The field of Engineering is a vast one. With several specialisations and job opportunities, it is a favourable choice for most students in today’s world. Studying and working as an engineer in a country like the USA comes with a lot of perks as well. Through this blog, we’ll take you through the details of how you can pursue Engineering In US, how you can apply and what college you can apply for to build a good career in the field of Engineering.
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Reasons to Study Engineering In USA
The USA is a country growing at an extremely rapid pace. The digitalisation and modernisation of the country have been happening over centuries at a pace faster than most other countries. Due to these reasons, the USA is a great place for students to study Engineering as well as work in the country. Adding to that, there are a host of other reasons why you should study Engineering in the USA:
World-Class Educational Institutes
The USA is home to several of the world’s best engineering schools in the world. Being a hub of technological innovations and home to IT mammoths, Engineering is promoted a lot in the USA. Most of these Ivy league institutes specialise in offering STEM courses. This gives students the chance to experience top-notch education that is not available everywhere.
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High Standard of Living
The standard of living in the USA is extremely high. Being one of the most developed countries in the world, the United States of America offers an attractive and adventurous life to its residents. International students can experience college life like never before with a bunch of extracurricular activities on-campus and several leisure experiences off-campus.
Well-Paid Job Opportunities
Engineering is one of the highest-paid professions in the US. In fact, as per the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS), there are more than 140,000 jobs expected to be created in the USA between 2016-2026. With a host of multinational companies headquartered in the USA, engineers are expected to be in high demand in the coming years.
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Engineering Courses in the USA
Engineering is a field of science concerned with the designs of structures, mechanics, and electrical products and systems. This is an extremely versatile field with tonnes of specialisations. Students with an interest in math and science can specialise in Engineering and build a promising career. Engineers can work in a number of fields apart from science and maths. You can even find engineers working in the field of finance and healthcare. Engineering programs are a broad discipline and are taught in such a way that they prepare the students for the constant changes in the dynamic fields in the industry.
Popular Engineering Specializations in the USA
Engineering is a discipline that contains a number of sub-disciplines. These specialisations pave the ways for engineers to work in specific segments of the industry and grab specialised job opportunities. Although the three major sub-disciplines are Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering, students can specialise in other disciplines as well. As per Indeed, the average salaries in the USA along with the specialisations are as follows:
- Aerospace Engineering – $104,626 per year
- Biomedical Engineering – $85,606 per year
- Chemical Engineering – $83,682 per year
- Civil Engineering – $84,407 per year
- Electrical Engineering – $90,915 per year
- Materials Engineering – $93,289 per year
- Mechanical Engineering – $82,114 per year
- Petroleum Engineering – $96,449 per year
- Software Engineering – $119,960 per year
Top Colleges to Pursue Engineering in the USA
The USA houses some of the top universities in the world in terms of technology and science. With more than 150 universities ranking highly in the QS World Rankings, America has a comprehensive educational structure that creates some of the best engineers in the world. A Degree in Engineering can be procured at all three levels of education, namely, undergraduate or bachelor’s, postgraduate or master’s, and PhD or doctorate. Let us go through the colleges offering Engineering in the USA one by one:
Colleges in the USA offering Engineering – Undergraduate level
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- QS World University Rankings 2021: Engineering & Technology – #1
- Courses Offered: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Science and Engineering
Stanford University
- QS World University Rankings 2021: Engineering & Technology – #2
- Courses Offered: Aeronautics and Astronautics (AA), Bioengineering (BioE), Civil Engineering (CE), Computer Science (CS), Electrical Engineering (EE), Environmental Systems Engineering (ENVSE), Management Science and Engineering (MS&E), Materials Science and Engineering (MSE)
The University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
- QS World University Rankings 2021: Engineering & Technology – #7
- Courses Offered: Aerospace Engineering, Bioengineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, Engineering Science, Industrial Engineering & Operations Research, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering
Harvard University
- QS World University Rankings 2021: Engineering & Technology – #11
- Courses Offered: Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Bioengineering, Computational Science and Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science & Engineering, Materials Science & Mechanical Engineering
Colleges in the USA offering Engineering – Postgraduate level
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Courses Offered: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Institute for Medical Engineering and Science, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Science and Engineering
Stanford University
- QS World University Rankings 2021: Engineering & Technology – #2
- Courses Offered: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Management Science and Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering
The University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
- Courses Offered: Master of Business Administration/Master of Engineering, Master of Design, Master of Development Engineering, Master of Engineering, Master of Molecular Science and Software Engineering, Master of Translational Medicine, Master of Analytics
Harvard University
- Courses Offered: Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Bioengineering, Computational Science and Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science & Engineering, Materials Science & Mechanical Engineering
Colleges in the USA offering Engineering – Doctorate level
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Courses Offered: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Biological Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computational Science and Engineering PhD, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Science and Engineering
Stanford University
- Courses Offered: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Management Science and Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering
The University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
- Courses Offered: Applied Science & Technology, Bioengineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, Industrial Engineering & Operations Research, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering
Harvard University
- Courses Offered: Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Bioengineering, Computational Science and Engineering, Computer Science, Data Science, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science & Engineering, Materials Science & Mechanical Engineering
Eligibility Criteria
The eligibility criteria for Engineering in the USA varies according to the level of education you are pursuing. Let us go through them one by one:
Undergraduate
- SAT or ACT scores
- Class 12th mark sheets, preferably in the science stream
- IELTS or TOEFL or PTE scores as per the university’s requirements
- The university entrance test, if applicable
- Interview rounds, if applicable
- Age proof
Postgraduate
- Transcripts of bachelor’s degree in a related field to the course you are applying for.
- GRE test scores
- IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE scores
- Statement of Purpose (SOP)
- Interviews and entrance tests, if applicable
- Resume/CV
PhD
- Good academic record in undergraduate and postgraduate degree
- Research proposal
- Previous degrees in a related field to the course you are applying for
- IELTS, TOEFL, or PTE scores
- Resume/CV
- Statement of Purpose
- Interviews and entrance tests, if applicable
Average Tuition Fees
The tuition fees for Engineering courses in the USA vary from university to university and between different levels of education. The average cost to study in the USA can be seen below:
- Undergraduate – $40,000 to $90,000 per year
- Postgraduate – $14,000 to $80,000 per year
- Doctorate – $18,000 to $55,000 per year
Documents Required
The document required for all three levels of Engineering courses is somewhat similar. They can be seen below:
- F-1 Student Study Visa
- Letter of Recommendation (LOR)
- Letter of Reference
- Valid passport
Application Process
To apply to any university in the USA for Engineering, you can follow the following steps:
- Research thoroughly about the university and course you want to apply to.
- Head over to the university website
- Through the online admission portal, apply to the course of your choice
- Upload all the necessary documents
- Pay the application fees
- Submit the application
- You might receive a response from the university within 2 to 4 weeks.
Scholarships Offered for Engineering in the USA
The USA is a hub of international students due to its world-class education and standard of living. To promote an influx of international students, several scholarships are offered in the USA for Engineering courses at all levels. Some of the most popular ones are as follows:
- 1st Formation Business Scholarships
- The Kay-Grant Group Scholarship
- Comindware Scholarship
- Go Clean Scholarship
- MIT- Grad. Student Fellowships in Nuclear Engineering
- Richard A. Freund International Scholarship
- Tata Scholarship- Cornell University
Job Prospects
Engineering is one of the highest-paid professions in the USA. Due to the booming tech industry and rapid modernisation, the demand for engineers is booming across the USA. As per Indeed, the median salary for an entry-level engineer is $66,577. This figure keeps increasing with various specialisations and increases in work experience. Other factors such as location, the Engineering school you secured your Engineering degree from and job profile also affect the salaries of engineers in the USA. We’ve already discussed the average salaries according to specialisations. Let’s have a look at the highest-paying companies in the USA according to Indeed:
- McDermott – $116,900 per year
- Canadian National Railway – $115,389 per year
- KBR Inc – $110,005 per year
- Northrop Grumman – $107,000 per year
- ExxonMobil – $106,389 per year
- Motorola Solutions – $105,690 per year
Conclusion
Studying Engineering in the United States can be a smart decision if the field is the one you are interested in. Engineering is a field with a huge scope of increase in job opportunities in the coming future. Adding to that, engineers are surveyed to have high job satisfaction and receive timely increments in their salary as well. Following the path to studying Engineering in the USA can be a confusing one if you don’t have the resources. We at Leap Scholar aim to bridge this gap and provide you with all the resources and services you need to become an engineer from one of the top universities in the USA.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What other universities in the USA offer Engineering in their academic curriculum?
The following colleges also offer Engineering in their academic curriculum in the USA:
a. Carnegie Mellon University
b. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
c. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
d. Purdue University
e. University of Michigan
f. University of Southern California
g. Georgia Institute of Technology
h. California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
2. Which cities are the highest-paying for engineers in the USA?
The following cities provide the highest-paying jobs to engineers in the USA:
a. New York, NY – $112,647 per year
b. Austin, TX – $107,989 per year
c. Seattle, WA – $94,887 per year
d. Los Angeles, CA – $93,196 per year
e. San Diego, CA – $90,985 per year
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