During much of the first two years, you’ll follow a
pre-major series of engineering, science, and math
courses, to provide a firm foundation for your major.
From this common core of courses, you can go in any
direction (even out of engineering to music, history,
business, communication, you-name-it) and use the
credits you’ve already completed.
In one of the first engineering courses most students
take, engineering design and graphics (ED&G 100),
you’ll be part of a team that designs and builds a
project. Recent student teams have been challenged to
design and construct a gravity-powered vehicle that can
travel twenty feet, a can crusher, or a sorting
mechanism for balls of different size or weight. You’ll
meet new friends on creative projects like this, while
you learn problem-solving, teamwork, and communication
skills to prepare you for an engineering career.
Hands-on Design throughout the Curriculum
Product dissection and enigmatic engines are two
other hands-on courses you can choose during your first
few semesters to learn the technical skills you’ll
need in the future. Other hands-on courses, such as one
in aerospace engineering, enroll students from freshmen
through seniors who are designing and building a working
sailplane. Seniors in many majors plan and carry out a
capstone design project as part of an interdisciplinary
student team. Many projects have an industry sponsor,
who implements the team’s solution in the company.
First-Year Seminars
First-Year
Engineering Seminars are an exciting way to begin
your engineering education at Penn State. These small
interactive classes are limited to twenty students and
meet once or twice a week for lab projects,
demonstrations, tours, or discussions about engineering.
You select a seminar to:
- explore a range of engineering majors, or one
field in particular;
- meet faculty, alumni, and more- advanced
engineering students;
- participate in hands-on projects and real-world
engineering problems in a team-based setting;
- improve your time management, communication, and
problem-solving skills;
- discuss career opportunities with alumni and
employers;
- develop technical skills;
- have fun, meet, and network with other first-year
engineering students in a friendly environment.
Taking a First-Year Seminar is required for all
entering students. The seminars are designed to welcome
you to the Penn State community and teach you valuable
engineering skills and information.
Choosing a Major
At Penn State you choose your
major at the end of your first or second year, so
you have time to find the one that suits you best. If
you’re not sure which major is right for you, you’ll
find lots of help for this important decision:
professional advisers, faculty, other students, and
seminars about each major.
Your bachelor’s degree prepares you
to immediately begin working in your chosen field and if you wish, to
begin the process of becoming a licensed Professional
Engineer. All majors require eight semesters of study,
except for the ten-semester Architectural Engineering
program. Acceptance into your major will be based upon
your grade-point average, satisfactory completion of certain courses,
and in a few majors the number of students accomodated by that major.
|
Not
sure about your major?
Many of our students begin their engineering
degree without knowing which major they should
choose, or even if engineering is right for
them. At Penn State, you can keep your
options open. You can choose your major at
the end of your first or second year. And
while you are making progress toward your
degree, you'll be learning about engineering
design, how the physical eciences and math
relate to engineering, and the way engineers
solve problems |
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