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Engineering education in the United States is primarily taught atpublic andprivate universities offering degrees incivil,electrical,mechanical,chemical, and a variety of otherengineering branches.[1]
Engineering education in the U.S. began in 1802 with theMilitary Peace Establishment Act that directed for the creation of theArmy Corps of Engineers and theUnited States Military Academy to be set up and run their engineering program inWest Point, New York. Civilian engineering programs followed at institutions such asRensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in New York in 1824,[2] andMIT (founded 1861).[3] TheMorrill Land-Grant Acts of 1862 founded theState university systems.
Solidtranscripts especially in math and science,Advanced Placement exams,ACT /SAT test scores help in the admissions process, and alsoletters of recommendation from teachers.[4]
Participating inextracurricular activities such asolympiads,hackathons,mathematics competitions,coding bootcamps,open-source contributions,after-school clubs,science fairs, or technical projects helps in the admissions process.
Engineering programs in the United States generally follow a tiered degree structure:
ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is the primary body responsible for accrediting U.S. undergraduate and some graduate engineering programs. Accreditation ensures consistent quality and adherence to industry standards. ABET accreditation is often required for licensure and employment.[5][6]
Engineers who wish to become licensedProfessional Engineers (PE) must meet several requirements. Licensure is overseen by state boards and is typically required for public-facing roles such ascivil orstructural engineering.[7]
Universities are classified into categories based on research activity by theCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.[10][11]
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