College of Engineering

Departments and Curricula

RICHARD J. KOUBEK, Bert S. Turner Professor; Dean

KELLY A. RUSCH, Formosa Plastics Corporation Endowed Professor of Engineering; Associate Dean of Research and Diversity

WARREN N. WAGGENSPACK, Jr., E. S. “Ned” Adler Memorial Endowed Professor; Associate Dean for Academic Programs

LISA LAUNEY
Assistant Dean

LISA B. FONTENOT
Counselor

BARBARA W. REONAS
Counselor

3304 Patrick F. Taylor Hall
225-578-5731
FAX 225-578-9162

Engineering is defined by the American Society for Engineering Education as “…the profession in which a knowledge of the mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience, and practice is applied with judgment to develop ways to utilize the materials and forces of nature economically for the benefit of mankind.” Consistent with this definition, the College of Engineering prepares individuals for professional careers in engineering research, development, design, operation, or management industry, business, education, and government. This preparation is accomplished through education in a chosen engineering discipline consisting of general education fundamentals and design, mathematics, physical and life sciences, English composition, the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The college also offers a degree in construction management that combines technical and business courses to produce construction industry professionals.

The College of Engineering includes seven degree granting departments, the Center for Geoinformatics, the Center for Rotating Machinery, the Hazardous Substance Research Center (South and Southwest), the Louisiana Transportation Research Center, the Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute, Energy Frontier Research Center, Gulf Coast Research Center for Evacuation and Transportation Resiliency, and the Turbine Innovation and Energy Research Center. The faculty is actively engaged in design, research, and problem solving in well-equipped facilities for research and teaching.

Degree Programs

The following undergraduate programs are offered by the College of Engineering:

Biological Engineering, BSBE
Chemical Engineering, BSCHE
Civil Engineering, BSCE
Environmental Engineering, BSEVE
Construction Management, BSCM
Industrial Engineering, BSIE
Electrical Engineering, BSEE
Computer Engineering, BSEE
Mechanical Engineering, BSME
Petroleum Engineering, BSPE

Proficiency Requirements

Mathematical proficiency is essential to engineers and to engineering education. Accordingly, students who plan to study engineering should schedule all appropriate mathematics courses available to them in high school. Placement tests are given to all incoming freshmen, and those who do not qualify to begin university mathematics at the level prescribed in the freshman engineering program cannot expect to complete requirements for a degree in the nominal length of time. Credit for mathematics courses preliminary to analytical geometry and calculus may not be applied toward the engineering degrees in the College of Engineering.

Proficiency in college-level mathematics and physics is essential to successful completion of upper-division engineering courses. Engineering students must earn a minimum grade of “C” in MATH 1550 , MATH 1552 , and PHYS 2101 before they enroll in any engineering course numbered above 2999. However, CE 3700 , IE 3201 , IE 4462 , and PETE 3025 may be taken.

English proficiency is defined as a grade of “C” or better in all required English courses in the student’s curriculum (ENGL 1001 and ENGL 2000 ).

More stringent requirements may be imposed by individual departments. Refer to the curricular requirements of each department.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the University does not constitute acceptance into the College of Engineering or into a particular curriculum within this college. Where enrollment may exceed the facilities of a department, it may be necessary to limit the size of the classes in that curriculum. In such cases, the department establishes criteria for admission with approval of the University administration.

Students may enter the college from University College or by transfer from another division of LSU or from another approved college or university.

Students in the LSU Center for Freshman Year who meet the following criteria will be admitted to the college:

24 or more semester hours of earned credit in courses numbered 1000 or above;
LSU and cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better;
credit in MATH 1550 with a grade of “C” or better.

Other students seeking admission from another division of LSU or by transfer from another college or university must also meet the above requirements. Students with more than 60 hours attempted will be considered for admission on the basis of the dean’s evaluation of the entire academic record. Students transferring from another institution must also meet university transfer admission requirements as detailed in this catalog in the Undergraduate Admissions chapter.

Transfer of Credit from Other Institutions

In this college, transfer credits accepted by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions shall be valid for degree credit only to the extent to which they satisfy courses in the curricula of the college. Transfer credits in junior and senior engineering courses will be accepted only if taken in programs accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

Credit in courses in which grades of “D” have been earned is not accepted for transfer toward the degree requirements, if the course is taken outside the LSU System. Students enrolled in this college who wish to obtain credits from other colleges or universities (including other campuses of the LSU System) and who plan to use such credits toward degree requirements should obtain prior approval in writing on a specific-course basis from the dean’s office.

Readmission

A student seeking readmission to this college must submit an application for admission. The dean, with recommendation of the department in which the student seeks admission, will determine whether readmission is granted and may prescribe the conditions for reinstatement.

Degree Requirements

It is the student’s responsibility to qualify for the bachelor’s degree by meeting these requirements:

Completing one of the established curricula–any substitutions from the curricula as published must have written approval of the department chair and the dean’s office.
Achieving a 2.00 average, as required by the University, for all work taken at LSU and on all work attempted at U.S. institutions.
Achieving a 2.00 average on all courses attempted in the major department at LSU and on all work attempted in the major field at U.S. institutions (with the exception of certain courses offered by the major departments for non-majors only). Civil engineering students must achieve a 2.00 average in all civil engineering (CE) and environmental engineering (EVEG) courses and on all work completed in the major field at U. S. institutions. Environmental engineering students must achieve a 2.00 average in all chemical engineering (CHE), civil engineering (CE), and environmental engineering (EVEG) courses and on all work completed in the major field at U.S. institutions. Industrial Engineering students must achieve a 2.0 average in all industrial engineering (IE) courses and construction management (CM 2141 and on all work completed in the major field at U.S. institutions).
Successfully completing a minimum of 30 hours of residence in the College of Engineering. These 30 hours are included in the University requirement that a minimum of 25 percent of the hours applied toward a degree be earned while in residence at the university. (These residence hours must include 15 hours of required major department courses or approved technical electives at the 3000 or 4000 level. Students must complete nine hours of these courses at the 4000 level in the major. The individual courses used to satisfy the residency requirement must be approved by the department chair.)
Initiating the checkout procedure with the departmental advisor in the semester prior to the one in which the degree is to be awarded. The checkout is completed only when approved by the dean’s office and the Office of the University Registrar.

General Education Requirements

All engineering and construction management majors must complete one arts course, three humanities courses, two social sciences courses, and one life science course from the approved general education list from their catalog of record and according to the major curriculum requirements. Specific major requirements are noted in the “College Survival Handbook” available in the dean’s office or online (www.eng.lsu.edu, see “Current Students”).

Requirements for Second Bachelor’s Degree

Students who hold one baccalaureate degree may wish to obtain a baccalaureate degree in engineering as a second degree. To do so, they must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours while enrolled in the department granting the second degree. In addition to the requirements of the first discipline, the student must satisfy all requirements for the second discipline, as shown in the curriculum.

They must attain a minimum 2.00 GPA average on all work scheduled while enrolled in the College of Engineering and on all work subsequent to receipt of the first degree. A student whose first degree was obtained else-where must also satisfy all the admission requirements of the college, as previously listed.

College Policy for “D” Grades and Repetition of Courses

Only those courses in which grades of “D” or “F” were earned may be repeated. Courses in which a grade of “F” were earned may be repeated only as allowed by the University as detailed in the “Undergraduate Degree Requirements” chapter of this catalog. A student who earns a “D” or “F” in a course in which a minimum grade of “C” is required must register for the course again in the next regular semester in which the student is enrolled and the course is offered. Students within 24 hours of graduation cannot duplicate sophomore-level courses in the major field.

Graduate Programs

The college offers the Master of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees through the Graduate School. The Master of Science program is mostly research oriented and emphasizes fundamental theory. It is offered in engineering science, agricultural, chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, and petroleum engineering. The Doctor of Philosophy degree is awarded in the fields of chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering, and engineering science. For additional information, consult the Graduate School • Professional Programs section.

Distance Program Credits

Distance Program courses to be used for degree credit must be approved by the office of the dean. Students must see a counselor in the Dean’s Office to enroll and establish a Dean’s Deadline for completion of the course. Consistent with university regulations, students may earn no more than one-fourth of the number of hours required for the bachelor’s degree through distance program courses. In addition, no more than six hours of credit earned through distance program study may be applied to a student’s general education requirement.

Students not registered in campus courses may enroll in distance program courses for degree credit; however, students who have been dropped from the University may not enroll in distance program courses for degree credit.

Students registered in the University may enroll in a maximum of 19 semester hours (21 would have to be approved by the Dean’s Office) of combined distance program and campus course work during a regular semester and a maximum of 12 hours during the summer. Only in exceptional cases will students be allowed to enroll in distance program course work during the semester they plan to graduate.

Minor Field Requirements (Optional)

A student may earn a minor in a second field. The specific requirements are determined by the department offering the minor. Students who plan to minor in a second field must see a counselor in the dean’s office to initiate the proper procedures. A student must earn a minimum 2.00 cumulative GPA in the minor field.

The Engineering Council

The Engineering Council is a college-wide student organization whose members are the elected representatives of the various professional and honorary student organizations. In addition to the general goal of bridging organizational gaps between the different departments, the Engineering Council sponsors several student activities including an engineering newsletter and the annual Engineers’ Week.

Special Programs

Career Services offers a cooperative education program in all curricula offered by the college. In some cases, course scheduling should be carefully coordinated with the department to ensure course availability. Students alternate periods of classroom attendance and employment, resulting in one year of work experience upon graduation. The Co-op Office will assist the student in obtaining employment in the student’s area of interest. Although it may delay graduation, the program is an excellent opportunity to explore career choices and integrate classroom theory with industry practices. While employed, the student must also register, for a nominal fee, to be considered formally affiliated with the University. For additional information concerning this cooperative program, please see “Career Services Center” in the section “Student Life.”

Phi Kappa Phi

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most selective honor society for all academic disciplines. Its chapters are on nearly 300 campuses in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. Each year, approximately 30,000 members are initiated. Some of the organization’s more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, writer John Grisham, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, and Netscape founder James Barksdale. The LSU chapter was founded in 1930 as the 43rd chapter in the nation. The mission of Phi Kappa Phi is to recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others. Phi Kappa Phi is unique because it recognizes superior scholarship in all academic fields, rather than restricting membership to a limited field.

Juniors in the top 7.5 percent and seniors and graduate students in the top 10 percent of their classes may be invited to become members of Phi Kappa Phi. New LSU Phi Kappa Phi members are initiated and honored in the spring semester each year and wear identifying ribbons on their academic gowns at commencement exercises. Additional information about the Society may be found at www.phikappaphi.org.

Departments and Curricula

All curricula meet the University general education requirements with explicit course requirements and approved electives.

In each curriculum, the courses that are to be used to fulfill the general education requirement are marked with an asterisk.

All technical electives must have approval of the chair of the engineering department in which the student registers. Under no circumstances may electives be chosen from remedial courses or courses that are preliminary to the first courses in engineering. Examples of such courses are MATH 1021 , MATH 1022 , PHYS 1100 , etc. Students are advised to check with their departments on the selection of these electives.

Programs

General Minor