Georgia Institute of Technology

The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia is a public research university. It is usually referred to as Georgia Tech. It has campuses in Savannah Georgia and in Ireland, France, Singapore and China. It is also a member of the University System of Georgia. It was founded in 1885 as part of a plan to help bring technology and an industrial economy to the South following the Civil War. It is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 public universities in the United States and is also a member of the Association of American Universities.

 

History

In 1865, during the Reconstruction period, there was an idea to create a technology school in Georgia. Nathaniel Edwin Harris and John Fletcher Hanson, two former Confederate officers, believed that the South needed to improve its industry and technology to compete with the North and the industrial revolution. They both believed the best way to accomplish this was to build a technology school, similar to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Governor of Georgia, Henry D. McDaniel, signed the bill to establish the school on October 13th, 1885. Originally called the Georgia School of Technology, it became the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1949 to reflect a growing focus on advanced scientific and technological research. A great amount of construction occurred during the 1990s to as Georgia Tech served as the Olympic Village during the 1996 Summer Olympics which helped expand the school.

GeorgiaTechSteamWhistle slider

 

Programs

The most popular major by far at Georgia Tech is engineering, with 57% of students enrolled. The College of Engineering is ranked 5th by U.S. News, and the Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical/Electronic/Communications Engineering, Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Industrial/Manufacturing/Systems Engineering all rank in the top 5. The College is the largest of Georgia Tech’s 6 colleges, and offers more than 50 different degree programs at all three levels. It is organized into eight schools, including Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Civil Engineering. The 2nd most popular major at Georgia Tech is business, at 14%. The Ernest Scheller College of Business is ranked by U.S. News as the 27th best business school in the country, and is recognized internationally as a school on the rise. The College develops students into business leaders who understand how globalization and technology are affecting business, both today and in the future. The school offers a Full-time MBA and Evening MBA for full-time and part-time students. Computer and Information Sciences, Biological and Biomedical Sciences, and Architecture are other popular majors at Georgia Tech. Georgia Tech also has outstanding physics and chemistry programs, and the Math program is ranked by U.S. News as the 30th best program in the country.

Georgia_Tech_CRC_Front slider

 

Pros & Cons

Georgia Tech is ranked by U.S. News as the 36th best university in the United States. It is located just north of Atlanta, which is the 9th largest metropolitan area in the country, and the economic and cultural center of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Thus, there are tremendous dining and entertainment options for Georgia Tech students. Freshmen are offered housing but are not required to live on campus, and many choose to live downtown Atlanta. Georgia Tech has a small but vibrant Greek community. It has a 51.2% acceptance rate, which is not necessarily high but is higher than other universities with a similar academic ranking. Its in-state tuition costs just over $10 000, which isn’t extremely high. The out-of-state tuition runs up to $29 402, however, and room and board costs over $11 000, requiring 44% of undergraduates to receive financial aid. About 40% of classes have fewer than 20 students in them.