| COLLEGE
OF ENGINEERING |
| |
| Dean: John Steadman (251) 460-6140 |
Director of Graduate Studies: Thomas G. Thomas, Jr.
(251) 460-6140 |
| Assistant
Dean: Robert C. Foley (251) 460-6140 |
| Associate Dean: James E. Laier (251) 460-6140 |
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College
of Engineering web site
http://www.southalabama.edu/engineering/ |
| |
| DEPARTMENTS
OF INSTRUCTION |
| Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering |
| Civil
Engineering |
| Electrical
and Computer Engineering |
| Mechanical
Engineering |
| |
| DEGREE
PROGRAMS OFFERED |
| The
College of Engineering offers programs of study
leading to the following degrees: |
| Bachelor
of Science in Chemical Engineering |
| Bachelor
of Science in Civil Engineering |
| Bachelor
of Science in Computer Engineering |
| Bachelor
of Science in Electrical Engineering |
| Bachelor
of Science in Mechanical Engineering |
| Master
of Science in Chemical Engineering |
| Master of Science in Civil Engineering |
| Master
of Science in Electrical Engineering |
| Master
of Science in Mechanical Engineering |
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| MISSION
STATEMENT |
| The
mission of the College of Engineering is to provide
students with quality, accessible undergraduate
and graduate engineering education, to prepare
graduates for professional careers and lifelong
learning, to promote the creation and dissemination
of knowledge, to serve society through professional
practice and community outreach and to act as
a catalyst for economic and technological development
of the Gulf Coast region, the State of Alabama
and the Nation. |
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| UNDERGRADUATE
PROGRAMS |
| Admission
to the University of South Alabama constitutes
admission to the College of Engineering for those
students wishing to major in engineering. Incoming
students should specify a particular discipline
in the College as a major as soon as practical in order to receive
proper counseling and pursue their engineering
course work. Transfer students must declare a
major and have all transfer credit evaluated by
the Admissions Office. The department chair will
approve transfer credit for engineering degree
credit except where substitutions are involved;
substitutions require the approval of the dean.
Transfer students are encouraged to have departmental
evaluations accomplished prior to their first
registration for classes. |
| Entering
freshmen students not adequately prepared to enter
the degree program may be required to take additional
preparatory course work. Such preparatory work
will not be counted toward the major degree program. |
| Students
must have the prerequisites for the courses in
which they enroll; students who enroll without
prerequisites are subject to administrative withdrawal. Prerequisites are satisfied by courses
taken either at South Alabama or by acceptable
transfer credit. Students not exempted from EH
101 will be required to take it as a prerequisite
to EH 102. |
| Today's
society is permeated by an extensive technology
that affects the lives of everyone. The engineering
function in this modern society-while basically
unchanged from the goal of using natural resources
for the betterment of mankind-has more far-reaching
and immediate consequences than ever before through
the social, economic, environmental, and political
reactions that follow technological developments. |
| The
engineering profession has recognized that to
fulfill the social as well as technical responsibilities
incumbent upon today's engineer, engineering graduates
must not only be technically competent, but must
also be as broadly educated as possible within
the allotted educational time period. To this
end, the College of Engineering strives to prepare
its students ultimately to assume their responsibilities
by providing technically sound programs of instruction
that incorporate a strong component in the humanities
and social sciences. Graduates are prepared to
take industrial positions, to assume positions
with government, or to pursue graduate studies. |
| Engineering
students may also qualify as premedical students
should they desire to apply for admission to medical
school. Students interested in medical careers
should consult with the Dean of the College of
Medicine. |
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| PROFESSIONAL
COMPONENT STANDING FOR UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM |
| All
departments in the College of Engineering require
Professional Component Standing (PCS) for most
300- and 400-level courses. PCS
is awarded by the appropriate department chair
when the student does the following: |
| 1. |
Completes
a required set of fundamental courses; |
| 2. |
Has at
least a 2.00 GPA (and a C-grade minimum
in all EE/CIS courses in the Computer Engineering
Degree) or "C" level competency
for certain departmentally specified courses
taken at the University of South Alabama (students in Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering must have grades of "C" or better in certain department specified courses);
and |
| 3. |
Has at
least a 2.00 GPA overall at the University
of South Alabama. |
|
| Students
who fail to maintain PCS
criteria will lose PCS
and may be required to take or repeat appropriate
courses as specified by the department chair to
correct their deficiencies and may not be permitted
to continue in the 300- and 400-level engineering
courses. See departmental policy statements for
additional details. |
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| DEGREE
REQUIREMENTS FOR A BACHELOR DEGREE |
| To
become a candidate for a Bachelor of Science degree
in one of the five major disciplines within the
College of Engineering, the student must satisfy
the general requirements of the University as
set forth in "Academic Policies and Procedures,"
and must have satisfactorily completed the program
of instruction specified by the major department.
In addition to these requirements, the Engineering
student must have at least a GPA of 2.00 or C-level
competency in all subjects taken in the student's
major department at the University of South Alabama. |
| A
transfer student must complete at least 32 hours
of approved upper-division courses with at least 16 hours in
the upper level of the student's major department
at the University of South Alabama. |
| Engineering
students must comply with the University's general
education requirements. In the area of Humanities
and Fine Arts, engineering students are required
to take a total of at least 9 semester hours with
a minimum of 3 semester hours in literature and
a minimum of 3 semester hours in the arts with
the remaining hours from the Humanities and Fine
Arts. In the area of History, Social, and Behavioral
Sciences, engineering students are required to
take at least 9 semester hours with a minimum
of 3 semester hours in history and a minimum of
3 semester hours from among the other disciplines
in the social and behavioral sciences. Engineering
students must take at least one 6 semester hour
in-depth sequence in either Humanities and Fine
Arts or History, Social, and Behavioral Sciences. |
| Engineering
students are required to take and make a "good
faith" effort to pass the Fundamentals of
Engineering examination prior to their anticipated
date of graduation. Students should be aware of
the 90-day advance deadline established by the
State Board of Registration for submission of
examination application materials. Failure to
meet the deadline could result in delayed graduation. |
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| HONORS PROGRAM IN ENGINEERING |
| To receive a designation of "Departmental Honors," students must have at least a 3.5 GPA at the time of graduation and complete an Honors Senior Project in their major. The Honors Senior Project requirement may be satisfied in either of two ways: |
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1. |
By completing a Senior Honors Project course that requires completion of a research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. |
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2. |
By completing a special honors design project as part of the capstone engineering design requirement under the guidance of a faculty mentor. |
It is required that there be both a written report and oral presentation of the results of the Honors Senior Project.
|
| Students participating in "Departmental Honors" may also elect to take University Honors Seminar and participate in other University Honors Activities upon recommendation of their major advisor. |
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| COMPUTER OWNERSHIP POLICY |
| College of Engineering undergraduate students will be required to own a personal laptop computer that conforms to the current college minimum standards by the time they enter engineering level courses. This is a one machine per student requirement. For more information consult the Computer Services link at www.southalabama.edu/engineering/. |
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| REQUIREMENTS
FOR MINORS IN DISCIPLINES OTHER THAN ENGINEERING |
| Engineering
students may complete a minor in disciplines other
than engineering. Students desiring to do so must
complete the published requirements for that discipline. |
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| CHOICE
OF BULLETIN FOR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE REQUIREMENTS |
| After
an absence of one calendar year or when transferring
into an engineering program, students must use
the Bulletin in effect at the time of readmission
or transfer, or a later version. No student may
use a Bulletin older than six years from
the date of graduation. |
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| COOPERATIVE
EDUCATION PROGRAM |
| The
College of Engineering also offers an attractive
five year cooperative Education Program. This
program allows the student to gain valuable engineering
experience as he or she pursues his or her degree.
The freshman year is spent as a full time student
at the university. During the sophomore and junior
years the student alternates working full time
with an excellent salary for one semester and
taking full time course work the next semester.
The student returns to school full time for the
senior year. |
| This
program offers many advantages for the student.
Interested students should consult with either
Career Services Center or the College of Engineering. |
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| MASTER'S PROGRAMS |
| The
College of Engineering offers programs leading
to degrees of Master of Science in Chemical, Civil, Electrical
and Mechanical Engineering. |
| The
programs of study are designed to provide knowledge
of modern engineering concepts and practices;
to prepare the graduate for the practice of engineering
at a higher level of proficiency than attainable
with the bachelor's degree; and to prepare the
graduate for further study toward the doctoral
degree should the graduate so desire. The
programs comprise course work and directed theoretical
and experimental inquiry in thesis or project
research. |
| Three plans of study are offered. The thesis option, the project option, and the course work only option. The thesis differs from the project in that the thesis is usually oriented toward original engineering research whereas the project is usually oriented toward engineering applications. The course work only option, while available to all graduate students, is particularly attractive to full time employed engineers that are interested in augmenting and enhancing their engineering skills as part time students. Courses are available in the evening to accommodate employed students. |
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| ADMISSION TO GRADUATE PROGRAMS |
| The
following criteria supplement the Graduate School
criteria (see Categories
of Admission) and are required for admission to all College of Engineering Master's Programs: |
| 1. |
Regular
Admission |
|
| |
a) |
A B.S. degree
in engineering in a relevant field from
an ABET accredited program. |
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b) |
A grade-point average of 3.0 or greater (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work is required. |
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c) |
For international students, a minimum score of 525 on the written Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a minimum of 197 on the computer version of the TOEFL is required. |
| 2. |
Provisional
Admission |
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a) |
A B.S. degree
in engineering or in a field acceptable to the departmental Graduate Admissions Committee is required. Depending on the student's background additional undergraduate preparatory courses may be required. These courses will not count toward the Master's degree. |
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b) |
A minimum grade-point average of 2.5 (A=4.0) on all undergraduate work including a minimum grade-point average of 2.5 over the last 64 course hours of undergraduate work is required. Alternatively, a minimum grade-point average of 2.75 over the last 64 course hours of undergraduate work is required. |
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c) |
For international students, a minimum score of 525 on the written Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a minimum of 197 on the computer version of the TOEFL is required. |
| 3. |
Non-degree Admission |
|
a) |
Non-degree
admissions are accepted in accordance with
Graduate School requirements. |
|
| Each
applicant will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee
of the appropriate department which may reserve
the right to evaluate additional credentials,
such as, but not limited to, course work taken,
letter of recommendation, etc. |
| At
the beginning of the first semester, international
students, except those who have earned a bachelor's
or graduate degree at an accredited United States
institution of higher learning, are given a foreign
language test by the University. Students with deficiencies
in English skills as assessed by the test, will
be required to take and successfully complete special English Communication ESL courses tailored
to Engineering. These courses will be in addition
to other requirements for the degree. |
| The
above are minimum requirements for admission. Specific requirements for admission differ for each department. For details, see the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program requirements. |
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| CHANGE
OF STATUS FROM PROVISIONAL TO REGULAR STANDING
WITHIN THE MASTER'S PROGRAMS |
| The following requirements are in addition to
the Graduate School requirements for change of
status: |
| Students
required to complete additional undergraduate
course work in partial fulfillment of the
requirements to advance from Provisional
Admission to Regular Admission must obtain
a minimum grade-point average of at least
3.00 on the total of all such required courses
with a grade of at least "C" in each course. |
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| DEGREE
REQUIREMENTS FOR A MASTERS DEGREE |
| The thesis option includes 6 hours of credit for the thesis. The project option includes 3 hours of credit for the project. The course work option requires credit only for graduate courses. Specific degree requirements differ for each department. For details, see the Master of Science in Chemical Engineering, Master of Science in Civil Engineering, Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program descriptions. |
| Required study includes coursework in a specific engineering discipline and course work in supporting areas. Supporting areas include mathematics, natural sciences, basic medical sciences, computer sciences, statistics, business, as well as engineering. |
| All students pursuing a thesis or project option are required to take a one semester hour course in research integrity as part of their engineering course work requirements. A maximum of six hours of directed study may be counted toward the degree. A maximum of six hours of thesis may be counted toward the degree. |
| All students must satisfactorily complete a comprehensive examination. Students failing this examination may try a second time not sooner than 12 weeks after the first attempt. Students failing the second time will be academically dismissed from the program. The thesis or project candidate must present a satisfactory oral defense of the written report. Should the student present an unsatisfactory defense, a second attempt will be allowed no sooner than 12 weeks after the first attempt. A second unsatisfactory defense will result in dismissal from the program. |
| An engineering senior at the University of South Alabama who has completed 96 semester hours with a GPA of 3.00 or better may, with approval of the Director of Graduate Studies, enroll in graduate engineering courses in accordance with Graduate School policies. See Graduate Study For Advanced Undergraduates. |
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