<p>Can anyone offer any insights on the pros and cons of the undergrad engineering program at Wash U? I understand that it had a turbulent year last year, and that the dean was apparently forced out after only a couple of years on the job. What is the deal?<br>
Do the engineering undergrads feel it's a good program? I have heard that the BME program is well respected, but haven't heard anything about the other engineering programs.
I did hear that the former dean had merged some departments and that there had been some budget cuts. Given how wealthy Wash U is, that is very disturbing news. Why did the engineering school have financial difficulties? I also heard something about engineering classes in the evening, which sounds pretty atypical for undergrads. Does anyone know about this?
I would value any information about both the good and bad aspects of the program.</p>
<p>I'm in BME as a freshman this year, and I know that the new leadership should increase funding for other departments.</p>
<p>Sorry I can't help more :(</p>
<p>My son is a junior civil engineering major at WashU. There were some department mergers but I haven't heard anything about budget cuts. In fact there are plans to build a brand new state of the art building to house the engineering school in the very near future. My son has never had an engineering class at night and I have never heard of any being offered. The former dean made some decisions that weren't very well received by both students and faculty. She was replaced last year and the department is now headed by the founding chair of the BME department. It seems at least from the outside that the new dean has the suport of both students and faculty members. Although I have seen several posts on CC about the WashU engineering department being in turmoil, that has not been our family's experience.</p>
<p>Engineering at WashU is BME, the rest of the programs have been put aside for a long time; nothing has changed with the new dean since he is a BME. Full and half tuition merit scholarships have been drastically reduced form 32 to 8, and so the funding for research except for BMI and the ICARE program with A&S that has been growing for the five past years.
There are no courses at night.</p>
<p>The new Dean Sutera has been at the school for 40 years- the majority of those years spent in meche until the creation of the bme department. I wouldn't say that nothing will change though.</p>
<p>Sutera is a BME, at least he told that when he said he has degrees from CalTech and Hopkins; all his work was and is around BME (WashU didn't have BME when he worked in the ME department)</p>
<p>here's a thread earlier about WU engineering... should be a little more helpful about the unique programs it offers:</p>