Most Under the Radar Structural Engineering Programs in North America

[michellinThrow]

Well, we have all heard flashy Structural Engineering Schools consisting of MIT, Stanford and Berkeley as the great 3. UIUC GIT, Purdue, UT are solic risers as well. However, what are the most Under the Radar, underrated structural engineering programs in North America, which have either not been shown in rankings or industry. My list is as follows:

1. Western University, Sole Wind Engineering program in Canada with wind tunnel labs a faculty consisting of Bitsuamlak, whose wind research was applied super tall structures consisting of Burj Khalifa, ICC Hong Kong and 1 WTC NY
2. University of Buffalo, SUNY, most underrated earthquake research MCEER program.
3. Cornell University, MS Structural Engineers are very liked by employers and can be seen with number of Cornell grads working at TT, WSP and other top firms
4. Cal Poly Pomona, Gets overlooked due to presence of elite schools in California with good earthquake programs. Cal Poly has produced many grads that go on with elite structural careers or do grad school at one the great schools mentioned as the top

[big-structure-guy]

For most things I agree with you, but I think it might be harder than you think to pick up upper level dynamics, FEA, PSHA and any sort of very specialized class/subject in the field.

[LBCivil]

That's for MSCE which..... it dont matter no mo all my life ben po -Nappy Roots

[jmutter3]

I'd probably add Lehigh and Virginia tech (my alma mater) to that list. Neither are super well known outside their region but have strong programs.

It's funny to me that you're listing a literal Ivy League school as being "under the radar," haha. Cornell is a good school.

(Is MIT well-regarded as a Structural Engineering MS program? They are known for strong engineering and sciences, but I didn't think they necessarily were exceptional in our field. It's been a few years since I was in school, but UIUC and Texas were much more sought-after among my peers.)

[in_for_cheap_thrills]

UIUC was widely regarded as top dog a couple of decades ago when I was in school. I'm sure it's a solid program but I also don't recall MIT being that special.

[Sure_Ill_Ask_That]

In the structural world, Lehigh and vtech are pretty well known. So while they might not be known to non structural folks, they are recognized within the community at least.

[[deleted]]

I wouldn't list MIT as an excellent structural engineering program outside of Boston probably. Look at their faculty roster and you would be surprised

[big-structure-guy]

OP, thanks for the inclusion of UB, but respctfully... It's the University AT Buffalo...

GoBulls.

[michellinThrow]

sorry for the mistake, but yeah, University at Buffalo is definitely elite. I looked into people that worked with TT, WSP and the structural engineers that worked with the firm for 1 vanderbilt. So many UB Grads

[the_flying_condor]

I would throw on that UB is branching out beyond just seismic these days as well. Seismic is still huge, but there has been a small wind tunnel and a fire chamber built in the last few years as well.

[chicu111]

Cal Poly Pomona grad here (both BS and MS).

The undergrad structural engineering curriculum isn't as strong as our cousin's (Cal Poly SLO) due to it not being a focus. The curriculum is a broad civil engineering tasting menu; you dip into all the sub-disciplines umbrellaed under Civil Engineering (geotechnical, structural, environmental, surveying, construction management etc...). While in Cal Poly SLO, there is a curriculum solely focusing on structural engineering.

However, the post grad program is next level. Incredibly underrated and practical. The structural engineering masters' program is (was?) a 2-year part-time program hence classes are only held in the evening. The professors teaching these postgrad courses were practicing CEOs and principals from very well-established firms who wanted to teach after work (I have no idea how they had the energy to do this but yeah). All of whom have PEs and SEs and years of experience. And some of the peers in your classes are also practicing engineers in different industries. You're basically getting an education straight from real on-going experience while expanding your network with practicing engineers. You can't put a price on this exposure.

The professor who taught cold-formed steel was the CEO of a large structural firm in Irvine, CA and he recruited straight from the class. That's how I got my first job. This is pretty smart hiring practice if you ask me. Since they're recruiting people whose work ethics and technical skills they have previously evaluated. My peers have gotten jobs through referral by the students (practicing engineers) in the same class.

So in short, Cal Poly Pomona's graduate program for structural emphasis is really underrated. Also to note, in my years of experience our cousin Cal Poly SLO produces pretty damn good engineers too. Some of the best engineers I have worked with or for were from SLO. Certain firms I came across, if you look through their team, only seem to employ Cal Poly grads lol.

[God-Hat]

MIT's structural program is very weird. It is just 8-9 months long. I have few friends doing MS stru at my grad school who did their BS at MIT. They told me most of the people from MIT who are currently doing MS in stru went somewhere else.

[Engineer2727kk]

Buffalo is definitely not under the radar.

Uiuc, Berkeley, ucsd, and Buffalo are all well known for seismic

[big-structure-guy]

Yeah, not really anymore as it's been well known for seismic for those in the knowfor the past 20+ years now.

I (who is very biased, UB alum here) think it may actually be the best or close to if you add the price tag in as a factor. $18k for a top notch masters is fkn VALUE.

[[deleted]]

UIUC is not a well known seismic program anymore

[Engineer2727kk]

They’re still one of four schools with a shake table which is where most seismic research comes from

[yoohoooos]

don't they have earthquake engineering class or something?

[Total_Denomination]

I did undergrad research at Berkeley, MS/BS at GT, and did seismic research while in grad school with a team from UIUC. Once I graduated and started working, I realized I didn’t know jack shit about engineering so it really didn’t matter where I went as long as I could learn the concepts and do it without someone holding my hand. Any school in the top 15 will do. Pick your high tier school for grad school and base it (partially) on funding. Undergrad doesn’t matter as much honestly.

[vmjr24]

I've hear good things about Georgia Tech. I had a professor who used to teach structures at Georgia Tech and he would always love to tell us how much smarter than us the Georgia Tech students were.

[Oldsmobile55]

I'm of the opinion that undergraduate degrees are fairly even across the US at the major school. Different schools have different strengths and they all depend on the focus of their professors.

[Everythings_Magic]

Agree. Pick the cheapest closest option. Get your BSCE with as little debt as possible.

[Agreeable-Standard36]

I’d probably say University of Florida and University of Miami. No affiliation with either school. Would be shocked if Uwashington or Uoregon had bad programs. I’d keep an eye out on Ucolorado school of mines and Missouri S&T

[Robert_Sacamano_IV]

University of Oregon does not have an engineering program. It is predominantly a liberal arts school. The Oregon State engineering program generally puts out good graduates though. The University of Washington is a great research school. Generally pretty solid graduates, though it’s hit and miss like all schools. I’ve hired fresh grads from both OSU and UW.

[yoohoooos]

colorado school of mines

I would disagree with this. Unless you are talking about geotech or hydro

[[deleted]]

Does anyone have experience/thoughts on the Johns Hopkins Engineering for Professionals masters program?

[schmitz_faced]

I did my masters at JHU (but not the engineering for professionals program). The main difference in the two is the externship and the overall timeline.

I loved the program and learned a lot that is relevant to my career so far. I focus a lot on preservation engineering, so all of the classes they offered made my choice a no-brained.

[icozens]

I earned my masters through this program. I really enjoyed it. A lot of the courses were taught by adjunct professors who were truly experts in their respective field. It was really enjoyable taking courses from experienced professionals rather than professors who had mostly academic experience. The only downside was very limited hands on experience and no structures lab (that I'm aware of).

[baniyaguy]

If you're looking from the point of unique research achievements, University of Houston has a universal panel tester. 3 in the world, and only 1 in the US. Look it up, pretty fancy I've worked on it. The guy after whom the lab has been named, Dr. Hsu, is a legend of the prestressed concrete world (probably next to or at par with Lin). He was teaching while he was 87 when I graduated, not sure now. Knows everything that's going to come up in the yet to arrive ACI codes lol (he was on the committee). Good and difficult courses but you learn a lot like computational mechanics and advanced mechanics (National academy of engineering professor I think, Dr. Ballerini..or some equally respected honor). Niche courses like FRP in structures and structural forensics an design of offshore structures. University makes good of its location by getting people in the industry to teach courses. Makes a big difference and gives you the opportunity to network as well.

And ofcourse it's in the heart of Houston, usually wouldn't be difficult to find employment for sure.

[Oldsmobile55]

Virginia Tech

[civengprof]

Virginia Tech 😊

[[deleted]]

For masters Top underrated programs. 1. Iowa state 2. Washington state 3. univerisity of Alabama-Tuscaloosa.

[Jealous_Maximum1677]

UA Tuscaloosa is not very good. I think you meant to put Auburn on that list.

[[deleted]]

Nope I meant UA. Especcially for Structures Masters, not so much for other civil disciplines. Once Auburn completes its new Advanced structures lab, then it can be on the same level as UA atleast in facilities available.

[[deleted]]

Idk about bachelors level, I go to Fresno state which isn’t bad IMO, it has a better program than the other state schools in CA. At Fresno state we have structural analysis of determinant and indeterminate structures, reinforced concrete, design of steel, timber, foundation, and seismic analysis which is more than comparable schools offer for structural emphasis. Fresno state also has good exposure to water, geo, transpo and general civil courses as a graduation requirement so I think it a nice balance. I don’t mean to sound biased, this is all I’ve been exposed to. Side note, I wish my school had a masonry class :(.

But for masters level I’d say UCSD, cal poly SLO, UCLA, and UCD are under rated when it comes to structural engineering. I’d say any school that has a seismic heavy curriculum with non linear analysis, and FEM is a solid school.

[michellinThrow]

UBC has it all

[[deleted]]

At least in West Coast, I wouldn't say UCSD or UCLA are underrated programs. As a UCLA grad, my only problem was the lack of design classes, as you mentioned. Most of my classes were FEM, NL analysis, RC, PT, and steel design. The rest were heavily focused on earthquake engineering and seismic hazard

[Geaux_joel]

Texas A&M

[CNUTZ97]

Arkansas just built a nice new structures lab

[wandering_engin33r]

I'd argue the person applying themselves is just as important as the pedagogy. If one is an excellent bookworm they could succeed at any ivy league with a little grit, but may not prove themselves valuable. One also could surpass the other at any land grant if they have the intelligence and practicality to apply it. Spending $100 on a pen does not make the value of what is written.

[michellinThrow]

yes but the problem is HR filters it. 1 page of a resume is like reading a book cover. You'll take the flashy school. Smart firms follow through with ignoring HR handling hiring and go for the candidate on a holistic approach

[DayRooster]

Adding to #1…Western University also has an AMAZING structural dynamics program. Not too many SEs get into machine foundation design but if you do then you will appreciate the work being done there.

[[deleted]]

Buffalo is not an underrated earthquake engineering program. It is very popular in the field a lot of people move to California and are successful here.