Engineering (Automotive, Mechanical, Systems, Robotics & Electrical Systems)


Faculty Honors Advisors

Nathan Johnson

About this opportunity

The BSE Program in Engineering at The Polytechnic School focuses on project-based and hands-on curriculum to solve real-world challenges through student, faculty and industry collaborations. Our programs prepare students to be creative problem solvers who help shape the future. Students collaborate in teams to design, manufacture and deliver innovative technological products and services.

Students have the flexibility to choose a disciplinary focus that allows them to tailor their education to achieve their individual career and life goals.

Students must declare a concentration before the end of Term 4 in the major map. Concentration options are:

Engineering students in this program also select a Secondary Focus Area. They can create their own area or select from the following: 

  • Aviation Management Technology 
  • ERM: Environment and Resource Management (also available as a minor) 
  • GIT: Graphic Information Technology 
  • Humanitarian Engineering 
  • Manufacturing Engineering 
  • TEM: Technological Entrepreneurship and Management 
  • Energy Systems 
  • History of Technology 
  • Business 
  • Global Management (4+1 candidates only) 

 

Thesis

The honors thesis should represent a body of work performed independently by the student or a small team of students under the guidance of a faculty mentor who will serve as Thesis Director. The thesis director is a full time faculty member and adjunct faculty, faculty associates or other qualified professionals may join the thesis as Second Committee Members. Honors research, applied projects, and thesis writing is work performed above and beyond the normal coursework required for the BS degree. The senior capstone design project or other projects done as a normal part of a course are not eligible to be used as the honors research.

Academic Preparation

Students can look at Engineering research themes within The Polytechnic School for potential thesis topic areas, and also the corresponding list of Engineering faculty for potential mentors. 

Thesis work typically starts junior or senior year, and students may be expected to have completed certain upper-level courses in the topic as guided by their thesis director. Honors courses EGR 492 and EGR 493 are taken for thesis work with Engineering faculty. 

Recommended Timeline

Students should start working on honors credits and getting involved with undergraduate research early in their academic career. Students commonly reach out to faculty during their junior year to finalize thesis project ideas. Some projects take more time, some less time, depending on thesis topic and time availability of the student. Please plan well in advance to speaking with faculty abut working together on a thesis. 

Other Honors Opportunities

Most courses in EGR are offered for honors credit through the honors enrichment contract. Students wishing to receive honors credit should confer with the course instructor at the beginning of the semester in order to develop a mutually acceptable plan for the honors contract activity. Most honors contracts involve either a project that extends the ideas and techniques covered in the course or outside research on topics relevant to the course work. 

Courses that are part of the Engineering Projects in Community Service program will automatically count for honors credit.

In addition, students admitted to the Grand Challenge Scholars Program will automatically earn honors credit for the program’s required courses GCS courses. 

College

Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

Campus

Polytechnic

Academic Unit

The Polytechnic School