College of Engineering

Gary A. Gabriele,  Ph.D., Dean

Gerard F. "Jerry" Jones, Ph.D.,  Associate Dean, Academic Affairs

Stephen Jones, Ph.D., Associate Dean, Student and Strategic Programs

Alfonso Ortega, Ph.D., Acting Associate Dean, Graduate Studies and Research

Office: 310 CEER, tel. 610-519-4940

Website: www.engineering.villanova.edu

History

The second degree granting unit inaugurated at Villanova University was the College of Engineering, which began instruction in 1905 under the name of the School of Technology.  It was the fourth engineering program to be established at a Catholic school of higher education in the United States (after The Catholic University of America, 1896, Manhattan College, 1896, and the University of Notre Dame, 1897).  Dr. A.B. Carpenter, a graduate of Lehigh University, was hired in 1904 to organize and direct the School.  He was ably assisted by Rev. James J. Dean, a young faculty member in the sciences.  It was their responsibility to develop the curricula, hire faculty and plan the facilities needed. Programs in Civil and Electrical Engineering were the first to be initiated, with a total of twelve students enrolled.  In 1908, an undergraduate program in Mechanical Engineering was established; and in 1909, the first engineering bachelor’s degrees were awarded.  An undergraduate program in Chemical Engineering was established in 1919.  In the years following the Second World War, the College expanded its degree offerings to the masters level, establishing graduate programs in each of its four engineering departments.  A fifth undergraduate degree program in Computer Engineering was added in 1993.  A combined Bachelors/Masters Program is available in all programs.  In 2003, an Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program was instituted.  All of the College's undergraduate degree programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).  There are three research units in the College:  The Center for Advanced Communications (CAC), The Center for Nonlinear Dynamics and Control (CENDAC), and the Villanova Center for the Environment (VCE), a joint effort with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. 

Mission Statement

Villanova University’s College of Engineering is committed to an educational program that emphasizes technical excellence and a liberal education within the framework of the University's Augustinian and Catholic traditions. As a community of scholars, we seek to educate students to pursue both knowledge and wisdom, and to aspire to ethical and moral leadership within their chosen careers, their community, and the world.

We value a spirit of community among all members of the college that respects academic freedom and inquiry, the discovery and cultivation of new knowledge, and continued innovation in all that we do.

Objectives

The College of Engineering strives to prepare its graduates to understand their roles in and make constructive contributions to a technological society, and to provide ethical and moral leadership in their profession and communities.  These objectives are accomplished by various methods, but primarily by integrating into the curriculum the values and morality of the University’s Augustinian heritage.  In addition to being professionally competent, graduates are expected to have an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities, the impact on engineering solutions in a global and societal context, a knowledge of contemporary issues, and an appreciation of humanistic concepts in literature, the arts, and philosophy.

 The College pursues these objectives by stressing:

q    Excellence in teaching

q    Faculty development through research and professional activities

q    Emphasis on the design process so that the students are exposed to real-world situations

q    Graduating students with the following attributes:

o      Ability to apply scientific and mathematical concepts and principles to identify, formulate, and solve problems in  real-world context

o      Ability to plan and conduct experimental investigations, and to analyze and interpret their  results

o      Ability to be an effective member of a project team

o      Ability to communicate ideas and information

o      Understanding of the role of the engineering profession and technology, including appreciation of concepts drawn from the humanities and social sciences

o      Development of high professional and ethical standards

o      Motivation and capability to acquire, evaluate, and assimilate knowledge and continue the learning experience 

Degrees Offered

The College of Engineering offers full-time (day) academic programs 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, and Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

The undergraduate engineering programs offered by Villanova University are fully accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Degree Requirements

The undergraduate engineering curriculum provides the foundation for careers in engineering as well as the basis for further study in engineering and other professions such as law, medicine, and management.  Courses of study concentrate on mathematics, physics, chemistry, engineering science, and engineering analysis and design within a particular engineering discipline.

The curriculum places special emphasis upon developing oral and written communication skills, and it offers opportunities to develop an appreciation of the social sciences and humanities, and the flexibility to pursue minors.  Courses in the humanities are included in each curriculum to make the student engineer more fully aware of social responsibilities and better able to consider non-technical factors in the engineering decision making process.  Extensive hands-on laboratory experience leads to required projects for all seniors to ensure professional preparation in the fundamentals of the design process within the real constraints of problem solving. In order to qualify for a bachelor's degree in the College of Engineering, undergraduate engineering students must successfully complete all of the first year core curriculum courses, those major courses required for the particular engineering degree sought, and a series of electives, as indicated in the following sections.  They must also achieve cumulative overall and technical grade point averages of at least 2.00 in their course work.

Core Curriculum
for Students entering in Fall 2005 or later

Engineering Curriculum Elective Requirements in Humanities and Social Science

In addition to required Freshman Year courses and specified courses for each degree program, candidates for degrees in engineering must successfully complete 12 credits from the following:

q    THL 1050 Christian Theology: an Introduction or THL 1051 Christianity in History. This course is normally taken in Freshman Year as part of the Core Curriculum.

q    One 3-credit Theology course at the 2000 level or above.

q    Two additional 3-credit courses chosen from among the following: 

o      Theology courses at the 2000 level or above

o      Any Philosophy course

o      Any Peace and Justice course

o      ETH 2050 Ethical Traditions and Contemporary Life

o      EGR 2001 Engineering: The Humanistic Context. (This course is required in some programs. Students should consult adviser.)

Note:  one of these two 3 credit courses must be fulfilled by an Ethics course.  Refer to departments’ specific lists of Ethics courses for options.

Electives

All students select their remaining humanities and social science electives from among the courses listed in the University catalog and offered by the following departments.

 

Courses primarily emphasizing skills (such as acting, painting, sculpting, public speaking, etc.) are not acceptable.  Students should consult their Department Chair.

Declaration of Major

All engineering students are enrolled in a common freshman year curriculum with the exception of a second semester science requirement which is program dependent.  Prior to the end of their freshman year all engineering students are required to declare their major field of study, i.e., Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering.

Engineering students who wish to change their major within the College of Engineering must make this request in writing to the Dean of Engineering. Engineering students who wish to change their major to an area outside of engineering must apply for admission to the Dean of the college offering that program.

Degree Programs
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