JMU and Engineering

[Anonymous]

DS is on VTech waitlist and we honestly doubt he will get off it. That said, we are looking at JMU for engineering. If your DC is at JMU and in taht program, what are all your thoughts? DS has been accepted.

[Anonymous]

Wait for VT.

[Anonymous]

JMU is a good school, but as an electrical engineer, I would be hesitant to hire someone graduating with an undifferentiated engineering major. It could be different for other fields.

I don't know if it is on your child's radar, but we have hired a number of Mason engineering grads, and been happy with them.

[Anonymous]

My child was also waitlisted for engineering at Virginia Tech. JMU was not a viable option due to its limited engineering program. VCU, George GMU, and ODU are better in-state options for engineering, although they may not be as appealing as JMU for some students. Unfortunately, my child is going of state because these schools do not offer the specific major he intends to study.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:JMU is a good school, but as an electrical engineer, I would be hesitant to hire someone graduating with an undifferentiated engineering major. It could be different for other fields.

I don't know if it is on your child's radar, but we have hired a number of Mason engineering grads, and been happy with them.

His concentration is Electro-Mechanical, not sure what you mean by "undifferentiated". GMU is nice but he doesn't be THAT close to home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My child was also waitlisted for engineering at Virginia Tech. JMU was not a viable option due to its limited engineering program. VCU, George GMU, and ODU are better in-state options for engineering, although they may not be as appealing as JMU for some students. Unfortunately, my child is going of state because these schools do not offer the specific major he intends to study.

Do you mind sharing where he ended up going? He has OOS options, but we have 3 kids, we want to be rational...

[Anonymous]

My DS is at GMU, lives on campus, and we rarely see him. It’s a great school but gets dissed because it’s in our backyard.

[Anonymous]

His concentration is Electro-Mechanical, not sure what you mean by "undifferentiated". GMU is nice but he doesn't be THAT close to home.

It's a concentration, not a major. Of course, he should go where you and he thinks best, you asked for people's opinion and I am offering one as one person who hires electrical engineers. Others may view it differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

His concentration is Electro-Mechanical, not sure what you mean by "undifferentiated". GMU is nice but he doesn't be THAT close to home.

It's a concentration, not a major. Of course, he should go where you and he thinks best, you asked for people's opinion and I am offering one as one person who hires electrical engineers. Others may view it differently.

How weird. I hired people based on how they interview and their technical skills vs. "where they went to college". That's so 20th century.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My child was also waitlisted for engineering at Virginia Tech. JMU was not a viable option due to its limited engineering program. VCU, George GMU, and ODU are better in-state options for engineering, although they may not be as appealing as JMU for some students. Unfortunately, my child is going of state because these schools do not offer the specific major he intends to study.

Do you mind sharing where he ended up going? He has OOS options, but we have 3 kids, we want to be rational...

He has several OOS options running the gambit of costs with a couple near what VT would cost in-state. Sorry, I don't want to give the school. The real loss for us is the convenience of VT.

[Anonymous]

It's a concentration, not a major. Of course, he should go where you and he thinks best, you asked for people's opinion and I am offering one as one person who hires electrical engineers. Others may view it differently.


How weird. I hired people based on how they interview and their technical skills vs. "where they went to college". That's so 20th century.

Thanks for sharing your views.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

His concentration is Electro-Mechanical, not sure what you mean by "undifferentiated". GMU is nice but he doesn't be THAT close to home.

It's a concentration, not a major. Of course, he should go where you and he thinks best, you asked for people's opinion and I am offering one as one person who hires electrical engineers. Others may view it differently.

How weird. I hired people based on how they interview and their technical skills vs. "where they went to college". That's so 20th century.

I don’t think this is an issue with JMU as a school, but rather with their engineering program not offering specific engineering majors. Would you hire a recent graduate for a nuclear engineering job if they only had a general engineering degree? That said, I do commend you on your enlightenment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

His concentration is Electro-Mechanical, not sure what you mean by "undifferentiated". GMU is nice but he doesn't be THAT close to home.

It's a concentration, not a major. Of course, he should go where you and he thinks best, you asked for people's opinion and I am offering one as one person who hires electrical engineers. Others may view it differently.

How weird. I hired people based on how they interview and their technical skills vs. "where they went to college". That's so 20th century.

I don’t think this is an issue with JMU as a school, but rather with their engineering program not offering specific engineering majors. Would you hire a recent graduate for a nuclear engineering job if they only had a general engineering degree? That said, I do commend you on your enlightenment.

DP. What is so significantly inferior of an engineering degree with a concentration in the appropriate field v. an engineering degree in the specific type of engineering?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait for VT.

This doesn't help if they don't get off the waitlist. Any other advice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

His concentration is Electro-Mechanical, not sure what you mean by "undifferentiated". GMU is nice but he doesn't be THAT close to home.

It's a concentration, not a major. Of course, he should go where you and he thinks best, you asked for people's opinion and I am offering one as one person who hires electrical engineers. Others may view it differently.

How weird. I hired people based on how they interview and their technical skills vs. "where they went to college". That's so 20th century.

I don’t think this is an issue with JMU as a school, but rather with their engineering program not offering specific engineering majors. Would you hire a recent graduate for a nuclear engineering job if they only had a general engineering degree? That said, I do commend you on your enlightenment.

DP. What is so significantly inferior of an engineering degree with a concentration in the appropriate field v. an engineering degree in the specific type of engineering?

Usually a concentration has fewer specialized upper level classes, or the upper level classes are more general and not as advanced/specialized. It's not the same.

If your student wants to be an engineer, they should go to a school with real engineering majors. They'll likely also have more options for undergrad research, engineering design teams, and a senior design class or thesis. I'm not familiar with the JMU program, but it sounds pretty limited.