General Engineering Major

While part of the General Engineering program, students complete three different types of courses:

First-Year: the required change of major courses for a restricted engineering degree, which include two semesters of calculus, one semester of English, and two semesters of foundations of engineering.

ENGE: courses that help fill out the foundational engineering experience, including global engineering, major exploration, engineering success skills, as well as ideation and innovation, and more.

Pathways to General Education: required courses that count towards the university's general education requirement. Students learn about important human challenges and contemporary problems of the 21st century.

Typical First-Year Courses

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

*CHEM 1045: General Chemistry Lab is often moved to the spring semester due to capacity constraints. For students interested in Chemical Engineering (CHE), it's very important to take CHEM 1035 and 1045 in the first fall semester to stay on track towards a 4-year graduation timeline.

The College of Engineering change of major required courses for a restricted engineering degree are ENGE 1215; ENGE 1216; ENGL 1105; MATH 1225; and MATH 1226. Although CHEM 1035, CHEM 1045, ENGL 1106, and PHYS 2305 are no longer change of major requirement courses, they may still be necessary for degree progression and completion. Consult the graduation requirements for your engineering majors of interest for degree requirements. Pathway Electives and/or additional courses are not required to declare a restricted engineering major, but may be necessary to remain on-track for specific disciplines.

If you are expecting transfer credit, you must send all official score reports and transcripts to Virginia Tech. Also, there are equivalency charts, guides, and databases to help you determine if your credit will transfer to Virginia and how it applies to your intended major.

Engineering Education (ENGE)

ENGE 1215 and 1216: Foundations of Engineering
A first-year sequence to introduce general engineering students to the engineering profession, including data collection and analysis, engineering, problem-solving, mathematical modeling, design, contemporary software tools, professional practices and expectations (e.g. communication, teamwork, ethics), and the diversity of fields and majors within engineering.

ENGE 1354: Introduction to Spatial Visualization
Spatial thinking skills contribute to performance in many STEM fields. For example, drawing sectional views of three-dimensional objects is an essential skill for engineering students. There is considerable variation in spatial thinking skill in normal populations, putting some students at risk for compromised performance in engineering classes. Counterbalancing these individual differences is evidence that spatial thinking skills can be improved through training and experience. The Spatial Visualization Course at VT integrates three pedagogical strategies - innovative classroom instruction, cognitive-based spatial visualization training, and manipulation of physical objects to improve performance gains and transfer. Through the curricula students learn and practice outdoor free-hand sketching, design graphics, CAD and prototyping techniques. The instructor applies a student-centered approach, empowering students to take ownership of their learning and their end of semester design creations.

ENGE 1644: Global Engineering Practice
Develop global competencies, especially communication and leadership, in engineering contexts. Learn about the impact of different political, technological, social, cultural, educational and environmental systems on engineering. Integrates semester-long on-campus module with international module following semester exams ("Rising Sophomore Abroad Program").

ENGE 2094: Create!: Ideation and Innovation
One of the introductory courses for the Innovate minor
Apply problem solving framing strategies as part of problem solving design processes. Consider cultural, economic, social, and other perspectives in customer discovery and design processes in order to ensure problem/solution fit. Ideate possible solutions or approaches to address open- ended problems using a variety of methods. Engage in iterative critiques of strategies, solutions and prototypes using methods drawn from industrial design, engineering and the arts. Collaborate in interdisciplinary and diverse project teams. Communicate deliverables in multiple formats and for different audiences. Identify and address impacts of designed services and products through global perspectives, such as patterns of inclusion and exclusion and effects on localized ecosystems.

ENGE 2514: Introduction to Engineering with Labview
Introduces engineering computation and control using the Labview graphical programming language and the text/ matrix-based (and MATLAB compatible) MathScript programming language. Topics include algorithm development, flowcharts, pseudocode, programming control structures, structured programming, object oriented programming (OOP), data-flow programming, data acquisition, analysis and device control.

General Education (Pathways)

All Virginia Tech students will complete a general education curriculum, known as the Pathways to General Education. Within the Pathways requirements students will complete courses in seven concept areas, outlined below. Some courses required as part of the engineering curriculum will satisfy Pathways requirements and are outlined in the table below. The remaining Pathway courses are each student's choice are referred to as Pathway Electives. Many students will take at least one Pathways Elective course in their first year, however, this is not required. These requirements must be met by the time a student graduates.

PATHWAY TO GENERAL EDUCATION

Discourse

Foundational: Fulfilled with ENGL 1105 and 1106

Advanced: Major Choice

Critical Thinking in the Humanities

All Majors: Student's Choice

Reasoning in the Social Sciences

AE, MSE, OE: require ECON 2005

CEM: requires ECON 2005-2006

All other majors: Student's Choice

Reasoning in the Natural Sciences

Fulfilled with CHEM 1035/1045 and PHYS 2305 or PHYS 2305 and PHYS 2306

Quantitative and Computational Thinking

Foundational: Fulfilled with MATH 1225-1226

Advanced (CS): Fulfilled with CS 3114

Advanced (All other majors): Fulfilled with MATH 2214

Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts

Arts: Student's Choice

Design: Fulfilled with ENGE 1215-1216

Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States

All Majors: Student's Choice