Engineering
The Engineering degree program gives students the option to pursue new areas of engineering and interdisciplinary combinations of engineering and other fields. Each student in the Engineering degree program designs a concentration that has depth, breadth, coherence, and rigor and also satisfies the Olin College graduation requirements. All paths to graduation with the Engineering degree provide for all outcomes required by the ABET General Criteria.
Students submit a plan of study when they declare a major. The plan lists the courses the student intends to take to fulfill graduation requirements, and demonstrates that these courses (along with additional required courses) constitute a major in engineering that has depth, breadth, coherence, and rigor.
A set of predefined concentrations in Bioengineering, Computing, Design, and Robotics are provided below. Students may design their plan of study using one of these predefined concentrations or may create a new concentration that addresses their own interests. Students may choose a name for their self-designed concentration. This concentration name appears on the diploma but not on the official transcript.
The plan of study must be signed by the student’s advisor and two faculty members whose area of expertise is relevant to the proposed area of study (if the advisor’s area is relevant, the advisor can count as one of the two).
Plans of study are reviewed by faculty from the Curriculum Working Group. This group is responsible for checking the following criteria:
- Do the proposed courses constitute a major in Engineering that has breadth, depth, coherence and rigor?
- Do the faculty who approved the plan have relevant expertise? Should other faculty be consulted?
- Is the plan feasible based on a reasonable forecast of course offerings? The availability of faculty and other resources determines which classes are offered and their schedule, which may limit a student’s ability to complete a particular concentration.
- Is the plan comparable to the sample concentrations and previous student-designed concentrations? If a student-designed concentration is named, is the proposed name accurate and appropriate?
All course plans go through the same review process whether they are modeled after one of the sample concentrations or self-designed. The plan of study is provisional. If approved and completed, a student may use it to graduate. Minor substitutions may be made with advisor approval; substantive changes require approval of the Curriculum Working Group.
Engineering: Bioengineering (E:Bio)
Bioengineering is a broad field. As such, the concentration is meant to be an interdisciplinary one, rooted in engineering problem solving and a deep understanding of biology. Bioengineering subspecialties include areas such as medical devices, biomechanics, assistive technology, bioinformatics, cell and tissue engineering, neurotechnology, computational biology, drug delivery, medical imaging, and many more. The Engineering major with a concentration in Bioengineering (E:Bio) prepares students to approach problems important to biology, medical research, and clinical studies, regardless of the subspecialty they choose to pursue.
Students wishing to pursue the E:Bio concentration develop a program of study in consultation with bioengineering faculty. As Bioengineering encompasses many subspecialties, students will specify the Bioengineering focus area they are interested in on their course plan and choose courses that support their area of study. E:Bio course plans may include classes at Babson, Brandeis, Wellesley, or other institutions.
Some of the courses that may be included in an E:Bio course plan are listed below. Students take at least 4 credits of advanced Math and advanced Biology in addition to 16 or more credits of relevant Bioengineering courses.
E:Bio Bioengineering
Sixteen credits of coursework appropriate to the Bioengineering program of study form the core of a BioE focus. These courses may have the designation of 36xx (the Bioengineering prefix) but do not need to do so. They do not all need to be ENGR courses; however all students do have to meet the minimum number of engineering credits required for graduation. Relevant SCI classes (advanced Biology, relevant Physics, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computing courses that build relevant skills) can be used for certain Bioengineering subspecialties.
Example courses include:
| ENGR3232 | Biomedical Device Design | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3610 | Biomedical Materials | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3635 | Neurotechnology, Brains and Machines | 2 ENGR |
| MTH2135 | Neurotechnology, Brains and Machines | 2 MTH |
| ENGR3699 | Special Topics in Bioengineering | Variable Credits ENGR |
E:Bio Advanced Biology
Four credits of advanced Biology appropriate to the program of study, examples include:
| SCI2210 | Immunology | 4 SCI |
| SCI2214 | Microbial Diversity | 4 SCI |
| SCI2215 | Emerging Technologies in Cancer Research, Diagnosis and Treatmt w/ Laboratory | 4 SCI |
| SCI2299 | Special Topics in Biological Sciences | Variable Credits SCI |
SCI2299 Special Topics in Biological Sciences offerings may be used as advanced biology by petition only (often the registration materials will specify if it will satisfy; otherwise students should petition to have it count via their plan of study).
E:Bio Math
Four credits of advanced Mathematics appropriate to the program of study, examples include:
| MTH3120 | Partial Differential Equations | 4 MTH |
| MTH3170 | Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos | 4 MTH |
Engineering: Computing (E:C)
The Computing concentration integrates the study of computer science and software engineering within a broad interdisciplinary context. The E:C concentration offers significant flexibility, particularly with courses taken off-campus.
E:Computing - All of:
| ENGR2510 | Software Design | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3520 | Foundations of Computer Science | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3525 | Software Systems | 4 ENGR |
| or approved substitutions | |
E:Computing Electives
Eight additional credits in computing, examples include:
| ENGR3220 | User Experience Design | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3410 | Computer Architecture | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3540 | Complexity Science | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3590 | A Computational Introduction to Robotics | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3599 | Special Topics in Computing | Variable Credits ENGR |
| advanced computer courses at Babson, Brandeis, Wellesley, or study away institutions by petition | |
E:Computing Math
Engineering: Design (E:D)
E:Design is an interdisciplinary concentration emphasizing synthesis, processes, and methods of practice that blends engineering and Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Entrepreneurship (AHSE). The E: Design concentration prepares students to address important societal and environmental needs through design thinking.
E:Design students work closely with the design faculty at Olin to define individually customized programs of studies that meet Olin credit requirements. It remains the student’s responsibility to ensure that their program of study also meets the requirements for graduate programs or professional practice.
Courses used by a student to meet the Design General Requirements, such as the Design Depth requirement, may not simultaneously be used to meet the E:Design Core or Elective requirements.
E:Design Elective courses may be drawn from any area including AHSE, Engineering, Science, or Math. Students are strongly recommended to consider one or more AHSE courses to meet this requirement. Design Research may be accomplished through an Independent study course advised by design faculty. Design Research counts as Advanced Design.
E:Design courses may be drawn from cross registration or study away institutions with prior approval by design faculty. Note that courses at design schools will often meet the E:Design Elective requirement and not the E:Design Core requirement.
All E:Design programs of study should be consistent with the student’s educational goals and must contain sufficient depth, breadth, coherence, and rigor. All programs of study must receive prior approval by design faculty.
All E:Design programs of study must fulfill the General Graduation Requirements.
E:Design
Eight credits of approved Advanced Design courses; four credits may be met by Design Research
E:Design Electives
Sixteen credits of approved coursework appropriate to the program of study
Engineering: Robotics (E:Robo)
Robotics is a multi-disciplinary field. A student may have a passion for the software, sensing, mechanics, controls or integration aspects of robotics. All of these are equally a part of the field of Robotics. Olin’s Robotics concentration deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots and computer systems including actuation, control, sensory feedback and information processing, integrating significant technology from multiple disciplines, with a focus on the fusion of electrical, software, and mechanical engineering.
Students wishing to pursue the E:Robo concentration within the Engineering major must develop a specific program of study in consultation with robotics faculty members. In addition, a plan of study should contain both a statement of goals – including an explanation of focus area – and enough course material to support these goals. Robotics faculty members are available to help develop appropriate course selections.
E:Robo - Software, One of:
Four credits of coursework in software
Substitutions for Software Design may be made in consultation with appropriate faculty and added to a students plan of study.
E:Robo - Mechanical, One of:
Four credits of coursework in mechanical engineering
Appropriate courses in mechanical engineering typically include ENGR2340, Dynamics, or ENGR3370, Controls. Other mechanical engineering courses may be substituted if approved on a plan of study.
E:Robotics - One of:
Choose ENGR3390 or ENGR3590 based on a plan of study.
| ENGR3390 | Fundamentals of Robotics | 4 ENGR |
| ENGR3590 | A Computational Introduction to Robotics | 4 ENGR |
E:Robotics
| ENGR3392 | Robotics Systems Integration | 4 ENGR |
E:Robo Elective
Four additional credits of related coursework
E:Robo Math - One of:
Four credits of advanced Mathematics appropriate to the program of study.
| MTH2110 | Discrete Math | 4 MTH |
| MTH3120 | Partial Differential Equations | 4 MTH |
| MTH3170 | Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos | 4 MTH |
| or approved substitutions | |