Anonymous wrote:

Son briefly looked at it - loved the school but did not love the generic engineering degree. Undergrads do not graduate with any specialization (ie, mechanical, electrical, computer .. ) but instead earn a general engineering degree. No matter how hard they tried to sell this it was a no-go. They tried to say that it made more “well-rounded” engineers. I for one want my computer systems designed by someone with at least a BS in COMPUTER engineering.

This is why my son did not seriously consider it. He was unhappy that his other option was Mason, as he did not want to stay so close to home, but it has worked out better than he expected.

+1 def. Mason over JMU. But that wasn’t the question. Yep, for a kid from JMU, the obvious question is, why not… (VT, GMU, Purdue, Pitt, THE Ohio State, Clemson, Ga Tech, Alabama…) and the obvious answer is either low stats or kid prefers JMU’s social life (or both— the two have been known to go together). Although some SEC schools have decent engineering.

Hey OP— why is your kid interested in JMU for engineering? Isn’t the top school that comes to mind, so why there?

Son briefly looked at it - loved the school but did not love the generic engineering degree. Undergrads do not graduate with any specialization (ie, mechanical, electrical, computer .. ) but instead earn a general engineering degree. No matter how hard they tried to sell this it was a no-go. They tried to say that it made more “well-rounded” engineers. I for one want my computer systems designed by someone with at least a BS in COMPUTER engineering.

This is why my son did not seriously consider it. He was unhappy that his other option was Mason, as he did not want to stay so close to home, but it has worked out better than he expected.

The one thing DS really liked about it when he looked at it was the personalized nature of it. With the program being so small, each student truly got a lot of attention.

Look up The Common Data Set on JMU. Learn, for example, just how many students JMU is graduating in each major. Everyone should be looking at The Common Data Set of each school they consider. So much great information.

The student will need to be prepared, if they stay in engineering, for every interviewer, every person to say, "JMU? Why didn't you go to Virginia Tech?" That in itself wouldn't discourage me.

Anonymous wrote:Son briefly looked at it - loved the school but did not love the generic engineering degree. Undergrads do not graduate with any specialization (ie, mechanical, electrical, computer .. ) but instead earn a general engineering degree. No matter how hard they tried to sell this it was a no-go. They tried to say that it made more “well-rounded” engineers. I for one want my computer systems designed by someone with at least a BS in COMPUTER engineering. Just seemed like a dumping ground for those who kinda wanted to be engineers but who would never make it in a true engineering program. Son chose Purdue and is finding it challenging but rewarding.

Congrats on Purdue 👍🏼

The engineering degree at JMU is closely aligned with typical mechanical engineering. Think mechanical engineering with two or three fewer ME electives, replaced by two or three environmental engineering courses.

Son briefly looked at it - loved the school but did not love the generic engineering degree. Undergrads do not graduate with any specialization (ie, mechanical, electrical, computer .. ) but instead earn a general engineering degree. No matter how hard they tried to sell this it was a no-go. They tried to say that it made more “well-rounded” engineers. I for one want my computer systems designed by someone with at least a BS in COMPUTER engineering. Just seemed like a dumping ground for those who kinda wanted to be engineers but who would never make it in a true engineering program. Son chose Purdue and is finding it challenging but rewarding.

For Undergrad - I don't know what strength has to do with anything.

From a Graduate Student and Professor's perspective - the Undergrads know Cr*p. The material is mainly math, science, and fundamental Engineering classes. All depend on who's teaching it? You could get lucky at a Community College or the #1 Program in the world.

The strength really makes sense during Grad School where you work closely with the Prof, like be their Research Assistant and a lucky few that's the final year of Undergrad.

I keep hearing; VT is ranked ... higher than ... If you go to Grad School then you can take advantage but during undergrad first year you take one generic Engineering class and stuff like English, History, ... 2nd and 3rd its text book material nothing more. 4th year when the projects begin maybe depending on your major you work with a good Prof.

Just learn the material wherever you are. Then go to a great Grad School that reflect your interest not climbing the corporate ladder. The Profs depend their lively hood on the Grad Students they work with - the grades/test scores/where you graduated mean squat. The PHD student is dependent on the Prof not the school.

I have a friend whose son is there and is very happy. He wanted an opportunity to have a more liberal arts background with his engineering degree. He turned down VT for JMU. I don't know anything about engineering so I can't say how good the program is but he is happy with the decision.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not as prestigious or rigorous as others, but if it's your only option, it's fine.

It's ABET accredited, idiot.

I'm sorry, could you point to where I said it is not?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not as prestigious or rigorous as others, but if it's your only option, it's fine.

It's ABET accredited, idiot.

any good schools that are not abet accredited?

These comments should get interesting... It's a great Engineering for kids that are not Gunners but not good enough for any of this crowd's precious, ranking obsessed gunner spawn.

Anonymous wrote:Not as prestigious or rigorous as others, but if it's your only option, it's fine.

It's ABET accredited, idiot.

Not as prestigious or rigorous as others, but if it's your only option, it's fine.

Anonymous wrote:Any thoughts or experiences with JMU engineering? We love the school generally, but don't have much info. on their engineering program.

Most other VA publics with Engineering Schools (e.g., GMU, ODU, VCU, UVA, VPI) have visibly stronger programs in Engineering than JMU.

Any thoughts or experiences with JMU engineering? We love the school generally, but don't have much info. on their engineering program.