2024-2025 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
The Department of Engineering Education (ENGE) is home to General Engineering (GE) students. The department teaches the interdisciplinary first-year engineering courses, advises General Engineering (GE) students, and offers a graduate certificate and a Ph.D. in engineering education.
At the undergraduate level, the department provides the foundation for students to begin their engineering journey, preparing them for academic success in one of the degree-granting College of Engineering programs and for success as an engineer. At the graduate level, the department prepares scholars to advance knowledge and address significant challenges facing engineering education in careers including engineering faculty, policy makers, corporate training, university assessment and university administration.
Accreditation statements may be found in the listings for individual undergraduate degree programs.
The General Engineering (GE) program of the EngE department serves first-year students in the College of Engineering. Through EngE courses, first-year students participate in problem solving, engineering analysis and design exercises that represent the essence of the engineering profession. The courses emphasize team-based, design-oriented, hands-on experiences to develop students' concepts of engineering and engineering methods, while reinforcing the role of concurrent required courses (e.g. mathematics, English, physics). They also serve as a foundation for subsequent courses in the various engineering curricula. Coverage of engineering ethics instills a sense of the responsibilities of engineers to society. Algorithm development and computer programming develop logical thinking, provide the background for computer use in later courses, and support problem-solving skills. Spatial visualization skills are developed through engineering graphics, a primary engineering tool. Through writing and presentations, students begin to hone their professional communication skills, including audience analysis, visual rhetoric, effective writing styles, issues in collaborative writing, techniques of oral presentation, print and Web-based research, graphics for written and oral presentations, and editing.
General Engineering students have access to the Frith First-Year Makerspace run by the Engineering Education department. The Frith First-Year Makerspace (formerly the Frith Lab) is designed to support the retention and development of young engineers through hands-on learning, peer mentoring, and authentic problem-solving. Part collaboration and innovation space, part fabrication and prototyping space, and part learning laboratory, Frith is integrated into the first-year foundations of engineering courses and enables General Engineering students to learn by dissecting, designing, making, and analyzing engineering products. The Makerspace houses equipment for 3D printing, laser cutting, metalworking, woodshop work, and crafts. https://enge.vt.edu/undergraduate/frith.html
All College of Engineering students must own
Computer requirements for engineering students can be located at https://eng.vt.edu/admissions/computer-requirement.html.
The General Engineering program introduces first-year engineering students to foundational concepts and practices in engineering, allows time to adjust to the College, and provides opportunities to investigate the College's individual degree programs and select the branch of engineering or computer science best suited to their skills and interests. At the end of the year - after academic advising, contacts with the various departments, and satisfactory progress - students select a degree program and, if academically eligible, are transferred to the appropriate degree-granting department.
Entry into a degree-granting engineering department requires that students successfully complete all required first-year courses.
Please see the College of Engineering catalog section titled "Required Academic Progress" for details, and visit https://eng.vt.edu/academics/undergraduate-students/resources-support/change-of-major.html for application policies and dates.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Typical First Semester | ||
| CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| ENGE 1215 | Foundations of Engineering | 2 |
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable | 4 |
| Typical Second Semester | ||
| ENGE 1216 | Foundations of Engineering | 2 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable | 4 |
| PHYS 2305 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
Head: J.M. Case
Assistant Head for Undergraduate Programs: N.P. Pitterson
Assistant Head for Graduate Programs: W.C. Lee
Professors: J.M. Case, D.B. Knight, V.K. Lohani, H.M. Matusovich, L.D. McNair, and M.C. Paretti
Associate Professors: D. Bairaktarova, J.R. Grohs, T.W. Knott, W.C. Lee, N.P. Pitterson, S.L. Rodriguez, and Q. Zhu
Assistant Professors: M.V. Huerta, A.S. Katz, D. Kim, and S. Sajadi
Associate Professor of Practice: M.B. James, and N.C.T. Van Tyne
Assistant Professor of Practice: N.J. Bedard
Collegiate Assistant Professor: B.D. Chambers, T.Clarke Douglas, D.A. Gray, J.D. Ortega Álvarez, M.M. Soledad, and C. Wallwey
Senior Instructor: J.L. Lo
Instructor: E.H. Dogan and C.A. Twyman
Professor Emeritus: O.H.Griffin
Associate Professor Emeritus: J.B. Connor, R.M. Goff, M.H. Gregg and T.D.L. Walker
Academic and Career Advisors: M. Cheatham, J. Chin, J. Elmore, D. Erb, M. Greene-Havas, A. Mullins, D. Newcomb, J. Newcomer, and A. Noble
E-mail: enge@vt.edu
Students will participate in a seminar-style experience guided by representatives from different engineering disciplines to learn more about the programs offered by the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech to aid the change of major process.
Introduction to opportunities and resources available to College of Engineering students during their undergraduate career at VT. Practice in information gathering skills critical for engineering students. Practice in oral, written, and visual communication. Preparation of an academic plan.
A first-year sequence to introduce general engineering students to the profession. 1215 (2 credit) data collection and analysis, engineering problem-solving, mathematical modeling, contemporary software tools, professional practices and expectations (e.g. effective communication, working in teams, ethics), and the diversity of fields and majors within engineering. 1216 (2 credits): data collection and analysis, engineering problem-solving, mathematical modeling, design, contemporary software tools, professional practices and expectations (e.g. communication, teamwork, ethics). 1215: Design Lab/Studio (3L, 2C), 1216: Design Lab/Studio (3L, 2C).
A first-year sequence to introduce general engineering students to the profession. 1215 (2 credit) data collection and analysis, engineering problem-solving, mathematical modeling, contemporary software tools, professional practices and expectations (e.g. effective communication, working in teams, ethics), and the diversity of fields and majors within engineering. 1216 (2 credits): data collection and analysis, engineering problem-solving, mathematical modeling, design, contemporary software tools, professional practices and expectations (e.g. communication, teamwork, ethics). 1215: Design Lab/Studio (3L, 2C), 1216: Design Lab/Studio (3L, 2C).
Introduction to spatial visualization. Training to improve three-dimensional visualization skills, pictorial sketching, orthographic projection, mental rotation, mental cutting and folding, combining solids.
Introduction to engineering profession for transfer General Engineering students including engineering problem solving and design, contemporary software tools, and professional practices and expectations (e.g., communication, teamwork, ethics). Duplicates 1215-1216. Design Lab/Studio.
Develop global competencies in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) contexts and understand how problems and viable solutions vary across contexts and how intercultural communication and global leadership are important in an interconnected global workforce. Integrates semester-long on-campus module with international module following semester exams (Rising Sophomore Abroad Program). International module engages students in local culture during visits with STEM businesses and universities. Participation in both modules required. Enrollment by application.
Apply problem solving framing strategies as part of problem solving design processes. Consider cultural, economic, social, and other perspectives in customer discovery and design processes in order to ensure problem/solution fit. Ideate possible solutions or approaches to address open- ended problems using a variety of methods. Engage in iterative critiques of strategies, solutions and prototypes using methods drawn from industrial design, engineering and the arts. Collaborate in interdisciplinary and diverse project teams. Communicate deliverables in multiple formats and for different audiences. Identify and address impacts of designed services and products through global perspectives, such as patterns of inclusion and exclusion and effects on localized ecosystems.
Explore volunteerism, traditional service learning, critical service learning, and social change. Develop intercultural competence by examining social identities, power, and privilege with a focus on preK-12 education systems in the United States. Develop Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) and STEM educational outreach experiences that meet needs identified by community members in teams. Demonstrate career readiness through experiential learning. Pre: Sophomore standing.
Introduction to multi-disciplinary, team-based undergraduate engineering research. Emphasis on Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community missions and projects. Exposure to current restricted research performed around campus. Guest speakers from national labs. Engineering research methods (tools, research integrity/safety/ethics, and communication of results). Deep dive into International Traffic in Arms Regulations-restricted multi-disciplinary DoD engineering problems, potential careers, and security protocols surrounding restricted research and careers.
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Workplace and industry culture and practice, including folkways, mores, and ethics, centered on engineering design. Interaction with industry professionals. Workplace competencies including effective teamwork, project management, presenting technical information. Training with software, tools and skills used in design practice in industry.
Application of academic knowledge and skills to in a work-based experience aligned with post-graduation goals using research-based learning processes. Satisfactory completion of work-based experience often in the form of internship, undergraduate research, co-op, or study abroad; self-evaluation; reflection; and showcase of learning. Pre: Departmental approval of 3900 plan.
Work in interdisciplinary teams in an experiential environment replicating modern innovation environments. Engage in real world innovation commercialization opportunities. Individual experiences and projects involving actual inventions, innovations, technologies, intellectual property (e.g. patents) and market opportunities. Integrate design thinking, scientists, entrepreneurs, advisors and other potential collaborators. Create a representation of a plan for a minimum viable product for an innovative product or service based on customer and market feedback.
Work in interdisciplinary teams to scope and plan an open-ended design project focused on technology commercialization that addresses a need or problem. Model systems and products computationally and quantitatively to address issues of technical and market feasibility and to predict performance under uncertain conditions. Engage in iterative design process that combines computational and quantitative processes with user-centered design and market analysis. Produce viable design that includes technical specifications, market evaluation, and customer discovery results. Communicate with wide range of audiences. Analyze ethical and intercultural and global impacts of innovation. Pre: 3 credits of foundational quantitative and computational thinking.
Team-oriented, open-ended, interdisciplinary design projects focused on industrially relevant problems. A specific, complex engineering design problem taken from problem definition to product implementation and validation. 4735: Focus on problem identification, development of customer needs, project management, solution validation and selection, solution design, engineering teamwork, documentation and communication. 4736: Focus on design implementation, design validation, ethical and societal impacts of engineering design, communication and teamwork. Students majoring in Material Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering must meet prerequisite and corequisite requirements for their respective in-major capstone courses.
Team-oriented, open-ended, interdisciplinary design projects focused on industrially relevant problems. A specific, complex engineering design problem taken from problem definition to product implementation and validation. 4735: Focus on problem identification, development of customer needs, project management, solution validation and selection, solution design, engineering teamwork, documentation and communication. 4736: Focus on design implementation, design validation, ethical and societal impacts of engineering design, communication and teamwork. Students majoring in Material Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering must meet prerequisite and corequisite requirements for their respective in-major capstone courses.
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