Overview

Introduction

From communication systems to bridges, from satellites to manufacturing—society depends on engineers. A KU engineering education helps students understand technical principles and the background behind them and prepares them for the changes ahead. Most graduates assume responsible positions in business, industry, education, or government, but engineering programs also provide an excellent background for other careers. Many graduates are CEOs of major companies or enter fields like medicine or law.

Mission

The mission of the school is to provide students a high-quality educational experience, to generate and apply knowledge through research, development, and scholarly activity, and to serve society, the state of Kansas, and the engineering profession. In accordance with this mission and with KU’s mission, all undergraduate engineering programs and the computer science program must meet these objectives. Additional objectives are specified in program descriptions.

Undergraduate Programs

The school offers 12 undergraduate degree programs:

• Aerospace engineering
• Architectural engineering
• Chemical engineering
• Civil engineering
• Computer engineering
• Computer science
• Electrical engineering
• Engineering physics
• Interdisciplinary computing
• Information technology

Engineering and computer science degree programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

High School Preparation

Preparation for an engineering career begins in high school with basic mathematics and science courses. Prospective engineering students should take mathematics through at least trigonometry and at least one year of both chemistry and physics. A well-rounded background in English, history, economics, and social studies, preferably with some computer operations and programming and advanced mathematics, affords flexibility in choosing a concentration. A strong college preparatory program provides a good background for the student who plans to major in engineering.

Honors Programs

The school encourages all qualified students to participate in the University Honors Program. Students in engineering must meet with an engineering advisor every semester and may also meet with an honors program advisor.

Some engineering departments offer an option to graduate with departmental honors. Departments set these requirements.

Facilities

Engineering faculty members and graduate students are major users of the facilities and services of many research laboratories and centers across campus and among our research partners at other universities:

• Bioengineering Research Center
• Biomechanics Research Laboratory
• Biotechnology Innovation and Optimization Center
• Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis
• Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets
• Energy Council
• Higuchi Biosciences Center
• Information and Telecommunication Technology Center
  – Bioinformatics and Computational Life Sciences Laboratory
  – Communications and Networking Systems Laboratory
  – Computer Systems Design Laboratory
  – e-Learning Design Laboratory
  – Intelligent Systems Laboratory
  – Radar Systems and Remote Sensing Laboratory
• Institute for Policy and Social Research
• Tertiary Oil Recovery Project
• Transportation Research Institute
  – Flight Research Laboratory
  – Infrastructure Research Institute
  – KU Transportation Center
• Kansas Biological Survey
• Kansas Geological Survey