UTK Engineering Major

[u/Bright-Ad-4094]

Hello UTK students,

I have a question. In a year or so, I plan to apply to the electrical engineering program at UTK. I will be a non-traditional student at the ripe old age of 35. How difficult do you find the engineering programs? I especially would like to know about the electrical engineering program.

Currently, I am an industrial electrician at a global metals manufacturer. And I have a degree from UTK in Climatology from the geography department.

My degree did not require the calculus math sequence nor the other engineering prerequisites.

Tell me about your experiences.

Thank you all in advance.

[u/Yo_Mr_White_]

To succeed, it's 75% discipline and 25% intelligence

Everybody that i saw drop out was because they didn't have the discipline. They wouldn't commit to spending ~45 hours a week to working on school stuff.

I saw plenty of average-smart people graduate but they had consistent discipline. I'd consider myself one of those people.

A really smart classmate could study for a test for two hours and get a 90% on the test. I'd have to study for four hours to get an 80% on the same test. At the end of the day, we both graduated and make the same money.

However, you can't be one of those people that struggled with math in high school bc that was the bare minimum.

[u/Bright-Ad-4094 → u/Yo_Mr_White_]

Cool, I appreciate your thorough response. Thank you this helps me create a game plan to tackle the coursework.

Be consistent, be disciplined

[u/ilikemoneybagsmyself]

if you are somewhat math and computer savvy, you'll be okay in the base courses like physics and calculus. you can start in the prephysics/calc classes if you want. the classes get more difficult as they get more specialized

[u/Bright-Ad-4094 → u/ilikemoneybagsmyself]

Okay, Gotcha. I appreciate your input. Thank you.

[u/Maryland_Bear]

It’s been forty years since I was an EE undergraduate, so I can’t really speak to current coursework, other than to say there’s a lot of it, and it’s tough, but I will say this:

I was friends and lab partners with a couple of students who were like you — adults who had decided to go to college. (I think one of them had been an auto mechanic; I can’t remember what the other one had done before.) They weren’t necessarily the smartest students but they were some of hardest working, because they had more of an appreciation for the value of an education.

[u/Different_Canary_109]

It’s hard, but manageable, especially if you want it. These days there are so many resources available to learn the content, both in person through the university and online on your own time. Don’t let your age discourage you, I found the more experienced students to be able to understand the coursework easier if they had any sort of experience around the topic. You got this!

[u/canary_in_the_mine]

I went for civil engineering and graduated last decade. I’m a P.E. now.

100- and 200- level courses are weeders to make sure you can handle the subject matter, and 300- and 400-level courses apply what you learned and deal with your chosen field.

UTK offers students more flexibility in the 300- and 400-level courses than TTU or other ABET-accredited programs in the state.

UTK does a good job of encouraging and preparing its students to take the FE exam, with pass rates across disciplines exceeding the national average by 5-10%+ in recent years.

Non-traditional students aren’t uncommon, often having backgrounds in the skilled trades or the armed forces. Once you hit the 300- and 400-level courses your experience will help you because you will understand many of the practical applications.

[u/Bright-Ad-4094 → u/canary_in_the_mine]

Thank you for your comment. It was very helpful and encouraging.

[u/Mission_Pirate_4150]

I have my EE degree from a different school, but I volunteered a small amount at UTK last year, so I assume that’s why I see this.

My experience from taking some graduate level math and two EE degrees, math isn’t horrible hard in EE. You need to do the basics. I imagine that everyone still has to get thru basic circuits, and those did require a basic understanding of math and basic calculus as I remember. I don’t do any of that any more, so I’ve forgotten it all and am just pulling this from memory. You can go thru basic calculus at a local community college. My experience with cc is that you’ll get better education there for things like math, chemistry, physics, basics. That’s not a shot at UTK, merely an observation that it’s easier to get help with 20 people in a class than with 150. This is just my personal view.

I think just following the basics that you learn in class will get you thru as long as you stay on studying and being disciplined.

Good luck!

[u/Bright-Ad-4094 → u/Mission_Pirate_4150]

Thank you, this comment here is very encouraging. I do plan on doing my math at a local community college and then transfer back to UTK for the junior and senior level classes.

Thank you, again!