Engineering and You

Over 95% of your world is engineered--as an engineer, you can create the newest products, services, and ideas to improve human health, safety, and happiness!  One of the best ways to learn about the Clark School is to meet current Clark School students and hear what they say about their experiences. You can also visit the Clark School or participate in our summer and outreach programs to see if engineering is a good fit for you.

Our campus open houses for prospective students and their families are a great chance to get to know all that Maryland can offer you! Throughout the day there will be information sessions, student panels, tours of campus, and opportunities to learn more about what you can experience as a student. Fall 2008 Events

Engineering is a way to use math, science, and technology to solve problems. So, as someone who might be interested in engineering, you have at least two questions to consider:
1. Are you interested in the kinds of problems engineers solve?
2. Do you like the career options engineering offers?

Let's look at these in a little more detail.

The Problems Engineers Solve
Engineers provide solutions to opportunities and challenges that affect us all. These may range from finding, developing and distributing new sources of energy to improving national security, health care, the environment, new product design, manufacturing and entrepreneurship, telecommunications, transportation—virtually every area of human life.

So, as an engineer, you will have the opportunity to make a difference in how people live. That's one of engineering's great satisfactions.

The Engineer's Career Options
There are many ways to work as an engineer. Some of the major ones are:

• Joining an established or start-up engineering company in a technological or managerial position
• Working for a government engineering laboratory
• Pursuing research and training new engineers as an engineering professor
• Using engineering problem-solving skills as a physician or lawyer

In each case, the engineer is likely to find a career that can last a lifetime, with many options for advancement and growth. For more information, go to the American Society for Engineering Education's Frequently Asked Questions or Assess Yourself pages.

You and the Clark School
The next point to consider is how to become an engineer. The Clark School is a smart choice for your engineering training because:

• Thousands of our alumni are working successfully in engineering firms, laboratories and universities in Maryland and around the world. The school's excellent relationships with employers large and small clearly show that our curriculum and training are well proven and our students are in great demand. See Engineering Co-Op and Career Services.
• Our students have ample opportunities not only to learn and apply engineering skills in the controlled environment of the classroom, but also to participate in innovative research and entrepreneurship programs and exciting engineering competitions in which "the answer" is not yet known—where engineering is put to the test.
• We are highly regarded: the Clark School's undergraduate programs were ranked 22^nd in the country, and its graduate programs were collectively ranked 16^th in the country, by U.S. News & World Report in 2007. The school's nearly 200 world-class faculty members are dedicated to scholarship and are responsible for more than $110 million in research expenditures.