General Engineering, B.S.

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Program Coordinator: Ismail I. Orabi, Ph.D.

The Bachelor of Science in general engineering (G.E.) is a degree program designed for those interested in a career involving engineering knowledge but with more flexibility than is possible in a specific engineering discipline. The program provides an opportunity for a student to combine engineering with any other undergraduate discipline within the University, such as the following areas:

business
communication
legal studies
science or math
teaching and education

It also provides the opportunity for including elements of two different engineering disciplines in one degree program.

Career opportunities depend on the areas of study selected and might include

engineering and technical services
technical management and sales
engineering-related business activities
music
science-related activities
computer-related activities
technical writing
medical services
education

The Degree Program

The bachelor’s degree program in general engineering requires completion of 121 credits. Students can use electives (including engineering electives) to focus on an area of interest within engineering or to combine engineering with other areas. As part of the program, students must select a minor from any recognized program at UNH.

Undecided Option

Students who wish to earn an engineering degree in a designated discipline (chemical, civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, system) but who are undecided about their choice should start with general engineering and change majors when they have decided on an area of specialization. For most choices, making a decision by the end of the first year of study will result in a smooth transition.

Required Courses

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year

Junior Year

ENGL 3300 - Writing Proficiency Assessment
EASC 2230 - Fund & Appls Analog Devices
EASC 2232 - Project Mgmt & Engr Econ
EASC 3345 - Applied Engineering Statistics
or
MATH 2204 - Differential Equations
Plus one Engineering elective,
two TCoE Electives,
one University Core Competency 4.2 elective ,
one University Core Competency 6 elective , and
two Electives for Minor

Senior Year

EASC 4415 - Professional Engineering Seminar
Plus one University Core Competency 5.2 elective ,
one University Core Competency 5.3 elective ,
one Engineering elective,
three Electives for Minor and
two electives

Additional Requirements

Students must select a minor area of study from any department at UNH. Electives designated as “Elective for Minor” may be used to satisfy the minor requirements. In some cases, courses required for the minor include courses that are specifically listed as required in general engineering. For example, the calculus sequence counts toward a minor in math, so only three of the electives are needed to complete the math minor. In such a case, the remaining “Electives for Minor” choices may be used as free electives.

In order to assure depth of study, at least five of the elective courses in the program should be at or above the 300 level and should have prerequisites.

Quality Engineering Option

The Quality Engineering option prepares students for jobs in the areas of quality and process improvement, popularly applied in the business, service, government, and retail industries. Students learn about concepts, theories, tools, and techniques, including process mapping, sampling techniques, statistical process control (SPC), experimental design applicable when implementing lean and six sigma projects, quality audit programs, SPC monitoring systems, and quality assurance. This option can be combined with other IE and SE courses to form an industrial engineering minor or may be included as a separate cluster.

SYST 3346 - Probability Analysis
SYST 3347 - Statistical Analysis (note: this would replace EASC 3345 )
INDE 3304 - Production Control
INDE 4436 - Quality Control

Bioengineering and Pre-med Options

An interest in bioengineering can be readily accommodated by the general engineering degree in several ways. Students may combine the minor in biology with electives in other areas, or they can minor in one of the engineering disciplines and select several biology electives. For example, to prepare for a career in the biomedical field, a student can combine a minor in electrical, mechanical, or chemical engineering with general and human biology, anatomy and physiology, and cell biology. Faculty in the Engineering and Biology departments would guide the student into specific courses based on career interests.

The rigor of an engineering program serves as an excellent preparation for medical school. Students choosing to pursue such a path should include courses in organic chemistry as well as biology. These can be fit into the structure of the General Engineering program using the minor and TCoE electives.

Management Option

The minor in management includes course work in accounting, leadership, economics, business law, management, and marketing. This broad background in business is an excellent choice for students who wish to pursue a career on the business side of a technical field.