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Choices of Discipline Vary between U.S. and International Students
Domestic and foreign-born students appear to pick fields of study in engineering somewhat differently. Besides personal interest, these choices may reflect students’ perception of the needs of their home economies. Among undergraduates, domestic students cite aerospace and biomedical engineering in their top 10 disciplines of choice, whereas foreign-born students’ top 10 include industrial* and electrical/computer engineering. Mechanical, computer science, computer engineering, electrical, chemical, civil, and engineering (general) are popular with both groups.
At the master’s degree level, mechanical is the top choice for domestic students, whereas computer science (inside engineering) is number one for foreign-born students. Aerospace and biomedical remain in the top 10 list for domestic students. Computer and chemical engineering are among the top 10 for foreign-born students.
For domestic doctoral students, biomedical is the number one discipline of choice whereas foreign-born students choose electrical/computer engineering. At the doctoral level, aerospace remains an attractive discipline for domestic students, as is industrial engineering for foreign-born students.
*Industrial/Manufacturing/Systems
Compiled by Amlan Banerjee
Infographic by Michelle Bersabal