Concentrations

Explore undergraduate degree programs and options.

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Concentrations

Explore undergraduate degree programs and options.

Program Goals

Concentrations offered by the School of Engineering are designed with four aims in mind:

  • To prepare graduates for professional practice in engineering, for graduate school, or to use their engineering expertise in non-technical fields
  • To enable graduates to work across disciplinary boundaries
  • To provide students with a wide range of options from which to construct a program
  • To enable students to combine their engineering programs with Brown's rich offerings in the arts, humanities and social sciences

Students may choose from several Sc.B. degree programs, which are intended to prepare graduates for professional practice or graduate school in engineering and science. Alternatively, they may elect to pursue an A.B. program, which is designed to allow graduates to combine their engineering studies with other interests. The A.B. engineering degree is an excellent foundation for careers in entrepreneurship, technology management, public service, architecture, teaching, or patent law, among many others.

Program Structure

All Brown's engineering degree programs share a similar structure:

  • The Engineering Core: During freshman and sophomore year, students take foundation courses in several engineering disciplines, together with courses in computer science, mathematics, and physical and life sciences. The core is intended to prepare graduates to work across disciplinary boundaries, and to help students to decide on an area of specialization. Students choose their degree option ('Concentration') at the end of their sophomore year. Please see the University Bulletin for degree requirements.
  • Specialization: The Sc.B. degrees include a set of six or seven specialized courses in an engineering discipline. At least one of these must be a 'capstone' course in which students complete a major realistic design or research project. A.B. degree candidates take at least two specialized courses, and also have the option of completing a capstone course.

The Sc.B. programs in Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Materials Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET http://www.abet.org/

Concentrations

Engineering Physics

The Sc.B. degree in engineering and physics is offered jointly by the School of Engineering and the Department of Physics. It enables students to craft a program that combines both disciplines, and provides an excellent foundation for a research career.
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Bachelor of Arts

The A.B. degree enables students to combine a rigorous and interdisciplinary foundation in engineering with the diverse opportunities offered by Brown's liberal arts curriculum. With only ten required courses, it provides the most flexibility.
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Other degree options

  • Combined A.B./Sc.B. degree: Students who wish to earn a combined A.B. and Sc.B. degree may do so in a five-year program in which work for both degrees proceeds concurrently.
  • Brown-Rhode Island School of Design dual degree program: Students may receive a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree from Brown and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree from RISD. The program is five years in length. An engineering A.B. and RISD B.F.A. provides a particularly strong preparation for industrial design or architecture.