Admissions
When do students need to confirm their decisions?
May 1st
What is the first year retention rate?
87.6%
Can you double major/minor in a different school?
Yes!
How much do you party?
Engineering is a really hard discipline so our coursework comes first. But I do take time out of my schedule for social events. DO NOT USE THE WORD PARTY.
How many times can an internal transfer student apply to an LEP?
Once
When do students find out if they got into UMD?
Late January/Early February
Percentage of minority students in freshman class?
15% are underrepresented minority students
Are the classes taught by TAs?
No, but discussions that supplement lectures may be taught by TA’s
My son/daughter has been accepted into the Clark School of Engineering. Is there another application he/she needs to fill out in order to major in Fire Protection Engineering?
No. The Clark School as a whole is a limited enrollment program, but each individual major within is open to any students who have been accepted into the Clark School.
What are the four and five year graduation rates?
4 years: 60.8%, 5 years: 68.1%
When do students find out if they got into the Clark School?
Mid February
Percentage of women in freshman class?
31%
True or False: every Clark School department offers a B.S./M.S. program?
Can my child visit an engineering class?
YES! The ambassadors program was built for this!
What are the internal transfer requirements?
How many factors are considered in the UMD admission process?
26 different factors
How many undergraduates are in the Clark School?
4,137*
Does the Clark School accept Project Lead the Way credits?
No. However, we do strongly encourage students to participate and take Project Lead the Way credits to enhance their technical and engineering background.
My son/daughter is not coming to campus with a laptop. Will this be an issue?
No, there are computer labs all over campus that makes this possible. However, having a laptop is much more convenient.
How will I know what classes to take?
At orientation, each student signs up for their classes for the first semester After that, each student is assigned a faculty advisor from the department they currently enrolled in who follows a version of their Four Year Plan. engineering undecided has their own advisors too
When do students find out about their financial aid?
What is the student/faculty ratio?
44:1
What is the difference between electrical and computer engineering?
Electrical engineering
create innovative technology solutions in a wide range of areas
Handheld communications to solar panels; from cardiac pacemakers to autonomous robots; from wireless networks to bio-engineered sensors that detect dangerous pathogens; and intelligent surveillance systems
Think: Circuits and building and less programming (though one can specialize in computer engineering with in this major).
Think: information technology, wireless communications, and advanced computer, internet, and software
Apply the principles and techniques of electrical engineering, computer science, and mathematical analysis to the design, development, testing, and evaluation of the software and hardware systems
In short, hardware-software integration.
Which major has the highest starting salaries?
Computer engineers have the highest average starting salary ($79,900 as of 2015) with electrical engineers having the second highest average starting salary ($71,700 as of 2015). Please remember that these numbers are averages so some people may have a higher or lower starting salary.
How hard is it to double major or minor as an engineering major?
Double Major
If second major is similar to primary major (i.e.: engineering and physics), many credits can count for both
Core/Gen-ed requirements and some lower level math and sciences courses
Could require more time on campus (4.5-5 years)
If similar to major (international engineering or computer engineering) some courses will count for both
Can count at most 2 credits for both major and minor
Can reduce credit load from 16-18 down to 9-12
If very different from major (language, business, etc.) will have to complete all requirements for minor and major
Some courses can count as upper level electives for major