Mar 29, 2024  
Undergraduate Record 2019-2020 
    
Undergraduate Record 2019-2020 [ARCHIVED RECORD]

Engineering Science


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Engineering Science (ES) is an interdisciplinary undergraduate engineering degree program. Students select an engineering science major in order to pursue interests in technical areas which lie at the interstices of traditional engineering disciplines or combine elements of engineering and science not currently possible through other degree programs. This degree program prepares students for careers in engineering or graduate study in fields for which there are no established undergraduate degree programs at the University of Virginia, including applied mathematics, engineering physics, materials science, nanomedicine and nanotechnology, and global engineering. The ES degree program recognizes that technology and society are evolving at such a rapid pace that a new discipline could emerge as an established career field before it is institutionalized as a degree offering. This program also affirms the unique role of the engineering scientist in the technology path from innovation to societal impact.

Engineering Science students, in collaboration with their advisors, define a plan of study (POS).  The POS identifies the curricular track, the primary technical minor, the secondary technical minor, and an area of concentration (AOC).

The primary minor must satisfy the specific requirements of an approved technical minor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science and must consist of at least six courses; the secondary minor must be selected from approved SEAS technical minors or from the natural science or mathematics minors within the College of Arts and Sciences. The courses required for specific minors are as listed by the relevant department in SEAS or CLAS. AOC courses are chosen to define clearly the major field of study or to add depth to the student’s plan.

The advanced project courses, which may be used as a basis for the senior thesis, are designed to provide a research or engineering design experience, which unifies the three main components making up the plan of study.  In all cases, both an advisor and the ES Program Director must approve the specific plan of study in order to guarantee that all degree requirements are being met.

The flexibility offered by the Engineering Science degree program makes it an attractive degree for the following reasons:

  1. Engineering Science provides a rigorous technical curriculum, integrating engineering, natural science, and mathematics. It is especially suited for students interested in graduate study and/or basic research and development. In addition, it provides a path for preparation for professional training in law, business or medicine.
  2. As an interdisciplinary engineering program, Engineering Science prepares students for a career in an emerging field of engineering, in a field at the interstices of two existing engineering disciplines, or in a discipline for which there is presently no undergraduate degree offering at the University of Virginia.
  3. In some cases, an interdisciplinary engineering track will be developed and approved by SEAS faculty that will become a prescribed set of courses.  Successful completion of such a set of courses will result in a notation on the student’s transcript, akin to the notation for a minor. For example, The Materials Science and Engineering program in Engineering Science provides excellent preparation for either graduate school or for a materials engineering position in industry (see MSE program). 
  4. Engineering Science offers sufficient flexibility to allow study abroad, research-for-credit courses, and internships.

For more information on the Engineering Science Program please visit: https://engineering.virginia.edu/future-undergrads/academics/engineering-science.

Engineering Science Curriculum (128 credits)


Second Semester Credits: 17


Third Semester Credits: 17 or 18


Fourth Semester Credits: 15 or 16


  • Advanced Math/CS elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 5 below)
  • Science Elective or HSS Elective Credits: 3 or 4
    (See Footnotes 6 and 2 below)
  • Primary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 3 below)
  • Secondary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 4 below)
  • STS 2xxx/3xxx Elective Credits: 3

Fifth Semester Credits: 18


  • Primary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 3 below)
  • Secondary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 4 below)
  • Area of Concentration Technical Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 7 below)
  • Advanced Technical Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 9 below)
  • HSS Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 2 below)
  • Unrestricted Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 8 below)

Sixth Semester Credits: 15


  • Primary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 3 below)
  • Secondary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 4 below)
  • Area of Concentration Technical Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 7 below)
  • Advanced Technical Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 9 below)
  • Unrestricted Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 8 below)

Seventh Semester Credits: 15


  • Advanced Project Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 10 below)
  • Primary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 3 below)
  • Secondary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 4 below)
  • Area of Concentration Technical Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 7 below)

Eighth Semester Credits: 15


  • Primary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 3 below)
  • Secondary Minor Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 4 below)
  • Advanced Project Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 10 below)
  • Unrestricted Elective Credits: 3
    (See Footnote 8 below)

Footnotes


(1) Math and Science Elective: Chosen from SEAS Undergraduate Dean’s Office list of approved Math and Science Elective courses available online and in Thornton A122. Recommended CHEM 1620 or PHYS 2620.
(2) HSS electives are chosen from the approved list available in A122 Thornton Hall.
(3) Primary minor electives must be chosen so as to earn an approved SEAS technical minor.
Once minor requirements are satisfied, any 2xxx or higher technical SEAS course is acceptable.
(4) Secondary minor electives must be chosen so as to earn a second approved SEAS technical minor or an approved minor in mathematics or a natural science. Once secondary minor requirements are satisfied, any 2xxx or higher technical SEAS, mathematics, or natural science course is acceptable.
(5) Advanced Math/CS elective: One 3xxx-level or higher mathematics course in SEAS or CLAS; or one 2xxx-level or higher course in computer science.
(6) Science Elective: Either CHEM 1620 with lab or PHYS 2620 is required.
(7) Area of Concentration: The AOC is comprised of Technical Electives (2XXX level) and Advanced Technical Electives (3xxx or above) in math, science and engineering which provide identity and add depth to the student’s major field of interest.
(8) Unrestricted Electives may be chosen from any graded course in the University except mathematics courses below MATH 1310, including STAT 1110 and STAT 1112, and courses that substantially duplicate others used for the student’s degree.
(9) Advanced Technical Elective: 3xxx level or higher course in the natural sciences or SEAS.
(10) Advanced project is a graded research, independent study, or design course. Individual or group projects are possible.

Engineering Science - Nanotechnology Concentration


Using the interdisciplinary flexibility of the engineering science major, a concentration in Nanotechnology is now offered to all engineering students. The major components of the engineering science degree program (beyond the 1st and 2nd year requirements common to all engineering majors) are three elements: a primary minor in engineering, a secondary minor in engineering, math, or science, and a third group of five technical courses that make up the “area of concentration,” adding depth and focus to the intersection of the two minors.  [The engineering science template shown above illustrates how these components can be used.]


For the Nanotechnology concentration, the primary minor will be in Materials Science and Engineering, specifically including the following courses:

The Nanotechnology specific courses will fulfill the “area of concentration,” and will include five courses:

From the following list, the students will select (at least) four more classes:

The secondary minor requirement of the ES/Nanotechnology degree program can be fulfilled in one of three ways:

  1. With an approved second minor in Engineering, Math, or Science, or;
  2. With additional MSE courses and approved electives, following the guidelines of the ES/MSE concentration. (This option covers both the primary minor and secondary minor electives through the ES/MSE concentration.)  or;
  3. With another major in any of the engineering disciplines. (If ES/Nanotechnology is the 2nd major for another engineering major, then courses in that first major satisfy the secondary minor.)

The mission of the Nanotechnology concentration in Engineering Science is to prepare engineering students for careers in emerging fields. Nano.gov defines nanotechnology as technology on the length scale of 1-100 nanometers. An understanding of material properties is key to nanotechnology and so the minor in MSE is a necessary component of this concentration. Beyond Materials Science and Engineering, the goal is to provide students with a foundation in nanoscale systems, material properties, and applications. Moving forward, the expectation is that more recommended courses in the nanotechnology field will be added as they become available: bio-nanotechnology, for example. This will provide students with other options within the five-course concentration.  (Of course, students may always take more than the required five courses if their schedule permits.) Students must complete all other SEAS and Engineering Science requirements. 

Engineering Science - Nanomedicine Concentration


The Nanomedicine concentration in Engineering Science is built from the basic template of the flexible degree program and simply fills in specific classes that meet the requirements. For example, since Engineering Science is made up of two minors, the specified minors for the Nanomedicine concentration are Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering. Courses listed below fulfill the existing requirements for those two minors.

Nanomedicine Concentration Curriculum


Second semester Credits: 17 or 18


Fourth Semester Credits: 18


Fifth Semester Credits: 15


Sixth Semester Credits: 15


Seventh Semester Credits: 15


Eighth Semester Credits: 15


Footnotes


(1) Math & Science Elective chosen from SEAS Undergraduate Dean’s Office list of approved Math & Science elective courses available online and in A122 Thornton Hall. Recommended MSE 2090.
(2) HSS electives chosen from SEAS Undergraduate Dean’s Office list of approved HSS electives available in A122 Thornton.

(3) Science Elective:  Either CHEM 1620 with Lab or PHYS 2620 required.
(4) Technical Electives (2xxx level) and Advanced Technical Electives (3xxx or above) in math, science or engineering courses provide identity and add depth to the student’s major field of interest.
(5) Advanced math/CS elective: One 3xxx-level or higher mathematics course in SEAS or CLAS; or one 2xxx-level or higher course in computer science.
(6) Unrestricted electives may be chosen from any graded course in the University except mathematics courses below MATH 1310, including STAT 1110 and STAT 1112, and courses that substantially duplicate others used for the student’s degree.
(7) Advanced Project may include a graded research, independent study, capstone, or design course. Individual or group projects are possible.

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