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Engineering
students have the opportunity to make a difference in the world in many
ways. Students who accept this challenge tend to be bright, dedicated, and attracted to a field that offers future employment opportunities
with high salaries, prestige, and respect. An engineering degree provides a competitive advantage in the working world.
Why
Study Engineering at Iowa?
Students choose to study engineering at Iowa because of the college’s academic excellence, individual attention, small-college environment, camaraderie, and tremendous opportunities. U.S. News & World Report ranks Iowa’s undergraduate engineering program in the top 20 percent of engineering programs nationwide.
The University of Iowa admits incoming first-year students directly into engineering. It does not have a pre-engineering year or the “weed-out” philosophy that many other programs have. About 330 first-year students and 100 transfer students enroll each year. Women account for 20 percent of Iowa’s engineering students; the national average is 17 percent.
Iowa admits students who have math and science talent and great potential to become engineers, then immerses them in an environment focused on student success and teamwork. As you work to achieve your goals, the college’s faculty and staff will work alongside you, providing you with resources, guidance, and encouragement.
You may be involved in significant research project with your professors or do individual honors research. You’ll also pursue additional learning opportunities in your major field, such as co-ops, internships, study abroad, and group leadership.
You might decide to earn a second degree in business or in a liberal arts and sciences discipline—more than half of Iowa’s engineering students do. Or you could earn one of the many minors or interdisciplinary certificates that the University offers. The college's Certificate in Technological Entrepreneurship is designed for engineering students who plan to start and operate their own business after graduation.
The college will encourage you to get involved in activities outside academics; Iowa engineering students include varsity athletes, musicians, student leaders, and Homecoming royalty. Outside activities will help you stay well-rounded, a quality that potential employers look for.
Faculty
Iowa’s nationally and internationally renowned faculty members—including physicians and practicing engineers—teach all of the college's engineering classes, including those for first-year students. No engineering classes are taught by teaching assistants. Faculty members also encourage undergraduates to work in their research labs.
Resources
As an engineering student, you’ll have access to a wealth of resources. Here are just a few.
The College of Engineering Student Development Center will provide you with comprehensive admissions, scholarship, advising, mentoring and tutoring, student records, professional development, and career placement services. It will also help you with co-op and internship placement and study abroad.
Engineering student support services include free tutoring for your first two years of math, science, and engineering courses.
The Engineering Mentor Connection pairs upper-level students with new students and sponsors fun activities throughout the year.
The Hanson Center for Technical Communication helps undergraduate students develop and polish their writing skills. The center is staffed by professional writing consultants and peer tutors.
Engineering student organizations, fraternities and sororities, and national honorary societies will offer you many opportunities to develop your leadership abilities.
The University’s Living-Learning Communities, located in the residence halls, bring you together with other students who have similar interests. The communities include Men in Engineering, Women in Science and Engineering (WISE), Business and Entrepreneurship (BizHawks), Global Village, Health Sciences, Honors House, Sustainability (Honors: Society, Economy, and Environment), and more.
Facilities
The Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences offers everything you'll need under one roof. It houses all of the college’s five departments and most faculty offices.
You’ll be able to study in the John Deere Plaza Lobby and the Student Commons, which is next to the Lichtenberger Engineering Library. The commons features a two-story atrium and is designed to replicate a real-world engineering work center, with team study areas for students who are working on projects together.
The Seamans Center’s six large computer labs offer access to state-of-the-art computer equipment 24 hours a day, and the building has wireless technology. Classrooms also feature the latest technology.
The college is home to four major research centers: IIHR—Hydroscience & Engineering; the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology; the Center for Computer-Aided Design; and the Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging.
The college’s location at a major research university enables its scholars and scientists to collaborate easily with those in many other disciplines. For instance, the University’s Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics provide numerous opportunities for research partnerships in the health sciences.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Advanced Driving Simulator, the most technologically advanced simulator in the world, also is located at Iowa.
These partnerships and facilities provide a wealth of research opportunities for engineering students.
Admission
Admission to the College of Engineering is selective. You will be admitted to the College of Engineering if you:
- Successfully complete the high school course requirements for admission to the College of Engineering, including demonstrated success (A or B grades) in math and science courses.
- Have ACT math and composite scores of 25 or above (or an SAT math score of 620 or higher, and combined SAT critical reading and math scores of 1130 or above).
- Have a Regent Admission Index score of 265 or higher. See Regent Admission Index (RAI) Score for help calculating your score.
An individual review process is designed for applicants who do not meet the admission standards. A personal statement and a letter of recommendation from a math and/or a science teacher are required.
Course Work
As a College of Engineering student, you’ll earn a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with one of six majors: biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, or mechanical engineering. The BSE requires a minimum of 128 semester hours, including credit for the major.
Course work for each major is organized into four stems: mathematics and basic sciences, engineering topics, general education (humanities and social sciences), and an elective focus area suited to your interests.
You’ll work with your advisor to plan your elective focus. It may be a specialty area in your major (pre-medicine is a popular choice in the biomedical and chemical engineering majors); a minor in business or in a liberal arts and sciences discipline; or an interdisciplinary certificate, such as the Certificate in Technological Entrepreneurship or the Certificate in Sustainability.
Biomedical
Engineering
Biomedical engineering links biology, medicine, and engineering to improve human health. Many engineering students choose this major as preparation for medical school.
Typical responsibilities for biomedical engineers include working closely with physicians to design and evaluate prosthetic devices such as heart valves or spinal and hip implants; working with new materials for implants and tissue-generated implants; performing computer analysis of medical images; and using computers to analyze genetic structures and functions.
Focus area options in biomedical engineering include:
- Biomaterials
- Bioinformatics
- Bioimaging
- Cardiovascular biomechanics
- Cellular engineering
- Musculoskeletal biomechanics
- Pre-medicine
Chemical
Engineering
Chemical engineering involves the industrial application of chemicals to new inventions or to improve the world. Chemical engineers use microbes to produce pharmaceuticals and chemicals, develop new sources of energy, create artificial organs, and design the next generation of polymers. They construct synthetic fibers to make clothes more comfortable; develop methods to mass-produce drugs so that they may be more affordable; and create safer and more efficient methods of refining petroleum products to make energy more productive and cost effective.
The department is small enough for daily interaction with faculty members and other students. You’ll know about your professors’ research, and you’ll be encouraged to participate in it.
Focus area options in chemical engineering include:
- Biochemical engineering
- Business
- Chemical process engineering
- Energy and environment
- Entrepreneurship
- Pharmaceutics
- Polymers
- Pre-medicine
- Sustainability
Civil
Engineering
Civil engineers work with technology, people, and nature in designing and managing essential infrastructure, such as highways, bridges, buildings, tunnels, dams, and water-supply systems. Civil engineering is linked with environmental engineering, which is involved with devising environmentally friendly ways to manage and process society’s waste, destroy toxic substances, remove pollutants from the water or air, and ensure the sustainable well-being of manufactured and natural environments.
Focus area options in civil engineering include:
- Civil engineering practice
- Entrepreneurial career path
- Environmental health
- Environmental remediation and control
- Human modeling and simulation management
- Pre-architecture
- Structures, mechanics, and materials
- Sustainability
- Transportation
- Urban and regional planning
- Water resources
Electrical
Engineering
Most new products today depend on electronics and software, so electrical and computer engineers are involved in virtually all areas of manufacturing and development. They do work such as medical imaging, designing new computer chips, developing advanced robotic control systems, and creating new generations of wireless communication devices.
Focus areas in electrical engineering are highly individualized. You'll work with your advisor to develop a focus area tailored to your own interests.
Industrial
Engineering
Industrial engineers improve the quality of our lives by making systems and processes better, faster, cheaper, and safer. They excel at exploring business challenges and developing ways to make industries, hospitals, education, and government more effective. They know how to work with others and how to help people work more effectively.
Industrial engineers organize the efforts of workers, business owners, managers, salespeople, and other engineers by applying management, problem-solving, simulation, and analysis skills. They’re also typically responsible for implementing the delicate and complex process of system change.
Focus area options in industrial engineering include:
- Computer and information systems
- Entrepreneurship
- Human factors and ergonomics
- Management
- Medical systems
Mechanical
Engineering
Design is key to mechanical engineering, which involves analyzing needs and designing products and systems—including complex human/machine systems—to fill them.
Mechanical engineers use energy principles and mechanics to design machines such as engines and motors. They work in areas such as automotive design, robotics, manufacturing, and machine design. They may develop robots for space exploration, use a computer to simulate the freezing of human cells, or improve devices for use of alternative energy sources, such as fuel cells, wind turbines, and solar energy converters.
Focus area options in mechanical engineering include :
- Design
- Energy and environment
- Manufacturing and materials processing
For More Details
See Bachelor of Science in Engineering in the UI General Catalog to learn more about the BSE degree, including admission, requirements, and graduating with honors. See Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Mechanical and Industrial Engineering in the Catalog to learn more about the individual majors. See Technological Entrepreneurship to learn about the certificate.
Internships
Internships and co-ops are a critical part of an engineer’s education. The college hosts two engineering career fairs each year.
The Engineering Professional Development office helps students with all aspects of a job search: researching job opportunities, developing résumés, practicing interviewing skills, connecting with companies that use the online recruiting system, and evaluating job offers.
Careers
Engineering is a well-respected degree that is used as a foundation for a wide variety of careers in industry, medicine, law, and consulting. Of the top 10 best-paying bachelor’s degrees, seven are in engineering, according to a 2010 edition of The Consumerist.
Scholarships
Apply early for scholarships. The college offers Engineering Excellence and Engineering Opportunities scholarships as well as many other scholarship opportunities for sophomore, junior, and senior students; learn more at College of Engineering Scholarships.
Consult multiple sources for scholarship information, including the Office of Admissions, the Office of Student Financial Aid, and departmental web sites. |
