Curriculum
Our undergraduate program focuses on educating engineers to be properly equipped for successful careers in today's global economy. Our curriculum includes intensive classroom, laboratory, and hands-on learning. The work is challenging and the curriculum customizable. Engineering courses are required in the first year, giving students an opportunity to familiarize themselves with a discipline before choosing a major.
Technical skills and methods are the foundation for all engineers. But technical expertise cannot be a stand-alone skill. Innovative thinking, leadership skills, global awareness, and interdisciplinary collaboration are key components of the undergraduate experience in the College of Engineering. The curriculum encourages students to confront problems of a professional scope, working in teams to recreate a true work environment. Many of our courses are project-based, including the “Introduction to Engineering” classes taken in the first year. Students are able to learn and practice their trade under the supervision of our world-class faculty.
These classes stress creativity and independent thinking, while requiring the student to define a problem, to design in the presence of technical and socioeconomic constraints, to make judgments among alternative solutions, and to explore innovative alternatives to more conventional solutions.
Degree programs
The college offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Materials Science and Engineering. All of these programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Environmental Engineering is a new degree program offered beginning in Fall, 2020.
Students may also pursue an additional major in Engineering and Public Policy or Biomedical Engineering. Additional major or double-degree programs with non-engineering departments, such as the five-year MBA program established by the College of Engineering and the Tepper School of Business.
General education requirements
The College of Engineering has adopted a plan for education that is designed to equip students with the capacity and desire to learn and to instill in them a passion for life-long discovery. The current curriculum incorporates this philosophy by providing the opportunity for breadth in a number of engineering, science, humanities, and fine arts areas as well as depth in a major area of concentration. Students have the flexibility to choose courses that complement their interests and fields of study.
Research
Undergraduate research is strongly encouraged in the college and the university as a whole. A high percentage of engineering undergrads participate in research projects, including those in our honors research program. Juniors with a 3.5 QPA are invited to choose from a list of faculty-managed research projects. Undergraduates who participate in the Honors Research program undertake tasks and responsibilities equivalent to graduate students.
At the university level, the Office of Undergraduate Research (URO) provides support for student research efforts, including grants, stipends, and awards. Each year, an undergraduate research symposium is held to showcase undergraduate research projects. The event, called Meeting of the Minds, attracts projects from across campus, with hundreds of participants annually.