Engineering

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I know if I’ll like engineering?

You might like engineering if you:

• Are interested in solving problems
• Are interested in working with other people
• Are interested in serving human needs
• Want to make things work better
• Strive for continual improvement
• Able to communicate well
• Able to adapt to a changing environment

You may know an engineer or your parents may know an engineer that you can speak with. If not, ask your teacher or guidance counselor to arrange a visit by an engineer to your school. Talk to that engineer about what traits he or she is using in their job.

2. What type of education will I need to become an engineer?

You will need a bachelor’s degree in engineering, which generally takes four to five years of full-time study. At JBU, most of our engineering students graduate in four years.

3. What type of academic background do I need to get into engineering school?

It’s pretty obvious that you’ll need good grades, particularly in mathematics and science, to be considered for enrollment in a course of study as demanding as engineering. But you don’t need to be a “genius.” Ideally you should rank in the top one third of your high school class and certainly in the top half.

Because engineers spend much of their time solving problems, a strong engineering candidate should enjoy and excel at problem solving. Enrich your problem solving know-how by taking as many math courses as your school offers, including calculus and trigonometry if available. You should also take laboratory science courses such as chemistry and physics. Most engineering institutions expect you to have good grades in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, science, English, and social studies.

Because engineers convey ideas graphically and may need to visualize products or processes in three dimensions, courses in graphics, drafting, or design are helpful as well.

Admission officers will expect you to have high scores on the math section of aptitude tests such as the SAT and ACT, and perhaps on the Math and Science Achievement Tests. Most engineering schools look for a total SAT score of at least 1,100, a math score of at least 550, and a verbal score of at least 450. At the most competitive schools, average math SAT scores exceed 700, and average verbal scores exceed 600. If students take the ACT, colleges prefer a composite of at least 28, a math score of at least 26, and a verbal score of at least 24. Scores on Math and Science Achievement Tests should be above 500 each.

4. I goofed around a little in high school. Now I realize I want to get serious and apply to engineering school. Is it too late for me?

If you are the type of person who enjoys taking things apart and putting them back together as well as figuring out how things work, and are now serious about studying, you should do well once you get accepted into a program. The question is: Can you get in without high grades?

To increase your chances, you may want to take a few math and science courses at a junior college before applying to an engineering program.

5. When must I declare an engineering field?

At JBU, you won’t be required to declare a specific concentration until the end of your second year of study. Your first two years are devoted to gaining an overview of engineering and will cover the major fields available to you. If you can't narrow your choices by the time you choose a university and you later find that the field you'd like to major in is not offered at JBU, you can select something closely related and continue your studies in a graduate program.

6. Will I need to go to graduate school?

While you can work as an engineer in industry or government without a graduate degree, many engineers have found investing in a master's degree to be worthwhile. In addition to gaining more knowledge, you become qualified for positions of greater depth, prestige, and earning capacity. There is no reason, however, to decide immediately upon graduation; only 20 percent of engineering students go straight into graduate school from undergraduate school. A master's degree usually requires an additional year of study. A doctorate, necessary for research and teaching positions, usually requires at least a total of seven years of undergraduate and graduate study.

7. What is accreditation?

In the United States, accreditation is a non-governmental, peer review process that ensures educational quality. Educational institutions or programs volunteer to periodically undergo this review in order to determine if certain criteria are being met. It is important to understand, however, that accreditation is not a ranking system. It is simply assurance that a program or institution meets established quality standards.

There are two types of accreditation: institutional and specialized.

Institutional accreditation evaluates overall institutional quality. One form of institutional accreditation is regional accreditation of colleges and universities.

Specialized accreditation examines specific programs of study, rather than an institution as a whole. This type of accreditation is granted to specific programs at specific levels. Architecture, nursing, law, medicine, and engineering programs are often evaluated through specialized accreditation.

In the United States, ABET, Inc., is responsible for the specialized accreditation of educational programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology.

8. What is ABET accreditation?

ABET accreditation is assurance that a college or university program meets the quality standards established by the profession for which it prepares its students. For example, an accredited engineering program must meet the quality standards set by the engineering profession.

ABET accredits postsecondary degree-granting programs housed within regionally accredited institutions. ABET accredits programs only, not degrees, departments, colleges, or institutions.