The civil engineering specialty encompasses design and construction of buildings, roads and bridges as well as environmental projects that impact air and water management, such as dams and water treatment plants. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Iowa's environmental and civil engineering programs among the best in the country. Iowa State University and Dordt College also offer programs in this degree area.
This area of study includes biomedical and biosystems engineering. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Iowa State University Agricultural and Biosystems
Engineering Department fourth among all schools with biological engineering specialties. Other Iowa schools with biomedical engineering degree programs, focusing on developing medical devices and processes, include Dordt College and the University of Iowa.
St. Ambrose, a private Catholic university in the Quad Cities along the Mississippi River, offers Industrial Engineering scholarships through the National Science Foundation. This specialization includes manufacturing, operations management and systems engineering. The University of Iowa, Iowa State University and William Penn University also have engineering programs in this area.
Mechanical engineers focus on materials science and the production of machines and tools. William Penn University in Oskaloosa partners with Iowa State University for students taking three years at the private school and transferring to the public university to complete the final two years of the degree. Other schools offering mechanical engineering programs include Dordt College and the University of Iowa.
Electrical engineers develop electronics and information systems including computers, telecommunications and electric power. Dordt College, a private school affiliated with the Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, provides an interdisciplinary education for engineering majors. The electrical engineering field of study also is offered at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.
The University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls offers a dual degree in Applied Physics and Engineering. St. Ambrose University's engineering department collaborates with the physics and astronomy departments in operating the Menke Observatory reflecting telescope. Iowa State University also offers an aerospace engineering program highlighting aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance and other flight mechanics, as well as space structures and systems.