Engineering Core

• ENG EK 100: Freshman Advising Seminar
  This first-year experience course introduces students to Boston University, the College of Engineering, and the field of engineering. Students meet with faculty and student advisors and attend lectures to broaden their knowledge of the inner workings of the College and to gain a better understanding of engineering as a discipline and the ethical responsibilities of an engineer. Includes academic policies and special programs along with support services.
• ENG EK 103: Computational Linear Algebra
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK122) - This is a course on understanding, manipulating, and applying linear systems of equations and, more broadly, linear relationships between variables. The ideas and tools you will learn are immensely useful in a wide variety of application domains, including physics, engineering, big data, data visualization, and more. You will become familiar with vectors and matrices, linear systems of equations, vector spaces, inner products, eigenvectors and eigenvalues and the more general singular values. You will also learn to interpret matrices as linear transformations and to understand the geometrical interpretation for operations such as solving linear systems of equations and least-squares fitting of data to models. Throughout the course, the tools will be related to specific applications to show how linear algebra is used to solve real-world problems. Examples include Google's PageRank algorithm, cryptography, coding theory, genetics, bioinformatics, image compression, linear programming (optimization), networks, and Markov chains. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to CAS MA 142.
• ENG EK 121: Introduction to Programming
  Introduction to programming, data science, and software development for engineers using Python. Data and types. Operators, calculations, selection, looping. Data structures. Organizing software: functions, classes, modules, and libraries. Debugging and software development tools. Software design examples for engineering and data science.
• ENG EK 122: Programming for Engineers
  Prereq: ENG EK 121. Continuation of ENG EK 121. Reinforces programming concepts using a modern computational environment, in order to solve engineering problems. Basic procedural programming concepts that are reinforced include input/output, selection, looping, functions, data structures (arrays, strings, structures). Introduction to object-oriented programming concepts and terminology and event-driven programming. Applications include image processing, data science, and machine learning. Emphasis on programming style, debugging, top-down design and modular code. Effective Fall 2023, this course fulfills a single unit in the following Creativity/Innovation.
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  • Creativity/Innovation
• ENG EK 125: Introduction to Programming for Engineers
  Undergraduate Corequisites: (CASMA123) - An introduction to programming concepts and modern computational environments used to solve engineering problems. Basic procedural programming concepts including input/output, selection, looping, functions, data structures (arrays, strings, structures), pointers, and memory management. Introduction to statistics, data science, and machine learning. Emphasis on programming style, debugging, top-down design and modular code. Introduction to a command line interface and a high-level language. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning I, Creativity/Innovation.
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  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Quantitative Reasoning I
• ENG EK 131: Introduction to Engineering: Hands On
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Freshman standing or consent of instructor - This course introduces freshmen to a set of design-oriented engineering skills through a hands-on experience using engineering tools (software and hardware) for design and prototyping. Students will be exposed to a number of mechanical and electrical engineering tools applicable to 3D visualization, building structures, designing and wiring circuits, prototyping and instrumentation. Students will work individually and in teams to build substructures that can be integrated into a functional device (final product).
• ENG EK 210: Introduction to Engineering Design
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK131) ENG EK 131 and Sophomore standing or consent of instructor. - A two-credit introductory course to the principles of engineering design, intended to give second- year undergraduates a basic understanding of the process of taking a product from client explanation to design concept through product deployment. Students will work in teams with time and budget constraints on societally meaningful projects. Web-based lectures will cover topics concurrent with specific phases of the projects. The course will culminate in a "Design Showcase." Restricted to ENG sophomores - others only by consent of instructor. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in the following BU Hub area: Teamwork/Collaboration.
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  • Teamwork/Collaboration
• ENG EK 225: Introduction to Energy Conversion and Environmental Engineering
  This class examines the existing state of the world's energy use and its impact on society and the planet. A quantitative framework is provided in order to evaluate current and potential technologies. Individual energy generation, conversion, and end use options are evaluated within this framework. Both renewable energy generation technologies: wind, solar, biomass, and hydro, and conventional sources such as nuclear and fossil fuels will be compared. Energy conversion is discussed with regards to batteries and fuel cells, liquid bio- fuels, and grid level storage systems. These technologies are then put into a social context and their use around the world is discussed. Evaluations are based on homework and class discussions, midterms, and a final. Cannot be used for credit towards an engineering degree.
• ENG EK 301: Engineering Mechanics 1
  Undergraduate Prerequisites:(CASPY211) Corequisites:(CASMA225) ENGEK122/EK125; Graduate Prerequisites:(METPY211 OR CASPY251) Graduate Corequisite:(METMA225) - Fundamental statics of particles, rigid bodies, trusses, frames, and virtual work. Distributed forces, shear and bending moment diagrams. Application of vector analysis and introduction to engineering design. Includes design project. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Creativity/Innovation, Critical Thinking.
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  • Creativity/Innovation
  • Critical Thinking
• ENG EK 307: Electric Circuits
  Undergraduate Corequisites: CAS PY 212 - Introduction to electric circuit analysis and design; voltage, current, and power, circuit laws and theorems; element I-V curves, linear and nonlinear circuit concepts; operational amplifier circuits; transient response of capacitor and inductor circuits, sinusoidal-steady-state response, frequency response, transfer functions; Includes design-oriented laboratory.
• ENG EK 335: Introduction to Environmental Engineering
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASCH131 & CASMA124) or equivalent. Sophomore standing. ; Undergraduate Corequisites: (ENGME304 & ENGME306 & ENGME303) - This course provides a technical introduction to a wide range of environmental engineering topics to quantitatively understand and analyze environmental problems. Topics covered include mass and energy balance for analyzing environmental engineering concepts, population growth, models for resource consumption and risk analysis, energy systems, air pollution and prevention strategies, water quality assessment and supply issues, drinking and waste water treatment, solid waste treatment and management strategies, and resource recovery and recycling. Relevant existing laws and regulations are also reviewed in the context of the topics covered.
• ENG EK 341: Advanced MATLAB Applications Programming
  Programming applications for students who have learned programming constructs using MATLAB. Topics include Object Oriented Programming, user-defined classes, graphics primitives, Graphical User Interfaces, event-driven programming, sound and image processing, use of API keys to transfer data to and from websites.
• ENG EK 381: Probability, Statistics, and Data Science for Engineers
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK103 & CASMA225) - Provides a strong foundation in probability and an introduction to statistics and machine learning. Includes experience with translating engineering problems into probabilistic models, and working with these models analytically and algorithmically. Prepares students for upper-level electives that use probabilistic reasoning. Cannot be taken for credit in addition to ENG ME 366, CAS MA 381 or CAS MA 581. Effective Fall 2018, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Quantitative Reasoning II, Critical Thinking.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Quantitative Reasoning II
• ENG EK 408: Introduction to Clean energy Generation and Storage Technologies
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASMA226 & CASCH131) CAS PY313 preferred ; Undergraduate Corequisites: (ENGEK307 & ENGME304) - This course covers a wide variety of modern energy generation and storage technologies. The engineering principles that govern thermomechanical, thermoelectric,photvotaic and elctrochemical energy conversion processes will be discussed along with the challenges of hydrogen storage and hybrid batteries. The consequences of using renewable energy resources such as solar, hydrogen, biomass, geothermal, hydro, and wind versus non-renewable fossil fuels and nuclear resources will also be covered.
• ENG EK 424: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (ENGEK381 & CASMA226 & CASCH102 & CASPY212) - Fundamental laws of thermodynamics and their application to mechanical and chemical processes. Energy, entropy, and kinetic theory. Chemical equilibrium and thermodynamic potentials. Phase transitions and colligative properties. Introduction to statistical thermodynamics. Problems of biomedical interest will be emphasized.
• ENG EK 481: Introduction to Nanotechnology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing (or permission of instructor) - Nanotechnology encompasses the understanding and manipulation of matter with at least one characteristic dimension measured in nanometers with novel, size-dependent physical properties as a result. This course explores the electronic, mechanical, optical, and biomedical properties of materials at the nanoscale and their applications for use as electronics, biomedicines, and devices. In this course, students will: 1) learn emergent properties that stem from the properties of nanomaterials and computational quantifications of these properties, 2) gain a scope of the various types of nanomaterials in practice for diverse applications spanning electronics to nanomedicine, and 3) understand the key interactions between nanotechnology and biology in the context of building safer devices, therapeutics and drugs, and biological sensors.
• ENG EK 500: Probability with Statistical Applications
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (CASMA226) - A first course in probability, random processes, and statistics for students with a level of mathematical maturity and experience comparable to that normally found in entering graduate students. Sample spaces, probability measures, random variables, expectation, applications of transform methods, stochastic convergence and limit theorems, second order statistics, introduction to random processes, estimation, filtering, and elementary hypothesis testing. May not be taken for credit in addition to ENG EC 381 or ENG ME 308.
• ENG EK 501: Mathematical Methods I: Linear Algebra and Complex Analysis
  Introduction to basic applied mathematics for science and engineering, emphasizing practical methods and unifying geometrical concepts. Topics include linear algebra for real and complex matrices. Quadratic forms, Lagrange multipliers and elementary properties of the rotation group. Vector differential and integral calculus. Complex function theory, singularities and multi-valued functions, contour integration and series expansions. Fourier and Laplace transforms. Elementary methods for solving ordinary linear differential and systems of differential equations with applications to electrical circuits and mechanical structures.
• ENG EK 505: Introduction to Robotics and Autonomous Systems
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Ordinary differential equations. Linear algebra. Experience with progr amming - This course will provide the foundation for the study of robotics and autonomous systems. Topics to be covered include modeling techniques (kinematics and dynamics) for a variety of robotic systems, ranging from manipulator arms and car-like vehicles to soft robots, an introduction to control and motion planning for such systems, and concepts of sensing and perception. The course will also discuss the basics of machine learning techniques in robotics and the ethical implications of the field as robotics and automation continue their progression into commonplace tools.
• ENG EK 690: Career Lab: Job & Internship Search for Master's Students
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: Graduate student only - Graduate Prerequisites: Graduate student only; enrollment at the discretion of the CDO - In this course students will learn about job search principles and actively work on their application materials and job search techniques. Priority for this class is given to students participating in a 3 credit course and those with upcoming graduation dates. Graduate student only; enrollment at the discretion of the CDO.