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College of Engineering Majors
In the first two years, students in the College of Engineering take a set of courses designed to provide a firm foundation for later specialization. This set of courses conforms to the Common Curriculum, which is established by the College Curriculum Governing Board (CCGB) and administered through Engineering Advising. During the second year, students choose and affiliate with an undergraduate Major (see list below); thereafter, they take courses to satisfy the Bachelor of Science degree in that Major.
Biological Engineering (BE)
Chemical Engineering (ChemE)
Civil Engineering (CE)
Computer Science (CS)
Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE)
Engineering Physics (EP)
Environmental Engineering (EnvE)
Independent Major (IM)
Information Science, Systems, and Technology (ISST)
Materials Science and Engineering (MS&E)
Mechanical Engineering (ME)
Operations Research and Engineering (ORE)
Science of Earth Systems (SES)
Requirements for Graduation
The detailed requirements of the Common Curriculum appear in the university announcement Courses of Study, which is revised annually. Students should become familiar with this material, because they are ultimately responsible for meeting all graduation requirements.
The Common Curriculum and the Bachelor of Science degree require a certain number of credits in courses belonging to 10 categories.
Category 1. Mathematics
Students must earn at least a grade of C– in MATH 191, 192, 293, or 294, and an approved Major-specific mathematics course. Students who do not meet this requirement the first time they take a course must immediately repeat the course and earn a satisfactory grade. Students may not enroll in the next course in the sequence until they have done so. (A grade lower than C– the second time will result in dismissal from the engineering program.) Courses taken a second time to meet this requirement do not yield additional credit toward a degree.
Category 2. Physics
Students must earn at least a grade of C– in MATH 191 or have substantial previous contact with introductory calculus combined with co-registration in MATH 191 before taking PHYS 112. Similarly, at least a grade of C– is required in each subsequent mathematics course before taking the physics course for which it is a prerequisite (MATH 293 is a co- or prerequisite for PHYS 213; MATH 294 is a co- or prerequisite for PHYS 214).
Category 3. ChemistryStudents who do not intend further study in chemistry should enroll in CHEM 209 during either semester of the first year. Students are required to receive credit for CHEM 209 either through AP credit or by successful completion of the course. Students choosing the CHEM 209 and then 208 sequence must enroll in CHEM 209 during the fall semester of the first year so that they may enroll in CHEM 208 during the spring term.
Category 4. Computing
CS 100: Introduction to Computing is taken in the first year, followed by CS 101, to fulfill the computing requirement. If the first course is Java-based, the CS 101 course must be MatLab-based, and vice versa. The CS 101 course should be completed by the end of the second year.
Before taking CS 100, some students take CS 099: Fundamental Programming Concepts, which is offered in the summer only. CS 099 may not be used as credit toward graduation.
Category 5. First-Year Writing Seminars
During each semester of the first year, students must choose a first-year writing seminar from among more than 100 courses offered by more than 30 different departments in the humanities, social sciences, and expressive arts.
These courses, which offer the benefits of small class size, provide an opportunity to practice writing English prose.
Category 6. Technical Writing
Students can fulfill the upper-level technical-writing requirement in one of the six ways shown below. For more information, see www.engineering.cornell.edu/ECP/.
1. ENGRC 335 or ENGRC 350, taught by the Engineering Communications Program.
2. The Writing-Intensive Co-op, an opportunity to combine work and academics. Some co-op students do a significant amount of writing on the job, and, under certain circumstances, this writing may satisfy the college’s technical-writing requirement.
3. An officially designated writing-intensive (W-I) engineering course:
ENGRD/A&EP 264: Computer-Instrumentation Design
CHEME 432: Chemical Engineering Laboratory
MS&E 403/404 (both): Senior Materials Laboratory I and II
MS&E 405/406 (both): Senior Thesis I and II
M&AE 427: Fluids/Heat Transfer Laboratory
BEE 450: Bioinstrumentation with co-registration in BEE 493: Technical Writing for Engineers
BEE 473: Watershed Engineering with co-registration in BEE 493: Technical Writing for Engineers
BEE 489: Engineering Entrepreneurship, Management, and Ethics
4. ENGRC 302, a one-credit attachment to an engineering course that is not one of the officially designated W-I courses (see #3 above). An instructor may wish to extend the writing done in their course for a given semester so that it will fulfill the technical-writing requirement. With the approval of the CCGB’s Subcommittee on Technical Writing, the instructor may have students co-register in ENGRC 302. (May be taken more than once, with different courses, by permission of engineering instructor.)
5. COMM 260: Scientific Writing for Public Information, COMM 263: Organizational Writing, or COMM 352: Science Writing for the Mass Media, taught by the Department of Communication (in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)
6. Petition. Occasionally, students will be doing a significant amount and variety of technical writing elsewhere in the engineering college. It may be appropriate to submit a petition to the CCGB’s Subcommittee on Technical Writing for permission to use their upcoming writing (not past writing) to meet the technical-writing requirement.
Category 7. Engineering Distribution
The Common Curriculum requires three distribution courses (9 credits). One intro-to-engineering course (with the course acronym ENGRI), is to be completed during the first year. The remaining two distribution courses (with the course acronym ENGRD) should be completed by the end of the third semester. Some Majors may require additional distribution courses, taken after a student affiliates with a Major. All Common Curriculum distribution requirements must be fulfilled by the end of the second year.
The intro-to-engineering course introduces students to the engineering process and provides a substantive experience in open-ended problem-solving. The following courses fulfill this requirement:
ENGRI 101: Intro to Biomedical Engineering Analysis. Requires concurrent registration in BIO G 110: Biological Principles. (spring)
ENGRI 102: Introduction to Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (fall, spring)
ENGRI 110: Lasers and Photonics (fall)
ENGRI 111: Nanotechnology (fall)
ENGRI 112: Introduction to Chemical Engineering (fall)
ENGRI 113: Sustainability Design for Appledore Island (spring)
ENGRI 115: Engineering Applications of Operations Research (fall, spring)
ENGRI 116: Modern Structures (fall)
ENGRI 117: Introduction to Mechanical Engineering (fall)
ENGRI 118: Design Integration: DVDs and iPods (spring)
ENGRI 119: Biomaterials for the Skeletal System (fall)
ENGRI 122: Earthquake! (spring)
ENGRI 124: Designing Materials for the Computer (spring)
ENGRI 126: Introduction to Signals and Telecommunications (spring)
ENGRI 127: Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Engineering (spring)
ENGRI 165: Computing in the Arts (fall)
ENGRI 167: Visual Imaging in the Electronic Age (fall)
ENGRI 172: Computation, Information, and Intelligence (spring)
Two engineering distribution (ENGRD) courses (6–8 credits) must be selected from two different categories listed below. A student may use any one of the possible substitutions described.
1. Scientific Computing
ENGRD 211: Computers and Programming
ENGRD 320: Engineering Computation
ENGRD 321: Numerical Methods in Computational Molecular Biology
ENGRD 322: Introduction to Scientific Computation
2. Materials Science
ENGRD 261: Mechanical Properties of Materials; From Nanodevices to Superstructures
ENGRD 262: Electronic Materials for the Information Age
3. Mechanics
ENGRD 202: Mechanics of Solids
ENGRD 203: Dynamics
Majors in Engineering Physics may substitute A&EP 333: Mechanics of Particles and Solid Bodies for ENGRD 203.
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4. Probability and Statistics
ENGRD 270: Basic Engineering Probability and Statistics
Majors in Electrical and Computer Engineering may substitute ECE 310: Introduction to Probability and Random Signals for ENGRD 270. Majors in Engineering Physics may substitute ECE 310 or MATH 471: Basic Probability for ENGRD 270. Majors in Civil, Biological, or Environmental Engineering may substitute CEE 304: Uncertainty Analysis in Engineering for ENGRD 270.
5. Electrical Sciences
ENGRD 210: Introduction to Circuits for Electrical and Computer Engineers
ENGRD 230: Introduction to Digital Logic Design
ENGRD 264: Computer-Instrumentation Design
6. Thermodynamics and Energy Balances
ENGRD 219: Mass and Energy Balances
ENGRD 221: Thermodynamics
7. Earth and Life Sciences
ENGRD 201: Introduction to the Physics and Chemistry of the Earth
ENGRD 251: Engineering for a Sustainable Society
ENGRD 260: Principles of Biological Engineering
8. Biology and Chemistry
BIO G 101 and 103: Biological Sciences, Lectures and Laboratory
BIO G 105: Introductory Biology
BIO G 107: General Biology
CHEM 389: Honors Physical Chemistry I
ENGRD 252: The Physics of Life
Category 8. Liberal Studies Distribution
Global and diverse societies require that engineers have an awareness of historical patterns, an appreciation for different cultures, professional ethics, the ability to work in multifaceted groups, and superior communication skills. Cornell has a rich curriculum in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, enabling every engineering student to obtain a truly liberal education. A minimum of six courses (totaling at least 18 credits) is required, and these should be chosen with as much care and foresight as courses from technical areas.
• The six courses must be chosen from at least three of the following six groups.
• At least two courses must be at the 200 level or higher
Refer to the web page of
Cornell Engineering Advising or visit Engineering Advising, 167 Olin Hall, for a complete list of acceptable courses in those groups.
Group 1. Cultural Analysis (CA)
Courses in this area study human life in particular cultural contexts through interpretive analysis of individual behavior, discourse, and social practice. Topics include belief systems (science, medicine, and religion); expressive arts and symbolic behavior (visual arts, performance, poetry, myth, narrative, and ritual); identity (nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality); social groups and institutions (family, market, and community); and power and politics (states, colonialism, and inequality).
Group 2. Historical Analysis (HA)
Courses in this area interpret continuities and changes—political, social, economic, diplomatic, religious, intellectual, artistic, and scientific—through time. The focus may be on groups of people, a specific country or region, an event, a process, or a time period.
Group 3. Literature and the Arts (LA)
Offerings in this area explore literature and the arts in two different but related ways. Some courses focus on the critical study of art works and on their history, aesthetics, and theory. These courses develop skills of reading, observing, and hearing and encourage reflection on such experiences; many investigate the interplay among individual achievement, artistic tradition, and historical context. Other courses are devoted to the production and performance of art works (in creative writing, performing arts, and media such as film and video). These courses emphasize the interaction among technical mastery, cognitive knowledge, and creative imagination.
Group 4. Knowledge, Cognition, and Moral Reasoning (KCM)
Offerings in this area investigate the bases of human knowledge in its broadest sense, ranging from cognitive faculties (such as perception) shared by humans and animals, to abstract reasoning, to the ability to form and justify moral judgments. Courses investigating the sources, structure, and limits of cognition may use the methodologies of science, cognitive psychology, linguistics, or philosophy. Courses focusing on moral reasoning explore ways of reflecting on ethical questions that concern the nature of justice, the good life, or human values in general.
Group 5. Social and Behavioral Analysis (SBA)
Courses in this area examine human life in its social context through the use of social-scientific methods, often including hypothesis testing, scientific sampling techniques, and statistical analysis. Topics studied range from the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes of individuals to interpersonal relations between individuals
(e.g., in friendship, love, conflict), to larger social organizations (e.g., the family, society, religious or educational or civic institutions, the economy, government), to the relationships and conflicts among groups or individuals (e.g., discrimination, inequality, prejudice, stigmas, conflict resolution).
Group 6. Foreign Languages (not literature courses)
Courses in this area teach language skills, including reading, writing, listening, and spoken non-English languages, at beginning to advanced levels.
Category 9. Electives
Six credits of approved electives are required and are approved by the student’s faculty advisor. Because these courses should help develop and broaden the skills of the engineer, advisors will generally accept the following as approved electives: one introduction to engineering course, engineering distribution courses, courses stressing oral or written communication, upper-level engineering courses, advanced courses in mathematics, and rigorous courses in the biological and physical sciences. Advisors are likely to approve courses in business, economics, and language that serve the student’s educational and academic objectives. In other cases, a student’s interests might be better served by approved electives that expand the Major or other parts of the curriculum, including the liberal studies requirement. (Note: up to 6 credits of advisor-approved electives will be allowed for ROTC courses at or above the 300-level.)
Students are free to take as many courses offered at the university in addition to the minimum engineering curriculum requirement as they wish before meeting graduation requirements.
No course with a number <100 can be applied toward graduation requirements.
Category 10. Major requirements
The requirements of the Majors are discussed on pages 37–98. They include:
1. Major-required courses, i.e., courses in the Major itself.
2. Major-approved electives (9 credits).
3. Major-complementary courses (9 credits). These courses, taken outside the Major, ensure breadth of engineering studies.
Residence Requirements
Candidates for an undergraduate degree in Engineering must spend at least four semesters or an equivalent period of instruction as full-time students at Cornell, including at least three semesters affiliated with an Engineering Major.
Engineering students who are on leave may not take Cornell extramural courses. Exceptions are granted in extraordinary circumstances with permission from Engineering Advising. At most 18 credits earned through extramural study or acquired as transfer credit (or any combination thereof) following matriculation may be used to satisfy the requirements for the bachelor’s degree in Engineering. Students cannot complete their last semester extramurally.
Degree candidates may spend periods of time studying away from the Cornell campus with appropriate authorization. Information on programs sponsored by other universities and on procedures for direct enrollment in international universities is available at the Cornell Abroad office, 300 Caldwell Hall. Programs should be planned in consultation with the staff of Engineering Advising, who can provide information on credit evaluation policies and assist in the petitioning process.
First-Year Requirements
By the end of the first year, engineering students are expected to have completed (or received credit for) the following core requirements:
• MATH 191 and MATH 192;
• Two of the following: CHEM 209, CHEM 208 (if required for Major), PHYS 112, 213, 214 (depending on Major);
• CS 100;
• Two (2) first-year writing seminars;
• One (1) intro-to-engineering course (ENGRI designation);
• Two (2) physical education courses
Preparing for a Major
Some Majors begin with courses that cannot be taken without prior completion of certain prerequisites. Students planning to affiliate with such a Major must decide to do so early enough to take the prerequisite courses, even though they will not formally affiliate until after the prerequisites have been completed. Information on prerequisites of each Major is available on pages 34–36 in this handbook and in Courses of Study.
Learning About Majors/Careers in Engineering
ENGRG 150: Engineering Seminar
All first-year students are pre-enrolled in a section of ENGRG 150: Engineering Seminar. This 1-credit fall course gives first-year students an opportunity to get to know their faculty advisors on a more personal level. Meeting regularly with their advisees gives advisors an opportunity to learn about each student, to assist in resolving problems as they arise, and to help new students adjust to the demands of the engineering curriculum.
Activities in ENGRG 150 may include discussion of engineering careers, active research in the college and engineering in general, ethics, and workshops on study and exam skills useful to engineering students. Practicing engineers, advising staff, and faculty members from different disciplines may join the group from time to time.
Faculty Advisors
Every student in the College of Engineering is assigned a faculty advisor. The advisors can help students learn about engineering through the ENGRG 150 seminar, through one-on-one meetings, and through informal activities sponsored by the college, departments/schools, and student organizations. For more information on faculty advisors, see page 26.
Peer Advisors
Each ENGRG 150 section has one or two peer advisors—second-, third-, and fourth-year students who have volunteered to help new students understand the course selection process, meet other engineering students, and adjust to life at Cornell. They can offer useful information about courses, tips on studying, student activities, organizations, and other need-to-know facts about campus life from a student’s point of view.
National Engineers Week
The Engineering Student Council (ESC) initiated the celebration of National Engineers Week at Cornell University in 1998. During February, the ESC coordinates seven days of events organized by the council and other engineering-affiliated groups, including the following:
Engineering Day at the MallCornell engineering organizations staff booths to help children in the Ithaca community learn about science and engineering concepts.
Diversity DinnerIn cooperation with the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the ESC coordinates a dinner to celebrate cultural diversity in the college. The event includes faculty, administration, and corporate speakers, as well as student entertainers.
Major Information Fair
In October, students may attend the information fair sponsored by Engineering Advising. The fair gives unaffiliated students an opportunity to explore a variety of Engineering Majors by learning about each Major’s curriculum, curricular requirements, research, and career opportunities.
Alumni
The Cornell Engineering Alumni Association (CEAA) is the alumni association for the College of Engineering. Founded in 1903, the CEAA has grown into a major support organization for the college. Nearly two thousand alumni maintain their connection to the college through membership in the CEAA
The CEAA serves as a link between the college and its alumni by:
• introducing first-year students to young engineering professionals during Alumni Speakers Week in their ENGRG 150 sections.
• providing ongoing opportunities for networking through regional alumni programs and the annual Engineering Conference.
• sponsoring an innovative project to assist engineering alumni with career development.
• sponsoring the Enterprise Engineering Seminar, which brings alumni back to campus as speakers.
• supporting prestigious awards for excellence in teaching and outstanding student groups.
Engineering Student Project Teams
Students can get involved in many projects that exist within the college, usually for credit. These include:
• the AIChE Chemical Powered Car Competition (Chemical Engineering)
• ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition (Civil Engineering)
• the ASCE Steel Bridge Competition (Civil Engineering)
• Autonomous Systems (multidisciplinary)
• BOOM—Bits On Our Mind (Computer Science)
• CUSat—Autonomous In-orbit Inspection Satellite System (Mechanical Engineering)
• the SAE Formula Race Car (Mechanical Engineering)
Undergraduate-Major Consultants and Associate Directors
A faculty member serves as associate director or undergraduate-Major consultant of each Engineering Major. This faculty member is responsible for managing the Major. Major consultants can be valuable sources of information for students who want to learn more about their respective undergraduate Majors.
Engineering Student Organizations
Each Engineering Major has at least one student organization. In addition, there are student chapters of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), which are open to all students. A list of engineering student organizations begins on page 182.
The Sundial
The Sundial is e-mailed to students every week during the regular semester. This electronic publication provides important information that students should be aware of and includes events in the college that can help students learn about engineering. Such events include speakers on engineering topics, company information sessions, student organization activities, and career services offerings.
Printed Material from Majors
Majors produce undergraduate handbooks for use by their students. In addition to required course work and options specific to the Major, many Major handbooks include information on the corresponding engineering discipline(s). Handbooks can be obtained from the undergraduate Major offices.
Web Pages—Majors, Faculty, Students
The College of Engineering web site, www.engineering.cornell.edu, has links to the web sites for the individual departments and/or schools of engineering at Cornell. These web sites provide information on the undergraduate and graduate programs as well as links to faculty, graduate student, and research pages.
Career Services Library
A collection of books, directories, hard copy and electronic job bulletins, and audio/videotapes is available to help students investigate career options and prospective employers. The main library is located at the Cornell Career Services office, 103 Barnes Hall. Engineering Cooperative Education and Career Services (201 Carpenter Hall) also maintains a small collection of supplementary guides and directories.
Employer literature supplied by firms that recruit on campus, available at both the university and college facilities, can help students prepare for interviews.
Networking
Talking to friends and acquaintances who are engineers is a good way to learn about the personal experiences of people in the profession. Students are encouraged to visit with practicing engineers and to ask questions that can help them learn about both the positive and more challenging aspects of being an engineer.
Engineering Career Fairs
Cornell Career Services coordinates a two-day career fair in mid-September. One of these days is designated as an engineering/technical career event.
In cooperation with Engineering Cooperative Education and Career Services, the Engineering Student Council (ESC) also coordinates a spring career fair for full-time, internship, and co-op recruitment in February.
Summer Internships
Engineering Cooperative Education and Career Services (201 Carpenter Hall), in conjunction with Cornell Career Services (103 Barnes Hall), receives listings for summer jobs during the academic year. Job listings for students are placed on the CornellTRAK link of the Cornell Career Services web site at www.career.cornell.edu/students.
Externships
Students can obtain an insider’s view of a career Major by shadowing Cornell alumni at their workplaces during January break. The FRESH Externship program is offered exclusively for first-year students during the March spring break. Through externships, students can observe the day-to-day activities of their Cornell sponsor, discuss specific careers with alumni and their colleagues, and obtain limited hands-on experience.
Externships are available in various industries and geographic locations. Externships, determined by the sponsor, are generally from one to several days long.
For more information on externships, visit
www.career.cornell.edu/careerConnections/default.html and select either “Extern Program” or “FRESH.”
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