Essential Information
Students interested in engineering in Illinois can choose from undergraduate and graduate programs in several disciplines. They can choose from such fields as aerospace engineering, soil and water resources engineering, software engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, bioengineering, chemical engineering and computer engineering. Bachelor's and master's degree programs are most common for aspiring engineers, while doctoral programs are common for aspiring engineering researchers and professors. Depending on the level of the degree program, students may do lab experiments, complete projects or choose a specialty of a chosen engineering field to study.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the oldest and largest campus in the University of Illinois school system, offering more than 150 programs of study and enrolling more than 30,000 students. Its College of Engineering offers 15 undergraduate degrees through 12 departments, as well as 26 master's degree programs though 13 departments. Graduate programs are available in areas like in soil and water resources engineering, industrial and enterprise systems engineering, bioengineering, aerospace engineering and civil engineering.
Students studying aerospace engineering learn about applied spacecraft design, aerospace propulsion, finite element analysis and aerodynamics. The bioengineering program combines the analytical and experimental methods of engineering with an emphasis on the biological and medical services, while the civil and environmental engineering program prepares students to work on dams, buildings, bridges, airports and tunnels. Industrial and enterprise systems engineering students study design optimization, digital control, component design and mechatronics.
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago has a large College of Engineering and offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in six academic departments. Some engineering disciplines available include bioengineering, chemical engineering, computer engineering and mechanical engineering.
The bioengineering bachelor's program allows students to take selective engineering courses and bioengineering area electives, while those in the chemical engineering bachelor's program can take advantage of several state of the art laboratories. The computer engineering bachelor's degree program covers circuit analysis, logic design, solid state device theory, wireless communications, transistors and control engineering. Students in the master's degree program in mechanical engineering study the design, development, manufacture, management and control of engineering systems and subsystems.
School Comparison: At a Glance
| School | School Type & Setting | Programs Offered | Avg. Graduate Tuition & Fees (2018-2019) |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | 4-year, public; small city | MS in Aerospace Engineering MS in Bioengineering MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering MS in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering | $18,126 (in-state), $31,279 (out-of-state)* |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | 4-year, public; large city | BS in Bioengineering BS in Chemical Engineering BS in Computer Engineering MS in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering | $16,792 (in-state), $26,479 (out-of-state)* |
Source: *NCES College Navigator
