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Curriculum in General Engineering

www.ge.uiuc.edu

Department of General Engineering
117 Transportation Building
104 South Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-2730
Fax: (217) 244-5705
E-mail: ge-ugrad@uiuc.edu

For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in General Engineering

With an emphasis on understanding engineering's impact on business, a General Engineer is a technical person who can manage budgets and projects and lead people. General Engineering is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary program that emphasizes real-world problem solving through a unique orientation toward partnerships with industry. It brings together basic sciences, engineering sciences, and engineering design. The curriculum offers flexibility through the Secondary Field of Concentration, while providing a broad background in mechanics and structures, control systems, and decision making that support a systems approach to engineering.

General Engineers understand how to apply business fundamentals to promote utilization of new technology, engage in entrepreneurship, and succeed in engineering and nonengineering careers. The curriculum emphasizes the integration of engineering and business principles, preparing students to apply both functions to bring a product from invention to market.

Design experience and project management are emphasized and integrated across the core with a focus on establishing critical problem-solving skills applied across disciplines, strong communication skills, and the ability to work effectively and get results in a team environment. Students begin project work in teams in their freshman introductory course designing a motorized BEAM robotics-based mechatronic device, and they work as part of a team to develop a concept solution to an open-ended design problem that includes building or creating a 3D model of the solution. Sophomores learn about topics such as customer needs, costs, profits, and prices. As part of student teams, they develop the concept and business plan for a new product of their own choosing. Juniors design, build, and test balsa wood structures.

The capstone experience for General Engineering undergraduates is the Senior Design Project Course. Students work collaboratively with industry and a team of faculty members on a real-world problem during their final semester. The results are documented in a final written report and a formal presentation at the end of the semester to the company so that the student recommendations may be implemented. General Engineering Senior Design Project teams consistently win numerous national awards. Their hands-on work on real problems with engineers in the field from industry provides them with valuable, practical experience to complement their strong technical background. Industry partners note that General Engineering students stand out for their global, team, and business orientation, their communication skills, and their problem-solving skills. They are described as creative, visionary, versatile, and pragmatic.

One of the most frequent reasons students choose General Engineering is that it provides the opportunity to achieve individual educational and career goals by selecting or customizing a technical or nontechnical secondary field of concentration. These concentrations include diverse and progressive areas such as business systems integration and consulting, communication and computer systems, engineering marketing, pre-law, human factors, international business, nondestructive testing and evaluation, engineering administration, and control systems. (See complete list on following pages.) Additionally, General Engineering students may pursue all University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus and college minors, as well as dual majors and dual degrees, with a minimum of extra course work by counting that work toward course credits for a secondary field of concentration.

The educational objectives of the Department of General Engineering, reflected in its mission statement are to:

  • Prepare students with the innovative engineering, design, problem-solving, and business skills needed to develop and bring to market competitive products and services for the benefit of society;
  • Develop the character, self-reliance, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills of its students through a high degree of choice, involvement, and responsibility for their education;
  • Engage in leading-edge, interdisciplinary research, and service to industry, the state, and the country, and
  • Provide high-quality, state-of-the-art courses of service to the college, the university, and the community at large.

The educational outcomes associated with meeting the objectives of the program are listed in the College of Engineering description.

The curriculum requires 131 hours for graduation. The General Engineering web site contains detailed information about all aspects of the curriculum and opportunities within the department.

Suggested Sequence

First year

Hours First Semester
3 CHEM 102—General Chemistry I
1 CHEM 103—General Chemistry Lab I
0 ENG 100—Engineering Lecture
1 GE 100—Intro to General Engineering
3-4 GE 101—Engineering Graphics & Design or RHET 105–Principles of Composition 1
5 MATH 220—Calculus I
3 Elective in social sciences or humanities2
16-17 Total

Hours Second Semester
3 CS 101—Intro to Computing, Eng & Sci
2 MATH 225—Introductory Matrix Theory
3 MATH 230—Calculus II
4 PHYS 211—Univ Physics, Mechanics
3-4 RHET 105—Principles of Composition or GE 101–Engineering Graphics & Design1
15-16 Total

Second year

Hours First Semester
4 ECE 110—Intro Elec & Comp Engrg
1 GE 161—Intro to Business Side of Eng
3 MATH 242—Calculus of Several Variables
4 PHYS 212—Univ Physics, Elec & Mag
3 TAM 211—Statics
3 Elective in social sciences or humanities2
18 Total

Hours Second Semester
3 GE 330—OR Meth for Profit & Value Eng
3 MATH 385—Intro Differential Equations
2 PHYS 214—Univ Physics, Quantum Phys
3 TAM 212—Introductory Dynamics
3 TAM 251—Introductory Solid Mechanics
3 Elective in social sciences or humanities2
17 Total

Third year

Hours First Semester
2 ECE 211—Topics Analog Ckts & Systems
3 GE 310—Intro to General Eng Design
4 GE 320—Introductory Control Systems
3 Secondary field of concentration elective3
3 Elective in social sciences or humanities2
15 Total

Hours Second Semester
3 GE 311—Engineering Design Analysis
1 GE 312—Instrumentation and Test Lab
3 GE 331—Analyt Methods for Uncertainty
3 GE 424—State Space Desgn Meth in Cntl
3 Secondary field of concentration elective3
3 Elective in social sciences or humanities2
16 Total

Fourth year

Hours First Semester
3 GE 400—Engineering Law4
4 TAM 335—Introductory Fluid Mechanics
3 Design elective5
3 Engineering science elective6
3 Secondary field of concentration elective3
16 Total

Hours Second Semester
0 GE 490—General Engineering Seminar
3 GE 494—Project Design, I
2 GE 495—Project Design, II
3 Secondary field of concentration elective3
3 Elective in social sciences or humanities2
6 Free electives
17 Total

1. RHET 105 may be taken in the first or second semester of the first year as authorized. The alternative is GE 101.

2. Each student must satisfy the social sciences and humanities requirements of the College of Engineering, including ECON 102 or 103, and satisfy the campus general education requirements for social sciences and humanities. It is highly recommended that ECON 102 or 103 be taken before the fourth semester.

3. To be selected from lists established by the department or by petition to the department.

4. Satisfies the General Education Advanced Composition requirement.

5. To be selected from the list of design electives established by the department.

6. To be selected from the list of engineering science electives established by the department.

Secondary Fields of Concentration for the Undergraduate Curriculum in General Engineering

The secondary field requires a minimum of 12 hours of coursework. Secondary fields of concentration are of two types: preapproved and customized. Preapproved fields have designated titles and a specified list of courses, from which several may be selected. Approval for the substitution of a course for one on the specified list may be requested via a petition form submitted to the department. Customized secondary fields of concentration may be created to achieve goals in areas not provided by preapproved fields. To do this, a suitable title and all the courses must be petitioned for acceptance by the department. Petition approval is based on the merit of the secondary field and the coherence of the courses within it relative to the student's goals.

Pursuit of campus or college minors or completion of James Scholar contracts may be integrated with customized secondary fields of concentration in the General Engineering curriculum. Courses taken may be applied to both the minor or contract and to the secondary field. This may also be done for coursework applying to a second major in engineering or a dual degree in another college at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

For an explanation of procedures to declare secondary fields of concentration and petitions associated with them, consult the chief advisor of the department or the department web site.

Preapproved Secondary Fields of Concentration

Preapproved secondary fields are listed below. This list is subject to change. For the most up-to-date lists, consult the department web site.

In several instances below, the following course substitutions may be used interchangeably to comply with prerequisites of listed courses:

  • CEE 202, ECE 413, GE 331, IE 300, STAT 400/MATH 463
  • CEE 201, GE 330, IE 310
  • MSE 406/ME 330, TAM 324/CEE 300
  • ECE 486, GE 320, ME 340

Students may petition to the department for inclusion of a course in the secondary fields listed below. The most likely classes to be accepted are nonpermanent and experimental offerings relevant to the various fields. See a current list of these.

Automotive Engineering

  • ECE 470/GE 421/CS 443
  • ECE 486
  • GE 422
  • ME 3101, 3201, 3601, 4001, 403, 441, 460, 461, 462
  • TAM 412

1. Recommended only if it is a prerequisite to another listed course.

Bioengineering1

  • BIOE 120
  • BIOP 401
  • CHEM 232, 233
  • ECE/BIOE 414, 415, 475
  • IE 340/AVI/PSYC 358
  • IE 440
  • KIN 355
  • MCB 103, 1502, 2502, 2512, 350, 401, 402, 403, 404, 450
  • VB/BIOE 406

1. Students fulfilling the College of Engineering minor in bioengineering may simultaneously complete the requirements of this secondary field of concentration.

2. Recommended only if it is a prerequisite to another listed course.

Business Systems Integration and Consulting1

Group I
  • ACCY 2002, 2012, 202
  • ADV 300
  • BADM 310, 311, 312, 320, 445, 446
  • BTW 250, 261
  • FIN 221/300

Group II
  • ACCY 432/BADM 432
  • ACCY 455/BADM 459
  • BADM 352/ACCY 352
  • BADM 353/ACCY 353
  • CS 225, any CS 300- or 400-level courses
  • CS 400/CSE 400

1. At least one course must be chosen from Group I and from Group II.

2. A basic accounting course is highly recommended.

Civil Engineering Structures

  • CEE 380, 4601, 461, 462, 463, 465
  • MATH 380

1. Not recommended if GE 410 is chosen as a design elective.

Communications and Computer Systems

  • CS 225, CS 400/CSE 400, CS 411
  • CS/CSE 400
  • CS 425/ECE 428
  • CS/ECE 438

Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM)

  • CS 173, 2251 (or CS 4001/CSE 4001)
  • CS 4181/CSE 4271
  • CS 440/ECE 448
  • IE 450
  • MFGE 310
  • ME 3501

1. Recommended course.

Computer Science 1, 2

  • CS 173, 2253 (or CS 4003/CSE 4003), any other CS 200 - 400-level courses

1. Students fulfilling the College of Engineering minor in computer science may simultaneously complete the requirements of this secondary field of concentration.

2. Students with a strong interest in courses other than CS 400 are encouraged to take CS 125 in place of CS 101.

3. Recommended course.

Construction

  • CEE 310, 3201, 380, 4201, 4211, 4221, 4602, 461, 465
  • TAM 324/CEE 300 (or MSE 406 or ME 330)

1. At least two of these courses must be taken.

2. Not recommended if GE 410 is chosen as a design elective.

Control Systems

  • CS 2251
  • ECE 486, 490
  • ECE 470/GE 421/CS 443/ME 445
  • GE 422
  • MFGE 430
  • MATH 3801
  • MATH 461/STAT 451
  • MATH 466/STAT 456
  • ME 3601, 460, 461, 462
  • STAT 410/MATH 464

1. Recommended only if it is a prerequisite to another listed course.

Engineering Administration

  • ACCY 200, 201, 202
  • ADV 300
  • B ADM 310, 311, 312, 313, 375, 376, 380, 381
  • BTW 250, 261
  • ECON 302, 303
  • FIN 221
  • GEOG/BADM 205
  • IE 330, 361
  • IE 435/GE 411
  • MFGE 310, 420, 450
  • PS 321/BADM 303/ACCY 321
  • PSYC/AVI 358/IE 340
  • PSYC/AVI 456/IE 445

Engineering Marketing

  • ACCY 200, 201, 202
  • ADV 300
  • BADM 310, 320, 322, 323, 325, 327, 380, 382, 420
  • BTW 250, 261
  • PSYC 245

Environmental Quality

  • ACE/NRES/ENVS 310
  • CEE 330, 430, 431, 432, 437, 440, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446
  • ENVS/CPSC/CHLH 336
  • ENVS 431/CPSC 435/CHLH 461
  • IB 105
  • PSYC 472
  • NRES 419
  • NPRE/ENVS 241

Manufacturing Engineering1

  • GE/MFGE 4302
  • ME 330 (or TAM 324/CEE 300 or MSE 406)
  • MFGE 3102, 4302, 4302, 4502
  • Other courses must be chosen from the approved lists for computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM), operations research, and control systems.

1. Students fulfilling the College of Engineering minor in manufacturing engineering may simultaneously complete the requirements of this secondary field of concentration.

2. At least two of these MFGE courses must be chosen.

Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation

  • CS 2251, 2731, 446
  • CS 440/ECE 448
  • ECE 474
  • ECE 470/GE 421/CS 443/ME 445
  • ECE 473/TAM 413
  • GE 4122, 422
  • IE 435/GE 4113
  • ME 350
  • ME 471/CSE 451
  • TAM 3243/CEE 3003 (or MSE 406 or ME 330)
  • TAM 412, 456

1. Recommended only if it is a prerequisite to another listed course.

2. Required course.

3. Recommended course.

Operations Research

  • IE 360, 361, 450
  • IE 435/GE 411
  • MATH 461/STAT 451
  • MATH 466/STAT 456
  • ME 350
  • MFGE 420, 450
  • STAT 410/MATH 464

Quality Control

  • BADM 375, 376
  • GE 412
  • IE 330, 361, 400
  • IE 435/GE 411
  • MATH 461/STAT 451
  • MATH 466/STAT 456
  • ME 350
  • STAT 410/MATH 464

Rehabilitation Engineering

  • CHEM 232
  • ECE/BIOE 414, 415
  • MCB 103, 150, 250, 251
  • REHB 401, 402, 440, 444

1. Recommended only if it is a prerequisite to another listed course.

Robotics

  • CS 2251, 2731, 446 CS 440/ECE 448
  • CS/MATH 475
  • ECE 390, 486, 490
  • ECE 470/GE 421/CS 443/ME 445
  • ECE/BIOE 475
  • GE 422
  • GE/MFGE 430
  • IE 435/GE 411
  • ME 350, 461
  • MFGE 430

1. Recommended only if it is a prerequisite to another listed course.

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

  • MATH 380
  • ME 471/CSE 451
  • TAM 412, 424, 435, 445, 451, 456
  • TAM/AE 427, 428
  • TAM 324/CEE 300 (or MSE 406 or ME 330)

Customized Secondary Fields

The following list contains examples of titles for additional secondary fields of concentration that have been approved as customized fields. The most up-to-date list of titles used in customized secondary fields of concentration may be found at the department web site. Additional titles beyond those listed may be proposed.

Customized secondary fields differ from preapproved ones in that no sets of specified courses to choose from have been predefined. For all customized secondary fields of concentration, a course list must be constructed and submitted for approval by the department.

  • Accountancy
  • Acoustics
  • Agricultural Engineering (or other engineering discipline)
  • Agronomy
  • Animal Science
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Applied Statistics
  • Astronomy
  • Audio Engineering
  • Aviation
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Cinematography
  • Circuit Analysis and Design
  • Economics
  • Energy
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Food Science
  • Geography
  • Heat Transfer
  • History of Engineering, Science, and Technology
  • Human Factors
  • Industrial Design
  • Industrial Psychology and Organizational Behavior
  • Insurance and Actuarial Science
  • Engineering and Industrial Design
  • Integrated
  • International Business
  • Japanese (or any other language)
  • Landscape Architecture
  • Machine Design
  • Mechatronics
  • Meteorology
  • Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS)
  • Mining and Geological Engineering
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science
  • Power Systems
  • Pre-Dentistry
  • Pre-Law
  • Pre-Medicine
  • Pre-Veterinary Science
  • Railroad Engineering
  • Solar Energy
  • Technical Journalism
  • Telecommunications
  • Thermal Science
  • Thermodynamics
  • Vehicle Dynamics

  
 
 
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