Human-Centered Engineering Design, BSE

Your courses will provide a deep understanding of creative problem solving, the design process, design communication, art design, qualitative and quantitative research methods in need finding, usability engineering, human factors engineering, and prototyping, among other subjects.

You must choose a concentration from five options:

• Mechanical Engineering Design
• Electrical Engineering Design
• Software Engineering and HCI Design
• System Engineering Design
• Individualized Design

Human-centered engineering design is a hands-on design program. You’ll have at least one studio class per year, as well as project-based classes. More hands-on experiences are available in our internship, research, and study abroad programs. Check out the pages for these programs, and talk to your professors to learn more.

An accelerated 4+1 option lets you complete your bachelor’s and master’s degrees in human-centered engineering design in just five years, saving time and money. Junior and senior students in the accelerated program can take up to nine credits of graduate courses, which are counted toward both degrees. To be eligible for the 4+1 option, you must have completed at least 60 undergraduate credits in your human-centered engineering design program with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 and meet other requirements.

Consistent with providing a strong academic foundation in the field of Human-Centered Engineering, the program educational objectives for our graduates are: 

1.      To remain gainfully employed in Human-Centered Engineering Design related fields, 

2.      To continue to develop professionally, and

3.      To serve in leadership roles.

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies

BSE Human-Centered Engineering Design annual program student enrollment and graduation data is posted to the public on the College of Engineering and Computer Science website.