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Program Description
To address design responsibilities necessary for engineering graduates, the engineering design minor develops design skills in students through a series of core project-based design courses supplemented by general electives in their discipline or related field. Through team-based projects, students apply engineering design processes to address design opportunities, from exploration of the problem space through exploration of the solution space. By focusing on different elements of a design process (e.g., defining and exploring the problem vs. identifying, prototyping, and evaluating design solutions), but covering in totality, the minor’s courses complement each other and provide students with a deeper understanding of engineering design. Specific areas of emphasis in this minor include problem framing, stakeholder engagement, human-centered design, rapid prototyping, prototyping to validate assumptions, systems-level design and professional communication. The tools and techniques developed in this minor should be broadly applicable to various engineering disciplines.
What is Engineering Design?
Engineering Design is based on the concept of integrating ideas, disciplines, people, and resources within engineering and beyond that are necessary to achieve optimal design solutions for products, systems, processes, and services.
You Might Like This Program If...
- You are interested in learning about new design methods.
- You would like to learn more about interdisciplinary applications of design such as sustainability, innovative design, design for human variability, global design, and affective design.
- You are interested in interdisciplinary integrated design involving two or more distinct fields of knowledge.
- You would like to develop a portfolio of your design projects.
Entrance to Minor
For admission into the minor, students must have completed EDSGN 100 and EDSGN 367.
Program Requirements
| Requirement | Credits |
|---|---|
| Requirements for the Minor | 18 |
Requirements for the Minor
A minimum of 18 credits is required for completion of the minor with no fewer than 9 credits at the 400-level or above.
A grade of C or better is required for all courses in the minor, as specified by Senate Policy 59-10. In addition, at least six credits of the minor must be unique from the prescribed courses required by a student's major(s).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Prescribed Courses | ||
| Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| EDSGN 100 | Cornerstone Engineering Design | 3 |
| EDSGN 367 | Design Thinking and Making | 3 |
| EDSGN 467 | Prototyping to Launch | 3 |
| EDSGN 485 | Engineering Design Portfolio | 1 |
| Additional Courses | ||
| Additional Courses: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| Select 6-8 credits from the following courses: | 6-8 | |
| Summers by Design: An International Engineering Design Experience | ||
| Projects in Humanitarian Engineering | ||
| Design for Developing Communities | ||
| Introduction to Design for Additive Manufacturing | ||
| Engineering Design and Analysis with CAD | ||
| Research Project | ||
| Independent Studies | ||
| Project Management for Professionals | ||
| Entrepreneurial Leadership | ||
| Technology-Based Entrepreneurship | ||
| Leadership Principles | ||
| Leadership in Organizations | ||
| Leadership of International Virtual Engineering Teams | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas | ||
| Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better | ||
| None specified. In consultation with the minor director, students may receive up to 2 course credits for an approved course in support of their engineering design minor. | 0-2 | |
Academic Advising
The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.
Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.
READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY
University Park
Elizabeth Starkey
Assistant Teaching Professor of Engineering Design
322 Engineering Design and Innovation Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-2952
ems413@psu.edu
Career Paths
Careers
Penn State students with a Minor in Engineering Design have been successful in establishing careers in a wide variety of engineering, research, and education fields.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES WITH A MINOR IN ENGINEERING DESIGN
Opportunities for Graduate Studies
Students interested in advancing their Engineering Design knowledge may be interested in the School of Engineering Design and Innovation's graduate offerings in Engineering Design or Engineering Leadership and Innovation Management or numerous other advanced engineering studies offered by the College of Engineering.
Contact
University Park
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING DESIGN AND INNOVATION
307 Engineering Design and Innovation Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-863-2587
sedicourses@psu.edu