Florida State University 2008-2009 General Bulletin Undergraduate Edition

FAMU–FSU College of Engineering

Dean: Ching-Jen Chen; Associate Deans: Reginald Perry, Norman Thagard; Assistant Dean: Braketta Ritzenthaler; Director of Student Services: Sheldon White

The accelerating pace of technological developments has created an ever-increasing demand for highly qualified, professional engineers to maintain the high-tech momentum already achieved and to extend and direct its course. Expanding population and corresponding demands for new products, structures, designs, and improved services have posed new challenges to present and future engineers. Accordingly, the College of Engineering, through its curricula, strives to educate and train engineers to use scientific knowledge and problem-solving skills to determine the best solutions to the problems of today and the future.

It is expected that students who conscientiously apply themselves and successfully complete one of the broad engineering programs will not only be technically trained, but also humanistically and socially educated, and thereby be well prepared to make a significant contribution to the world in which they work.

An engineering student can pursue any one of several career plans, according to personal ambitions, interest, and abilities. The student may pursue the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree or an advanced research-oriented graduate program leading to the Master of Science (MS) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees.

An engineer usually works as a member of a team in solving a problem or designing products or processes. The engineer's responsibility may include some of the following: 1) the conception of an idea, including a careful delineation of the problem; 2) the design of an item or process, including operational and production requirements; 3) the selection of materials; 4) the determination of markets; 5) the assessment of sociological effects and determination of methods for controlling these effects; 6) the design or selection of machines for production; and 7) the control of costs. Currently, over two-thirds of all technical positions and a large percentage of managerial positions in industry are occupied by engineers.

History and Goals

The FAMU–FSU College of Engineering was authorized by the 1982 legislature as a joint program between Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and Florida State University. The joint nature of the college allows a student to register at either Florida A&M University or Florida State University and receive a degree in any of the college's programs. A student entering the college applies for admission through one of the two universities and must satisfy the admission and general degree requirements of that university. The degree is granted through the College of Engineering by the university where the student is registered while completing upper-division studies. All College of Engineering classrooms and administrative and faculty offices are housed in a modern engineering complex located at 2525 Pottsdamer Street adjacent to Innovation Park.

Mission

The mission of the college is to provide an innovative academic program of excellence at the graduate and undergraduate levels judged by the highest standards in the field and recognized by national peers; to attract and produce greater numbers of women and minorities in professional engineering, engineering teaching, and research; and to attain national and international recognition of the college through the educational and research achievements and the professional service of its faculty and students.

Programs and Degrees

The college offers professional programs of study leading to the bachelor of science (BS), the master of science (MS), and doctor of philosophy (PhD) in chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering; a bachelor of science in computer engineering; and a master of science and doctor of philosophy in biomedical engineering. The college also offers interdisciplinary specializations in bioengineering, biomedical, environmental, and materials engineering. More complete information can be found at the College Web site (http://www.eng.fsu.edu/) and in the department sections of this General Bulletin.

Facilities

The college occupies over 200,000 square feet of classroom, offices, and laboratory space in a building complex especially designed for engineering education. It is located off the main campus of each university in an area adjacent to Innovation Park, which also houses the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), the Center for Advanced Power Systems, and other university, public, and private organizations engaged in research, development, and clean industry operations. The college operates for the common use of all programs a computing facility, a library and reading room, and a machine shop. In addition, each department in the college operates specialized laboratories for teaching and research; please refer to each department's chapter for additional information on these specialized facilities.

Libraries

The main book and journal collections for engineering are housed in the Dirac Science Library at Florida State University and in the Coleman Library at Florida A&M University. The college also maintains an engineering library resource and reading room (also referred to as the engineering reading room or the college library) that functions as a satellite to the two university libraries relative to engineering needs. Collections at the college library include monographs, texts, and reference works that directly support instruction and research at the college. Library computer facilities enable extensive electronic literature search throughout the university libraries and other sources. Library services include literature search training sessions for students and faculty. The college library is headed by a full-time librarian who is also a staff member of one of the two university libraries. Other college library personnel include assistants supported by the college.

Computing Facilities

Students have access to many and various computing resources at the College of Engineering. Due to the unique requirements of engineering computing and the off-campus location of the college, the college is relatively autonomous in providing service to engineering students.

The college has over 2800 computing devices connected to its local network, managed by the college's Communication and Multimedia Services (CMS) unit. Over 230 of these machines for general student use are high-end Pentium-class workstations supported by a cluster of Sun servers backed by a Storage Area Network. CMS continues to evaluate and upgrade computer workstation hardware as the computational needs grow. Computers connect to the college's gigabit fiber-optic backbone via 100Mbps Ethernet connections. One of the computer labs is open 24 hours a day when classes are in session; the other three are used as classrooms. The college also provides computing facilities in the public areas that are available to students 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Additionally, both universities provide on-campus facilities that are available to all students. Available software includes major general-purpose packages as well as special applications oriented toward particular disciplines. The college's research labs contain dozens of machines clustered together to provide enhanced research capabilities as well as Sun and other servers and Linux-based computing clusters to perform complex number crunching for simulations.

The college's computing infrastructure uses a gigabit core Layer 3 switch interconnected to edge switching via gigabit fiber. The college internet connection is a gigabit link connecting through the Florida State University backbone (Florida State University acts as the Internet services provider for the college) allowing for fast access to the Internet2 and the new LambdaRail network. Florida A&M University's computing facilities also are connected to the Tallahassee MAN, thus providing a link to the college for its students.

In addition to local Ethernet network, the college provides wireless LAN services with access points throughout the facilities for students who may want to use their own laptops to connect to the college's computing resources.

The college has state-of-the-art instructional classrooms. The multimedia equipment in every classroom generally includes LCD projector, overhead projector and/or document camera, VCR, and sound system. The ceiling-mounted LCD projector is used for large-scale projection, linked to the PC at the instructor's console. Multiple rooms are used for distance learning and the Florida Engineering Education Delivery System (FEEDS); these rooms have two studio cameras and one document camera connected to a desktop PC with a scan converter to display Web pages. A two-way live videoconferencing link via dedicated Fractional T-1 to the FSU-Panama City campus provides interactivity to synchronous distance delivery of classes to those students.

A Real Video G2 server is used to stream live and recorded programs, classes, and events from the college. The PolyCom VS4000 provides for 4-point IP videoconferences.

Supporting Facilities

Other nearby resources include the School of Computational Science (SCS); the Office of Technology Integration (OTI); the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (the 'Mag Lab'); the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS); the Challenger Learning Center in downtown Tallahassee that houses a 3-D IMAX theatre, planetarium, and a Challenger Space Mission and Control Center; Northwest Regional Data Center (NWRDC); Florida Department of Transportation research facilities; and WFSU Public Broadcasting television and radio stations as well as FAMU Computing Services.

Scholarships

Thanks to the donations from industry partners, educational programs, and private donors, the College of Engineering is able to offer a limited number of scholarships to qualified engineering students. Students can obtain scholarship information from the Office of Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Curriculum or by visiting the college Web site at http://www.eng.fsu.edu/index.php?page=schol_main.

Career Services

The college provides a Career Center Office for students to obtain career related services. In addition, the University maintains a satellite office in the College Career Center to assist students in career and employment advising, including resume, cover letter and personal statement writing, and internship co-op opportunity and permanent job searches nationwide. Career Center staff also aid in preparing engineering students for interviews and presentations at career expositions, such as Engineering Day.

Honors in the Major

The College of Engineering offers honors in the major in several departmental programs. For requirements and other information, see the "University Honors Office and Honor Societies" chapter of this General Bulletin.

Requirements for Admission and Retention in an Engineering Major

Engineering is a demanding discipline, and students majoring in engineering must follow a required sequence of courses and achieve a high level of proficiency. In accordance with criteria of ABET, Inc. (the recognized accreditor for college and university programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology), all engineering students are subject to a uniform set of academic requirements agreed to by both FAMU and FSU, in addition to any other academic requirements stated in the respective university catalog and bulletin. These requirements have been established to ensure that program graduates receive a quality education, make progress toward satisfying engineering major degree requirements, and are reviewed and revised as needed by the College of Engineering.

Pre-Engineering Requirements

All first-year engineering students (first-time-in-college or first-year transfer students) are initially coded as pre-engineering students until they satisfy the following pre-engineering requirements:

  1. A grade of "C" or better in EGN 1004L, First Year Engineering Laboratory (1 hour). One repeat attempt is permitted. A student who needs more than one repeated attempt will not be allowed to continue in the engineering program. A transfer student may be eligible for an exemption of this requirement provided the student has completed requirement (2) listed below upon matriculation to the College of Engineering.
  2. Students must achieve a grade of "C" or better in Calculus I, Calculus II, General Chemistry I, and General Physics from any institution attended. Chemical engineering students shall replace General Physics I with General Chemistry II. A single repeated attempt in only one of the four (4) courses listed above with no more than one grade of "C–" is allowed. Any student who needs two repeated attempts to complete the four courses or has two or more grades of "C–" may be considered for continuation in engineering. Contact the Office of the Associate Dean for details. Any student who needs three or more repeated attempts to complete the four courses listed above does not satisfy this requirement and will not be allowed to continue in the engineering program.
  3. Once a pre-engineering student satisfies all the pre-engineering requirements, he/she may visit the Office of Associate Dean to initiate the transfer process to his/her intended engineering major prior to the beginning of the following semester.

Course Grade Requirement and Practice

  1. It is the practice of the college not to use "plus and minus (+/–)" grading for any undergraduate engineering course;
  2. Engineering majors must earn a grade of "C" or better in all engineering courses that apply toward the degree. This requirement may be waived by the academic dean upon recommendation from the department chair for no more than one (1) such course; and
  3. A student who is failing a course cannot receive a grade of Incomplete (I). The student must complete all course requirements during the next term of the student's enrollment.

Repeated Course Attempts Policy

A student who fails to earn a grade of "C" or better after a second attempt in the same engineering course , or who has an excessive number of repeated engineering course attempts, may be transferred from his/her current engineering major to the pre-engineering major. The student may be reinstated back to his/her original engineering major only upon the approval of the engineering dean and Council of Academic Program Coordinators (CAPS).

Engineering Course Prerequisites Policy

It is the student's responsibility to be aware of the prerequisites of an engineering course prior to enrollment in that course. A student may contact the engineering dean or department chair for additional information concerning course prerequisites and this policy. Failure to fulfill course prerequisites may result in the removal of the course from the student's enrollment at any time during the semester, with no refund of tuition or fees.

College of Engineering Council of Academic Program Coordinators

The College of Engineering Council of Academic Program Coordinators (CAPC) has been assigned the responsibility to ensure that these academic requirements are equitably and consistently applied to all engineering students.

Course Withdrawal/Drop Policy

  1. Engineering students who seek to withdraw from or drop a course should do so by the drop deadline established by the College of Engineering. Please note that the engineering drop deadline is generally several weeks before the university's late course-drop deadline. Engineering students will not be permitted to drop or withdraw from a course after the engineering deadline except for a medical emergency, military obligation, or administrative reason.
  2. An engineering student with excessive course withdrawals/drops may be transferred from his/her current engineering major to the pre-engineering major until he/she has met with an academic adviser to determine what steps are needed to improve his/her academic performance. The student may be reinstated back to his/her original engineering major only upon the approval of his/her academic department, the engineering dean, and the Council of Academic Program Coordinators (CAPS).

Transfer Students

Students who plan to enroll in another institution for the first two years and then transfer into the College of Engineering should use great care in selecting freshman and sophomore course work. To be admitted to an engineering major, transfer students must have satisfied the same pre-engineering requirements as students who take all their course work at FSU. Students are advised to consult with the College as early as possible concerning their first two years of study. Students who transfer out of engineering program and then desire to transfer back may be subject to additional academic requirements before their request to transfer is considered. Please consult with the Office of Student Services for more information.

Bachelor of Science Degree Requirements

A student who has taken a college preparatory curriculum in high school including algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics, and chemistry can complete the requirements for the bachelor of science (BS) degree in four years and one summer with an average load of sixteen (16) hours per semester. A student with superior high school training may take advantage of opportunities for advanced placement through the University's programs for acceleration. In order to satisfy the State of Florida, Division of Colleges and Universities, requirement of summer attendance, it is recommended that students enroll in the summer session at the end of the first year. Students who are not prepared to begin with calculus I (MAC 2311) may need to attend one additional summer session.

The engineering curriculum is made up of five components: liberal studies, first-year engineering laboratory, engineering core, required courses in the engineering major area, and technical electives.

Liberal Studies

All students must meet University requirements for baccalaureate degrees stated in the "Undergraduate Degree Requirements" chapter of this General Bulletin. Of the thirty-six (36) semester hours required in liberal studies, thirteen (13) of these semester hours are automatically satisfied by the engineering core courses listed herein. The engineering student must take a total of twenty-four (24) semester hours in the areas of English, history, humanities, and social sciences. Students unprepared to begin calculus at the university level must, of course, also complete the necessary mathematics course work preparatory to calculus. All prospective engineering students should select humanities and social science courses to meet the above requirements.

First-Year Engineering Laboratory

All engineering students must complete the one-hour laboratory (or its equivalent) EGN 1004L. Students who enter the engineering program having completed all of the requirements listed under "Pre-engineering Requirements" except for completion of EGN 1004L may receive a waiver of this requirement if they attend the New Engineering Student Orientation. Students who are pursuing a second baccalaureate degree in engineering may also receive a waiver with permission of the engineering dean. Any student who transfers out of engineering and then desires to transfer back to engineering must complete the course or its equivalent.

Engineering Core

All graduates of the college must master a common body of knowledge about their profession. This has been addressed by the adoption of an engineering core for all students seeking the BS in engineering. Some of these courses may be completed at a community college that offers a pre-engineering track. Others are only offered within the college.

The engineering core, which consists of basic science, mathematics, and professional courses, ensures that every student is provided with a solid background education regardless of his or her option. The required courses are listed below:

 * Except for chemical and mechanical engineering majors.

 ** Except for mechanical engineering majors.

 *** Except for electrical and computer engineering majors.

 **** Except for chemical, mechanical, electrical, and computer majors.

State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites

The State of Florida has identified common course prerequisites for engineering degree programs. These prerequisites are lower-level courses that are required for preparation for an engineering major prior to a student receiving a baccalaureate degree from Florida State University. They may be taken either at a community college or in a university lower-division program. It is preferred that these common course prerequisites be completed In the freshman and sophomore years.

The following lists the common course prerequisites or approved substitutions necessary for our engineering degree programs:

  1. ENC X101
  2. ENC X102
  3. MAC X311*
  4. MAC X312*
  5. MAC X313*
  6. MAC X302
  7. CHM X045/X045L**
  8. PHY X048/X048L
  9. PHY X049/X049L
  10. Six (6) semester hours of humanities
  11. Six (6) semester hours of social sciences
  12. Three (3) additional semester hours in humanities or social sciences

 * or MAC X281, MAC X282, MAC X283

 ** or CHS X440

Engineering Major Area

Course requirements for engineering major areas consist of additional mathematics and basic science courses, engineering science courses, and engineering design courses. A current statement of requirements for engineering major areas is available as advising materials in the academic departments.

Definition of Prefixes

EEL—Electrical Engineering

EGM—Engineering Mechanics

EGN—General Engineering

EML—Mechanical Engineering

Undergraduate Courses

EEL 3003. Introduction to Electrical Engineering (3). Prerequisites: MAC 2312; PHY 2048. Corequisite: EEL 3003L. This course is an introduction to electrical engineering concepts for non-electrical engineering majors. It covers a broad range of topics, including basic circuit theory, semiconductor devices, microprocessors, instrumentation amplifiers, and machines.

EEL 3003L. Introduction to Electrical Engineering Laboratory (1). Prerequisites: MAC 2312; PHY 2048. Corequisite: EEL 3003. Laboratory in support of EEL 3003. Must be taken concurrently with first enrollment in EEL 3003. Must be dropped if EEL 3003 is dropped.

EGM 3512. Engineering Mechanics (4). Prerequisites: MAC 2312; PHY 2048. Corequisite: MAC 2313. Course topics include statics and dynamics of particles and rigid bodies using vector analysis, free body diagrams, equilibrium of particles and rigid bodies, particle and general rigid body motion, work/energy, impulse and momentum methods.

EGN 1004L. First Year Engineering Laboratory (1). An emphasis on student time management, a variety of products and processes, and computer-aided problem solving. Product/process involves sketching and drawing pertinent diagrams by hand, and learning the history and engineering concepts involved.

EGN 2123. Computer Graphics for Engineers (2). Prerequisite: MAC 2311. Course covers principles of engineering graphics: visualization, spreadsheet applications, graphical calculus, and descriptive geometry. Also introduces the engineering design process and CAD systems.

EGN 3613. Principles of Engineering Economy (2). Prerequisite: MAC 2313. An emphasis on discrete cash flow diagrams, cash flow equivalence factors, standard criteria for comparing project proposals, special cash flow topics, special analysis, and case studies.

EML 3100. Thermodynamics (2). Prerequisites: MAC 2312; PHY 2049. An introduction to engineering thermodynamics; basic concepts, properties of pure substances, work and heat; first and second laws of thermodynamics, closed and open systems, formulations, engineering applications.

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