Engineering Communications Requirement

The College of Engineering has several options/paths for fulfilling the Engineering Communications Requirement. The approaches are diverse, and each of the options attempts to focus on written and oral communication in context.

Spring 2022 Waitlist for all sections of ENGRC 3350 and 3500 which will open Nov 4, 2021.

In the fall of 2017, the College of Engineering approved a change in wording, updating "Technical Writing Requirement" to "Engineering Communications Requirement." This change acknowledges that engineering communication is much more than writing; it is also presenting, persuading, working in teams, and designing complex communication through multimodal channels. The word "communication" also pulls in the skills of creating visuals (graphs, charts, data visuals, sketches, schematics, photos, etc.) that support engineering work.

There are several ways to fulfill the

Engineering Communications Requirement. 

Via the Engineering Communications Program

1. Take and pass an offered Engineering Communications course. Students must pass with at least a C, but some majors may require a higher grade in order to fulfill the requirement; students should confirm with their major advisor. 

• ENGRC 3020 - Project Team Communications: Practicum in Technical Writing
• ENGRC 3025 - Creating and Communicating Your Digital Professionalism
• ENGRC 3340 - Independent Study in Engineering Communications
• ENGRC 3350 - Organizational Communication for Engineering Managers
• ENGRC 3500 - Engineering Communications 

2. Complete a Writing-Intensive Co-op. This is an opportunity to combine work and academics. Some co-op students do a significant amount of writing on the job; under certain circumstances, this writing will satisfy the Engineering Communication Requirement. Not offered in Spring 2022.

3. Enroll in and pass  ENGRC 3023, a 1-credit attachment to an engineering course that is not one of the officially designated W-I or C-I courses. An instructor may wish to extend the writing in their course for a given semester so that it will fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement. With the approval of the CCGB’s Subcommittee on Engineering Communications, the instructor may have students co-register in Requirements for ENGRC 3023, which may be taken more than once with different courses by permission of the engineering instructor. For questions or an appointment to discuss options, please contact Dr. Rick Evans, the ECP Director at rae27@cornell.edu within the first two weeks of the semester or before.

4. Complete and pass a 1cr partner course.  The current options are below, and they require enrollment in the departmental course (usually 3cr) AND the ENGRC course (1cr). 

• ENGRC 3120 (partnered with ORIE 3120)
• ENGRC 3152 (partnered with CIS/INFO 3152)
• ENGRC 3610 (partnered with CEE 3610)
• ENGRC 3640 (partnered with AEP/ENGRD 3640)
• ENGRC 4152 (partnered with CIS/INFO 4152)
• ENGRC 4590 (partnered with BEE 4590)
• ENGRC 5152 (partnered with CIS/INFO 5152)
  • Please note that students may not take CIS/INFO 5152 and ENGRC 4152 at the same time.  If students are early admit to a Masters program, they need to fulfill their Engineering Communications Requirement as an undergraduate in both the CIS/INFO enrollment and the ENGRC enrollment. Petitions to change this will not be granted.

5. Petition.  Occasionally, a student will be doing a significant amount and variety of engineering or technical communication elsewhere in the College of Engineering, usually as part of a research team, as leadership in a project team, and the like.  It may be appropriate to petition the CCGB’s Subcommittee on Engineering Communications for permission to use this option for upcoming projects (not past ones) to meet the Engineering Communications Requirement. For questions or an appointment to discuss options, please contact Dr. Rick Evans, the ECP Director at rae27@cornell.edu within the first two weeks of the semester or before. More information is here. 

The minimum course grade needed for the Engineering Communications Requirement will depend on your major and where you plan to use your engineering communications course towards your degree.  Please seek guidance from the Engineering Advising Office and/or from your major department.

Via Other Paths

1. Take an officially designated Writing-Intensive (W-I) or Communication-Intensive (C-I) engineering course. Note: This list is not comprehensive, as different engineering departments may offer W-I  or C-I courses on an ad-hoc basis. Indeed, these offerings can change each semester. Students need to check with their advisors each semester to confirm if a course will fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement. 

It's important to note that these options might only fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement for their own majors. Students, advisors, and departments need to cross check against each student's major requirements for graduation. The Engineering Communications Program does not control, monitor, or assess for these courses.