Pre-Engineering

What is “pre-engineering”?

Traditional undergraduate degrees in engineering include Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, etc. Bowling Green State University does not offer degrees in these fields, but some students arrive at BGSU with undecided majors or interests in other fields, and find themselves drawn to engineering. The Physics and Astronomy Department hosts key courses that a student in one of these programs would take in their first 1-2 years of an engineering program, and so we offer a pre-engineering program to guide students’ coursework while they locate, apply to, and transfer into the engineering program of their choice at another university. That is, we keep you moving forward while you arrange to step sideways into an engineering program.

What courses are required for admission to engineering school?

All students considering a move into an engineering program should be aware that all engineering specialties require a high aptitude for mathematics and quantitative reasoning. In order to complete BGSU’s pre-engineering curriculum (see below) in two years, a student must be qualified to enroll in MATH 1310 during the fall semester of the first year; this normally requires four years of high school mathematics and good mathematics aptitude.

The two-year curriculum outlined below parallels the introductory coursework of most engineering schools. However, the requirements in engineering colleges and in different fields of engineering can vary, so the student should consult as early as possible with the engineering program advisor at the program and university they have chosen in order to plan a schedule to meet that institution’s requirements.

Recommended Two Year Sequence:

One year of English composition (WRIT 1110-1120).
One semester of general college chemistry with laboratory components (CHEM 1230 and 1240).*
One semester of communication (COMM 1020).
Introductory programming course (CS 1010 and/or 2010).*
One semester of overview economics (ECON 2000).
One semester of design and engineering graphics (ENGT 1010 or ENGT 1100).
One semester of statics and strength of materials (ENGT 2400).*
Calculus I, II, II, and elementary linear algebra (MATH 1310, 2320, 2330, and 3320).*
One year of calculus based physics with laboratory components (PHYS 2110 and 2120).*

*Pre-requisites required for this course

Electives will be required to complete a full schedule of classes each semester.

If you have any questions about the Pre-Engineering Advising program at Bowling Green State University, contact Dr. Andrew Layden, Chair and Professor, Physics and Astronomy, laydena@bgsu.edu, 419.372.8654