School of Engineering E Engineering Education in a University Setting 288 Degree Programs in Engineering 290 Special Programs 292 Honors 294 Academic Regulations 296 Courses of Study 301 Engineering Courses 325 Administration and Faculty 350 288 VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY Engineering Education in a University Setting ANDERBILT University School of Engineering is the students also participate in the university’s Summer Research largest and oldest private engineering school in the Program for Undergraduates. South. Classes offering engineering instruction began Vin 1879, and seven years later Engineering was made a separate Facilities department with its own dean. The school’s program empha- The School of Engineering is housed in 5 main buildings with sizes the relationship of the engineering profession to society several satellite facilities. William W. Featheringill Hall which and prepares engineers to be socially aware as well as techni- houses a three-story atrium designed for student interac- cally competent. tion and social events, more than fifty teaching and research The mission of the School of Engineering is threefold: to laboratories with the latest equipment and computer resources, prepare undergraduate and graduate students for roles that and project rooms. The new Engineering and Science build- contribute to society; to conduct research to advance the ing is an eight-story state of the art building that houses the state of knowledge and technology and to disseminate these Wond'ry at the Innovation Pavilion, numerous research labs, advances through archival publications, conference publica- interactive class rooms, clean rooms and space for students tions, and technology transfer; and to provide professional to work, study and socialize. School administrative offices services to the community. and several classrooms are located on the ground floor of the The school strives to meet the undergraduate education Science and Engineering building in Stevenson Center, which portion of its mission by offering degree programs in fields of also houses the Biomedical Engineering Department on the engineering relevant to the needs of society. An objective of 8th and 9th floors. Jacobs Hall, which flanks Featheringill these programs is to provide a technical education integrated Hall, contains laboratories, office and classrooms serving both with strong humanities, fine arts, and social sciences subject the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and matter to provide the requisite foundation for life-long learn- the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Depart- ing. The availability of second majors and minors in subject ment. The Olin Hall of Engineering houses Chemical and areas in other schools and colleges of the university increases Biomolecular Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and opportunities for engineering students to enhance their Materials Science. Several other satellite facilities that are education by pursuing studies in the non-technical disciplines. part of the Engineering School include: the W. M. Keck Free Engineering students take close to 50 percent of their courses Electron Laser Center building, housing the labs and offices of outside of the School of Engineering and associate daily with the Biomedical Photonics Center; the LASIR (laboratory for peers from other schools and colleges within the university. systems integrity and reliability), a hangar-style facility located Another objective is to accommodate students who will off-campus dedicated to scaling up experiments to realistic continue their studies at the graduate level in engineering and full size, including a wind tunnel and military aircraft; or in other professional fields, as well as those who intend to the MuMS facility (multiscale modeling and simulation); the enter engineering practice upon graduation. To this end, our Vanderbilt Institute of Software Integrated Systems; and the programs emphasize mathematics and engineering sciences, Institute for Space and Defense Electronics, providing office yet provide significant exposure to engineering design and space, dry laboratories and conference space. hands-on laboratory experiences. In all its engineering programs, Vanderbilt recognizes A large fraction of the student body is destined for manage- the valid place of experimental and research laboratories in ment positions early in their working careers. To meet these the learning experience. Laboratories are planned to provide students’ needs, the Engineering Management program offers the strongest personal contact between students and faculty a well-integrated curriculum, including a minor. members consistent with enrollment. The bachelor of engineering serves those programs in Well-equipped undergraduate laboratories are maintained engineering where professional registration through state by the Departments of Chemistry and Physics in the College boards is desirable or necessary. Typically, about 90 percent of Arts and Science, which offers mathematics and basic of the students are enrolled in programs that are accredited by science courses required of all engineering students. Graduate the Engineering Accreditation Commission or the Computing and undergraduate divisions of these departments maintain Accreditation Commission of ABET (abet.org). teaching and research facilities in the Stevenson Center for the The bachelor of science addresses the needs of those stu- Natural Sciences, as does the Department of Earth and Envi- dents seeking specialized programs not served by conventional ronmental Sciences. Another supporting department, Biologi- engineering degree programs. The degree provides students cal Sciences, is housed in Medical Research Building III. Most with a general scientific and engineering background while classes in humanities and the social sciences are conducted in allowing individual curricular desires to be addressed. For Buttrick, Calhoun, Furman, Garland, and Wilson halls. example, students who want to use a degree from the School of Engineering to enter the primary or secondary education fields Accreditation may include the necessary courses in education from Peabody College in their engineering degree program. All programs leading to the B.E. degree are accredited by the Students at all levels have the opportunity to work with Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET (abet.org). faculty in the generation of new knowledge. Those planning The bachelor of science program in computer science is accred- for graduate studies and research may participate in individual ited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET topics and research courses to fulfill that desire. Engineering (abet.org). School of Engineering / Engineering Education in a University Setting 289 Employment of Graduates Of the recent Vanderbilt graduates with baccalaureate degrees in engineering, about 70 percent entered directly into profes- sional practice. Thirty percent continued with graduate or pro- fessional education. Others pursued diverse careers or other interests. Additional information regarding the employment of engineering graduates is available in the Career Center. Supporting Organizations Vanderbilt Engineering Council The Engineering Council is a student organization whose main goal is facilitating communication between administra- tion, faculty, and students in the School of Engineering. Offi- cers of the Engineering Council are elected by the engineering student body, and representatives from the professional societies complete the organization’s membership. While the council has no administrative power, it provides students with a voice in the decision-making process in the School of Engineering. Professional Societies The leading national engineering societies have chartered branches or student sections at Vanderbilt. These organiza- tions are run locally by students with the help of a faculty E adviser. Meetings are devoted to matters of a technical nature, including films, outside speakers, plant trips, and other sub- jects of interest to the membership. Student speakers from the Vanderbilt groups compete annually with speakers from other groups in their region in technical paper competitions. Freshmen and sophomores are cordially invited to attend meetings—and juniors and seniors are urged to join—as they will find the work of the professional societies beneficial in orienting them in their careers. The student professional societies are: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (A.I.A.A.) American Institute of Chemical Engineers (A.I.Ch.E) American Society of Civil Engineers (A.S.C.E.) American Society of Mechanical Engineers (A.S.M.E.) American Society for Metals (A.S.M.) Association for Computing Machinery (A.C.M.) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (I.E.E.E.) International Society for Hybrid Microelectronics (I.S.H.M.) International Society for Optics and Photonics (SPIE) National Society of Black Engineers (N.S.B.E.) Society of Automotive Engineers (S.A.E.) Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (S.H.P.E.) Society of Engineering Science (S.E.S.) Society of Women Engineers (S.W.E.) Vanderbilt Biomedical Engineering Society Graduating seniors may join the Order of the Engineer, a society that recognizes the commitment of its members to the profession of engineering. 290 VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY Degree Programs in Engineering ACHELOR of engineering degree programs are offered Arts and Science. The B.S. is awarded in the areas of computer in the areas of biomedical, chemical,