When it comes to choosing the best career path, most students find them in confusion. However, it’s also a fact that students want a career that would help them earn good money, and perhaps that’s the reason why many of these students choose to be an engineer, as engineering is always in the list of majors that have a high average starting salary. But you should also keep in mind that you’ll be able to earn well if you choose one of the best engineering schools in Michigan.
Not only do you need to choose a right school, you also need to pick the right industry. According to the United States Department of Labor, you may have to live with a median salary of $ 84,670 if you opt for Biomedical Engineering. Similarly, median salary for Mechanical Engineering is $79,320, whereas it goes up to $92,390 for Chemical Engineering. Therefore, it’s of immense importance to pick your industry carefully.
Even if you have already selected the industry, you will still have to find one of the best engineering schools in Michigan. Simply pick one of the following.
The College of Engineering at Michigan State University
Michigan State University’s College of Engineering is without doubt one of those engineering colleges in Michigan that offers an unprecedented learning environment to national and international students. On the Michigan State University, the College of Engineering is amongst the largest and oldest colleges, and it has always maintained a high standard of education. Today, the college consists of over 3,000 undergraduate students with more than 170 faculty members.
It is worth mentioning that GPA requirement in this engineering college changes each year. However, grade point average requirement for engineering majors is 3.0 for Mechanical Engineering, 2.9 for Civil Engineering, Applied Engineering Sciences, and 2.8 for Chemical, Materials, as well as Biosystems Engineering.
Talking about fee, you will have to pay $50 as application fee, whereas the tuition fee for part-time students is $569 per credit. For all out-of-state, part-time students, the tuition fee is $1,118 per credit. In terms of academics, you will find 9 graduate degree programs along with 10 undergraduate degree programs.
As a whole, this engineering college has six departments with 14 research centers and laboratories. As far as the research facilities are concerned, the school can compete any of the top engineering schools in Michigan and even outside. The school spent $50.46 million on research projects during the fiscal year 2010-11. The University’s research plan is focused on five major areas, including health, energy, security, materials, and sustainability.
The College of Engineering at University of Michigan
The location of this engineering university makes it a perfect choice for fun and education. As it’s located in An Arbor, you will always have a quick access to dining, shopping and nightlife options. The College of Engineering is one of those Michigan engineering schools where they have rolling deadline.
The application fee for U.S. residents is $65, but it’s slightly higher for international students – they have to pay $75. In terms of tuition fee, there is again a difference in what U.S residents and international students have to pay. For in-state students, the tuition fee for a full-time course is $21,260 a year. On the other hand, out-of-state students will have to pay $40,006 a year. For part time courses, the fee for in-state students is $1,142 per credit, whereas out-of-state students have to pay almost the double amount per credit for part time courses.
The quality of faculty is quite good as well, and the student-faculty ratio is 4:2:1 for PhD students. In total, there are 362 full-time faculty members at the College of Engineering at University of Michigan.
As far as the curriculum is concerned, you will again be deeply impressed. They have curriculums for doctoral, master’s and a number of interdisciplinary programs. The highlight of these academic programs is that the lay their emphasis on project-based learning. The list of departments is quite extensive too, which also includes Aerospace engineering, Bioengineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Electrical Engineering – the school is ranked number 1 in Nuclear Engineering. It is one of the very few Michigan engineering schools that you can attend for exceptional courses in Nuclear Engineering.
For all prospective students, there is a good way to learn everything about the way things work at this engineering college, and that’s by taking part in the annual engineering graduate symposium – it’s organized in November. This event is equally helpful for the existing students as they can find faculty advisers, showcase their research project and hear from exceptional speakers. The combination of research facilities, qualified faculty, advanced courses and assistance for students makes it one of the finest engineering schools in Michigan.
Michigan Tech College of Engineering
Michigan Technological University first started as the Michigan Mining School back in 1885. It was originally established to train mining engineers in Michigan, but now it has expanded in an incredible way, serving over 6,400 students. The university offers educational excellence in a number of fields, including engineering, humanities, arts, business and economics, forestry, computing and environmental science. Its engineering college is growing rapidly, with more than 160 faculty members and 3,500 students.
Like many other top engineering colleges in Michigan, the College of Engineering has separate academic departments – there are eight of them in total. The list includes Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Geological and Mining Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and so on. There are several interdisciplinary programs available at this school, and since these programs are redefining engineering education, the school is always on the lookout for experienced and skilled faculty.
Here, it is worth mentioning that over 90% of students at this university receive financial assistance, which totals to $54 million a year. Once you start your degree at this university, you will have financial assistance available in the form of grants, scholarships, loans, and part-time student employment. It means you can actually finance your studies, and once you complete the degree, you can be sure of getting a good job in different fields. In fact, it is one of those Michigan engineering colleges where you may get a chance to impress an employer in your campus – 280+ employers visited the campus in 2009 to offer jobs to students.
Also consider alternative career in nursing by taking cna classes and become a certified nursing assistant.