2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Bachelor of Science in Engineering
Requirements for a Major in Engineering
To graduate with a B.S.E. degree, students must meet the following course requirements: general education, engineering foundations courses, cooperative engineering education, engineering design capstone, major specific courses, and engineering electives. These course requirements involve a minimum of 130 to 146 credit hours depending on the chosen engineering program. All required and elective courses in the engineering majors must be taken for a letter grade; students are not permitted to take these courses as credit/no-credit. The program requirements are listed with the information on the individual program. A minimum of 24 credit hours in engineering courses must be completed at Grand Valley at the 300-level or above. These courses must include EGR 485 and EGR 486.
General Education
As identified in the General Academic Regulations section of the Grand Valley State University Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog, with the exception that the General Education Program for engineering students includes the following courses:
- ECO 210 - Introductory Macroeconomics (3 credits) OR ECO 211 - Introductory Microeconomics (3 credits).
- EGR 302 - Engineering Decision-Making in Society (3 credits) OR one course from the following: BIO 328, BIO 338, COM 438, MGT 340, MGT 438, MKT 375, PHI 102, PHI 325, or PLS 338.
Engineering Foundation
The following courses (engineering, science, mathematics, and communications) prepare students for further work in engineering. Students must complete the following courses in accordance with the secondary admission requirements:
- CHM 115 - Principles of Chemistry I (4 credits)
- EGR 100 - Introduction to Engineering (1 credit)
- EGR 111 - Introduction to Engineering Graphics (1 credit)
- EGR 112 - Applied Programming for Engineers (2 credits) OR *EGR 108 - Applied Programming for Engineers - Stretch II (2 credits)
- EGR 113 - Introduction to CAD/CAM (1 credit)
- EGR 185 - First-year Engineering Design (2 credits)
- EGR 214 - Circuit Analysis I (3 credits)
- EGR 215 - Circuit Analysis I Lab (1 credit)
- EGR 220 - Engineering Measurement and Data Analysis (1 credit)
- EGR 226 - Microcontroller Programming and Applications (3 credits)
- EGR 227 - Microcontroller Programming and Applications Lab (1 credit)
- EGR 289 - Engineering Professionalism (1 credit)
- MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
- MTH 202 - Calculus II (4 credits)
- MTH 203 - Calculus III (4 credits)
- MTH 302 - Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (4 credits)
- PHY 230 - Principles of Physics I (5 credits)
- PHY 231 - Principles of Physics II (5 credits) OR PHY 234 - Engineering Physics (4 credits)
- STA 220 - Statistical Modeling for Engineers (2 credits)
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing (4 credits) OR BOTH WRT 120 - Strategies in Writing - Stretch I (3 credits) AND WRT 130 - Strategies in Writing - Stretch II (3 credits)
*EGR 108 is the second course of a stretch sequence alternative to EGR 112 and has prerequisites that include EITHER EGR 104 - Applied Programming for Engineers - Stretch I (2 credits) OR permission of instructor.
Additional Required Biomedical Engineering Major Foundations Courses:
- Electrical Emphasis:
- Mechanical Emphasis:
- Product Design and Manufacturing Emphasis:
Additional Required Computer Engineering Major Foundations Courses:
- CIS 159 - Object Oriented Programming for Engineers (1 credit)
- CIS 163 - Computer Science II (4 credits)
- EGR 223 - Probability and Signal Analysis (3 credits)
- EGR 224 - Introduction to Digital System Design (3 credits)
Additional Required Electrical Engineering Major Foundations Courses:
- EGR 223 - Probability and Signal Analysis (3 credits)
- EGR 224 - Introduction to Digital System Design (3 credits)
- EGR 257 - Electronic Materials and Devices (4 credits)
Additional Required Interdisciplinary Engineering Major Foundations Courses:
- EGR 209 - Mechanics and Machines (4 credits)
- EGR 223 - Probability and Signal Analysis (3 credits) OR BOTH EGR 309 - Machine Design I (3 credits) AND EGR 310 - Machine Design I Laboratory (1 credit)
- BOTH EGR 250 - Materials Science and Engineering (3 credits) AND EGR 251 - Materials Laboratory (1 credit) OR EGR 257 - Electronic Materials and Devices (4 credits)
Additional Required Mechanical Engineering Major Foundations Courses:
- EGR 209 - Mechanics and Machines (4 credits)
- EGR 309 - Machine Design I (3 credits)
- EGR 310 - Machine Design I Laboratory (1 credit)
- EGR 312 - Dynamics (3 credits)
Additional Required Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering Major Foundations Courses:
- EGR 209 - Mechanics and Machines (4 credits)
- EGR 309 - Machine Design I (3 credits)
- EGR 310 - Machine Design I Laboratory (1 credit)
- EGR 250 - Materials Science and Engineering (3 credits)
- EGR 251 - Materials Laboratory (1 credit)
Admission
Admission to major standing in the B.S.E. program requires a secondary application. Applicants must meet at least the following:
- A GPA of 2.7 or above in the engineering foundation courses
- Completion of each course in the engineering foundation with a grade of C (2.0) or above with not more than one repeat in each foundation course
- Completion of preparation for placement in cooperative engineering education: EGR 289
- Transfer students must also complete at least eight credit hours in engineering courses taken at Grand Valley before they can be admitted to major standing
Completion of Cooperative Engineering Education
The cooperative engineering program begins with EGR 289 - Engineering Professionalism, a course designed to prepare students to enter the culture of professional work as an engineer. This is followed by 1,500 to 2,000 hours of co-op work consisting of three semester-long work experiences, preferably with the same host company/organization. Students must enroll in EGR 290, EGR 390, and EGR 490 during the co-op work semesters. This is the expected path to be followed by all students and, after secondary admission, is the only path that does not require prior approval from faculty.
Capstone
Students must complete the required senior design project course sequence with a minimum grade of C (2.0) in each course:
- *EGR 485 - Senior Engineering Project I (Capstone) (1 credit)
- EGR 486 - Senior Engineering Project II (Capstone) (2 credits)
*The prerequisites for EGR 485 are acceptance into the B.S.E. degree program and completion of the prerequisite courses listed under the student's engineering major. These courses are listed for each major in the corresponding section of this catalog.
Engineering Electives
In addition to the required courses, a student must select engineering electives in his/her chosen program to form a coherent plan of study. The approval of the student's academic advisor is required to ensure the course choices meet the requirements of the program. No more than two courses with a grade of less than C (2.0) may be counted toward the major.
Suggested Order of Coursework
A sample curriculum for the foundations of engineering course sequence completed during freshman and sophomore years is presented as follows. A sample curriculum for the junior and senior years in each program is presented in the section addressing that program.
The following course sequence assumes MTH 201 in the first semester. For any other first-semester mathematics course, the study plan will be different. Please consult your advisor.
Year One
Fall Semester:
- CHM 115 - Principles of Chemistry I (4 credits)
- EGR 100 - Introduction to Engineering (1 credit)
- EGR 111 - Introduction to Engineering Graphics (1 credit)
- EGR 112 - Applied Programming for Engineers (2 credits)
- MTH 201 - Calculus I (4 credits)
- WRT 150 - Strategies in Writing (4 credits)
Winter Semester:
- EGR 113 - Introduction to CAD/CAM (1 credit)
- EGR 185 - First-year Engineering Design (2 credits)
- EGR 220 - Engineering Measurement and Data Analysis (1 credit)
- MTH 202 - Calculus II (4 credits)
- PHY 230 - Principles of Physics I (5 credits)
- STA 220 - Statistical Modeling for Engineers (2 credits)
For the remainder of the study plan, see the program major sections below:
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Biomedical Engineering Major (Program requirements)
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Computer Engineering Major (Program requirements)
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Electrical Engineering Major (Program requirements)
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Interdisciplinary Engineering Major (Program requirements)
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Major (Program requirements)
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering Major (Program requirements)