Pre-engineering

Students who are interested in engineering as a profession but want a broader educational experience than available in the traditional engineering program have several options available to them at Heidelberg depending on which type of engineering degree they wish to pursue. In general, the student should major in the science or field most closely related to the engineering field of interest (see table below) and complete Heidelberg’s general education requirements. In addition, all engineering students regardless of the engineering field chosen should take:

  • Mathematics - Differential and Integral Calculus, Multi-Variable Calculus, and Differential Equations are needed,  MTH 222, MTH 223, MTH 302, MTH 307, MTH 308, respectively.  Also strongly recommended are linear algebra (MTH 303), statistics (MTH 210), and numerical methods (MTH 310).
  • Physics - One year of general physics with lab (PHY 101 and 102) 
  • Chemistry - One year of chemistry with lab (CHM 111 and 112)
  • Computer Science - Courses covering the techniques and concepts of high level programming. C++ language is recommended (CPS 150 and CPS 201)
  • Electronics for certain engineering fields (PHY 216)
  • One should take a year of economics (ECO 251 and 252) 
  • English Composition - Completion of the English Composition requirement at Heidelberg along with the technical writing course (ENG 101 and 313)

 
The following are suggested majors for given engineering fields. These are only suggestions and may vary for different individuals. 

Engineering Field Heidelberg Major
Biotechnical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Medical Physics
  		Physics with Biology electives
or
Biology with Physics electives
Chemical Engineering  Chemistry
Civil Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Aerospace Engineering 		Physics
Computer Engineering

 Computer Science
Environmental Engineering Environmental Science (with Biology track or Water Resources track)
Materials Science

 

Physics with Chemistry electives
or
Chemistry with Physics electives

 
Upon completion of the degree at Heidelberg, most students will apply to the graduate school of Engineering for a Master’s degree. Most engineering graduate schools require a 3.0 grade average for entrance. Once admitted to the graduate school, a student may be required to take undergraduate engineering courses that are needed as prerequisites for graduate courses.