The purpose of this post is to gather solicited insights from those who have targeted knowledge regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the aerospace engineering programs at the University of Virginia and the University of Maryland, College Park. My son has been accepted to five aerospace programs (Georgia Tech, UMD (Honors College), UVA, CU-Boulder, and UW). OOS tuition costs are the leading stumbling block that prohibit attendance at CU-Boulder or GT. Instate status is possible at UVA or UMD (if we move over the summer). (And it breaks this parent’s heart I cannot send my son to the program of his choice – CU-Boulder or GT. Almost feel like I’ve faltered. I’ve supported and encouraged this incredible young man and his dreams only to find the cost of college has outstripped any expectation I could have made 18 years ago.)
Thus, the question on the table is – push comes to shove: What does a young man who has an unquenchable thirst for aerospace research and a desire to pursue studies in propulsion and/or quantum physics need to know about UVA and UMD Aerospace Engineering programs in order to make an informed decision?
How does your child get instate tuition if you move over the summer?
U-MD honors offers smaller classes, and the Aerospace program is pretty small, anyway, so that is an advantage. NASA is right down the road, and works closely with U-MD. We know a number of U-MD Aerospace grads, all of whom have had job offers at NASA. Most of them are happily working thhere.
You need to verify your instate status with either/both UVA or UMD before you let this conversation with your son go further. Moving the summer before Freshman year seems to be to be a clear tuition audit trigger- make sure both universities agree with your conclusion that if you live in their state on August 1 2016 that gives your son instate tuition for all four years.
Many people have found out the hard way that this isn’t an automatic deal. I live in a border community between two states (not MD or VA) and the amount of angst people put into finding housing on the other side of the border… only to find out the university in question won’t honor their residency…
Thank you all regarding the summer move comment. We are aware of the challenges. Move would be work related and is already documented. The tuition issue has already been addressed with the university. We have that issue addressed. I do not want that topic to disract from the focal question.
Again thank you for the wonderful outreach and guidance.
Assuming you live in MD read the following document from the UVA website. You can try but I think this is highly unlikely. UMCP is known as a great engineering school if that is your instate school and if cost is a concern. http://www.virginia.edu/provost/vastatus/faq.html
(I’m guessing military parent but my guess really doesn’t matter.)
Both UVA and UMD-CP have excellent engineering schools. For aerospace, I may tip toward Maryland because of its proximity to Goddard and the Jet Propulsion Lab.
Do you have younger children? If so, then I would go the other way because I think Virginia has a better range of public universities.
If you were a VA resident I would have recommended Virginia Tech over UVA. If you are a MD resident I would recommend UMCP over UVA. Considered program quality and costs. It is my understanding at UVA that you take general engineering courses for the first two years and then you apply for a specialty in sophomore year to start in junior year. (ex. aerospace) So you would be competing with other students to get Aerospace Engineering. I think going to UMCP would allow you to access company internships in the area.
Academically the choice is probably a wash. There are many excellent Aerospace programs and there are employers such as Boeing Company, UTC, NASA, Praxair whom find new recruits at schools that do not even has an Aerospace major. They hire many Mechanical Engineers. One thing to consider; isn’t the UVA MAE student co-op a competitive entry program? That is, the engineering school has to approve a student’s job first and there is a GPA requirement?
You have both brought up the topic of competing within the UVA program. My son will make a phone call to get clarification. His acceptance letter indicates he has been accepted to the aerospace program, yet the topic of co-op placement-- could be another story. This would be a good comparison point between the two. Thank you for kick-starting the very relevant question/answer search.
I have a former student who is at UVA engineering, and he has done quite well. Had an unpaid internship following his sophomore year, but that gave him the experience needed to land at Dahlgren this coming summer. My older son has two friends who graduated from the engineering school. One works in consulting. The other works at a naval base in Southern Maryland. So the opportunities are there.