Best General Engineering Degree Programs in Kansas in 2026
Students comparing general engineering degrees in Kansas can consider Wichita State’s complete Bachelor of Science in Applied Engineering. This reviewed selection assesses its Process Automation concentration, preserving the exact award title and its combination of mechanical, electrical and computing applications.
The current 120-credit plan includes a shared applied engineering foundation, concentration coursework and a sequence of design projects. The department’s current accreditation statement specifically covers the Applied Engineering bachelor’s program under the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET’s General Criteria.
How we ranked general engineering bachelor’s programs in Kansas
This selection includes the complete Applied Engineering bachelor’s degree with its Process Automation concentration. It does not relabel the award as a disciplinary engineering degree or use an engineering-entry category as proof of a completed bachelor’s program.
Wichita State is presented for the published common engineering core, concrete automation requirements, sustained design sequence and explicit program accreditation statement. This review follows the Process Automation plan rather than treating all concentrations as identical.
Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET — Applied Engineering program
2026–27 tuition
$272.48 · Kansas resident undergraduate tuition per credit
Cost basis & conditions +
The university’s planning schedule lists resident tuition at $272.48 per credit and nonresident tuition at $645.42. College of Engineering students also pay $97 per credit for all credits taken, plus required university fees. Housing, food, books and other expenses are separate; eligible regional discounts have their own conditions.
Wichita State’s Applied Engineering B.S. has a shared applied technical core and three concentrations. This review follows Process Automation, a 120-credit plan in the 2026–27 catalog. Students study calculus and physics, statics, materials, graphics, manufacturing and statistical process control before adding industrial controls, instrumentation, robotics and microcomputer-based mechanical systems. Design work runs from introductory and intermediate projects into Senior Project I and II. The department identifies the Applied Engineering bachelor’s program as accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under its General Criteria.
Where it stands out
The Process Automation plan suits students interested in integrating machines, controls and production processes. Its named concentration requirements let applicants compare the actual combination of mechanical, electrical and computing applications, while the shared core includes manufacturing and practical decision-making coursework.
What to weigh
Applied Engineering has its own curriculum and credential; it should not be renamed Mechanical or Electrical Engineering. The other Applied Engineering concentrations also have different upper-level requirements. Engineering+ requires approved activities, and the college charges an additional per-credit fee across a student’s course load, so the base tuition rate is only part of the budget.
The current Process Automation concentration requires 120 credits, including calculus I and II, calculus-based physics with laboratories, statistics and computational mathematics.
The shared Applied Engineering core includes statics, strength and mechanics of materials, statistical process control, decision processes, energy management, engineering graphics and manufacturing methods with laboratory work.
Process Automation adds fluids, circuits, machine elements, industrial controls and instrumentation, robotics, microcomputer-based mechanical systems, and electrical machines and electronic circuits.
Areas of focus
Process Automation — the concentration assessed in this review.
Engineering Management and Sustainability and Environmental Engineering are other concentrations within Applied Engineering, with separate required courses.
Admission & progression
The current engineering catalog admits entering students with a declared engineering interest to the college in program status.
The Process Automation plan requires completion of prerequisite courses with at least a 2.000 GPA.
All engineering students must complete the specified English composition and communication courses with C− or better within their first 48 credits; transfer applicants follow the university’s separate admission and credit-evaluation requirements.
Design & practical experience
The core requires Introductory Design Project, Intermediate Design Project, Senior Project I and Senior Project II.
The catalog identifies the intermediate and two senior projects as a three-course design experience satisfying the applied-learning requirement.
Engineering+ requires three approved activity categories; choices include research, internship/co-op, service learning, leadership, global learning, entrepreneurship and multidisciplinary education.
What matters in general engineering bachelor’s programs in Kansas
A complete applied engineering plan
The current catalog establishes the 120-credit Process Automation concentration within Applied Engineering.
Machines, controls and manufacturing
Required courses show the balance of technical fields and their applied context.
Projects and the full course-load cost
The design sequence, Engineering+ activities and engineering fee matter for completion planning.
Read general engineering degrees in Kansas by their exact award
Wichita State’s Applied Engineering curriculum provides a common foundation in statics, mechanics of materials, manufacturing, graphics, statistical process control, energy management and technical decision processes. Calculus, physics, statistics and computational mathematics support that work. The award is Applied Engineering, so applicants should use its own plan when comparing it with a Mechanical or Electrical Engineering degree.
The department offers Engineering Management, Process Automation, and Sustainability and Environmental Engineering concentrations. This review follows Process Automation, which adds industrial controls and instrumentation, robotics, circuits, machine elements and microcomputer-based mechanical systems. Students exploring these integrated applications can consult the mechatronics programs guide and then compare required courses, rather than assuming that every related degree has the same technical balance.
Map introductory projects into the senior design sequence
The Applied Engineering core includes an introductory design project, an intermediate project, and Senior Project I and II. The catalog identifies the intermediate and two senior courses as the three-course design experience that can satisfy its applied-learning requirement. Graphics and manufacturing also include laboratory components, making it useful to examine the sequence of applied courses rather than only the final project.
The College of Engineering’s Engineering+ requirement adds approved activities in three categories. Options include research, an internship or co-op, service learning, leadership, global learning, entrepreneurship and multidisciplinary education. An internship is one possible category, not a universal guaranteed placement. Ask how proposed activities are documented and approved, and how they fit the semester schedule alongside concentration courses.
Separate program progression from the tuition estimate
The engineering college admits entering students with a declared engineering interest in program status. That status does not remove later academic requirements. The Process Automation plan specifies a minimum 2.000 GPA in prerequisite courses, and the college requires designated composition and communication courses within the first 48 credits. Transfer students should have laboratories, design courses and technical electives reviewed against the applicable catalog.
The 2026–27 planning schedule gives different base tuition rates for Kansas residents and nonresidents. It also states that College of Engineering students pay an additional $97 per credit for all credits taken. Required university fees and living expenses are further costs. Regional tuition discounts have their own eligibility conditions, so students should establish the applicable classification and use a complete course load when estimating the bill.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Is Applied Engineering a complete bachelor’s degree at Wichita State?+
Yes. The current catalog lists a Bachelor of Science in Applied Engineering and a 120-credit Process Automation concentration plan.
Is the Applied Engineering degree accredited by ABET?+
The department states that the Applied Engineering bachelor’s program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under its General Criteria.
Does this review cover every concentration’s course requirements?+
It assesses Process Automation. Engineering Management and Sustainability and Environmental Engineering have separate concentration requirements in the same degree.
Is an internship required for every student?+
An internship or co-op is one Engineering+ activity category. The college requires three approved categories, and the Applied Engineering design sequence separately satisfies the program’s applied-learning requirement.
Keep researching
Choosing a general engineering degree
Learn what a general engineering degree covers, how concentrations build technical depth and how broad bachelor's programs compare with specialized majors.
