• The field of engineering has always been both highly demanding and in high demand. Where you receive your degree in engineering can make all the difference in terms of where you end up in your career. Picking the right college does not have to be a matter of guesswork, however. The top engineering schools in the nation at the bachelor's degree level are well-established and have long been recognized as topnotch programs.
  
  

MIT

• The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) ranks first according to "U.S. News and World Report" among U.S. colleges and universities for 2009 in engineering programs where a doctoral degree is offered as the highest degree. "U.S. News" has a separate list for schools in which the terminal degree is either a bachelor's or master's degree. MIT is one of the most selective schools in the nation in terms of admissions, accepting only about 12 percent of its applicants. Engineering fields at MIT include aeronautics and astronautics, biological and chemical, civil, environmental, electrical, engineering systems, materials science, mechanical, and nuclear science. This wide array of programs along with the distinguished faculty and cutting-edge research make MIT the top-rated program in the United States.
  
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  Work 77 Massachusetts Avenue
  Cambridge, MA 02139
  (617) 253-3400
  http://web.mit.edu/
  
  

Stanford University

• Like MIT, Stanford University is one of the most respected and selective universities in the nation. It rates second among the nation's engineering programs for 2009. Stanford has some of the most distinguished engineering faculty members in the world. In the 2008-2009 academic school year 62 faculty members received various awards for their research and service in the field. Stanford also offers concentrations in the same fields offered at MIT.
  
  Stanford University
  Engineering Department
  Stanford, CA 94305
  (650) 723-2091
  http://www.stanford.edu
  
  

Harvey Mudd College

• Harvey Mudd College, located in Claremont, California, ranks first among those schools where the terminal degree is either a bachelor's or master's degree. Harvey Mudd is a liberal arts school renowned for its emphases in science, math, and engineering. It rates second only to Caltech in the percentage of its undergraduate students who go on to receive a Ph.D. at other major institutions. Many of its students receive prestigious awards, such as the Hertz Ph.D. fellowship, on a yearly basis. These students then go on to receive Ph.D. degrees at elite schools such as MIT and Stanford. Harvey Mudd is also highly selective in its admission process and has long been recognized as one of the premier engineering schools in the nation.
  
  Harvey Mudd College
  301 Platt Boulevard
  Claremont, California
  91711-5901
  (909) 621-8000
  http://www.hmc.edu/