School of Engineering
Contacts
Office: 135 Huang Engineering Center
Mail Code: 94305-4027
Phone: (650) 723-5984
Web Site: http://engineering.stanford.edu
Courses offered by the School of Engineering are listed under the subject code ENGR on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site.
The School of Engineering offers undergraduate programs leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science (B.S.), programs leading to both B.S. and Master of Science (M.S.) degrees, other programs leading to a B.S. with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in a field of the humanities or social sciences, dual-degree programs with certain other colleges, and graduate curricula leading to the degrees of M.S., Engineer, and Ph.D.
The school has nine academic departments: Aeronautics and Astronautics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Management Science and Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. These departments and one interdisciplinary program, the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering, are responsible for graduate curricula, research activities, and the departmental components of the undergraduate curricula.
In research where faculty interest and expertise embrace both engineering and the supporting sciences, there are numerous interdisciplinary research centers and programs within the school as well as several interschool activities, including the Army High Performance Computing Research Center, Biomedical Informatics Training Program, Center for Integrated Systems, Center for Work, Technology, and Organization, Collaboratory for Research on Global Projects, National Center for Physics-Based Simulation in Biology, Center for Position, Navigation, and Time, the Energy Modeling Forum, the NIH Biotechnology Graduate Training Grant in Chemical Engineering, and the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. Energy Resources Engineering (formerly Petroleum Engineering) is offered through the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences.
The School of Engineering's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (also known as "the d.school" ) brings together students and faculty in engineering, business, education, medicine, and the humanities to learn design thinking and work together to solve big problems in a human-centered way.
The Woods Institute for the Environment brings together faculty, staff, and students from the schools, institutes and centers at Stanford to conduct interdisciplinary research, education, and outreach to promote an environmentally sound and sustainable world.
Global Engineering Programs (GEP) offers a portfolio of international opportunities for Stanford engineering students. Current opportunities focus on self-designed engineering internships. These opportunities enhance engineering education by providing students with an opportunity to learn about technology and engineering in a global context, to build professional networks, and to gain real world experience in a culturally diverse and international environment. Need-based financial aid is available to undergraduate students to ensure that GEP programs are inclusive. GEP programs evolve each year so students are encouraged to check the GEP website regularly for updated opportunities and details including application deadlines.
Instruction in Engineering is offered primarily during Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters of the regular academic year. During the Summer Quarter, a small number of undergraduate and graduate courses are offered.
Undergraduate Programs in the School of Engineering
The principal goals of the undergraduate engineering curriculum are to provide opportunities for intellectual growth in the context of an engineering discipline, for the attainment of professional competence, and for the development of a sense of the social context of technology. The curriculum is flexible, with many decisions on individual courses left to the student and the adviser. For a student with well-defined educational goals, there is often a great deal of latitude.
In addition to the special requirements for engineering majors described below, all undergraduate engineering students are subject to the University general education, writing, and foreign language requirements outlined in the first pages of this bulletin. Depending on the program chosen, students have the equivalent of from one to three quarters of free electives to bring the total number of units to 180.
The School of Engineering's Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs is the definitive reference for all undergraduate engineering programs; it provides detailed descriptions of all undergraduate programs in the school, as well as additional information about extracurricular programs and services. Because it is revised in the summer, and updates are made to the web site on a continuing basis, the handbook reflects the most up-to-date information on School of Engineering programs for the academic year.
Accreditation
The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredits college engineering programs nationwide using criteria and standards developed and accepted by U.S. engineering communities. At Stanford, the following undergraduate programs are accredited:
Civil Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
In ABET-accredited programs, students must meet specific requirements for engineering science, engineering design, mathematics, and science course work. Students are urged to consult the School of Engineering Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs and their adviser.
Accreditation is important in certain areas of the engineering profession; students wishing more information about accreditation should consult their department office or the office of the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs in 135 Huang Engineering Center.
Policy on Satisfactory/No Credit Grading and Minimum Grade Point Average
All courses taken to satisfy major requirements (including the requirements for mathematics, science, engineering fundamentals, Technology in Society, and engineering depth) for all engineering students (including both department and School of Engineering majors) must be taken for a letter grade if the instructor offers that option: If in doubt about requirements, courses should always be taken for a letter grade.
For departmental majors, the minimum combined GPA (grade point average) for all courses taken in fulfillment of the Engineering Fundamentals requirement and the Engineering Depth requirement is 2.0. For School of Engineering majors, the minimum GPA on all engineering courses taken in fulfillment of the major requirements is 2.0.
Admission
Any students admitted to the University may declare an engineering major if they elect to do so; no additional courses or examinations are required for admission to the School of Engineering. All students admitted to Stanford as undergraduates can have pathways to success in any engineering major at Stanford.
First Year Advice
For first year students thinking about getting started in engineering or other STEM majors, the School of Engineering has a simple online tool called the Roadmap which suggests which courses might be appropriate to take in the first year. In addition, the one-unit Autumn course, course - Want to Be an Engineer?, offers a broad exposure to STEM majors within and outside of the School of Engineering. Faculty present an overview of their program and where study of that topic might lead. Other courses that might be of interest are the IntroSems and Engineering Fundamentals (for a list and areas where they might apply to a major program go to Exploring Engineering on the UGHB website).
Recommended Preparation
Freshman
Students who plan to enter Stanford as freshmen and intend to major in engineering are advised to take the highest level of mathematics offered in high school. (See the AP Credit section of this bulletin for information on advanced placement in mathematics.) High school courses in physics and chemistry are strongly recommended, but not required. Additional elective course work in the humanities and social sciences is also recommended. Alternately, these courses can be taken after arrival at Stanford, and the best advice would be to begin early and have a detailed plan for completing requirements worked out.
Transfer Students
Students who do the early part of their college work elsewhere and then transfer to Stanford to complete their engineering programs should follow an engineering or pre-engineering program at the first school, selecting insofar as possible courses applicable to the requirements of the School of Engineering, that is, courses comparable to those mentioned under the Majors tab. In addition, students should work toward completing the equivalent of Stanford's foreign language requirement and as many of the University's General Education Requirements (GERs) as possible before transferring. Some transfer students may require more than four years (in total) to obtain the B.S. degree. However, Stanford affords great flexibility in planning and scheduling individual programs, which makes it possible for transfer students, who have wide variations in preparation, to plan full programs for each quarter and to progress toward graduation without undue delay.
Transfer credit is given for courses taken elsewhere whenever the courses are equivalent or substantially similar to Stanford courses in scope and rigor. The policy of the School of Engineering is to study each transfer student's preparation and make a reasonable evaluation of the courses taken prior to transfer by means of a petition process. Inquiries may be addressed to Darlene Lazar at dlazar@stanford.edu, in the Office of Student Affairs in 135 Huang Engineering Center. For more information, see the transfer credit section of the Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs.
Degree Program Options
In addition to the B.S. degrees offered by departments, the School of Engineering offers two other types of B.S. degrees:
Bachelor of Science in Engineering (see subplan majors listed below)
Bachelor of Science for Individually Designed Majors in Engineering (IDMEN)
There are six Engineering B.S. subplans that have been proposed by cognizant faculty groups and approved by the Undergraduate Council:
The B.S. for an Individually Designed Major in Engineering has also been approved by the council.
Curricula for majors are offered by the departments of:
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Bioengineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Management Science and Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Curricula for majors in these departments have the following components:
36-45 units of mathematics and science (see Basic Requirements 1 and 2 at the end of this section)
Engineering fundamentals (two-three courses minimum, depending up individual program requirements; see Basic Requirement 3)
Technology in Society (TIS) (one course minimum, see Basic Requirement 4)
Engineering depth (courses such that the total number of units for Engineering Fundamentals and Engineering Depth is between 60 and 72)
ABET accredited majors must meet a minimum number of Engineering Science and Engineering Design units; (see Basic Requirement 5)
Consult the Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs for additional information.
Dual Degree Programs
A Stanford undergraduate may work simultaneously toward two bachelor's degrees or toward a bachelor's and a master's degree, that is, B.A. and M.S., B.A. and M.A., B.S. and M.S., or B.S. and M.A. The degrees may be granted simultaneously or at the conclusion of different quarters. Five years are usually required for a dual or coterminal program or for a combination of these two multiple degree programs. For further information, inquire with the School of Engineering's student affairs office, 135 Huang Engineering Center, or with department contacts listed in the Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs.
Dual B.A. and B.S. Degree Program—To qualify for both degrees, a student must:
complete the stated University and department requirements for each degree
complete 15 full-time quarters (3 full-time quarters after completing 180 units)
complete a total of 225 units (180 units for the first bachelor's degree plus 45 units for the second bachelor's degree)
Coterminal Bachelor's and Master's Degree Program
A Stanford undergraduate may be admitted to graduate study for the purpose of working simultaneously toward a bachelor's degree and a master's degree, in the same or different disciplines. To qualify for both degrees, a student must:
complete, in addition to the units required for the bachelor's degree, the number of units required by the graduate department for the master's degree which in no event is fewer than the University minimum of 45 units
complete the requirements for the bachelor's degree (department, school, and University) and apply for conferral of the degree at the appropriate time
complete the department and University requirements for the master's degree and apply for conferral of the degree at the appropriate time
A student may complete the bachelor's degree before completing the master's degree, or both degrees may be completed in the same quarter.
Procedure for Applying for Admission to Coterminal Degree Programs
Stanford undergraduates apply to the pertinent graduate department using the University coterminal application. Application deadlines and admissions criteria vary by department, but in all cases the student must apply early enough to allow a departmental decision at least one quarter in advance of the anticipated date of conferral of the bachelor's degree.
Students interested in coterminal degree programs in Engineering should refer to our departments' sections of this bulletin for more detailed information. The University requirements for the coterminal master's degree are described in the Coterminal Master's Degrees section of this bulletin.
Graduate Programs in the School of Engineering
Admission
Application for admission with graduate standing in the school should be made to the graduate admissions committee in the appropriate department or program. While most graduate students have undergraduate preparation in an engineering curriculum, it is feasible to enter from other programs, including chemistry, geology, mathematics, or physics.
For further information and application instructions, see the department sections in this bulletin or the Graduate Graduate Admissions section of this bulletin. Stanford undergraduates may also apply as coterminal students; details can be found under "Undergraduate Degree Programs" on the School of Engineering website.
Fellowships and Assistantships
Departments and divisions of the School of Engineering award graduate fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships each year.
Curricula in the School of Engineering
For further details about the following programs, see the department sections in this bulletin.
Related aspects of particular areas of graduate study are commonly covered in the offerings of several departments and divisions. Graduate students are encouraged, with the approval of their department advisers, to choose courses in departments other than their own to achieve a broader appreciation of their field of study. For example, most departments in the school offer courses concerned with nanoscience, and a student interested in an aspect of nanotechnology can often gain appreciable benefit from the related courses given by departments other than her or his own.
Departments and programs of the school offer graduate curricula as follows:
Aeronautics and Astronautics
Aeroelasticity and Flow Simulation
Aircraft Design, Performance, and Control
Applied Aerodynamics
Autonomy
Computational Aero-Acoustics
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Computational Mechanics and Dynamical Systems
Control of Robots, including Space and Deep-Underwater Robots
Conventional and Composite Materials and Structures
Decision Making under Uncertainty
Direct and Large-Eddy Simulation of Turbulence
High-Lift Aerodynamics
Hybrid Propulsion
Hypersonic and Supersonic Flow
Micro and Nano Systems and Materials
Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
Navigation Systems (especially GPS)
Optimal Control, Estimation, System Identification
Sensors for Harsh Environments
Space Debris Characterization
Space Environment Effects on Spacecraft
Space Plasmas
Spacecraft Design and Satellite Engineering
Turbulent Flow and Combustion
Bioengineering
Biomedical Computation
Biomedical Devices
Biomedical Imaging
Cell and Molecular Engineering
Regenerative Medicine
Chemical Engineering
Applied Statistical Mechanics
Biocatalysis
Biochemical Engineering
Bioengineering
Biophysics
Computational Materials Science
Colloid Science
Dynamics of Complex Fluids
Energy Conversion
Functional Genomics
Hydrodynamic Stability
Kinetics and Catalysis
Microrheology
Molecular Assemblies
Nanoscience and Technology
Newtonian and Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics
Polymer Physics
Protein Biotechnology
Renewable Fuels
Semiconductor Processing
Soft Materials Science
Solar Utilization
Surface and Interface Science
Transport Mechanics
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Atmosphere/Energy
Environmental Engineering
Geomechanics
Structural Engineering
Sustainable Design and Construction
Computational and Mathematical Engineering
Applied and Computational Mathematics
Computational Biology
Computational Fluid Dynamics
Computational Geometry and Topology
Computational Geosciences
Computational Medicine
Data Science
Discrete Mathematics and Algorithms
Numerical Analysis
Optimization
Partial Differential Equations
Stochastic Processes
Uncertainty Quantification
Financial Mathematics
Computer Science
See the Stanford Computer Forum for additional information.
Algorithmic Game Theory
Algorithms
Artificial Intelligence
Autonomous Agents
Biomedical Computation
Compilers
Complexity Theory
Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience
Computational Biology
Computational Geometry and Topology
Computational Logic
Computational Photography
Computational Physics
Computational Social Science
Computer Architecture
Computer Graphics
Computer Security
Computer Science Education
Computer Sound
Computer Vision
Crowdsourcing
Cryptography
Database Systems
Data Center Computing
Data Mining
Design and Analysis of Algorithms
Distributed and Parallel Computation
Distributed Systems
Education and Learning Science
Electronic Commerce
Formal Verification
General Game Playing
Haptic Display of Virtual Environments
Human-Computer Interaction
Image Processing
Information and Communication Technologies for Development
Information Management
Learning Theory
Machine Learning
Mathematical Theory of Computation
Mobile Computing
Multi-Agent Systems
Nanotechnology-enabled Systems
Natural Language and Speech Processing
Networking and Internet Architecture
Operating Systems
Parallel Computing
Probabilistic Models and Methods
Programming Systems/Languages
Robotics
Robust System Design
Scientific Computing and Numerical Analysis
Sensor Networks
Social and Information Networks
Social Computing
Ubiquitous and Pervasive Computing
Visualization
Web Application Infrastructure
Electrical Engineering
See EE Research at Stanford: The Big Picture for additional information.
Biomedical Devices, Sensors and Systems
Biomedical Imaging
Communications Systems
Control and Optimization
Data Science
Electronic Devices
Embedded Systems
Energy Harvesting and Conversion
Energy-Efficient Hardware Systems
Information Theory and Applications
Integrated Circuits and Power Electronics
Machine Learning
Mobile Networking
Nanoelectronic Devices and NanoSystems
Nanotechnology and NEMS/MEMS
Photonics, Nanoscience and Quantum Technology
Secure Distributed Systems
Signal Processing and Multimedia
Societal Networks
Software Defined Networking
Management Science and Engineering
Algorithms
Computational Social Science
Decision and Risk Analysis
Energy and Environment
Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Health Systems Modeling and Policy
National Security Policy
Networks
Operations Management
Optimization
Organizational Science and Theory
Quantitative Finance
Stochastic Systems
Strategy
Materials Science and Engineering
Biomaterials
Computational Materials Science
Electrical and Optical Behavior of Solids
Electron Microscopy
Fracture and Fatigue
Imperfections in Crystals
Kinetics
Magnetic Behavior of Solids
Magnetic Storage Materials
Nanomaterials
Photovoltaics
Organic Materials
Phase Transformations
Physical Metallurgy
Solid State Chemistry
Structural Analysis
Thermodynamics
Thin Films
X-Ray Diffraction
Mechanical Engineering
Biomechanics
Combustion Science
Computational Mechanics
Controls
Design of Mechanical Systems
Dynamics
Environmental Science
Experimental Stress and Analysis
Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics
Finite Element Analysis
Fluid Mechanics
Heat Transfer
High Temperature Gas Dynamics
Kinematics
Manufacturing
Mechatronics
Product Design
Robotics
Sensors
Solids
Thermodynamics
Turbulence