|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
| |
Set
Goals |
 |
|
|
| |
As
you embark on your college engineering education, consider
mapping out a four-year or five-year plan that describes
when and how you will take the steps necessary to reach
your after-graduation goal. We're not just talking about
class schedules. Consider how your classes, extracurricular
activities, and lifestyle lead you to your personal post-graduation
goals.
A good educational plan is organic; it will evolve as
your own personal knowledge, wisdom and experience accrues.
It's all right to make changes to your plan as you progress
through your engineering education, but try to make sure
your immediate decisions are made with your future in
mind.
In her book "The Engineering Student Survival Guide,"
Krista Donaldson gives suggestions on how to structure
your coursework to get the most bang for your tuition
buck:
 |
Look
for supplemental programs, concentrations, and awards
you can earn by adding a few classes to your schedule
and choosing some that will count both toward your
engineering degree and perhaps toward a manufacturing
certificate, for example. |
|
Don't
overload your course load on your first semester |
|
Get
the lowdown on the classes you are considering by
talking to upperclassmen and reviewing your school's
book of course surveys |
|
Follow
the course schedule prescribed by your school. Don't
plan on taking too many classes out of order, since
some classes are prerequisites to others (taken
before hand) or co-requisites (taken at the same
time as others) |
|
Take
required courses and general topic courses early,
such as math and science classes that are required
in all engineering disciplines |
|
Register
early for your classes |
When planning your schedule, remember that a reasonable
expectation is that you will spend a minimum of two hours
studying outside of class for every hour you are in class.
Perhaps you will need to allot more time than that for
classes with labs or projects. If you are taking 16 credits,
you, in effect, have a full-time, fifty-hour-per-week
job just being a learner. But even people with full-time
jobs still have time for other pursuits. Many engineering
students enjoy engineering student organizations and other
interests.
Be smart in choosing your major. The most marketable undergraduate
engineering degrees are arguably in the mainstream disciplines:
mechanical, chemical, electrical, and civil engineering.
In our information-based society, the computer engineering
major is increasingly becoming a separate mainstream discipline
in its own right. Don't make the mistake of focusing too
narrowly on a particular area or topic in your undergraduate
education. Often, when companies look for individuals
who have become specialized, they are also looking for
an individual who holds a master's or doctorate-level
degrees. Graduate school may be the best time to major
in a specialized field or sub-discipline, such as manufacturing,
aerospace, environmental, biomedical, petroleum, and nuclear
engineering.
All students of engineering should be proactive in making
sure that their undergraduate studies include basic studies
in the major areas of engineering mathematics, amplifying
their studies from high school. These include:
|
Algebra |
|
Trigonometry |
|
Differential
calculus |
|
Integral
calculus |
|
Multivariable
calculus |
|
Differential
equations |
|
Statistics
|
For mechanical engineering students, the coursework required
in the basic sciences has traditionally been physics and
chemistry, but given the growth of biomedical engineering
and biomechanics, you probably want to take a biology
course for engineers. ASME is considering recommending
biology as an area in which all mechanical engineers should
have basic knowledge. (W. Laity, et. al., "A Vision of
the Future of Mechanical Engineering Education," a report
of the ASME Council on Education, November 2004.)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
