As you know, it would be possible to supplement the four-year IBE degree with a full ABET-accredited EE degree by staying for a fifth year. But if your son wants to work as an EE, it would be faster to simply enroll in a traditional 4-year EE program, like those at the other schools (of course, Lehigh has a traditional 4-year EE program as well). It may not make sense to go the IBE route unless your son has a serious interest in engineering management or finance (in which case it may be a great option).
My impression is that IBE is for students who are comfortable solving partial differential equations, yet are also comfortable wearing a business suit and tie. These qualities don’t routinely occur together.
@ClassicRockerDad Thanks for your reply. Yes, my son has his heart at USC, but when he received Lehigh’s acceptance with full tuition for the IBE program, it threw him off. He realizes that he has to check it out and learn more about the school and the IBE program because it is the only school he has not visited prior to submitting an application. He chose EE because he’s strong in math/science/analytical thinking and EE will provide a strong engineering foundation. At this time, since our son has no idea what he kind of job/career he will seeking down the road, my husband feel that this dual degree will offer more flexibility in jobs especially if IBE offers the quantitative skills of an engineer as you indicated. We think our son should do the 5th year to get the full accreditation for engineering too. Is that an overkill? I read in other posts that a dual degree may viewed as a negative to engineering/tech companies.
@@osuprof Thank you for your input. I also agree that UIUC’s EE program is the strongest and he’ll receive an excellent education and great job prospects whatever he decides. Unfortunately, he wants to get out of state and most kids in our area don’t respect UIUC as much as they should. I’m still trying to advocate for UIUC for its academics and value.
I think NU is also a great option for its national reputation and flexibility. I am trying to see if we can do another visit so he gets a better feel for it. I mentioned multiple times that we would not visit him unexpectedly. It’s literally 20 minutes away.
@ singermom4 Yes, I also reviewed payscale info and have no idea if the info is accurate. My understanding is that Lehigh has a good reputation in NYC and NJ areas so many students start their first jobs there. I need to find out if students have opportunities in the West coast area if he decides that’s where he wants to explore.
Is the partying hard stigma at Lehigh true? I understand that there is a large greek population at Lehigh. I also know UIUC has the largest greek system in the country. I just don’t know if academic rigorous majors have time to participate in a fraternity. I think they are time suckers, but my son feels differently especially if frats are a big part of the social scene.
@ Corbett My son has not figure out which industry he wants to work in just yet. Are there many 18 years who know? He decided that EE will offer the most flexibility in the engineering industry. The IBE program is now in the mix of decision making because he was awarded the Founder’s Scholarship. When we visit Lehigh, we’ll need to find out if the scholarship will be available if he decides to just get an EE major. But if that’s the case, EE major at UIUC would offer a very strong foundation. I have no idea what partial differential equations are but he is comfortable in suits and have strong verbal/people skills.
I can’t see why it would be, if the engineering part is ABET-accredited.
The problem with dual degrees is that in many cases, the engineering part is “engineering lite”. It’s difficult to complete a double major in conjunction with a traditional ABET engineering program, if you want to finish in four years. So some schools offer “lighter”, non-accredited programs, often called something like “engineering sciences”, or designated with a BA instead of a BS. In this case, it is quite feasible to double major in, say, economics and engineering sciences, and to finish up in four years. However, this also means that engineering employers may view your dual degree with suspicion, because they may suspect that the “engineering” part isn’t a full ABET degree – and in many cases they would be right.
On the other hand, if you can state that your engineering degree is ABET-accredited, then no one is going to argue with it.
Obviously if he earns both an AACSB-accredited business degree and an ABET-accredited EE degree, then he will have an unusual degree of career flexibility. On the other hand:
- if he wants to work as an EE, then the AACSB degree may be overkill. He could work as an EE with a traditional 4-year EE degree.
- if he wants to work in business, consulting or management, then the ABET degree may be overkill. The 4-year IBE degree may be enough to convince the suits of his quantitative ability, and he may find attractive employment opportunities without the need for a fifth year of study.
@ Corbett Thank you for your fuller explanation. He will have a lot of thinking to do. I think the visit this weekend will help to see if it will be a good fit. We can support him financially at the other schools, but a full tuition offer is enticing.
I think EE + Kellogg certificate at Northwestern would give him the best chance to land a position with one of the top companies, especially in management consulting. He would be exposed to the most advanced materials in business-related field (the certificate courses are graduate-level courses at one of the top business schools) and tap into the recruiting resources at Kellogg. That’s not to say that’s the only or the most important factor. Only you can decide how other factors are weighted.
http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/certificate/
If Northwestern cost is manageable, I vote for Northwestern. Just overall stronger school with lots of opportunities outside of engineering.