M.Eng. General Questions FAQ

General questions about the ORIE M.Eng.

The following FAQs address general questions that prospective applicants have raised about Cornell's Master of Engineering program in Operations Research and Information Engineering

Should I contact Cornell faculty that I am interested in working with?

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Some prospective applicants contact professors directly to inquire about research opportunities. Such contacts do not usually enhance the applicant's chances of admission since such research opportunities are almost never available to M.Eng. students. Sending emails to multiple faculty members ("spam'') is particularly disadvantageous.

Can I do a joint M.Eng. and MBA degree?

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The Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell offers a 12-month MBA program to applicants who have appropriate technical training. The M.Eng. program usually provides sufficient training to permit an MBA candidate to complete the degree in 12 months, starting in the summer semester. Hence it is possible to get both the M.Eng. and the MBA in just two years.

Admission to the MBA program must be sought separately, and usually requires more work experience than the typical M.Eng. graduate has acquired. Cornell engineering undergraduates interested in doing both an M.Eng. and an MBA, possibly with some work experience in between, should enquire about the Knight Scholarship, which is designed to provide substantial financial aid to outstanding students combining engineering and business.

Where do students live?

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Cornell has graduate student housing for individuals and for families. Campus Life provides the most up-to-date information about housing and residential programs and Ithaca area resources.

Many students live in private apartments or rooms at various distances from the campus, often sharing with roommates. Most of these apartments are rented in the spring, though a few may still be available in August. A housing packet with information about Cornell and private housing opportunities is sent to applicants who accept admission. If possible, consider a trip to Ithaca in the spring to arrange housing. If you do visit, let us know ahead of time so we can arrange for you to meet current students. In considering housing alternatives, keep in mind that the Ithaca area has an excellent bus system, called TCAT, that parking on campus is expensive, and that the cost of housing tends to vary inversely with distance from campus and from the bus routes.