Undergraduate Engineering schools?
 

My son has been expecting to go to Virginia Tech or UVA in the fall. He is leaning towards Chemical or Mechanical Engineering, possibly Material Engineering (Mechler's family information night presentation is clearly evident).

GMU and VCU were going to be his backup schools, and they are both coming forward with scholarship money. VCU just offered a full ride today. We are happily stunned. His college savings plan could be applied to grad school... We don't have to respond until May, and we will not hear from Tech or UVA until March or so. He is hoping for Virginia Tech, and may get some funds from them, but five years of college is pretty much paid for with the state 529 and my wife's planning.

So... I understand there are a few Engineering types about on Dorki...

In your opinions (here, or PM if you prefer), is there a bias against VCU Engineering vs Tech or VCU? Is the bias valid? Bias on performance or getting hired? Just at bachelor degree or at all levels?

If he went to undergraduate school at VCU, then graduate school at Tech or UVA, is there a difference in getting initially hired, or promoted and so on, after graduation with a masters degree?

Thanks so much for any feedback.

Nobody cares where you went to undergrad if you get a graduate degree - but the graduate school definitely cares during the application process.

I haven't heard anything about VCU's engineering school...

As an employer of electrical engineers, I've had the best experiences with VT grads.

Employers will be looking primarily at the name of the school of his most-recent degree. If he gets a masters degree from a prestigious school, it almost doesn't matter where his bachelors came from.

The catch to this is that he has to do well enough as an undergrad to get into the prestigious masters program.

Another option to consider for the bachelors degree is doing his first two years at a less-expensive school, and then transferring to the better school for the last two years. This is becoming more common these days, and you just need to make sure all the credits will transfer from the first school to the second (this may limit the possible choices of "starter" school, depending on the desired "ending" school). He'll need to get good grades at the first school to stand a chance of getting into the second school.

I didn't even know VCU had an engineering school...

Depending on what subdiscipline he decides to specialize in, there may be very little reason to go to grad school. (that mainly applies to ME; for Chemical, you better plan on at least a Masters) If he is really unsure at this point, it would be better to go for a school with a strong reputation for undergrad.

Was thinking the same, and that is as someone who grew up in VA. As a person who hires engineers and CS majors, I will admit that (mainly for new grads) name recognition does go a good way. Seeing the name of a good engineering school like Va Tech, NC State, Ga Tech, Maryland, etc gives you more of a head start on applicants than those where I have to go "huh... didn't even know they had a program"

Engineering is engineering. If the kid has a full ride to a school and likes it ... Take it. Like you said you have the money saved and it can be applied to a masters of enginering or other masters program. In the end no loans and your still in an engineering sector. The cherry is no student loans unlike most of his counterparts.

The only thing Tech might have more of is boosters and more funnelling of alums for jobs. Promotions are usually merit based but it not to say it doesnt happen. Being an alumnus is more of a foot in the door.

My father in law and future brother in law are both Tech alums. We are all engineers but of different disciplines. Both are very sharp guys.

As someone who has hired engineers for the past 25 years, I disagree. You can definitely get good engineers from schools with less-intensive programs, but it is a bit more hit-or-miss. over time, we've seen that a VT grad with a crappy 2.5 GPA is often sharper and more knowledgeable then one from a little-know program who may have a 3.0+ GPA.

Not that yo can't do well going to an unknown engineering school, but you will often have a more uphill challenge. And you may have less debt, but be prepared to get a lower salary as well.

It's cost my company a lot of $$$ over the years to learn that those from well-known engineering schools usually are our better employees.

Please note I do not consider UVa to be one of the better engineering schools. I'll take someone from NC State, Penn State, VT, etc. While I know some good engineers who went through UVa, they are not as prevalent as one would hope.

And yes, we've also had a handful of VT grads who really were not that good. They tended to be the ones who had more favorable admissions.

Yeah, not really. Truth is the MIT and Stanford grads get called back first. Then Virginia Tech and Maryland grads. Then the VCU and ODU grads. Hiring managers (esp if they are engineers themselves) know which schools were tough and which ones were easier, and where you graduated tends to put you either higher in the pile or lower.

Ditto.

Probably true in application to grad schools as well.

I want to challenge my own, unfounded position - is grad school assumed for entry level Engineering, or is that the exception? Good idea?

What about University of Pennsylvania SEAS grads? How are they viewed?