Engineering Studies
Interdepartmental minor
The College of Engineering offers an undergraduate minor in engineering studies for non-engineering students designed to improve their understanding of engineering. This minor is not intended to train non-engineering students to do the work of practicing, degree-holding engineers. Rather, students who complete the minor in engineering studies will be able to work more effectively in their primary field by better appreciating the nature, capabilities, and limitations of engineering.
The minor in engineering studies is structured so that no student will be excluded due to insufficient preparation in mathematics or the sciences. The required courses in the minor and many of the elective courses are specifically designed to offer a range of prerequisites, so that students from all curricula will find coursework that supports an accessible and intellectually stimulating program of study.
With the exception of E ST 260 Engineering: Getting from Thought to Thing, E ST 265 Survey of the Impacts of Engineering Activity, and E ST 270 Survey of How Things Work, courses offered for the minor in engineering studies are also open to students whose major curriculum is in the College of Engineering. However, the minor in engineering studies will be awarded only to students whose degree program is not in engineering.
To receive a minor in engineering studies, students must complete a total of 21 course credits that satisfy the following:
The following three courses are required for all students in the minor in engineering studies.
| E ST 260 | Engineering: Getting from Thought to Thing | 3 |
| E ST 265 | Survey of the Impacts of Engineering Activity | 3 |
| E ST 270 | Survey of How Things Work | 3 |
Twelve additional credits from an approved list of eligible courses. Some of these approved courses are taught by the College of Engineering; additional courses are taught by other colleges. A minimum of six of those 12 credits must be courses that bear the designation “E St” or are courses offered by engineering departments. Eligible courses will include those 200-level and above courses offered by the departments in the College of Engineering that are expressly designated by that department’s curriculum committee for use in the minor in engineering studies.
A minimum of 6 credits in the minor must be 300-level or above (university requirement)
Courses primarily for undergraduate students
E St 260. Engineering: Getting from Thought to Thing. (3-0) Cr. 3. What is engineering, technology and their roles in society? Investigation of engineering methods through case studies of everyday objects. Explore questions about the impact of technology in society. Apply engineering methods to design and failure analysis.
E St 265. Survey of the Impacts of Engineering Activity. (3-0) Cr. 3. Survey of the economic, environmental, societal, and political benefits and problems resulting from engineering activity. Effects of engineering projects on human health, social structures, and the environment. Examination of improvements in economic opportunities and quality of life resulting from engineering activity. Case studies of the effects of engineering activity.
E St 270. Survey of How Things Work. (3-0) Cr. 3. Removing mysteries surrounding science and technology. Identify key concepts from applied science and technology to obtain better understanding on how things work. Review and explain the principles behind the technologies which define our modern way of life. A survey of broad range of technology could include: cell phones, GPS, radio, television, computers, ultrasound, microwave ovens, automobile, bioengineering and other industrial and consumer technologies. Common day technology examples illustrating scientific knowledge and applications.
E St 490. Independent Study. Cr. 1 -3. F. Prereq: Permission of instructor.