<p>It seems that Aerospace Engineering programs are in short supply. The only one I'm familiar with in my immediate area besides MIT's is Boston University's. While I like Boston University, its Aerospace program looks like it may be a little.. juvenile? under-developed? lacking a hands-on component? Maybe even: "utterly completely useless" as some of my friends would like to say?</p>
<p>With that in mind, I'm wondering what some other colleges in a similar class but with better Aerospace programs are. I'm familiar with Georgia Tech's program being #2 in the country, but I'm looking for more options/opportunities. While I'm looking at colleges all over the country, learning about more good Aerospace programs in my area (Massachusetts/New England/East Coast) would definitely be helpful as well. Thank you!</p>
<p>I'm specifically looking for colleges with heavy hands-on programs, good graduate placement, a focus on internships, etc. Places where people have personally had good experiences would be nice to hear about too. Thanks!</p>
<p>Number of bachelors grads in aerospace engineering last year</p>
<p>Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach 202
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus 136
Purdue University-Main Campus 130
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 113
United States Air Force Academy 112
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor 88
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Main Campus 83
University of Maryland-College Park 80
The University of Texas at Austin 76
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University-Prescott 73
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 72
Iowa State University 72
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo 68
University of Colorado at Boulder 67
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 67
United States Naval Academy 65
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities 55
University of Washington-Seattle Campus 55
University of California-San Diego 54
Texas A & M University 48
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 47
University of California-Los Angeles 46
Ohio State University-Main Campus 43
Auburn University Main Campus 41
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus 41
University of Florida 39
University of Notre Dame 36
SUNY at Buffalo 36
North Carolina State University at Raleigh 36
University of Missouri-Rolla 34
Clarkson University 34
West Virginia University 33
Arizona State University at the Tempe Campus 32
University of Central Florida 32
University of Arizona 31
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona 30
Wichita State University 30
Boston University 29
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus 29
Florida Institute of Technology 26
Oklahoma State University-Main Campus 26
The University of Texas at Arlington 26
Western Michigan University 25
Saint Louis University-Main Campus 23
University of Southern California 22
Mississippi State University 22
The University of Tennessee 21
Illinois Institute of Technology 16
Syracuse University 16
San Diego State University 15
Worcester Polytechnic Institute 15
San Jose State University 12
University of Virginia-Main Campus 12
University of California-Irvine 11
University of Kansas Main Campus 11
Case Western Reserve University 10</p>
<p>haha, well collegehelp beat me to the punch with his list. I was going to suggest that you look into Purdue, which is ranked far higher than mid-50s, but is not very difficult to get into. Easy to get in, hard to stay in, I’m told. I don’t know a lot about graduate placement, but industry placement is good.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the help. This has been some very useful information that I haven’t seen elsewhere.</p>
<p>I’m curious: has anyone heard anything about BU’s program in particular. For over a year now, I’ve been ready to just get up and go to BU. Alas, if the education in this field is all-but-a-waste-of-time there, maybe I should reconsider?</p>
<p>“Easy to get in, hard to stay in” - I’d like to believe that I have more experience with this concept than most high-schoolers do. For 3 years, I was in the “elite” math class of our school’s famous math teacher (he doesn’t teach Seniors), and it was a similar situation where it was easy to get into that class, but he put a heavier burden on the students once they were in than any high school math teacher would normally even think of doing. Most of the class dropped out, I’m near the lower end of those that stayed (those in the higher-end have a history of going to MIT almost every year, albeit not just on academics, ofcourse).</p>
<p>While some may skeptical about how much a high school class can prepare a person for college, I’m sure that it gives me a strong psychological advantage over most other students. I found that to be the case this summer when I took Economics courses at Boston University alongside BU students and ended up being one of the top students in the class.</p>
<p>Enough “bragging” though (with my actual on-paper stats, I have no right to brag; it’s my great teachers that deserve any credit). I just meant to show that I’m not intimidated by statements like “Most people get into Georgia Tech/Purdue/etc. easily and then fail out.”</p>
<p>Building on that, I’m curious what the general differences in the styles of education at these institutions are. Additionally, I actually prefer colleges with a broad spectrum of departments (I have strong interests in other subjects), but I also like these colleges to have little-to-no core curriculum, as I have specific opinions on what I would benefit from studying and prefer not to be forced to “sample” small amounts of everything. Any advice?</p>
<p>I’d recommend Saint Louis University. I’m not a pilot, but I understand that its aerospace departent is pretty good. It’s a a Jesuit college. Father Biondi has been doing a great job of fund raising and building the endowment so the school will be well-funded. Facilities are first rate and it’s located in a great city. Campus is easy to negotiate.</p>
<p>Embry-Riddle (in Florida, I believe) is all about the aerospace. That’s the point of the university. I have no idea what it is in overall rankings, but for aerospace, I hear it’s tops/near tops.</p>
<p>I echo the St. Louis Univ. recommendation. Its a great school in a great location. We decided to go elsewhere for other reasons…but we thought very highly of the school when we visited.</p>
<p>Look at Worchester Polytech. The location is great for you, it is very well ranked, it accepts just about all qualified applicants, it gives money, and it is forward looking and innovative. Nice campus, too. What’s not to like?</p>
<p>Although it’s not in your neighborhood, I recommend Iowa State. Its aerospace department is excellent; very undergraduate oriented - lots of opportunities to do interesting research and other experiential learning.</p>
<p>CU Boulder has a very strong program in aerospace engineering, and it is not generally a highly selective program to get into, though like any engineering program it isn’t easy once you’re there. Colorado has the second or third largest aerospace industry in the country and so there are a lot of summer job opportunities – Lockheed Martin, Ball Aerospace, Boeing, Northrup, and Raytheon are some of the big guys, and there are quite a few boutique firms as well. Quite a few major federal labs are nearby, and there is tremendous interaction between the university and the scientists and labs at CU, NIST, NOAA, and NCAR, each of which could have work that might be interesting for someone in aerospace engineering. </p>
<p>CU also has a very cool Integrated Teaching and Learning Lab (ITL) with hands-on courses in Engineering beginning in your freshman year, which is fairly unusual. I’ve run programs in this lab, and it is just amazing.</p>
<p>i guess some of you guys decided that you didnt care that he asked for mid 50s so you thought you would be lazy and just name them all, either that your some of you are to dumb to realize that MIT is not a mid 50 school…</p>
<p>Well, in my experience, many of these colleges, for example Northeastern, cover very little Aerodynamics and computer simulation of flight in their Mechanical Engineering programs. An ME prof. at NEU pretty much told me flat out that BU’s Aerospace program would be more comprehensive than simply focusing on Aero-related courses at NEU. I know this may not be the case with some schools.</p>
<p>I’m specifically curious about Rice (not mid-range, but my long-term dream school and first choice). Does anyone know how well its ME program covers Aero? I know that the Johnson Flight Center is nearby, but I assume that there are very few jobs for engineers there, as the actual tech is developed elsewhere? Do Texans typically choose U-Texas at Austin over Rice?</p>
<p>Also, about WPI, it’s viewed in low regard by a lot of people around here (except those that went there =P), and it’s aerospace program is pretty new.</p>