Eastern Illinois University

Pre-Engineering at Eastern Illinois University is a program designed to provide the first two years of a four-year Engineering degree. The first two years of most Engineering programs have the same curricula (basic science and math) so transferring from EIU to a 4 year Engineering program is generally a smooth transition.

EIU offers lower cost and a different atmosphere than the 4-year Engineering programs. The smaller class size, faculty teaching lecture and labs, research opportunities, and integrative learning environment set EIU apart from larger schools. The collegial atmosphere leads to a more inviting and collaborative learning environment. Students who might get lost in large lecture halls can quickly become a part of the community at EIU. With a high success rate after transfer to other institutions, our students find that this preparation is completely equivalent to spending all four years at a 4-year Engineering program.

EIU also offers a 3-2 degree in conjunction with either the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) or with Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC), in which a student takes a third year of liberal arts enrichment at EIU and graduates with a double bachelor's degree - one from EIU and one from either UIUC or SIUC. In this program, there are actually two tracks, one where they receive an Engineering Physics degree from EIU and another where they receive a Physics Major from EIU, each of these is in addition to their Engineering Degree from the other institutions.