Review: Iowa State University

University’s feedback: Why study Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State?

The department of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State has administered one of the largest mechanical engineering programs in the United States for more than 100 years and ranks in the top ten nationally in terms of bachelor’s degrees awarded.

With more than 1,700 undergraduate students and 150 graduate students, mechanical engineering is the most popular major at Iowa State University. Our students come from the state of Iowa, 20 other states, and 20 foreign countries.

Each year, the department awards more than 200 undergraduate scholarships, some 300 students participate in industrial internships and co-ops, and 50 students study abroad.

The department boasts internationally acclaimed research programs in biological and nanoscale sciences, clean energy technologies, complex fluid systems, design and manufacturing innovation, and simulation and visualization.

According to the university -

"Our research programs are sponsored by industrial partners including the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Departments of Energy, Defense, Agriculture, and Transportation."

Mechanical engineering faculty and student researchers collaborate across 24 departments on campus, all 7 university colleges, 17 research institutes and centers, and 150 organizations outside of Iowa State.

Mechanical engineering faculty lead major research enterprises, including the Bioeconomy Institute, the CyberInnovation Institute, the Virtual Reality Applications Center, the Industrial Assessment Center, and the Center for Building Energy Research.

Faculty members are regularly praised for their contributions to research, education, and professional service by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Society for Engineering Education, Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, and Society of Automotive Engineers.

The department manages more than 50,000 square feet of modern research and teaching facilities, including the Caterpillar Mechatronics Laboratory, the Boyd Laboratory for Product Realization, and the Engle Manufacturing Laboratory.

Our feedback for you shortlisitng -

Here are the key facts about Iowa State -

• Ranked between #251-300 in Mechanical Engineering by QS and ranked #115 in National University by US News & World Report
• High student-faculty ratio (19:1)
• Easy to get in (87.2% acceptance rate)
• Tuition fee: $20,856
• High median salary 10 years after graduation ($47,800)

In our shortlisting, we would place Iowa State as follows:

• Affordability, based on tuition and living expenses: 5 (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most desirable)
• Reputation, based on research, academic strength and ranking: 3 (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most desirable)
• Outcome, based on career success of alumni: 4 (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most desirable)
• Depending on your academic, extra-curricular and other aspects of your profile, you could shortlist Iowa State Universityas your Safe School with a chance of getting admission as 75% or more.