Rachel P, Long Island AddedFriday, July 8, 2016 at 1:31 AM I worry that graduate schools wouldn't want me because I attended a state school and not a private one hello. I am currently a sophomore, going to be a jr, in college and I am studying biology, however its my dream to be an environmental engineer. I've been trying to transfer to another school with an environmental engineering program this whole summer but its hasn't been going smoothly. Most colleges wont accept most of my credits because the majors are so different and I don't really have the money or patience to do four more years of undergrad. So I was hoping that I would be able to finish my biology degree at a local state school and save money so I can go to grad school for environmental engineering. However, I wasn't too sure when I applied to grad schools they wouldn't want me because I attended a state school and not a private one. Is this a major issue when considering graduate schools for engineering?? Also I heard that graduate school is even more expensive so is it even worth it and should I just do undergrad for a few more years? Thank you for all of your help!! Related to Choosing a Degree, Choosing a School, Environmental, Preparation for College, Unique Challenges Reset Sort By Default Barbara Nielsen , Freeport-McMoRan Inc. Answered Friday, July 8, 2016 at 1:31 AM Rachel – Going to a State school will not adversely affect you when applying for grad school. They look mainly at your grads and your area of interest. However, it will be extremely difficult to get into an Environmental Engineering program without an Engineering degree. You indicated that you will be a sophomore next year. Does your school offer engineering? If so, it would probably mean you end up going to school 5 years instead of 4. Believe me, if you are concerned about making a good living, the engineering degree will beat a general science degree every time. If your school does not offer engineering, you may want to see if they have an environmental sciences or geology degree and consider a double major. You are correct, graduate school is substantially more expensive than undergrad work. However, in the real world, what I see is there are SOME people with engineering degrees that go on the get Master’s degrees, but this is much more frequent for people with science degrees. I think the biggest reason for this is in the work place, for a science degree to be considered the equivalency of an engineering degree generally requires a Master’s degree. With this being said, you would be much better off to pursue the engineering degree now, even if it takes extra time and effort. If you do this, you may find out you don’t need to get a Master’s degree. The reason for this is because what most engineering firms are looking for is someone that has passed the Engineer-In-Training exam (generally taken your last semester of your senior year) and can go on to get their Professional Engineering License after they have received 4 years of experience under a Professional Engineer. Good luck in your decision!