The College of Engineering

The College of Engineering curriculum is designed to provide students a thorough understanding of scientific, mathematical, and engineering fundamentals, as well as the ability to apply these areas of knowledge creatively to a wide variety of engineering problems.

About the College

Drexel University’s College of Engineering has emphasized its strengths in engineering, science and technology to train students to become the leaders of the future. In little over a century, Drexel University has transformed itself into a large, comprehensive institution committed to excellence in education, research and service to the engineering society and to the broader community. Although much has changed, the original mission of the University still rings true today.
The College of Engineering offers students a diverse academic learning and research environment embodying the highest standards of knowledge and preparing them to impact society's greatest challenges. Through entrepreneurial risk-taking and exploration, students are encouraged to find innovative solutions that promote economic development and improve life

In addition to the traditional engineering curriculum, the college offers Engineering Technology and Construction Management.

Objectives of the traditional Undergraduate Engineering Program

The profession of engineering is concerned with turning the natural elements and energies to the service of mankind. The objectives of the undergraduate program in the College of Engineering are:

• To offer an education that will give graduates the flexibility to adjust to future changes in technology
• To develop a sense of professionalism and entrepreneurship
• To provide a framework for concentrated study in a professional area

To implement those objectives the curricula of the College of Engineering are designed to provide a firm grounding in basic science and liberal arts, along with broad-based engineering sciences and professional engineering subjects.

Cooperative Education

In five-year cooperative programs, engineering majors spend a total of 12 terms in school and six terms on co-op assignment. Freshmen attend classes for three terms. During their sophomore, pre-junior, and junior years, students generally attend class for two terms and are assigned a cooperative employment position for two terms each year.
Visit the Drexel Steinbright Career Development Center page for more detailed information on co-op and post-graduate opportunities.

About the Traditional Engineering Curriculum

Degree Requirements

The degree of Bachelor of Science in the engineering specialities is comprised of academic work and six terms of co-op or engineering experience for the five-year program. For the four-year program, only two terms of co-op are required. Transfer students must complete a minimum of two terms of co-op or engineering experience in order to earn a cooperative engineering degree accredited by ABET. 

Engineering student must maintain an overall grade point average of 2.0 in all required courses in their major.

The Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) program is a customizable undergraduate engineering degree program offered in the College of Engineering to students in their second year and beyond. The program is designed for students who are seeking an interdisciplinary education rooted in engineering. The degree is structured so students achieve a strong foundation in science, math and engineering. Upper level engineering electives can be chosen to fit the student’s individual interests and career objectives. To learn more about the Bachelor of Science in Engineering program, please visit the Program Overview webpage.

Curricular Organization

Students in the traditional engineering programs study many of the same subjects during the three terms in the first year. During the two terms of the sophomore year, students begin taking much more department-specific coursework.

The first five terms are devoted to those subjects that form the foundation of the engineering curriculum. Courses in the core engineering curriculum are organized and taught to provide an integrated view of the basic sciences and an introduction to the art of engineering through group projects that deal with open-ended problems characteristic of the practice of engineering. Students also learn to use the modern tools of engineering both on the computer and in the laboratory.

The College considers it essential that students entering the Drexel Engineering Curriculum be placed in courses that take advantage of their abilities and prior training. Student preparation level is determined by a review committee that evaluates the student’s high school record, standardized test scores, advanced placement and/or transfer credit, and placement exams administered during the summer before Fall enrollment.

Engineering students will take placement exams which will determine their readiness in calculus, physics, and chemistry. Students who demonstrate the preparation and skills to succeed in our core math and science courses will immediately be placed into the courses starting in the fall term. Students that may need additional preparation are strongly encouraged to participate in the online prep courses the summer before the fall term. 

In the second year, professional subjects are introduced, and all the first-level professional courses are completed by the junior year. The senior year in all curricula contains at least one elective sequence so that students can study some aspect of engineering more deeply. In addition, all curricula provide a design experience in the senior year. Recognizing the importance of general education studies in the education of an engineer, all curricula require that courses be taken in this area. These requirements are described in more detail in the General Education Requirements.

The Common Curriculum

While some programs vary in detail, the following courses are common to most engineering curricula. See each program for specifics.
 

 In addition, engineering students complete a minimum of 30.0 General Education Credits.

Electives

In addition to the electives in the General Education electives there are two types of elective sequences in the engineering curricula: technical electives and free electives. Technical electives are courses in engineering, science, or management that build on the required professional courses and lead to a specific technical specialization. Possible elective sequences should be discussed with and approved by advisors before the end of the junior year. Free electives are any courses for which students are eligible and that are not remedial in nature for engineering students. PHYS 100 may be counted as a Free Elective.  

General Education Requirements

The General Education Program is designed to give engineering students an opportunity to take a set of courses that complement their technical studies and satisfy their intellectual and/or career interests. All engineering majors must take thirty (30.0) credits. Nine (9.0) of the thirty credits are designated as follows and must be completed by all majors:

General Education requirements for specific majors can be found in the degree requirements for each major. The remaining credits can be chosen from the disciplines listed below.

Course Subjects

This following list is a sampling of subject codes for courses that can be taken to fulfill General Education requirements; other courses may be accepted upon advisor approval.

Accounting (ACCT), Africana Studies (AFAS), Anthropology (ANTH), Arabic (ARBC), Architecture (ARCH), Art History (ARTH), Business Law (BLAW), Chinese (CHIN), Communication (COM), Criminology & Justice Studies (CJS), Culinary Arts (CULA), Dance (DANC), Economics (ECON), Education (EDUC), English (ENGL, except ENGL 101, ENGL 102, ENGL 103 & ENGL 105), Entertainment & Arts Management (EAM), Entrepreneurship (ENTP), Environmental Studies & Sustainability (ENSS), Film Studies (FMST), Finance (FIN), French (FREN), General Business (BUSN), German (GER), Global Studies (GST), Hebrew (HBRW), History (HIST), Hotel & Restaurant Management (HRM), Humanities (HUM, except HUM 107 & HUM 108), Interior Design (INTR), International Business (INTB), Italian (ITAL), Japanese (JAPN), Jewish Studies (JWST), Korean (KOR), Language (LANG), Leadership (LEAD), Management (MGMT), Marketing (MKTG), Military Science (MLSC), Music (MUSC), Music Industry Program (MIP), Operations Management (OPM), Operations Research (OPR), Organizational Behavior (ORGB), Philosophy (PHIL), Photography (PHTO), Product Design (PROD) Project Management (PROJ), Political Science (PSCI), Psychology (PSY), Public Health (PBHL), Real Estate (REAL), Science Technology & Society (SCTS), Screenwriting & Playwriting (SCRP), Sociology (SOC), Spanish (SPAN), Special Education (EDEX), Sports Management (SMT), STEM Teacher Education (ESTM), Taxation (TAX), Theatre (THTR), Visual Studies (VSST), WEST Studies (WEST), Women's and Gender Studies (WGST), and Writing (WRIT).

General Education electives must be non-technical. All Computer, Math, Engineering & Science related courses will NOT count as General Education electives.

Special Programs

Accelerated Programs/ Bachelor’s/Master’s Dual Degree Program

The Accelerated Program of the College of Engineering provides opportunities for highly talented and strongly motivated students to progress toward their educational goals essentially at their own pace. Primarily through advanced placement, credit by examination, flexibility of scheduling, and independent study, the program makes it possible to complete the undergraduate curriculum and initiate graduate study in less than the five years required by the standard curriculum. Students enrolled in this program may take advantage of the five-year Bachelor’s/Master’s Dual Degree Program described on the College of Engineering's Accelerated Programs web page.

Facilities

Core Engineering Facilities

The Freshman Engineering Design Laboratories are located in the Innovation Studio. The Studio hosts activities for all class levels from Freshman Design at one end through Senior Design at the other. It includes 3D printers, multiple sensor suites and the college machine shop representing the flow of freshman initial ideas through complex fabrication.

Freshman Design courses taken by all new freshmen are held exclusively in the Innovation Studio which was completed in the fall of 2015. A team of Drexel faculty and staff designed the studio to allow activities of many scales as well as to promote open communication within and across groups of students. The lab tables accommodate work in small and larger groups.

The Innovation Studios are an example of Drexel's commitment to undergraduate education, but providing up-to-date, high-quality technology to facilitate the kind of experiential learning that keeps Drexel at the cutting edge.

Department Facilities

Departments within the College of Engineering have laboratory equipment appropriate for required lab coursework within curriculum. Most engineering department webpages describe their specialized facilities in detail.