Mechanical Engineers: Does it matter what school your degree comes from?

The reason I ask is that my military time is drawing to a close and I will have 100% GI Bill benefits. I want to use it up to get another degree (I already have a Bachelors, but it's in History, so not much use in the civilian world unless I want to be a teacher -- which I don't). I have a few schools in my area that offer BSMEs, but the best school in the area is private and around $25K/year for undergrad (only $19k of which is covered by GI Bill). The other is a smaller state school, but 100% of my tuition will be covered. My wife and I are completely out of debt aside from the mortgage and I want to stay that way (makes it much easier to support the wife and kiddos), so that takes student loans to cover that extra ~$6K/year off the table. We could save that extra cash up with a bit of work (only an extra $500/month), but I want to make sure that it's necessary to do it. So, is there "prestige" in where you get your BSME when it comes to potential employment, like with an MD or JD, or does it just matter that you got the degree and passed the tests?

Thanks in advance,

Yes,but it only matters to some, and mostly when you are chasing that first job out of college.

I think it does, but at least make sure that it is ABET accredited.

I spent 10 minutes yesterday explaining to an EE how to wire in a light bulb. Two wires, no polarity. So I'd say there are definitely some sub-standard schools out there.

They're both ABET accredited. Hopefully I won't forget how to wire in a light bulb in the process of furthering my education...

I'd base it more on ME related extra-curricular activities that might be available. I know I got a lot of questions about my work on the Future Car stuff while in school while interviewing. Though my degree is Comp.Sci, not actually ME. As long as we're not talking bottom of the barrel school, I suspect that a good extra project makes up for a tier or two of perceived school quality (of course if you can get both...)

Like Fox said, yes and no.

Yes, because the biggest companies recruit from the top schools, no- the reality is that accrediation means accredidation. None the less, with the right work in school, you can get the good companies.

That being said, another suggestion is this- get your BS at a school that you can go do and afford, and the find a big school that offers a good MS degree that will pay you to go to school. That's what I did, I got a BS from Idaho, and then got into some good grad schools- where one gave me a good offer to teach as well as school. Works like a charm.

As long as the school is ABET-accredited, no not really. Some schools might have better alumni networking, though.

Thanks to all for the answers so far.

alfadriver wrote: I got a BS from Idaho.

Alfadriver, I visit U of I regularly for what the Army currently has me doing (recruiting doctors and doctors-to-be). I'm based in Spokane. We love it here and want to stay when we get out of the Army, so I'm looking at Gonzaga and Eastern WA.

DustoffDave wrote: Thanks to all for the answers so far.

alfadriver wrote: I got a BS from Idaho.

Alfadriver, I visit U of I regularly for what the Army currently has me doing (recruiting doctors and doctors-to-be). I'm based in Spokane. We love it here and want to stay when we get out of the Army, so I'm looking at Gonzaga and Eastern WA.

If you can swing it, go to Wazzu. They share classes with Idaho for all engineering programs. Well, they used to. Better opportunites there, I think, and still a state school. With your background, getting a good engineering job at Belingham or Boeing should be a piece of cake. Or a good job in Spokane- I think there's an Idaho alumn group there...

I'll be in the area in June- my niece is graduating from HS in Moscow. It is a great area. Alas, I've not been up there since '96 when my SIL graduated. On the other hand, I'm working on a donation of stuff from Ford to Idaho....

It is a great area.

Keith Tanner wrote: I spent 10 minutes yesterday explaining to an EE how to wire in a light bulb. Two wires, no polarity. So I'd say there are definitely some sub-standard schools out there.

Its a common misconception that engineering school teaches you anything about engineering. Math, physics, and the application thereof, tons of it. VERY little of the actual practice. The real hell is if you're somebody like me and have a fairly extensive knowledge of the practice already. Most undergrad MEs don't even know what the Machinery's Handbook is.

Ditto on above comments. Any accredited school will get you working somewhere. More respected schools can make it easier to get on with top companies. If you are thinking of some particular company/field you want to work in you may find out what schools supply the most interns for them. I went to UCF in Orlando and had no problem finding a job. I would have been nice to go to school that had a bigger FSAE budget, but at the end of day I got a pretty decent, affordable education.

I would be more concerned about the quality of education a given school provides rather than its name. I got my BSEE at the University of Minnesota which (according to the first link I found online) is currently rated 29th among engineering schools, but I had no concerns about not graduating from MIT or Caltech. As another example, my company hires a lot of new grads from Michigan Technological University which is rated 117, and North Dakota State University which is rated 190, and as far as I can tell both schools turn out good engineers.

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: I spent 10 minutes yesterday explaining to an EE how to wire in a light bulb. Two wires, no polarity. So I'd say there are definitely some sub-standard schools out there.

Its a common misconception that engineering school teaches you anything about engineering. Math, physics, and the application thereof, tons of it. VERY little of the actual practice. The real hell is if you're somebody like me and have a fairly extensive knowledge of the practice already. Most undergrad MEs don't even know what the Machinery's Handbook is.

My son is working on a chemistry phd and he is one of those smart guys with no practical sense like we all have - we call him the nutty professor. I told him once he is the smartest guy I know that's an idiot. (I kid, I kid)

It seems a bit strange to me to be 30 years old, a college grad, and 7 years into a "career" as a military officer and asking questions about bachelors degrees, but I am exploring all avenues, so thanks again.

In reply to stuart in mn:

Yay Michigan Tech! In my experience (not an ME but I do have an engineering degree from MTU) the biggest thing a 'better' school gets you is networking, especial during school and during that first job search. Internships have always been important and they're easier to get when more companies come to your campus to recruit. Having a healthy crop of students with good internships gives them a good pool for new hires and the cycle feeds upon itself. 5 years out of school it doesn't matter other than making small talk with people you meet in the industry.

Make sure you get a "real" Mech. Eng. degree and not Mech. Eng. in Technology degree. I've got the electrical equivalent and have been turned away from companies once the HR department that contacted me finds out I've got a Bachelor's of Science in Engineering Technology.

It's a great degree if you want to know how to actually do things. You can't graduate and not know how to wire Keith's light bulb. But it's been somewhat career limiting. Like the time I got contacted by a tractor manufacturer, and got turned away after discussions got started. So I keep working my current job, engineering flight display systems for the jets that carry the executives that run the tractor company.

Pick a school with a program that interests you and can teach you well. I have been asked where I went to school or what grades I got exactly one time during official hiring-type conversations since 2005.

A bachelor's in History huh? So you're doomed to watch everyone else repeat it.

Sky_Render wrote: As long as the school is ABET-accredited, no not really. Some schools might have better alumni networking, though.

This. Also some schools have better co-op and extracirrual engineering activities then others.

I would say what you do in school (other then class work ie FSAE, etc) probably will have a bigger effect then where you went.

pres589 wrote: Make sure you get a "real" Mech. Eng. degree and not Mech. Eng. in Technology degree. I've got the electrical equivalent and have been turned away from companies once the HR department that contacted me finds out I've got a Bachelor's of Science in Engineering Technology. It's a great degree if you want to know how to actually do things. You can't graduate and not know how to wire Keith's light bulb. But it's been somewhat career limiting. Like the time I got contacted by a tractor manufacturer, and got turned away after discussions got started. So I keep working my current job, engineering flight display systems for the jets that carry the executives that run the tractor company.

FWIW, My BSMET has not hurt me in the least. Those who know the difference often prefer it for it's more practical, hands on nature.

In reply to DILYSI Dave:

I think people that have real experience with a MET or EET graduate probably have positive experiences with those students. The hard part is getting past a corporate HR drone that doesn't want to go off-script.

This thread isn't supposed to be about me so I'll stop here.

What school did you go to for your history degree?

Not a direct comparison, but there are probably elements that are exactly the same: I have a degree from a good [state] school--Illinois State, but ISU is overshadowed by the flagship school--UoI. I've had numerous people, including students, teachers, professors,, hiring managers, and parents, tell me that they believe the education at ISU is better than UoI. However, the job prospects, and often the salary, is better coming out of the flagship. The reality probably varies greatly program to program.

I'm now considering an MBA, and I have to decide between ISU, UoI, or various other colleges within a 3 hour drive (weekend/night/online programs). ISU's MBA is probably as good or better than most of the other options (other than Northwestern/Chicago/maybe Indiana), but honestly, outside of 2 or 3 small central Illinois cities, it is not worth much just because the name is associated with a teachers school.

Sounds like you would want to stay in the area you're in though--any way to gauge the feeling of the school from prospective employers?

Kenny_McCormic wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: I spent 10 minutes yesterday explaining to an EE how to wire in a light bulb. Two wires, no polarity. So I'd say there are definitely some sub-standard schools out there.

Its a common misconception that engineering school teaches you anything about engineering. Math, physics, and the application thereof, tons of it. VERY little of the actual practice. The real hell is if you're somebody like me and have a fairly extensive knowledge of the practice already. Most undergrad MEs don't even know what the Machinery's Handbook is.

I went to one of the rare engineering schools (NJIT) that was heavier in practical applications than the theoretical stuff. I think my career benifitted from that.

mtn wrote: What school did you go to for your history degree? Sounds like you would want to stay in the area you're in though--any way to gauge the feeling of the school from prospective employers?

I got my BA from the University of Utah. The only other real regional rival in academics was BYU, but no one cares about history degrees and since I went straight into the Army after I graduated, I never had to find out if there was any kind of bias for or against the U of U.

We do want to stay in the area, and I have a few older friends who are engineers at a large, local aluminum manufacturing company, but none of them got their degrees in the area (ironically, they both went to BYU). But, I've been meaning to sit down with them both and ask a few questions and I can gauge what the local feeling is for the local ME programs.