Academics
Located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, Montana Technological University is about “science,” “engineering,” and “getting students ready for a career in high-paying fields.” With its “strong STEM programs,” the focus is certainly on the technical side of education, and students praise Tech’s engineering program and “connection to industry.” The relatively small campus creates a “home-like atmosphere where everyone has a sense of community,” as well as “the opportunity to really get to know professors.” Looking beyond college, “Montana Tech’s Career Fair almost guarantees an internship to anyone who is serious about their career.” Several students who choose majors outside the popular STEM degrees do wish that the school would “[treat] our non-engineering degrees as part of the school and not [as] second-rate.” Tech’s nursing program is growing in popularity, and the school is known to “produce compassionate, intelligent nurses.” Professors generally earn high marks, as “most of them come from industry backgrounds before they started teaching; therefore, the quality of the material brought to the classroom is top notch.” Many professors are “actual engineers with real world experience,” and while “Tech is not an easy school,” students say that with “the help provided by the professors and the other facilities available on campus,” it is possible for “anyone with the work ethic [to] meet their goals.”
Student Body
There’s no question that men outnumber women at Montana Tech, though the ratio is improving. While some say, “It isn’t a problem being a woman here,” others counter that Tech “is an unfriendly place for women.” In general, the student body “is extremely focused and pushes each other to do better. With such a small campus, the students know each other quite well and want to see their classmates succeed.” While some describe their fellow students as “lots of Canadians and cowboys,” others say that there is “a very diverse population here at Montana Tech, everyone from transfer students to international students from Saudi Arabia.” Even with a competitive atmosphere, students say that at Montana Tech the “clubs are active, the Student Senate genuinely cares about the happiness of their students, and the faculty [do] whatever they can to bring a smile to your face, especially during difficult days of midterms, flu season, and cold weather.”
Campus Life
Life in Montana Tech’s hometown of Butte is oriented around the outdoors, and students flock to activities like “ skiing, biking, camping, [and] fishing” when they’re not buried in schoolwork. Beyond the great outdoors, students say that Butte is “pretty quiet with mostly bars and churches around town,” so a lot of time is spent on campus or at offcampus residences (only roughly 12 percent of undergraduates live on campus). The rigorous curriculum means most students study during the week and let loose during the weekend. As one student puts it, “You have to be willing to search for things to do outside of class, [other than] drinking.” There are intramural sports and Tech-sponsored events, and “sporting events are very popular activities at Montana Tech.”
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