Multidisciplinary Engineering, Bachelor of Science

In addition to University Requirements:

• 95 - 103 units of major requirements which includes 45 - 51 units of additional coursework or emphasis requirements

• Up to 9 units of major prefix courses may be used to satisfy General Studies Requirements; these same courses may also be used to satisfy major requirements.

• Elective courses, if needed, to reach an overall total of at least 120 units.

• For this major the General Studies prefixes are CENE, CS, EE, EGR, INF, ME.

Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.

Purpose Statement

The Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Engineering provides students learning opportunities in multiple engineering disciplines and complemented by other disciplines across campus. The program supports a customizable curriculum that includes a capstone experience focused on multi- and inter-disciplinary teamwork. Specific combinations of coursework are formulated in several named emphases that provide unique opportunities and inspires students to build their own unique engineering pathways.

The core of the program is a design sequence with loose commonality across most of NAU's engineering programs. All students, regardless of emphasis, engage in contextualized engineering design and project management courses. This core is supported by foundational math, computer science, and physics coursework. The design sequence also becomes the scaffolding for integrating and synthesizing coursework across several disciplines and content areas.

Students who do not select an emphasis area may work with either an advisor or a faculty mentor to select course work in the plan that supports their own personal engineering aspirations and interests. Students who get an MDE degree have many general engineering career opportunities. This includes areas such as engineering sales, engineering management, engineering communication, or an engineering technician.
 

With several distinctive emphasis areas, this program can also prepare students for roles as audio engineers, infrastructure engineers, and engineering generalists.

Student Learning Outcomes 

Student learning outcomes are aligned with the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC). We anticipate that all emphases will be accredited under the EAC under the "General Engineering" program criteria.

• Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
• Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
• Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
• Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
• Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
• Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
• Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Audio Engineering Emphasis

• Develop a specific audio processing technique or solution based on technical needs and artistic goals.
• Oversee the entire audio production process, from recording to mastering. Develop new techniques for audio production.

Energy Engineering Emphasis

• Design and conduct experiments to test the performance of energy-related devices or systems.
• Formulate new energy policies or strategies to address energy challenges.

Infrastructure Engineering Emphasis

• Break down complex infrastructure systems into their components to understand their interactions.
• Create a comprehensive plan for the construction and management of an infrastructure project.

Major Requirements

• This major requires 95 - 103 units distributed as follows:

  • Core Requirements: 50 - 52 units
  • Emphasis or Coursework Requirement - Select one: 45 - 51 units
    • Coursework Option: 50 units
    • Audio Engineering Emphasis Option: 45 - 46 units
    • Energy Engineering Emphasis Option: 47 units
    • Infrastructure Engineering Emphasis Option: 50 - 51 units

  
  Take the following 95 - 103 units:

• Core Requirements (50 - 52 units)

  • CHM 151, CHM 151L (5 units)
  • Select from the following (3 units):
    • CENE 186
    • EGR 186
  • MAT 136, MAT 137, MAT 238, MAT 239 (15 units)
  • PHY 161, PHY 161L, PHY 262 (7 units)
  • Select from the following (3 - 4 units):
    • CENE 286 (4 units)
    • EE 286 (3 units)
    • ME 286 (3 units) 
  • Select from the following (3 units):
    • CENE 225
    • STA 275
  • Select from the following (3 - 4 units):
    • CS 122 and CS 122L (3 units)
    • CS 126 and CS 126L (4 units)
    • INF 110 (3 units) 
  • Select from the following (3 units):
    • CENE 180
    • ME 180
  • Select from the following which meet the junior-level writing requirement. (3 units)
    • CENE 386W
    • EGR 333W
    • ME 386W
  • EGR 476C and EGR 486C which together meet the senior capstone requirement. (5 units) 

• Emphasis or Coursework Requirement - Select one (45 - 51 units)
  Students are encouraged to complete one of the emphasis areas below; however, no emphasis is required to complete the Multidisciplinary Engineering degree. Students electing not to complete an emphasis must complete the coursework option below.

• • Coursework Option (50 units)
    If electing not to complete an emphasis, complete the following advisor approved coursework. (50 units)

    • Additional CENE, CS, EE, or ME courses. (36 units) 
      • In consultation with your advisor, select either 18 units from two subject areas, or 12 units from three subject areas.
    • MDE Technical electives (14 units): 
      • In consultation with your advisor, select additional 200-level or higher AST, BIO, CENE, CHM, CS, CYB, EE, ET, GLG, GSP, INF, ITC, MAT, ME, MRE, PHY and STA courses
        • Excluding STA 270  

• • Audio Engineering Emphasis Option (45 - 46 units)

    • CS 105, CS 205, CS 136, CS 136L (6 units) 
    • CMF 106, CMF 121, CMF 135, CMF 226, CMF 251 (13 units)
    • Select from the following (2 - 3 units):
      • CMF 252 (2 units)
      • CMF 352 (3 units)
    • EE 110, EE 188, EE 188L, EE 280, EE 348, EE 364, EE 380 (24 units)  

• • Energy Engineering Emphasis Option (47 units)

    • CS 105 (1 units)
    • EE 110, EE 188, EE 188L, EE 280, EE 401, EE 402 (18 units) 
    • ME 252, ME 291, ME 392, ME 395, ME 450, ME 451 (18 units) 
    • CHM 152, CHM 152L (4 units) 
    • ECO 284, ECO 324 (6 units) 

• • Infrastructure Engineering Emphasis Option (50 - 51 units)

    • CENE 251, CENE 253, CENE 253L, CENE 333, CENE 336, CENE 376, CENE 420, CENE 471 (22 units)
    • CM 120, CM 123, CM 130, CM 260 (12 units)
    • GSP 201, GSP 414, GSP 420 (10 units)
    • Select from the following (3 - 4 units):
      • CENE 470 (3 units)
      • GSP 331 (4 units)
    • Select from the following (3 units)
      • PHI 105, PHI 331

General Electives

• Additional coursework is required if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit.

  You may take these remaining courses from any of the academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. You may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren't used to meet major, minor, or General Studies Requirements.
  
  We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you.

Additional Information

• Some courses may have prerequisites. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.