School of Engineering: More About the School

The School of Engineering's recipe for excellent engineering education is:

• Take students who have an aptitude and motivation for engineering study as well as general intellectual curiosity.
• Combine with high quality faculty, staff, facilities and equipment.
• Place in a personalized and caring learning environment.
• Make sure background in scientific principles, specialized engineering knowledge, and practical applications including laboratory work are well mixed.
• Provide outstanding instruction; practice of communication and teamwork skills; the challenge of undertaking realistic engineering projects; and the personal attention, guidance, and example of faculty and administrators. 
• Test frequently to ensure four-year curriculum is completely absorbed, and provide help when needed.
• Don't neglect development of professional, personal, and social values.
• Result: competent engineers, with qualities that are essential for the practice of engineering and service to the community. These engineers are well-prepared for both graduate study and lifelong learning in support of a professional career.

Much more detail can be found on the pages for individual degree programs: Civil Engineering (includes civil and environmental tracks), Electrical Engineering (includes computer and electrical track), Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Management, and Computer Science.

Students pursuing all these degrees begin their studies at the University of Portland as students in the School of Engineering--there is no pre-engineering and no "cut" between the sophomore and junior years.  Our goal is to graduate every student who starts in the program.

Many incoming freshmen are uncertain as to which major they'd like to study.  The curriculum is designed so that they don't have to decide when they enroll.  All students generally take the same courses during the first semester: EGR 110 - Introduction to Engineering, MTH 201 - Calculus I, PHY 204 - General Physics Lecture and Lab, PHL 150 - Introductory Philosophy, and THE 101 - An Introduction to Religion and Theology.  EGR 110 - Introduction to Engineering provides integration across all majors.  It also offers students the opportunity to learn more about specific majors in the school.  For engineering students, the first year's courses are the same--decision on a particular major does not need to be made until registration time for courses to be taken during your sophomore year.  If you opt for computer science as a major, your schedule of courses for the spring semester in the freshman year is slightly different from an engineering schedule.

To see sample curricula for the five degree programs offered, click on the following links: 

• Civil Engineering (civil track or environmental track)
• Electrical Engineering (computer track or electrical track)
• Mechanical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Engineering Management