Engineering
The Engineering Department offers an undergraduate major in Human-Centered Engineering (HCE) to students in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences. Students in this major will receive a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Engineering. The HCE program provides students with a technical education that is human-centered, design-process driven, and focused on applying engineering knowledge to solve complex problems that impact society. The HCE major is designed to meet the standards of ABET, the main body for accreditation of engineering programs in the United States. HCE courses are distinctive in that they actively integrate the acquisition and application of technical engineering knowledge with a broader understanding of how that knowledge shapes and is shaped by society. Courses range from introductory engineering design to higher-level technical electives focused on specific topics within engineering. HCE majors apply their knowledge of the physical and natural sciences, mathematics, and computation to engineering fields and connect their academic experiences in BC’s Core Curriculum to their formation as engineers. All HCE students participate in weekly reflection sessions that integrate their learning experiences with broader questions about society, student formation, and the common good.
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Human-Centered Engineering Program Requirements
Required HCE Courses
- One course from Introduction to Human-Centered Design
- ENGR1025: Innovation Through Design Thinking
- ENGR1801/HIST1627: Making the Modern World: Design, Ethics & Engineering (Complex Problem course)
- ENGR1101: Introduction to Human-Centered Engineering
- ENGR1102: Physical Modeling and Analysis Lab
- ENGR1103: Engineering Analysis Lab
- ENGR1105: Engineering Computation and Programming
- ENGR2101, 2102, 2103, 2104, 2105: Engineering Foundations Studio I, II, III, IV, V
- ENGR3101: Engineering for Society
- ENGR3105: Statistical Data Analysis and Machine Learning
- Fourteen (14) credits of Technical Engineering Electives
- Collaborative engineering projects
- ENGR3100: Collaborative Service Engineering Project (3 credits)
- ENGR4801–2: Senior Impact Project (6 credits)
- 3 credits of Advanced Engineering Mathematics
- Eight semesters of HCE Reflection
Corequisite Courses for the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Program
- PHYS2200: Introduction to Physics I for Physics Majors
- CHEM1109/CHEM1111: General Chemistry I with Lab
- Calculus 1 and Calculus 2
Physics Placement
- Students must take PHYS2200 irrespective of their scores on the AP exam.
Calculus Placement
- HCE students should take Calculus 1 and Calculus 2 in their first year and should work with their HCE advisors to determine the appropriate calculus sequence. Students who are exempted from one or both of these requirements must, in consultation with their HCE advisors, identify an equivalent number of math/science credits to take for substitution.
Information for Non-majors
Incoming first-year students must be admitted as HCE majors in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences to be part of the undergraduate engineering major. BC students can enroll in HCE courses open to non-majors and reach out to HCE faculty regarding opportunities for research.