Curriculum for a Minor in Sustainability Engineering

For engineering majors only. Students must be admitted to the minor. Applications are available in the Watson School Advising Office, LSG-552.

Minimum of 21 credit hours (not including prerequisites)

• This engineering minor curriculum is only for students majoring in an engineering discipline.
• All students must complete the four prerequisite courses listed below before declaring the minor.
• The program director must approve the declaration of this minor.
• In order to complete this minor, students must earn a GPA of at least 2.0 in all required courses of the minor.
• The courses may be used to fulfill GenEd requirements.

Prerequisite Courses

• Math (8 credit hrs.)
  Calculus I (MATH 221) Calculus II (MATH 222)

• Chemistry (4 credit hrs.)
  Chemistry I (CHEM 111), or (CHEM 107 and CHEM 108)

• Physics (4 credit hrs.)
  General Physics I (PHYS 131)

Required Courses (21 credit hrs.)

Required core sustainability engineering courses (9 hrs.)

BE 305, Introduction to Sustainable Engineering and Design (3 credit hrs.)
The course presents an overview of sustainability, sustainable engineering principles and sustainable engineering design principles. Students will understand and appreciate the necessity for moving toward sustainable technologies.

BE 306, Engineering Sustainable Energy (3 credit hrs.)
A systems approach to the application of fundamental principles of thermodynamics, energy conversion, economics, and statistical risk analysis to problems associated with technology for sustainable energy.  Topics include systems engineering modeling approach, quantifying energy technologies and risk, thermodynamic analysis of energy conversion cycles, appropriate technologies, and the use of energy resources.  Prerequisite: CHEM 111 and PHYS 132. 

BE 307, Sustainable Development: Ecosystems for Engineers (3 credit hrs.)
Course covers the concept of ecological systems; environmental determinism, technological determinism; the influence of markets, regulations and policy on development; predominant goals of sustainability; and the critical role of engineers in achieving sustainable development.

Required elective courses (12 credit hrs.)*

Students must select courses from the list below. Courses must be from at least two different departments. In addition, at least two of the elective courses must be at the advanced undergraduate level (i.e., 300 or 400).

Courses required within a student’s major other than elective courses CANNOT be used as courses satisfying requirements for the minor.

EECE 422: Electro-mechanical Systems

EECE 432: Physics and Technology of Solar Cells

ISE 320: Optimization and Operations Research I **

ME 434: Environmental Engineering

ME 437: Energy Engineering

BIOL 476: Population Ecology

ECON 331: Environmental Economics

ENVI 101: Environment and Man/Woman: An Ecological Perspective

GEOG 232: Economic Geography

GEOL 410: Rivers and Floodplains

GEOL 416: Hydrology

* All courses with approval of department and instructor. Courses shown are the currently approved list; departments may add or remove courses in the future.

**A DARS exception must be filed for this course to count for any major.

Sustainability Engineering Minor Approved Elective Courses (as of June 2011)

Application for Sustainability Engineering Minor