Best SUNY Schools for Engineering • The Top 7 Ranked
The Best SUNY Schools for Engineering
The best SUNY schools for engineering boast respected, ABET-accredited programs in programs such as:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Our rankings don’t include computer science, but you can check out our review of the best SUNY schools for computer science right here.
We’ve also reviewed the best SUNY schools in other majors if you’re interested:
For most engineering programs, ABET-accreditation is the gold standard. While school connections and reputation are still a factor, any ABET-accredited SUNY school is going to do a fine job of launching your engineering career.
In engineering, specifically, there’s often less salary variance than other fields such as law or business. This means you can focus more on the other factors of your college search, such as your scholarship and aid package, and the location and campus environment of the school.
Whatever school you choose, the accreditation and SUNY network will give you great opportunities to land undergraduate internships and get your engineering career started well.
SUNY schools have different strength and are known for different majors, and colleges not listed here can still have great programs.
Honorable mentions include the well-known SUNY University at Albany, which has recently launched several engineering programs. SUNY’s Broome Community College is the rare community college to earn 3 ABET accreditations at the associate level.
All right, that’s enough beating around the bush. Let’s get to the rankings with the 8 best SUNY schools for engineering!
7. SUNY New Paltz
The State University of New York at New Paltz is has three Bachelor’s engineering programs fully accredited by ABET:
- Computer Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
With a smaller engineering department and more relaxed vibe than the big SUNY schools, SUNY New Paltz still offers great programs at a great value.
The SUNY New Paltz engineering division aims for the “success of our students so that, when they graduate, they are able to obtain successful engineering jobs and/or graduate degrees from prestigious universities”.
A distinctive of the school is project-based courses, culminating in a yearlong Senior Design Project completed in teams.
6. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
ESF is a specialized college with a specific set of undergraduate majors. They don’t have every engineering major, but the programs they do have are rigorous and command respect.
- Bioprocess Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Environmental Resources Engineering
- Paper Engineering
- Renewable Materials Science
Perhaps best known for its chemical engineering program, SUNY ESF offers a smaller, unique campus environment, great value, and a great education.
5. SUNY Maritime College
If you haven’t heard about maritime colleges before, it’s worth doing your research. The education, career, and lifestyle are significantly different than a traditional SUNY school experience.
We won’t go into those differences here—we’ll just note that SUNY Maritime College offers three engineering programs that command respect and are accredited by ABET:
- Marine Engineering (B.E.)
- Mechanical Engineering (B.E.)
- Naval Architecture (B.E.)
If you’re looking at maritime schools, SUNY Maritime College offers a steady reputation and solid career opportunities.
4. State University of New York, Polytechnic Institute
As you might guess from the name, SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Utica and Albany is strongest in technical fields such as engineering. SUNY Polytechnic boasts an impressive 8 ABET-accredited engineering degrees!
- Civil Engineering (B.S.)
- Civil Engineering Technology (B.S.)
- Computer Engineering Technology (B.S.)
- Electrical & Computer Engineering (B.S.)
- Electrical Engineering Technology (B.S.)
- Mechanical Engineering (B.S.)
- Mechanical Engineering Technology (B.S.)
- Nanoscale Engineering (B.S.)
Some of the unique student opportunities at SUNY Poly include:
- Internship and research opportunities at the nearby Danfoss Power Solutions
- The Center for Global Advanced Manufacturing (CGAM), an $11 million manufacturing space with a state-of-the-art student Maker Space
- Labs related to assistive technologies and robotics
There are also some clubs that sound like pure fun, such as the BAJA Club designing off-road vehicles, a drones club, a combat bots club, and steel bridge and concrete canoe competitions.
With a solid reputation, great opportunities, and the unique feel of a polytechnic institute, SUNY Poly is a great choice for engineering students.
3. Stony Brook University – SUNY
As we arrive at the top three, the distance between the programs becomes quite small. The top three are all SUNY flagship schools with a lot of students.
There are significant differences as well. Stony Brook is much more of a commuter school and attracts a lot of science and pre-med majors, but still has a well-established engineering department. They have 9 engineering degrees with full ABET accreditation:
- Biomedical Engineering (BE)
- Chemical and Molecular Engineering (BE)
- Civil Engineering (BE)
- Computer Engineering (BE)
- Computer Science (BS)
- Electrical Engineering (B.S.)
- Electrical Engineering (BE)
- Engineering Science (BE)
- Mechanical Engineering (BE)
Stony Brook’s engineering resources are vast, with $41 million in research expenditures and over 20 centers and institutes including the Institute for Engineering-Driven Medicine.
Stony Brook is an excellent choice for engineering students, especially those who want to work at the intersection of science and engineering in fields such as Biomedical Engineering.
2. Binghamton University – SUNY
Arguably the most respected SUNY overall, Binghamton University is another excellent choice for engineering students. They offer 6 ABET-accredited degrees:
- Biomedical Engineering (BS)
- Computer Engineering (BS)
- Computer Science (BS)
- Electrical Engineering (BS)
- Industrial and Systems Engineering (BS)
- Mechanical Engineering (BS)
At Binghamton, students can explore the engineering majors and then make a decision after their freshman year. Program resources include state-of-the-art facilities, summer internship opportunities, undergraduate research opportunities, competitions, and 4+1 programs to earn a Master’s degree.
If you’d rather go to Binghamton than our top choice, we aren’t telling you to change your mind.
1. University at Buffalo – SUNY
SUNY University at Buffalo’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is the leading engineering school in the SUNY system, and offers some majors that are hard to find elsewhere. Their ABET-accredited programs are:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
With a broad and deep program and all the student resources you’d expect from a flagship SUNY university, UB tops our rankings of the best SUNY schools for engineering.
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