Department Contact:
Chair: Dr. Rachel Wagner, rwagner@francis.edu, 814-471-1266
Program Coordinator: Dr. Timothy Miller, tfmiller@francis.edu, 814-472-2706
Program Description:
In our technical society, the opportunity to make innovative contributions often lies at the intersection between different and sometimes seemingly unrelated disciplines. The ability for Saint Francis engineers to function at this interface is a major objective of the General Engineering program. Our engineers will be educated rigorously across a wide breadth of engineering topics. Our curriculum has a strong hands-on, cross-disciplinary team, and project-oriented focus. This breadth, flexibility, and interdisciplinary focus is what we like to call “nimbleness”. Nimbleness acts to not only promote innovative thought, but to enhance professional stability for our engineers because it is easier for organizations to adapt to rapidly changing situations if their engineers have multiple competencies. Another major objective of the General Engineering program comes from the recognition that our engineers will not function in a technology bubble within society. Saint Francis University’s strong liberal arts tradition and its portion of their curriculum is designed to ensure that students will be able to function in society as fully developed, multidimensional human beings. Our commitment to our engineers’ development is also represented by the fact that they will be taught and mentored by professors and professional engineers and not in an ad hoc manner by graduate students.
A key component of our commitment to the development of our students’ humanity and skill as practicing engineers are our Engineering Design for Service classes (ENGR 279 and 379). These classes represent a unique and holistic opportunity where students learn and grow by doing, synergizing their technical skills with life experience and non-technical coursework. Specifically, the Design for Service classes present students with an open-ended technical challenge that will serve a need in the local community or society at large. Leveraging the context of engineering design, the classes require students to contemplate the implications of their Catholic and Franciscan education by crafting a solution that is appropriate to both the technical and social requirements of the challenge. These classes, steppingstones to the senior capstone design project, are integral to the vision of a Catholic and Franciscan General Engineering program.
The General Engineering B.S. degree is a four-year degree focused on broad application of engineering fundamentals with particular focus on problem solving and analytical skill building. Students are provided coursework in fundamentals of engineering and science with strong math and programming skills. This curriculum with its solid foundation in basic engineering and science is followed by more advanced focused engineering topics; upper-level engineering electives are available through the General Engineering student’s selection of a minor, fostering applied, technical problem-solving abilities in a student’s chosen specialty.
The General Engineering major is a distinctive choice for the entering freshman engineering student who desires a broad exposure to experimental design, problem solving, teamwork, science, programming, and math which is not possible when focusing on a particular single engineering discipline. As a General Engineer, you will have stronger math and programming preparation, as well as a fuller treatment of science and the fundamentals of engineering. This major is designed to graduate an engineer with more broadly applicable skill sets in mathematics, computer science, science along with more fundamental engineering skills than can be afforded in a typical engineering discipline. Another advantage of the General Engineering major is it allows students to develop their interest in multiple disciplines of engineering if desired, allowing careers that need broad engineering education preparation or that are not confined to specific disciplines. The General Engineering major provides great flexibility of career choices and paths.
Many entry-level position postings when searching for a job in engineering specify a particular sub-specialty-e.g., civil, mechanical, electrical, etc. Graduates from the General Engineering program are, in particular, generalists with a depth of preparation in Mathematics, Computer Science, and fundamental Engineering along with excellent technical and creative problem-solving skills that enables their entry into almost any engineering discipline. As in all engineering disciplines, internships and/or research experiences are encouraged.
The General Engineering major also provides an excellent avenue to pursue graduate study in a discipline of engineering or other area. All General Engineers are well-grounded and gain broad exposure to experimental design, problem solving, teamwork, science, programming, and math, which are all highly sought in every engineering discipline.
The General Engineering / Accelerated MBA, B.S., program offers an exciting path for General Engineers interested in leaving the beaten path and forging their own direction. This program, which includes the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Minor , provides students the opportunity to accelerate the completion of the MBA program by earning up to nine credits towards the undergraduate degree that will also fulfill requirements in the MBA program. Upon successful completion of all undergraduate degree requirements for the B.S. in General Engineering with the Innovation and Entrepreneurship minor, and if all progression standards are met, students will be automatically accepted into the SFU MBA program and will not be required to complete the GMAT exam. Students in this program develop both entrepreneurship and innovative strategies as well as technical expertise in engineering.
Accreditation Statement:
The General Engineering program at Saint Francis University is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Each student will have demonstrated the proficiency in the following outcomes upon graduation with a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering:
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics;
- an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors;
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
- an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts;
- an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives;
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions;
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Admission Deadline:
The program has rolling admission.
Estimated Completion Time:
4 Years, Full Time, for the B.S. with the minor
Progression and/or Retention Criteria:
All students in the General Engineering (Accelerated MBA) B.S., program must meet the following academic requirements to have guaranteed admission to the MBA program upon completion of the undergraduate degree requirements. Failure to meet the progression standards will result in dismissal from the major but not the university. This includes all accelerated majors leading to the MBA program approved by the University.
- At any time after earning 30 credits but before earning 60 credits, the student must have achieved a minimum overall cumulative QPA of 2.750. Failure to achieve this QPA will result in Department Academic Warning.
- At any time after earning 60 credits but before earning 90 credits, the student must have achieved a minimum overall cumulative QPA of 3.000. Failure to achieve this QPA will result in dismissal from the major.
- At any time after earning 90 credits and upon graduation from the undergraduate program, the student must have achieved a minimum overall cumulative QPA of 3.200. Failure to achieve this QPA will result in dismissal from the major.
Students dismissed from the General Engineering (Accelerated MBA) B.S., major should contact their academic advisor to select another major. Dismissed students can still apply for admission to the MBA program upon completion of their undergraduate degree; however, there is no acceleration option and acceptance is not guaranteed.
Capstone Requirement:
Students in the Bachelor of Science in General Engineering program are required to complete a capstone design experience by completing all of the following courses:
Total Credits Required:
129 credits
Note:
In addition to the course requirements for the major and the Innovation and Entrepreneurship minor, students in this accelerated program may an additional three credits of graduate MBA courses (for a total of nine credits) that can be utilized to fulfill both courses in the undergraduate Innovation and Entrepreneurship minor for their General Engineering B.S. and requirements in the MBA program. To clarify: six MBA credits are required for the minor and an additional three can be taken as an undergraduate elective.
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