Best General Engineering Degree Programs in Louisiana in 2026
General engineering degrees in Louisiana include McNeese State University’s Engineering B.S. in Lake Charles. Its current Civil, Computer and Electrical Engineering concentration plans each total 128 credits. This selection reviews the complete engineering award and the specific technical direction established by each concentration.
The broad degree title does not mean that every student takes the same advanced courses. McNeese’s concentration plans provide a direct way to compare upper-level subjects, laboratory work and senior design, while its current tuition policies show why an engineering budget needs more than a general university rate.
How we ranked general engineering bachelor’s programs in Louisiana
This reviewed Louisiana selection includes the complete B.S. in Engineering at McNeese State University, with its exact award and emphasis or concentration names retained. Introductory engineering routes and transfer preparation are not counted as complete engineering degrees.
McNeese is presented for its published concentration-specific degree plans, identifiable laboratory and senior design requirements, and clear separation of this Engineering BS from its Mechanical and Chemical Engineering bachelor’s degrees.
$4,848.34 · Louisiana resident base tuition and fees, 15-credit fall semester
Cost basis & conditions +
The published university schedule lists $4,848.34 at 15 credits for Louisiana residents and $5,348.34 for domestic nonresidents. Engineering and all its concentrations are also subject to differential tuition under a separate policy. This base figure is therefore not a complete engineering bill; course charges, housing and other expenses can add to it.
McNeese awards an Engineering B.S. with Civil, Computer and Electrical Engineering concentrations in Lake Charles. Each current concentration plan totals 128 credits, but the upper-level subjects differ substantially. Civil students move into surveying, structural analysis, transportation, soils and water resources; Electrical students study circuits, electronics, signals, microcontrollers, programmable logic controllers and power systems. The Civil and Electrical plans each include a two-course senior design sequence. The college’s laboratory resources span electronics, mechatronics, instrumentation, controls and fluids, and its program page describes co-op and internship opportunities. Mechanical and Chemical Engineering are separately named bachelor’s degrees rather than concentrations within this reviewed Engineering BS.
Where it stands out
Consider McNeese if you want to select a defined technical concentration within a broadly named Engineering degree. The published semester plans make it possible to compare the actual laboratory and design requirements, rather than relying on the broad award title to predict what you will study.
What to weigh
The concentration commits much of the upper-level curriculum to a particular field, so changing directions can require additional prerequisites. Budgeting also needs more than the base tuition table: McNeese’s differential-tuition policy explicitly includes Engineering and all its concentrations, and residency and course load change the published university charges.
The current Engineering BS has Civil, Computer and Electrical Engineering concentrations, each with a published 128-credit plan.
The Civil plan includes surveying, transportation, structures, soil mechanics, construction, fluids and water resources; Electrical includes circuits, electronics, signals, microcontrollers, programmable logic controllers and power systems.
Engineering graphics, introductory engineering, mathematics and science provide a foundation before the concentration-specific upper-level requirements.
Areas of focus
Civil Engineering
Computer Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Admission & progression
Freshman admission uses separate pathways for the completed Louisiana TOPS/University high-school core, adult students and other applicant categories.
For applicants completing the full 19-unit core, the current catalog requires a 2.35 cumulative high-school GPA, college-level readiness in English or mathematics, and one of its listed additional qualifications.
Submit the university application and required academic records; placement and the chosen concentration determine the starting mathematics and engineering sequence.
Design & practical experience
The Civil and Electrical plans each require Senior Design I and II in the concentration.
Electrical students take laboratories associated with digital systems, programmable logic controllers and power; Civil students complete soil and structural laboratory work.
Engineering facilities include electronics, mechatronics, instrumentation and controls, and fluid-mechanics laboratories. Co-op and internship opportunities are available through the college.
What matters in general engineering bachelor’s programs in Louisiana
Required technical breadth
The review examines the common engineering foundation and the subjects required after an emphasis or concentration is chosen.
Design and laboratory work
Named design courses and laboratory requirements show how technical study is applied.
Entry and cost conditions
Current admission categories, course sequencing and the applicable campus tuition schedule inform planning.
Read general engineering degrees in Louisiana through their concentration plans
McNeese’s Engineering BS includes Civil, Computer and Electrical concentrations. Its separately named Mechanical and Chemical Engineering bachelor’s degrees are distinct awards. All three Engineering BS plans total 128 credits, but the advanced curriculum follows the chosen concentration. Applicants should identify the intended plan before estimating how prior college work will transfer or how long completion will take.
Civil coursework includes surveying, transportation, construction, structural analysis, soil mechanics and water resources. Electrical coursework includes circuits, electronics, signals, microcontrollers, programmable logic controllers and power systems. These are substantially different technical paths within the same broad award. A student who changes concentration after completing upper-level prerequisites may need additional coursework even when some of the mathematics and introductory engineering requirements overlap.
Inspect the laboratories and design sequence for your chosen direction
The Civil and Electrical plans each require Senior Design I and II. Their laboratory requirements also reflect the concentration: Civil includes soil and structural work, while Electrical includes digital systems, programmable logic controllers and power laboratories. Those named courses offer a more useful comparison than a general statement that the college provides hands-on learning.
McNeese’s program page describes facilities for electronics, mechatronics, instrumentation, controls and fluid mechanics, along with co-op and internship opportunities. Ask which facilities are used in the required courses for your concentration and how students apply for external work experiences. Applicants interested in combining machines and controls can compare the Electrical curriculum with mechatronics programs to identify any additional mechanical design preparation they want.
Account for freshman admission pathways and engineering differential tuition
McNeese’s current catalog sets out separate freshman admission pathways based on the completed high-school core and other applicant categories. The full 19-unit core pathway includes a cumulative GPA requirement, evidence of college-level readiness in English or mathematics, and an additional qualifying measure. That university admission decision is separate from the mathematics placement and prerequisite planning needed for a particular engineering concentration.
The Fall 2026 university schedule varies by credit load and distinguishes Louisiana residents, domestic nonresidents and international nonresidents. Engineering and all its concentrations are also subject to differential tuition under a separate policy. The published base figure therefore should not be treated as the complete engineering bill. Request a calculation for the intended major, residence category and semester load, then add housing, food and other expenses.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Which concentrations are part of McNeese’s Engineering BS?+
The current degree offers Civil, Computer and Electrical Engineering concentrations. Mechanical and Chemical Engineering are separately named bachelor’s degrees.
How many credits does the Engineering BS require?+
The current Civil, Computer and Electrical concentration plans each specify 128 credits.
Is there a required engineering design project?+
The current Civil and Electrical plans each require Senior Design I and II. Applicants should inspect the exact plan for their chosen concentration.
Is McNeese’s published base tuition the full engineering charge?+
No. The university’s differential-tuition policy explicitly includes Engineering and all its concentrations. Residency, course load and other applicable charges also affect the bill.
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.
