Looking into what school is the best for Engineering Licenses. I have some across a few sites but wanted to get an opinion from gCaptain on the best one.
Maine Maritime keeps being mentioned as #1.
All others will still get you licensed. The real answer is to visit a few schools, apply to the ones which gave the best “vibe” and choose from there.
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;79942]Maine Maritime keeps being mentioned as #1.[/QUOTE]
By the quality of engineers MMA has produced throughout the decades I’d say Maine Maritime Academy is the best. However, posting those words I have to post that I have sailed with fine engineers from other schools as well. The License opens up a job, how you perform is up to you. Your real education starts on day one of your job, and it continues all throughout your career. I’ve been fortunate to have Calhoon MEBA Engineering School available to me for further training and advancement. I must give them a lot of credit and appreciation.
Appreciate the input. Looking in the ones mentioned.
Gorr are you just starting out or want to know which is school is best for upgrading?
I am just starting out.
If you want the best, I recommend the MIT and Cal Tech mechanical and electrical engineering programs.
If you graduate from any ABET accredited electrical or mechanical engineering program, you will have a real engineering degree that will qualify you to become licensed as a P.E. in any state.
With an ABET accredited mechanical or electrical engineering degree and six months seatime, you can also get a USCG 3rd engineer’s license.
If I were a young fellow looking to get into a seagoing career as an engineer, I’d first get a job as a wiper on a vessel for six months to see what it is really like. Then I’d to the best ABET accredited mechanical or electrical engineering school that I could get into.
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[QUOTE=tugsailor;84284]If you want the best, I recommend the MIT and Cal Tech mechanical and electrical engineering programs.
If you graduate from any ABET accredited electrical or mechanical engineering program, you will have a real engineering degree that will qualify you to become licensed as a P.E. in any state.
With an ABET accredited mechanical or electrical engineering degree and six months seatime, you can also get a USCG 3rd engineer’s license.
If I were a young fellow looking to get into a seagoing career as an engineer, I’d first get a job as a wiper on a vessel for six months to see what it is really like. Then I’d to the best ABET accredited mechanical or electrical engineering school that I could get into.[/QUOTE]
Of course MIT and Cal Tech are good schools but let’s face it not many of their grads are going to go to work as a 3AE, why would they? There are other less competitive engineering schools which would give one an excellent engineering education. The maritime school graduate engineers do not normally pursue the PE and really are not academically prepared for that route.
[QUOTE=tengineer;84395]The maritime school graduate engineers do not normally pursue the PE and really are not academically prepared for that route.[/QUOTE] I disagree. I have several classmates who are PEs. The coursework differences between Marine Engineering and Mechanical Engineering are not that much.
Cal maritime offers a mechanical engineers degree with a coast guard license
Good for them but my experience with maritime school marine engineers has been different. The ME program at Georgia Tech is the one I am most familiar with and I find the course work to be more demanding than the required courses for the 4 year marine engineer at any of the maritime schools I am familiar with.
In my experience the maritime school grads are well prepared for the practical world of applied engineering though less so in the theoretical and design aspects. On the other hand, I personally think a GT grad would be less prepared than a maritime school grad to work on a vessel.
A maritime school grad that went thru all the hoops to get their PE should be very employable !
[QUOTE=brjones;84402]Cal maritime offers a mechanical engineers degree with a coast guard license[/QUOTE]
But that does not mean they passed the FE exam [or does it?] and gaining EIT status which is the first step to becoming a PE.
All engineers have an opportunity to obtain the EIT.
[QUOTE=brjones;84407]All engineers have an opportunity to obtain the EIT.[/QUOTE]
Unless things have changed in recent years one has to pass the FE to be an EIT. Passing the FE is much more significant from a professional progression stand point than having just a degree in mechanical engineering. Having a degree in mechanical engineering and not being able to pass the FE is akin to graduating from law school and not being able to pass the bar exam.
If a person can obtain an engineers degree, then they should be able to pass the EIT. The exam is difficult, but not to a recent grad who still has dynamics and calculus fresh in there heads. It is harder however the longer you wait
I’m no expert on this subject, but there are a few engineers in the family.
The kid asked about the “best” engineering schools. I forgot to mention the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture. I think that counts as an engineering school. When I looked at Webb many years ago; it was very competitive and had NO tuition. Oh, the big mistakes I made as a youth.
For the most part, the maritime academies are former vocational schools with a regiment that have transitioned into becoming “colleges.” As far as I have heard (with the exception of KP), the academies require minimal pre-admisson high school math and science courses, and have very high acceptance rates (they accept almost everyone).
In most states, its much more difficult to get into the flagship state university (admission under 50%). And its even more difficult to get into the university’s engineering program itself (admission perhaps 10% of freshmen applicants). I hear that most engineering programs expect incoming freshman to have taken four years of college prep science and advanced placement calculus in high school. (I hear that KP expects that too.)
I hear that most maritime academies start their freshmen at the college algebra or pre-calc math level. If a kid want to be an engineer, but has minimal math prep, then an academy might be his best choice.
I’ve experienced enough education to know that the single most important thing a student needs to excel in school is to have smart, focused, hardworking classmates. So I always tell kids to go to the best school that they can get into.
[QUOTE=tengineer;84403]Good for them but my experience with maritime school marine engineers has been different. The ME program at Georgia Tech is the one I am most familiar with and I find the course work to be more demanding than the required courses for the 4 year marine engineer at any of the maritime schools I am familiar with.
In my experience the maritime school grads are well prepared for the practical world of applied engineering though less so in the theoretical and design aspects. On the other hand, I personally think a GT grad would be less prepared than a maritime school grad to work on a vessel.
A maritime school grad that went thru all the hoops to get their PE should be very employable ![/QUOTE]I will certainly agree with you that completing the Mechanical Engineering program at a top engineering school like GT better prepares you and is going to make the FE test much easier. Marine Engineering programs are not really intended to prepare you for the FE or to be a PE, but that doesn’t mean they don’t.
BTW … In NY you can (or at least used to be able to) take the FE in your Senior year of college. I would imagine that is true in other states also.
When I was at KP, if you were a systems engineer you could take the FE your senior year. If you were straight engine, you could take it after graduation (in the state of NY in both instances). I know the state of South Carolina, sailing time or power plant operation will get you time to sit for your PE.
As far as best preparing an individual for sailing, I think any maritime school is just as a good as another. Though I know Maine Maritime offers a Marine Operations program that focuses just on operating shipboard plants (with very little theoretical or design study). After graduation, I highly recommend going to the MEBA Calhoon School and taking some courses. They teach hands on material that I promise you will use as soon as you step foot on your vessel.
Agree with most everything stated so far with the notable exception that State maritime academy acceptance rates. They don’t accept everyone. 55-65 % of the applicants get the nod.
The question that needs to be asked is 'what do YOU want to do with your Engineering degree? If you want to get into theory & design work - don’t go to a maritime academy which is skewed towards applied technology. If you want to spend your career sailing and keeping the vessel a well oiled machine - you don’t need to study theoretical physics at MIT.
[QUOTE=tugsailor;84434]I’m no expert on this subject, but there are a few engineers in the family.
The kid asked about the “best” engineering schools. I forgot to mention the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture. I think that counts as an engineering school. When I looked at Webb many years ago; it was very competitive and had NO tuition. Oh, the big mistakes I made as a youth.
For the most part, the maritime academies are former vocational schools with a regiment that have transitioned into becoming “colleges.” As far as I have heard (with the exception of KP), the academies require minimal pre-admisson high school math and science courses, and have very high acceptance rates (they accept almost everyone).
In most states, its much more difficult to get into the flagship state university (admission under 50%). And its even more difficult to get into the university’s engineering program itself (admission perhaps 10% of freshmen applicants). I hear that most engineering programs expect incoming freshman to have taken four years of college prep science and advanced placement calculus in high school. (I hear that KP expects that too.)
I hear that most maritime academies start their freshmen at the college algebra or pre-calc math level. If a kid want to be an engineer, but has minimal math prep, then an academy might be his best choice.
I’ve experienced enough education to know that the single most important thing a student needs to excel in school is to have smart, focused, hardworking classmates. So I always tell kids to go to the best school that they can get into.[/QUOTE]
Webb is a good school (okay, great school), but they are not really geared toward producing sailing maritime professionals. Sailing on commercial vessels is part of their curriculum, however just a part of it. And while there is no tuition, expenses run about US$18K/year. . . . .VERY competitive to get in, too. I didn’t know about Webb until after I started at KP. To be honest, I don’t know that I would have been able to get in.
Regarding which school is best for an engineering license? I would have to go with any of the maritime academies. They all offer pretty good programs. They are what you make of them. I feel that KP has an advantage of actual sea time as opposed to a schoolship, but one can learn on either. Of course that also has to be weighed against dealing with the rigid regimental system. It isn’t necessary to make it any more complicated than that.