The College of Engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is a thriving, vibrant place to earn a degree in engineering. As the third-largest engineering school in Texas, UTA boasts one of the most comprehensive degree program offerings in the nation, with 11 bachelor’s, 14 master’s and nine doctoral programs offered across seven academic departments. Here, innovation and entrepreneurship are encouraged, and many programs have been ranked by the prestigious U.S. News & World Report.
Why should you choose UTA for your degree in engineering? Consider these 5 reasons:
1. Cost
Let’s face it: a college education can be expensive! UTA offers an excellent education with low tuition rates, plus financial aid and scholarships that keep your costs low and your debt manageable. In fact, the university ranks No. 1 among national U.S. public universities for graduating students, with the least amount of debt on U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges: 2018 list!
“I chose UTA because it was my most affordable option with a great engineering program. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been lucky enough to apply engineering design skills to projects of my own,” says Jordan Miller, a junior Mechanical Engineering major.
Expenses vary, but more than 75 percent of students at UTA receive some form of financial aid. Engineering students alone received $9.9 million in scholarship funding last year from university, college and department sources. Graduate students may be eligible for research or teaching assistant positions, while exceptional graduate students from outside of Texas may qualify for in-state tuition.
2. An Ideal Location
UTA is located in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth area of North Texas – the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. The region has one of the highest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the nation, and just minutes from campus, DFW International Airport and several interstate highways allow easy access to global collaboration and commerce.
There’s plenty to do here: the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys and Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers both play about two miles from campus, and the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium regularly hosts blockbuster concerts and other major events. There’s an excellent music scene in Dallas and Fort Worth, and plenty of shopping, outdoor recreation and entertainment options throughout the region. The weather’s great too: on average, Arlington enjoys 235 sunny days each year, with an average July high of 95 degrees (31°C) and an average January low of 35 degrees (1°C).
3. Top Quality Research
UTA is making discoveries that have the potential to change life as we know it! The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education has designated UTA an R-1: Doctoral University—Highest Research Activity institution; this category is limited to the top doctoral research universities in the United States. This puts the university in an elite group of 115 institutions, including Harvard, MIT, and Johns Hopkins.
The College of Engineering accounts for nearly half of the university’s research expenditures each year, with funding from the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Department of Energy, and many other public and private organizations. Since 2011, research expenditures within the college have risen from about $22 million to $31.4 million. Overall, UTA’s engineering-related expenditures have risen from $37.5 million to $45.3 million. Twelve members of the UTA faculty, including eight engineering faculty, are Fellows of the National Academy of Inventors and one engineering professor is a Fellow of the National Academy of Engineering.
“As an aspiring roboticist, I’m contributing to research that will help advance robots to assist humans in everyday life, from physical rehabilitation to smarter robots that learn from humans,” Joe Cloud, a junior Honors Computer Engineering major, explains. “My professors and the graduate students I work with continuously inspire me to learn and tackle big challenges.”
4. A Highly-Diverse Student Population
UTA students and faculty come from a multitude of backgrounds, and the institution’s diversity contributes to a rich, vibrant student experience. UTA ranks fifth among national universities for undergraduate ethnic diversity in US News & World Report’s Best Colleges 2018 list.
“When I first arrived at UTA I was pleased by the diversity of the students,” says Surya Sarat Chandra Congress, Civil Engineering PhD student. “There are plenty of opportunities for doctoral students here, and I feel privileged to be part of a National Science Foundation-funded project that aids Hurricane Harvey relief efforts using unmanned aerial vehicles. My work on this project with my supervisor, Dr. Anand Puppala, has helped me become a strong, well-rounded engineer.”
The university is a Hispanic-serving institution, and students come here from every US state and more than 100 countries. In the College of Engineering, international students make up about 44 percent of total enrollment while 85 percent of graduate students hail from other countries. Approximately 18 percent of undergraduate students, 22 percent of graduate students and 14 percent of faculty are women. UTA is also proud that 54 percent of undergraduates are first-generation students, laying on a wealth of support and services to help them succeed.
5. Growth
The College of Engineering is truly a college on the move! It has seen incredible growth in the last five years in terms of enrollment, faculty hiring, research, and construction. Overall, enrollment increased by 49 percent from 2013 to 2016, and UTA surpassed 7,000 students for the first time in 2016. Much of this growth has come from our master’s program offerings. The State of Texas expects the university’s enrollment to reach 10,000 students by 2020, so this growth is likely to proceed for the foreseeable future.
To keep pace with its growing student body, the college has hired 24 new faculty in the past two years, and continues to seek outstanding faculty to teach and perform cutting-edge research. The university supports the college’s growth through the construction of new buildings, including the Engineering Research Building, which opened in 2012, and the Science and Engineering Innovation and Research, or SEIR, Building, which is scheduled to open in fall 2018. The SEIR Building boasts state-of-the art classrooms and interactive study spaces as well as research spaces specifically-targeted to the health sciences.
Are you sold? Fill out an application today to join UTA’s community! Applying is easy, and staff are on hand to answer any questions you may have. See you soon in Arlington!
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