Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:31     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
I feel like people are being a bit obtuse. Op is asking why having a graduate program in engineering matters. I’d say the easy answer is you can start in a research lab to attain skills for an internship, and if you end up interested in graduate research, you have access to the best labs. It also can be helpful in terms of the range of courses offered!
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:24     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree?

U.S. News doesn't use such a distinction as an indicator of the quality of undergraduate engineering programs. I believe you somehow have misunderstood their rankings.


Misunderstood? Maybe you should sit this one out if you haven’t looked at the rankings recently? There are two non-overlapping “best undergraduate engineering program” lists…one “where doctorate is not offered” and one “where doctorate is highest degree” with no clear way to see how they would be ranked under one list.

If you are the OP, I tried, but I can't you further.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:22     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree?

U.S. News doesn't use such a distinction as an indicator of the quality of undergraduate engineering programs. I believe you somehow have misunderstood their rankings.


Yes, I believe they do. -DP.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate (doctorate offered)
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-overall?myCollege=engineering-no-doctorate&_sort=myCollege&_sortDirection=asc (no doctorate offered)

U.S. News has organized engineering rankings by category without commenting on category quality.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:20     Subject: Re:Engineering rankings seem weird
For engineering, I think the top 6 or 7 are all that matter. Those are more or less the same.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:17     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree?

U.S. News doesn't use such a distinction as an indicator of the quality of undergraduate engineering programs. I believe you somehow have misunderstood their rankings.


Misunderstood? Maybe you should sit this one out if you haven’t looked at the rankings recently? There are two non-overlapping “best undergraduate engineering program” lists…one “where doctorate is not offered” and one “where doctorate is highest degree” with no clear way to see how they would be ranked under one list.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:17     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Good lord, please give it a rest with the rankings obsession.

The fact is, smart and capable kids from all these places can work anywhere in terms of industry.

If they want to go into academia (and, tbh, the shouldn’t!) even if your young genius gets into a top program the chances are they will end up with their only tenure track position option being flyover state u, satellite campus.



Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:12     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree? Setting aside engineering programs at the academies, Harvey Mudd, Cooper Union or Rose Hellman can these undergraduate/masters only programs not compete head to head with them? Are Bucknell, Olin, Cal Poly SLO/Pomona, Valparaiso, Ohio Northern, Milwaukee school of engineering, San Jose State, Smith are considered a step behind similarly ranked national universities with PHd programs?


Yes, of course they are.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 21:10     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree?

U.S. News doesn't use such a distinction as an indicator of the quality of undergraduate engineering programs. I believe you somehow have misunderstood their rankings.


Yes, I believe they do. -DP.

https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate (doctorate offered)
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-overall?myCollege=engineering-no-doctorate&_sort=myCollege&_sortDirection=asc (no doctorate offered)
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 20:56     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree?

U.S. News doesn't use such a distinction as an indicator of the quality of undergraduate engineering programs. I believe you somehow have misunderstood their rankings.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 20:25     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Sure. Most are at schools already highly ranked but I’m thinking of schools where the engineering specific ranking is much higher.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Perdue, UW, VT, Texas A&M, Ohio State, UMCP, Penn State, UCSD.


Are you asking why land grant universities that were founded 150+ years ago to teach engineering by charter have well regarded engineering programs? Cause there seems to be an obvious answer to that.


+1
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 19:54     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:Sure. Most are at schools already highly ranked but I’m thinking of schools where the engineering specific ranking is much higher.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Perdue, UW, VT, Texas A&M, Ohio State, UMCP, Penn State, UCSD.


Are you asking why land grant universities that were founded 150+ years ago to teach engineering by charter have well regarded engineering programs? Cause there seems to be an obvious answer to that.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 19:35     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree.


It might matter for Caltech or Stanford, but many engineering PhD students at VT or UMCP started with a BS Engineering from a school without a PhD program.

(The DCUM "prestige is all that matters" people will disagree with the above any minute now, but engineering really is different from some other categories of undergrad degree.)
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 18:30     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Sure. Most are at schools already highly ranked but I’m thinking of schools where the engineering specific ranking is much higher.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Perdue, UW, VT, Texas A&M, Ohio State, UMCP, Penn State, UCSD.
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 18:21     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Anonymous wrote:Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree? Setting aside engineering programs at the academies, Harvey Mudd, Cooper Union or Rose Hellman can these undergraduate/masters only programs not compete head to head with them? Are Bucknell, Olin, Cal Poly SLO/Pomona, Valparaiso, Ohio Northern, Milwaukee school of engineering, San Jose State, Smith are considered a step behind similarly ranked national universities with PHd programs?


lol is this a serious question?
Anonymous
Post 12/22/2025 18:20     Subject: Engineering rankings seem weird
Why would it matter when deciding where to apply for engineering whether the program offers a doctorate degree? Setting aside engineering programs at the academies, Harvey Mudd, Cooper Union or Rose Hellman can these undergraduate/masters only programs not compete head to head with them? Are Bucknell, Olin, Cal Poly SLO/Pomona, Valparaiso, Ohio Northern, Milwaukee school of engineering, San Jose State, Smith are considered a step behind similarly ranked national universities with PHd programs?