ENGINEERING
Pathways to a Bachelor's Degree
Interested in studying engineering? Start here on the UW-Whitewater at Rock County campus and earn your whole degree through our collaborative program with UW-Platteville or pursue a pre-professional engineering emphasis. Both paths allow for an easy transfer into a different college or university’s engineering program.
URock’s engineering programs:
- Affordable
- Small class sizes
- Flexible online and in-person classes
- Free tutoring and other resources
- Transferable credits
For more than 15 years, UW-Whitewater at Rock County has offered a flexible and affordable start to an engineering degree. You can earn your entire UW-Platteville engineering degree on the Rock County campus through our longstanding partnership through the UW-Platteville Engineering Partnership, or PEP.
You can start your early engineering coursework here — in smaller classes and with supportive professors — and then transfer anywhere.
URock’s main engineering emphases are mechanical, electrical, and industrial. Jobs in these fields are in high demand — projected to grow by 10% on average over the next 10 years.
Engineering Club at URock
The Engineering Club on the Rock County campus provides a place for like-minded individuals with an appreciation for all things engineering to get to know each other. Students form study groups, linking students with the UW-Platteville students and those on the Whitewater campus. The club’s activities include trips to local companies, helping with Super Science Saturdays and working on different projects — like building trebuchets.
Engineering programs at UW-Whitewater at Rock County
Our programs combine an exceptional educational experience at an affordable cost. Explore our engineering options below.
Mechanical engineering is one of the most versatile fields in engineering. Mechanical engineers are involved in many aspects of the engineering process such as design, development, manufacturing, analysis and test. This field will allow you the opportunity to work in areas ranging from automotive, biomedical, special equipment, aerospace, robotics and so much more.
Mechanical engineering salary and job outlook:
- U.S. median salary: $99,510
- The projected percent increase in employment for mechanical engineering from 2023 to 2033 is 9% or higher.
Electrical devices are everywhere in our lives. Electrical engineers are the ones responsible for studying, designing and creating these devices. This exciting field of engineering is always evolving as new technologies are developed. Electrical engineers work in the traditional fields of power generation and transmission, communication systems and instrumentation. They also work in the areas of automatic controls, circuit design, biomedical, automotive and anywhere you see an electronic device or system.
Electrical engineering salary and job outlook:
- U.S. median salary: $106,950
- The projected percent increase in employment for electrical engineering from 2023 to 2033 is 9% or higher.
Industrial engineering is used in many industries, including business/management, manufacturing, healthcare services, banking, consulting and construction. Industrial engineers apply engineering principles to devise efficient systems to make a product or provide a service.
Industrial engineering salary and job outlook:
- U.S. median salary: $99,380
- The projected percent increase in employment for industrial engineering from 2023 to 2033 is 9% or higher
If you are interested in civil, chemical or any other of the many fields of engineering, we can help put an individualized plan together just for you. This plan will be tailored to the field and the institution that you want to transfer into.
Free tutoring and other support
Because the classes on the Rock County campus are small, students get more one-on-one support from professors in math and other critical subjects than they do on larger campuses. The Engineering Club is another place where study groups offer support.
Both the Rock County and Whitewater campuses offer free tutoring in person or online.
- At URock, the Learning Support Center, located in the lower level of Andrews Hall, offers tutoring in math, English and other academic classes.
- On the Whitewater Campus, the Mary Poppe Chrisman Success Center offers a range of services, from free tutoring in a host of subjects to academic coaching.
Andrew Shuler, from Janesville, earned an associate degree from UW-Whitewater at Rock County and is pursuing Mechanical Engineering.
Doreen Beeler, from Beloit, is pursuing Electrical Engineering.
Pre-professional engineering
Are you interested in getting an engineering degree but you aren’t ready to go to a four-year institution? Do you want smaller class sizes? Are you interested in making sure you get your degree with as little debt as possible? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should seriously consider starting your engineering degree at UW-Whitewater at Rock County! We offer the classes that you will need for the first two years of your degree.
By starting at UW-Whitewater at Rock County and completing two years of your degree, you can significantly reduce the cost of your education. On average you can save 34% compared to a four-year institution.
Transfer options
Your pre-professional engineering program at URock will allow you to easily transfer into engineering programs throughout the Universities of Wisconsin and other private institutions. Below is a list of the more popular fields of engineering and the four-year institutions that you can transfer to.
| Institution | Electrical | Mechanical | Civil | Industrial | Chemical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UW-Green Bay | X | X | |||
| UW-Madison | X | X | X | X | X |
| UW-Milwaukee | X | X | X | X | |
| UW-Platteville | X | X | X | X | |
| UW-Stout | X |
What do engineers do?
Communication and problem solving
Building
Research
Design
Engineering jobs and internships
Rock County and the surrounding communities have many great opportunities for engineering students. Below is a sample of some of the companies where students have obtained internships, co-ops and employment.
ANGI Energy Systems, LLC
Chrysler Corporation, Belvidere plant
Collins Aerospace
Johnson Health Tech
JP Cullen & Sons, Inc.
Lavelle Industries, Inc.
Morgan Corporation
PM Plastics Company
Prent Corporation
Promega Corporation
SHINE Technologies
Spacesaver Corporation
SSI Technologies, LLC
United Alloy Inc.
