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2019-2020 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog

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Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Requirements for a Major in Engineering

In order to graduate with a B.S.E. degree, students must meet the following course requirements: general education and basic skills; engineering foundations courses; cooperative engineering education, engineering design Capstone; major specific courses, and engineering electives. These course requirements involve a minimum of 138-142 credit hours depending on the chosen engineering program. All required and elective courses in the engineering majors must be taken for a letter grade; students are not permitted to take these courses with the CR/NC option. The program requirements are listed with the information on the individual program. A minimum of 24 credit hours in engineering courses must be completed at Grand Valley State University at the 300 level or above. These courses must include EGR 485 and EGR 486.

General Education and Basic Skills

As identified in the General Academic Regulations section of the Grand Valley State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog, with the exception that the General Education Program for engineering students includes the following courses:

Engineering Foundation

The following courses (engineering, science, mathematics, and communications) prepare students for further work in engineering. Students must complete the following courses with a minimum grade of C (2.0) with not more than one repeat in each course:

Admission to Major Standing

Admission to major standing in the B.S.E. program requires a secondary application. Applicants must meet at least the following:

  • A GPA of 2.7 or above in the engineering foundation courses
  • Completion of each course in the engineering foundation with a grade of C (2.0) or above with not more than one repeat in each foundation course
  • Completion of preparation for placement in cooperative engineering education, EGR 289
  • Transfer students must also complete at least eight credit hours in engineering courses taken at Grand Valley State University before they can be admitted to major standing.

Completion of Cooperative Engineering Education

The cooperative education program begins with EGR 289 - Engineering Co-op Preparation, a course designed to prepare students to enter the culture of professional work as an engineer. This is followed by a 1,500 to 2,000 hours of co-op work, consisting of three semester-long work experiences, preferably with the same host company/organization. Students must enroll in the courses EGR 290, EGR 390, and EGR 490 during the co-op work semesters. This is the expected path to be followed by all students and, after secondary admission, is the only path that does not require prior approval from the faculty. Students with a GPA of at least 2.7 may be considered for an international co-op experience.

Senior Engineering Design Capstone

Students must complete the required senior design project course sequence with a minimum grade of C (2.0) in each course:

*The prerequisites for EGR 485 are acceptance into the B.S.E. degree program and completion of the prerequisite courses listed under the student's engineering major. These courses are listed for each major in the corresponding section of this catalog.

Engineering Electives

In addition to the required courses, a student must select engineering electives in his/her chosen program to form a coherent plan of study. The approval of the student's academic advisor is required to ensure the course choices meet the requirements of the program. No more than two courses with a grade of less than C (2.0) may be counted toward the major.

A sample curriculum for the foundations of engineering course sequence that is completed during the freshman and sophomore years is presented below. A sample curriculum for the junior and senior years in each program is presented in the section addressing that program.

Suggested Order of Fundamentals Coursework for a Major in Engineering

The following course sequence assumes an appropriate mathematics background for the entering student.

First Semester: Fall

Second Semester: Winter

Third Semester: Fall

Computer engineering major

Electrical engineering major

  • EGR 224 - Introduction to Digital Systems Credits: 4

Mechanical or product design and manufacturing engineering majors

Fourth Semester: Winter

Admission to major standing in the B.S.E. program at this time.

Computer engineering major

Electrical engineering major

Mechanical engineering major

Product design and mechanical engineering major

Engineering Program Description

Click here for the program description.


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