Degrees and Programs

Medical School

A properly constructed program in engineering provides excellent preparation for entering medical school.  The engineer's strong background in mathematics and natural science--combined with a knowledge of such subjects as applied mechanics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, diffusion, and electricity and magnetism--enhance the mastery of many aspects of medical science.  An engineering background is also useful to those who develop and use new instruments for detecting and monitoring medical abnormalities.  The engineering/premedical programs described in this catalog usually afford opportunities to pursue alternative vocations for those who do not enter medical school.  Medical school admission requirements for which engineering students may have to make special arrangements include eight semester hours of organic chemistry and fourteen semester hours in the life sciences.  A competitive grade point average, a suitable score on the Medical College Admission Test, and letters of recommendation are requirements for admission to most medical schools.  Arrangements for providing the necessary data must be completed during the summer preceding the student's senior year.  Preliminary planning should be initiated early in the sophomore year. Students who intend to apply for admission to a medical school should contact the University's Health Professions Office for information about admission requirements and application and test deadlines.

Dental School

Much of the information above about medical school applies also to dental school.  All applicants must take the Dental Admission Test.  Certain courses not taken by all engineers are also required, but these vary markedly from school to school.  Students who are interested in dentistry can obtain specific information from the University's Health Professions Office.

Law School

Each year a few graduates, representing all engineering disciplines, elect to enter law school, where they find their training in careful and objective analysis is a distinct asset.  Many of these students are preparing for careers in patent or corporate law that will enable them to draw on their combined knowledge of engineering and law.  Others may not plan to use their engineering knowledge directly, but they still find that the discipline in logical reasoning acquired in an engineering education provides excellent preparation for the study of law.  Students interested in admission to the law school of the University should consult the Law School Catalog.

Graduate Study in Business

Since many engineering graduates advance rapidly into positions of administrative responsibility, it is not surprising that they often elect to do graduate work in the area of business administration.  In addition to an understanding of the technical aspects of manufacturing, the engineer has the facility with mathematics to master the quantitative methods of modern business administration.

Requirements for admission to the University’s graduate business programs are outlined in the graduate catalog. Many engineering degree programs offer technical area options that include business and management courses. These can be used with advantage by students who plan to do graduate-level work in business.

The Minor

While a minor is not required as part of any engineering degree program, the student may choose to complete a minor in a field outside the Cockrell School. A student may complete only one minor. The minor consists of at least twelve semester hours in a single field, including at least six hours of upper-division coursework. Six of these hours must be completed in residence. A course to be counted toward the minor may not be taken on the pass/fail basis, unless the course is offered only on that basis. Only one course counted toward the standard requirements of the student’s degree may also be counted toward the minor.

Architectural engineering majors must take an approved architectural history course as part of the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering requirement. This course (or its prerequisite) will fulfill the visual and performing arts requirement of the core curriculum.

Foreign Language Requirement

In accordance with the University’s basic education requirements, all students must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to that shown by completion of two semesters of college coursework. Credit earned at the college level to achieve the proficiency may not be counted toward a degree. For a student admitted to the University as a freshman, this requirement is fulfilled by completion of the two high school units in a single foreign language that are required for admission; students admitted with a deficiency in foreign language must remove that deficiency as specified in General Information.

Applicability of Certain Courses

Physical Activity Courses

Physical activity (PED) courses are offered by the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education. They may not be counted toward a degree in the Cockrell School. However, they are counted as courses for which the student is enrolled, and the grades are included in the University grade point average.

ROTC Courses

The dean, on the recommendation of the department chair, may substitute three semester hours of credit for air force science, military science, or naval science courses for three semester hours of elective coursework in an engineering degree program. The elective for which an ROTC course is substituted must be approved by the student’s major department faculty adviser. All ROTC students should consult their undergraduate adviser. The total number of semester hours required for the degree remains unchanged. Substitution is permitted only upon the student’s completion of the last two years of ROTC coursework and receipt at the University of a commission in the service. 

Correspondence and Extension Courses

Credit that a University student in residence earns simultaneously by correspondence or extension from the University or elsewhere or in residence or through distance education at another school will not be counted toward a degree in the Cockrell School unless specifically approved in advance by the dean. Application for this approval should be made online or at the Office of Student Affairs, Ernest Cockrell Jr. Hall 2.200. No more than twenty semester hours required for any degree offered in the Cockrell School may be taken by correspondence.

Requirements Included in All Engineering Degree Plans

Each student must complete the University’s core curriculum. In the process of fulfilling engineering degree requirements, students must also complete: one independent inquiry flag, one quantitative reasoning flag, one ethics and leadership flag, one global cultures flag, one cultural diversity in the US flag, and two writing flags. The independent inquiry flag, the quantitative reasoning flag, the ethics and leadership flag and at least one writing flag are carried by courses specifically required for each engineering degree plan. As applicable, students are advised to fulfill the second writing flag requirement with a course that meets another requirement of the core curriculum, such as the first-year signature course. Courses that may be used to fulfill flag requirements are identified in the Course Schedule.