Undergraduate

BS in Engineering and Applied Sciences

Overview

The BS in Engineering and Applied Sciences allows students to design an individualized course of study not readily available through an existing major, or a combination of existing majors and/or minors in the Hajim School.

Students can devise an engineering and applied sciences major from the offerings of two or more engineering departments if the goals of this major are not clearly approximated by those of one of the existing engineering majors. The Engineering and Applied Sciences Program Committee reviews each proposed program and may accept it, reject it, or require it to be modified. The program approved by the committee for a given student constitutes that student's degree requirements.

Degree Requirements

Students should work with a faculty advisor to choose courses in the following areas that will complete a comprehensive engineering and applied sciences program. Students must submit their proposed program to the Engineering and Applied Sciences Program Committee and have their program approved.

Natural Science Courses (Eight Courses)

Natural science courses should include:

• Three math courses including one in differential equations
• Four courses in physics or chemistry, with at least one in each
• One additional course in mathematics or other natural sciences

Computational Analysis (One Course)

At least four-credits of a single-department computational analysis and programming course(s) related to the student’s field of interest and offered by one of our engineering departments:

• BME 221
• CHE 116
• ECE 114
• ME 160 and ME 260
• OPT 211 and OPT 212

Core Courses (Eight Courses)

At least eight four-credit courses in engineering taken from two or more departments. These courses should be chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor and may include the student’s upper-level writing courses and the aforementioned computational analysis course. At least half of the courses should be 200-level. Up to eight credit hours of independent study may be included in a student’s program.

Technical Sequences (Six Courses)

Three sequences of technical or scientific courses, including the core courses if desired. Each sequence must include at least three courses, with no more than one introductory-level course per sequence. A sequence is defined as “a logical progression of study, confined to an acceptably identifiable area, in which later material builds upon and extends earlier material.”

In rare cases, the Engineering and Applied Sciences Program Committee has approved the use of a non-technical or nonscientific sequence to strengthen the focus of a program when a student wishes to study such a discipline in depth.

Senior Thesis or Senior Design Project

A senior design project (EAS 393) is a capstone experience associated with the development of a system or algorithm presented to the student from an internal or external customer. Senior design projects include a written summary of the work done, and participation in the Hajim School Design Day is highly encouraged. With pre-approval, students may request to replace EAS 393 with one of the following engineering senior design courses:

• AME 386 and 387
• BME 296
• CHE 255
• ECE 348 and 349
• ME 204 and 205
• OPT 310 and 311

Primary Writing Requirement (One Course)

All students are advised to complete the College’s primary writing requirement (WRT 105) by the end of their first year. This course must be completed by the time the engineering and applied sciences major is officially declared.

Upper-Level Writing (Two Courses)

For students completing a Senior Thesis:

• WRT 273: Communicating Your Professional Identity in Engineering
• EAS 391: Senior Thesis

For students completing a senior design project:

• WRT 273: Communicating Your Professional Identity in Engineering and one of the following Hajim School courses:
  • AME 192: Listening and Audio Production
  • AME 193: Computer Sound Design
  • AME 233: Musical Acoustics, AME 262: Audio Software Design
  • AME 386: Senior Design Portfolio
  • BME 221: Biomedical Computation and Statistics
  • BME 230: Biomedical Signals
  • Systems and Imaging
  • BME 245: Biomaterials Lab
  • BME 260: Quantitative Physiology
  • CHE 243: Fluid Dynamics
  • CHE 246: Lab in CHE Principles
  • CHE 255: Chemical Engineering Senior Design Lab
  • CSC 299: Topics in Computer Science
  • ECE 112: Logic Design
  • ECE 113: Circuits and Signals
  • ECE 399: Junior Seminar
  • ME 204: Mechanical Design
  • ME 205: Advanced Mechanical Design
  • ME 206W: Building Engineering and Technology in Antiquity
  • ME 241: Mechanics Lab
  • ME 242: Solids and Materials Lab
  • ME 251: Heat Power Application
  • OPT 201: Geometrical Optics Lab
  • OPT 202: Physical Optics Lab
  • OPT 203: Instrumentation Lab Lecture
  • OPT 204: Sources/Detectors Lab Lecture

Should any department in the College offer a generalized technical writing course, pending review of the course description, this course would also be acceptable for this requirement.

Two Clusters

All engineering and applied sciences majors are required to complete two clusters, one in the humanities and one in the social sciences. A second major or minor in one of these divisions may substitute for that cluster.

Credit Hours and Grade Point Averages

A total of 128 credit hours, including a minimum of eighteen devoted to mathematics, natural sciences, and engineering. A minimum cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0, and a minimum major GPA of 2.0 for all courses in the sequences, the eight core courses, the upper-level writing courses, the computational analysis course, and the thesis/senior design project.

Changing Courses After Approval

If you find that you need to petition for a course substitution after your major is declared, please write a short letter to the Engineering and Applied Sciences Program Committee with the rationale for your request, and email it to hajimschool@ur.rochester.edu. While a note of endorsement from your faculty advisor is not required, it is recommended.