Undergraduate Programs Guide
Bachelor of Science Concentration Programs
Specific details on each area of study:
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Materials Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Computer Engineering
Engineering and Physics (non-accredited)
The standard concentration requirements for the Sc.B. degree in Engineering:
MATHEMATICS: Mathematics 0190, 0200 is the preferred sequence of courses to be taken in the Freshman year. Students without one year of secondary school level preparation in calculus should take Mathematics 0090, 0100 in their Freshman year. These students need to be familiar with multivariable calculus for ENGN 0510 Electricity and Magnetism, which is often taken during the first semester of the sophomore year. Such students are urged to acquire the necessary math background through self-study, by taking a summer course, or by deferring ENGN 0510 Electricity & Magnetism until additional mathematics has been taken. The courses APMA 0330 & APMA 0340 (Methods of Applied Math I, II) can then be taken in the Sophomore year.
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES: Current ABET accreditation guidelines specify a requirement for “a general education component that complements the technical content of the curriculum and is consistent with the program and institution objectives.” This refers primarily to all the courses that are taken outside of the Engineering requirements, particularly humanities and social sciences courses. In addition, ABET-accredited Engineering programs are expected to demonstrate eleven published ABET outcomes (see preceding page). A number of these outcomes (e.g., (f) through (j)) are in many cases at least partially satisfied by coursework that falls under the “general education component” of the student’s program. Brown ABET-accredited Sc.B. programs must comply with these requirements in the following manner:
(1) The minimum number of courses that must be successfully completed to satisfy this requirement is four courses in the humanities and social sciences.
(2) At the time their Engineering Concentration Form is completed, each student must discuss with their concentration advisor the humanities and social science courses they have already taken and the remaining courses they plan to take, with respect to how they would contribute to the published ABET outcomes, and how they will complement the technical component of their program. Based on these discussions, each student must prepare a written record describing how their non-Engineering complement of courses fulfills and contributes to the “general education component” as defined by the ABET criteria. This document can be updated as often as necessary, but at the minimum during the Spring semester just prior to certification for graduation, as is normally required for their entire Engineering Concentration Form to reflect the actual complement of courses taken.
CORE COURSES (Sample program pdf) : The accredited Sc.B. concentrations in Chemical and Biochemical, Civil, Electrical, Materials, and Mechanical Engineering are completed by passing the required engineering common core courses, an advanced science course, plus an additional coherent set of seven courses prescribed for each program. At least five of the seven upper level courses required to complete the concentration must be 1000-level Engineering courses. The accredited programs in Biomedical and Computer Engineering are somewhat similar, except that selected biology and computer science courses, respectively, are substituted for some of the Engineering core courses. The program of each student must first be approved by the Concentration Advisor, and finally by the Engineering Concentration Committee through submission of a Concentration Form (link to online form).
