The School of Engineering’s commitment to continuous program innovations and improvements, and to preparing students for career success is evident in the objectives established for its undergraduate students. These objectives, developed in consultation with faculty, students, and industry representatives, ensure that Rensselaer graduates will:

• Have a solid foundation in mathematics, science, and engineering, and be able to apply these to practical use
• Be able to identify, model, analyze, and solve challenging real-world problems
• Have specialized technical knowledge in their chosen field
• Have strong communication skills with an emphasis on technical writing and interpersonal communication
• Be able to design innovative products, processes, or systems
• Perform effectively on diverse, multidisciplinary teams, as both a leader and a contributor
• Be informed citizens broadly educated in the humanities and social sciences
• Be prepared to practice engineering in a socially responsible and ethical manner
• Have learned in a creative, stimulating environment that prepares and motivates them to continue to grow and learn

The first step in achieving these objectives is completion of Rensselaer’s award-winning core engineering program. These core courses, which assure the student a nonparochial approach to technical education, provide each engineering student with a broad and solid scientific and engineering base of the fundamentals upon which each discipline is built. More detailed information on this program is provided at the end of this overview.

Baccalaureate Program   In general, the Bachelor of Science program is intended for students seeking careers in engineering-related areas or as a basis for advanced study in fields other than engineering. To obtain a B.S. in an engineering field, students must fulfill the general requirements listed in the Academic Information and Regulations section of this catalog and satisfactorily complete the prescribed engineering curriculum. Certain courses, such as one-credit-hour nonengineering courses graded on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis or more than six credit hours of ROTC courses, cannot be applied toward the degree requirements. Also noteworthy is that courses in accounting, industrial management, finance, entrepreneurship, and personnel administration that are offered by the School of Management, as well as ROTC courses, will not satisfy the humanities and social sciences requirement, but may be taken as free electives.

Although many students enter at the freshman level and achieve all their education objectives at Rensselaer, a significant number find it advantageous to enter at intermediate levels. Entrance into the engineering program at the end of the sophomore year is particularly attractive to graduates of two-year colleges. All such students enter with advanced standing and credit according to their credentials.

Professional Program   For most students, specialization and determination of the degree program that matches their individual career goals takes place during the third year. At this point, a student may pursue either a fourth year for their Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in an engineering specialty or, if accepted by the Office of Graduate Education for the professional program, undertake a coherent program integrating advanced undergraduate and graduate study leading to the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree in a specific field, and receiving a Bachelor of Science along the way. This professional program offers post-baccalaureate studies specifically intended as preparation for professional engineering practice. Graduates of other colleges and universities may be admitted with advanced standing (the Professional Program excepted) if they have appropriate accredited baccalaureate engineering degrees or the equivalent. Admission to a professional degree program is based on demonstration of adequate preparation and competence. The faculty in each curriculum judges qualifications for admission. Application should be made directly to the Office of Graduate Education.

Engineering Core Curriculum

The core engineering program forms the base for all engineering curricula. In addition to providing a solid base for later specialization, it allows students who are undecided as to their choice of engineering field or discipline an opportunity to clarify their interests. Such students can, by using the electives in the first two years, sample various disciplinary offerings to aid in choosing which engineering field to pursue.

The core engineering curriculum in the general format is presented on the following pages. Specific curricula for each field of specialization are presented under the corresponding disciplinary headings for students who are certain of their disciplinary choices and wish to begin specializing earlier than the third year. Two kinds of programs are listed under each discipline: (1) a four-year baccalaureate program leading to the Bachelor of Science degree; (2) a professional program, taken in the fourth and fifth years, leading to the B.S. and M.Eng. degrees.

While undergraduates normally are not allowed to take graduate-level courses (levels 6000–9000) except by special permission of the instructor, a student admitted to the Professional School may be required to take certain courses in the 6000–9000 range and may elect other such courses with the approval of his or her adviser.

All School of Engineering students entering Rensselaer directly from high school begin their curricula with the core engineering program. The primary objective of this program is to provide students with a liberal education and to develop a broad scientific and technical foundation for their future specialization. This predisciplinary-specific program usually extends through the second but may extend into the third academic year. During this phase, the primary focus is on the foundations of engineering as a unified field. The foundation in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, combined with the specified engineering sciences (e.g., strength of materials or thermal-fluids, etc.) satisfies basic technical knowledge requirements without regard to the intended field of specialization. In the humanities and social sciences area, courses not only enrich the student as an individual but also provide the perspective professionals need to make decisions that will affect society. The course Introduction to Engineering Design is intended to enhance the student’s ability to apply knowledge resourcefully to resolve engineering problems.

The electives within the core engineering program, together with the required basic content, give each student the opportunity to refine his or her goals and develop a broad and solid foundation. Elective courses also allow undecided students to sample professionally oriented courses from several curricula so as to make a more enlightened choice of major. A student can also choose electives to provide a broader base or use them to focus on a particular field at an early stage. An imaginative student, with faculty counsel, can develop any number of creative study programs. It is also possible to major in one branch of engineering and obtain a concentration in a second branch.

Students need not begin specializing in a particular area until the fourth semester of study. However, when choosing electives, students must consider that each engineering discipline requires certain courses be taken earlier as field (or discipline) prerequisites.

To provide proper guidance, each student is assigned a faculty adviser who is knowledgeable in core engineering matters and can help the student plan a program to best meet his or her educational and career objectives. Once a student identifies a specific curriculum to pursue, a new adviser, who is particularly aware of the opportunities for advanced study in this area, is assigned.

The combination of the core engineering program with the subsequent discipline-specific courses provides a coherent yet flexible curriculum that allows students to obtain an engineering education at all levels in multiple focus areas. The overall School of Engineering program is structured to permit students to select plans of study that fit their individual goals, aptitudes, and interests. It also enables students to enter and leave at points most appropriate to their individual plans and to facilitate entrance at intermediate levels in the undergraduate and graduate programs.

All elements of the curricula, including both core and discipline-specific courses, are under continuous review to ensure the application of new pedagogues and teaching methods and the introduction of courses covering the latest technological and computing and analysis advances. Topics such as quality, ethics, cultural sensitivity, safety, environmental impact, and entrepreneurship are constantly integrated into curricula. Through these efforts, Rensselaer ensures that leadership, interpersonal communications, teamwork, problem formulation, system synthesis, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are practiced and enhanced.

To provide a clear picture of what prospective engineering students can expect in their first two years at Rensselaer, the core engineering program proceeds as follows:

1. These required courses may be taken in either order.
* Depending on major.

Electives   Electives in the core engineering curriculum may be selected from, but are not limited to, the following list of suggested courses. However, in most engineering curricula, specific electives are required or recommended during the core engineering phase. Students should consult the curriculum information for their intended fields of specialization before selecting electives.

 General Engineering Course Descriptions

Special Undergraduate Opportunities

Undergraduate Research Experience
At Rensselaer, involving undergraduates in real-world engineering research is of paramount importance. Through the Undergraduate Research Program (URP), described in the Educational Resources and Programs section of this catalog, undergraduates work directly with faculty and/or graduate students on projects requiring critical inquiries. These studies involve exciting areas of leading-edge technological research and have the potential to result in groundbreaking discoveries. Involvement in undergraduate research can be arranged strictly for the experience, for credit, or for pay. Students apply through direct contact with faculty seeking students via Web site or campus advertisements.

Cooperative Education
Students may augment their academic course work with work experience through the Cooperative Education program. Studies and work assignments are scheduled after consultation with their curriculum adviser. Although many co-op students complete their academic program in four years, some delay graduation for a year to obtain additional work experience. Additional information on Rensselaer’s Cooperative Education Program can be found in the Student Life section of this catalog under Career Development Center.

Study Abroad/Exchange Programs
Rensselaer’s School of Engineering advocates a voluntary international experience as an ideal means to promoting a broad-based engineering education, developing the “citizen engineer,” and providing undergraduate students with a global perspective. To facilitate such opportunities, the school has helped formulate and actively participates in the Global Engineering Education Exchange (Global E3) program.

Oriented primarily to undergraduate students, this program offers them the chance to spend one or two semesters at an international university, or one semester at the university followed by an industrial internship in that country. Preferred timing for this experience is the junior year, and students normally apply in the fall or spring of their sophomore year.

Application involves completing forms regarding required courses or desired electives. The Institute for International Education, which administers this program, matches the student to a participating university based on that student’s educational discipline requirements, cultural experience, and language background. The student continues to pay tuition at the home institution (Rensselaer) and continues to be covered by financial aid mechanisms, insurance, etc. However, the student pays room and board to the host institution. Consequently, except for travel expenses, students participating in this program should incur no additional costs.

Global E3 offers students the chance to study and learn in the native language of the host country. Such opportunities, for example, are available in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Austria. Additional opportunities allow students to pursue foreign study opportunities at universities where the courses are presented and taught in English. These include the Technical University of Denmark, Budapest University, and universities in the United Kingdom, Finland, Korea, Singapore, and Japan, among others. As a result, while students may benefit from knowledge of a foreign language, it is not a requirement for participation in this program. Refresher language instruction in French and German is usually given in the summer preceding the fall semester for those who have prior language experience and will be studying in the foreign language.

Approximately 30 U.S. universities and 50 universities in the rest of the world participate in the Global E3 program. Included among these nations are: Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. People interested in the program should contact Professor Lester A. Gerhart, Associate Dean, at (518) 276-6203 or via e-mail at gerhal@rpi.edu. The program’s Web site may be found at:

http://www.iie.org/pgms/global-e3.

Additional opportunities designed for the Rensselaer population in general are also available. Information on these opportunities can be found in the Educational Programs and Resources section of this catalog.