Cooperative Education (Co-op) and Internships
Undergraduate students have the opportunity to gain experience in a real engineering, research or manufacturing project at a company or national laboratory. Students in the co-op program commonly work during one of their junior year semesters during which they receive 3 academic credits of technical elective and a one-semester waiver of seminar; the sponsor pays a salary and some expenses. Students in an internship typically receive 1 credit per four weeks of internship.
Co-op and internship work sites for students in our program are extensive and are distributed from Maine to California in companies big and small. Quality work experience is considered to be extremely valuable by employers hiring graduates for permanent positions. Many of our students participate in a co-op or an internship (summer employment) in an engineering environment before graduating.
Preparation for the Health Professions
An engineering education provides a strong background for continued study in the health professions, such as medical school. Interested students must choose electives wisely and maintain a high grade point average. Students must take two semesters of biology with a lab (BIOL 211 and 213) and organic chemistry (CHEM 315 and 316). To be properly prepared for the MCATs, there are a number of other biology courses recommended. For more information, visit the pre-professional advising website. Medical schools are interested in students who are aware of current medical trends in our society and who have strong written, oral, and interpersonal skills. Students need to be able to articulate the origin of their interest in medicine and to demonstrate that interest through volunteer/internship experiences in health care facilities/settings.
Participation in Research
The School has roughly $5 million of sponsored research annually. This research has a positive impact on the undergraduate programs in many ways, including providing state-of-the-art equipment, generating new knowledge that gets discussed in classes, and maintaining contacts with industry. Also, many senior thesis projects are done in cooperation with companies or government laboratories. Opportunities for part-time work on funded research projects in the School are numerous. Many undergraduate students are hired for summer research positions in the School, and there are also opportunities for part-time work during the academic year.