Engineering degree in one university compared to another?

Question

I am wondering how different is the material and course covered in an engineering degree, from one university to the next. Are the same topics covered same textbooks used.. Especially when comparing universities from Canada to US. Which is tougher or are they all basically the same with minute differences regardless of the prestige of the university. for example MIT compared to the university of Toronto or an unknown university in Saskatchewan

Answer 1

As with all things, the difference is what the student puts in.  I am sure that the same material is covered in comparable courses at different universities above a certain level.  The books will probably be different because often the professor teaches his/her own book but as to what you will know at the end of the degree, that is up to you.  A genuine difference could be due to how intense the course is.  For example, in a US university, a significant amount of time can be spent on subjects that are not on the major list.  Compare this to the UK where all classes taken are in that subject.  I do not know how it works in Canada.

More generally, the issue with, for example, MIT, is that other people, such as employers, will make a judgment call as to how competitive the university is.  If you do well at MIT, competing with all the perceived big brains there, then you must be smart.  If you do well at a relatively unknown university, then it is harder to judge how good you really are.  Unfair bias?  maybe.  But understandable as not everyone is familiar with all universities and faculties.  In fact, the bias will be that an average student at MIT is at least as smart as a top student at a no-name university.