Like all of the varied departments at an institution of higher learning, engineering college is a specialized school with specific classes, instructors and curriculum at a university. The engineering college at many universities is often looked at as an institution of technology, and has admissions practices much like the rest of the university. Also commonly known as a college of engineering, this department plays a pivotal role at many schools around the United States and the world.
Generally, an engineering college at a university offers at least undergraduate level degrees, with many schools offering master's and doctorate levels. Like most other schools, engineering college can often be completed in four to five years, making it necessary to accumulate around 120 credits. Among the most popular specializations at an engineering school are civil engineering, mechanical engineering and electrical engineering.
The United States has a wide range of highly regarded engineering schools, including most notably the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Carnegie Mellon University. England introduced the engineering college as part of the Specialist Schools Programme in 2002, and among their top schools for the science are the Quilley School of Engineering and the St. George of England Specialist Engineering College.
Typically, engineering college is dedicated to the problems of applied science, rather than the study of basic science or pure science. Engineering colleges often support many special research and development programs, and are often among the leaders in innovation in many subjects around the world. These colleges often offer real world experience, and many of them have placement and internship programs to help their students get jobs with established companies.
The schools at an engineering college often support work leading to developments for industry, government, science and computer-related fields. Computer engineering has become an increasingly important and growing field in the 2010s. Other popular engineering school subjects are aerospace, biomedical, manufacturing, information technology and business studies.
Perhaps the most important aspect of life in a college of engineering is the application of an education to real world problems and real world tools. These colleges emphasize work in the real world, with real professionals and with real industries. It is not uncommon to find recent engineering graduates working for major auto companies, computer companies, the armed forces and a number of other important services and industries around the world.