Saluting our Schools

Purdue engineering ranks among the nation’s top programs

The school’s minority engineering program provided a model for NSBE’s first student chapter. Its MEP was set up in 1974

Purdue University’s College of Engineering is one of the world’s largest, most respected engineering schools,” says Susan Fisher, director of graduate programs for the college of engineering. “You can expect to receive an exceptional education here.

“The school has earned and maintains a solid reputation,” she notes. “The graduate programs consistently rank among the top twenty in the nation according to U.S. News & World Report.

“Employers also consistently rate Purdue engineering among the nation’s top programs, identifying Purdue’s graduates as some of the best engineers entering the field,” adds Fisher.

Many accolades
Located in West Lafayette, IN, Purdue University is a land-grant university with over 40,000 students. The Princeton Review recently ranked it in the 100 “best value” colleges for 2009, and Forbes magazine has ranked West Lafayette as the “sixth-smartest small town in America.”

The school has an Hispanic woman president, astrophysicist France A. Córdova, and an impressive worldwide outreach through its global engineering program.

For the past three years, Hispanic Business magazine has ranked Purdue’s engineering graduate programs among the top ten in the nation for Hispanic students, says Fisher.

“The school of engineering education’s graduate programs are the first of their kind in the United States,” notes Fisher. “They’re establishing themselves as a national role model.” She explains that these programs are designed for students interested in careers involving the art and science of learning engineering, with particular emphasis on research in engineering education.

Students can pursue graduate degrees
Masters and PhDs are offered in engineering education and ten engineering programs: aeronautics and astronautics, agricultural and biological, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical and computer, industrial, materials, mechanical and even nuclear engineering. In most programs, students with exceptional academic backgrounds may enter the PhD program immediately after earning their bachelors.

In addition, the division of engineering professional education offers interdisciplinary engineering masters programs, plus a dual MSE/MBA degree with the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University for off-campus and fulltime employed students.

Exchange programs are available
The university’s global engineering program provides ample opportunities for both U.S. students and those abroad. It has established exchange programs with institutions in Karlsruhe, Germany; Shanghai, China; and Mumbai, India.

Graduate students can enhance their experience by participating in the global engineering alliance for research and education (GEARE) programs without compromising their time earning a degree.

Enrollment is strong
Purdue’s college of engineering presently has 2,330 grad students and 6,735 undergrads. In each of these populations, 19 percent are women and 4.3 percent are underrepresented minorities. In the 2007-08 academic year, 1,054 bachelors, 425 masters and 194 PhDs were awarded.

According to the American Society for Engineering Education (www.asee.org) report for 2008, the college of engineering has 305 fulltime teaching faculty members, of which more than 14 percent are female; 29 percent, Asian American; 4 percent, Hispanic or Latino American; 2 percent, African American; and one is Native American.

The school also accepts undergraduate transfer students from two-year colleges.

Support for women and minority students
“Purdue aggressively recruits and supports underrepresented students in the STEM fields via its membership in the GEM consortium,” Fisher says. More than 80 percent of grad students in the college of engineering are supported financially by the university through a fellowship, a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship or some combination of the above.

In the new Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering, there are two programs that provide tutoring and career selection assistance for women and underrepresented minority students.

Purdue’s women in engineering program (WIEP) focuses on enriching the study of engineering for women. WIEP develops and directs activities that provide encouragement for girls and young women to consider engineering and offers information about careers and companies. It also provides an environment that helps them successfully complete studies.

The minority engineering program (MEP) was established in 1974 to attract, retain and graduate “the very best” in African American, Native American and Hispanic engineering talent from across the country. MEP is one of the first of its kind in the country and was a model support for the founding chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers.

“MEP has been the key to Purdue’s successfully graduating more than 1,300 engineering students of color to date,” says Fisher. “Many other college and university engineering programs have closely followed our model.”

IT grads are sought after
The Purdue College of Technology is one of the largest and most renowned technology schools in the nation, with more than 34,000 living alumni and more than 5,500 students currently enrolled. Historically, the school boasts a 94 percent job placement rate within six months of graduation. The average starting salary for these grads is about $47,000.

In 2007-08, the college of technology had 3,883 undergrads, 1,383 statewide students and 271 grad students. Fifteen percent were women and 15 percent were minorities. Study plans blend technical coursework with communication and humanistic-social studies.

Students can pursue undergrad through PhD
The college of technology has eight departments and nine programs. Both undergrad and graduate degrees are offered in aviation technology, building and construction management, computer and information technology, computer graphics technology, electrical and computer engineering technology, industrial technology, mechanical engineering or manufacturing engineering technology, and organizational leadership and supervision.

There are ten areas of specialization in the graduate program: computational science, information security, cyber forensics, organizational leadership and supervision, information technology, applied computer graphics, perceptualization and scientific visualization, industrial technology, sustainable energy systems, advanced manufacturing, product innovation and development, aviation human performance, aviation and aerospace management and building construction management.

The college also offers a PhD program that prepares candidates for leadership roles in fields like as technology transfer, technology human resources development/technology teaching, or supervision of technology in private and public sector agencies.

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