The Bulletin: School of Engineering

Mission Statement

A Unique Learning Environment

The Tufts University School of Engineering offers a rigorous engineering education in a unique environment that blends the intellectual and technological resources of a world-class research university with the strengths of a top-ranked liberal arts college. Our size and educational philosophy support a distinctive sense of community, a diversity of perspectives, and a student-centric learning environment. Engineering curricula across a wide spectrum of majors emphasize project- based learning, the nurturing of leadership skills, and cultivation of creativity through innovative design. The School’s tradition of collaboration with other undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools provides a platform for interdisciplinary education and scholarship. Proximity to a thriving Boston metropolitan area facilitates close relationships with local industry and research labs, student internship and employment opportunities, and the committed engagement of seasoned practitioners in the school professoriate.

Mission and Vision

At the core of An Engine for Good are the school’s mission, vision, and guiding themes.

Our two-fold mission is:

To educate students committed to the innovative and ethical application of science and technology, and empower them to address the most pressing societal needs;
To employ research to advance scientific and engineering knowledge and discover, develop, and disseminate new technologies and innovations that can enhance the well-being and sustainability of society.

We envision the Tufts School of Engineering as an academic community where:

Students prepare themselves to be well-rounded professionals, responsible leaders, and lifelong learners through a rigorous engineering education enhanced by interdisciplinary connections in arts, humanities, and science;
Faculty members strive to develop the next generation of engineers; and seek, through research, to create knowledge and technology for the benefit of the planet and its population;
Diversity and inclusion are embraced to empower all students, faculty, and staff to succeed in their academic and professional endeavors.

Undergraduate Programs

The School of Engineering offers sixteen undergraduate programs leading to a Bachelor of Science. These are:

Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering (BSBME)
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering (BSCHBE)
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering (BSCE)
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering (BSCPE)
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science (BSCS)
Bachelor of Science in Data Science (BSDS)
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE)
Bachelor of Science in Engineering – program in Architectural Studies (BSE-Arch)
Bachelor of Science in Engineering – program in Public Health Engineering (BSE-PHE)
Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE)
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics (BSEP)
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Sciences (BSES)
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering (BSEVE)
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME)
Bachelor of Science – program in Human Factors Engineering (BS-HFE)
Bachelor of Science (BS)

As described in the Accreditation section of this Bulletin, Tufts University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). Several programs in the School of Engineering are specifically accredited. The BSCHBE program is accredited by the by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. The BSCE program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Civil and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. The BSCPE program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. The BSEE program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Electrical, Computer, Communications, Telecommunication(s) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. The BSEVE program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Environmental Engineering and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. The BSME program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Mechanical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Students wishing to be recognized as practicing professionals, especially those who wish to become registered professional engineers, are strongly encouraged to pursue a degree in one of the School’s ABET-accredited programs. Whereas these ABET-accredited programs are highly structured, the School of Engineering also offers several, more flexible degree programs for students interested in general engineering, engineering science, data science, engineering physics, human factors, architectural studies, and environmental health. In addition, students may pursue an individualized program of study leading to the Bachelor of Science with no major.

Degree Requirements

All degrees offered within the School of Engineering have the same set of nine requirements. The School of Engineering uses course attributes to identify courses that can be used to satisfy the specific credit requirements in requirements i-v. Attributes include SOE-Engineering, SOE-Computing, SOE-Mathematics, SOE-Natural Sciences, and SOE-HASS. The SOE-HASS attribute is used to generally identify courses in the humanities, arts, and social sciences that are approved for students pursuing a degree program offered within the School of Engineering. The School also uses SOE-HASS-Humanities and SOE-HASS-Social Sciences attributes to identify approve coursework in each of these areas.

Degree programs offered within the School of Engineering require at least 120 SHU of coursework comprising:

At least 30 SHU of coursework having attribute SOE-Engineering or SOE-Computing†
At least 30 SHU of coursework having attribute SOE-Mathematics or SOE-Natural Sciences
At least 24 SHU of coursework having attribute SOE-HASS
At least 3 SHU of coursework having attribute SOE-HASS-Humanities
At least 3 SHU of coursework having attribute SOE-HASS-Social Sciences
Introductory Writing as English 1 or English 3
Introductory Engineering as Engineering 1
Introductory Computing as either Engineering Science 2 or Computer Science 10
Major Requirement for the selected program of study (determined by the department offering the degree program)

† Programs accredited through the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, require at least 45 SHU of engineering topics consistent with general and program-specific accreditation criteria.

The School publishes degree requirements that apply based on the year of matriculation. A complete listing of requirements (i.e., school requirements plus the details of the major requirement) may be found online.

Second Majors

Students pursuing a major within the School of Engineering may undertake an additional major with the consent of the respective department in the School of Arts & Sciences or the School of Engineering. Students are encouraged to declare additional majors as early as possible to facilitate the necessary academic planning. Additional majors are non‐binding and students may opt out at any time. Declarations must occur at least two semesters before graduation. Late notice may result in the student not receiving the additional major. No more than half the semester hours used to fulfill any major requirement in the School of Engineering or concentration requirement in the School of Arts & Sciences may be used to satisfy any other major requirement in the School of Engineering or concentration requirement in the School of Arts & Sciences. Students following the Bachelor of Science in engineering and the Bachelor of Science in engineering science are considered to have engineering and engineering science, respectively, as majors and may receive additional majors. Students following the Bachelor of Science with no major do not have a major and therefore cannot receive additional majors.

Undergraduate Minor Programs

In addition to completing the courses for the major requirement, undergraduates may elect to enroll in a minor program in the School of Arts and Sciences or the School of Engineering. All courses used in fulfillment of the minor program must be taken for a grade. Students may receive no more than two minors. Students following the Bachelor of Science with no major may not receive minors.

Credit Limit

Students in the School of Engineering may register for a maximum of 18 credits in their first year, and a maximum of 21 credits in any subsequent year of undergraduate study. Sophomores, Juniors, or Seniors who wish to enroll above 21 credits may petition to register for additional credits. This petition will open the first day of classes and close the day before the add deadline and can be found on the Registrar’s Student Forms website.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

Engineering students are encouraged to pursue experiential learning opportunities in the form of internship, cooperative education, and research. See go.tufts.edu/experientiallearning.

Internships may be included on a student’s academic record by either completing an internship course or completing the transcript notation option through the Career Center. Engineering students interested in completing an internship course must obtain approval from the department offering the course prior to starting the internship. Internship credit may only be awarded for the term in which the work was completed. The School of Engineering limits students to receiving no more than 3 SHU of internship over the period of undergraduate study. Students interested in the transcript notation option must obtain approval from the Career Center prior to starting the internship.

Engineering students pursuing majors in departments that participate in the Cooperative Education Program may pursue experiential learning through a semester-long co-op. Students interested in a co-op semester must obtain department approval prior to starting the co-op. Students on co-op are considered to be enrolled at Tufts. However, the co-op semester does not count toward the residency requirements. For more information see: https://engineering.tufts.edu/undergraduate/coop-programs.

International students may arrange Curricular Practical Training (CPT) through the International Center. For more information see: https://icenter.tufts.edu/immigration/f1-students/f1-employment/f1-cpt/.

Engineering students may receive credit for research. Students interested in completing a research course must obtain approval from the department offering the course prior to enrolling. Credit may only be received for research completed in the term in which the student is enrolled in the research course.

Senior Honors Thesis Program allows students that meet academic and department criteria to pursue a year-long research project in their senior year. Students completing the thesis earn three credits of research in both semesters. The thesis is guided and evaluated for thesis honors by an advisory committee chaired by a full-time faculty member in the School of Engineering and including and at least one other full-time faculty member from the School of Engineering, School of Arts & Sciences, or industry expert. The thesis should be of quality comparable to a paper publishable in a peer-reviewed journal. For more information on the Senior Honors Thesis Program, including eligibility criteria and thesis timeline, see: https://students.tufts.edu/academic-advising-undergraduate-studies/senior-honors-thesis.

Academic Policies

Academic Standing/Satisfactory Progress Toward the Degree

Determination of a student’s academic status is made by the School of Engineering faculty Committee on Academic Standing. The committee reserves the right to make decisions on an individual student’s academic progress.

Academic Alert: A student will be sent an academic alert at the end of any semester in which the student earned fewer than 12 semester hours but more than 4, and/or failed one course of any semester hour value. Incompletes are not earned credits. The student’s advisor will be notified. No transcript notation will be made.

Academic Probation: A student will normally be placed on academic probation by the Committee on Academic Standing at the end of any semester in which the student earned 4 semester hours or fewer and/or a semester GPA lower than 2.0 and/or failed to make satisfactory progress as defined by number of credits earned at the end of any semester beyond their first semester. Satisfactory academic progress for each semester is defined by the number of semester hours listed below (see table). Incompletes are not earned credits. If put on academic probation, the student will no longer be in good academic standing, and notiﬁcation of this status will be sent to the student’s advisor. The probation status will also be recorded on the student’s unofficial transcript. To return to good academic standing, in the following semester a student must complete a minimum of 12 semester hours and earn a minimum term GPA of 2.0. An additional grace period may be allowed for the student to make satisfactory progress toward their degree as defined by the number of semester hours earned (see table). Students on academic probation who do not meet these criteria will either remain on academic probation or will be required to withdraw for one semester.

Required Academic Withdrawal: If a student’s academic performance in any subsequent semester meets the criteria for academic probation, then the student will normally be required to withdraw for one semester.

Summary:

Academic Alert: 5-11 semester hours and/or failed one course of any semester hour value. In good academic standing; student and advisor notified; no transcript notation.
Academic Probation: 0-4 semester hours and/or term GPA 0–1.99 and/or failed to make satisfactory progress as defined by the number of semester hours earned at the end of any semester beyond their first semester. No longer in good academic standing; student and advisor notified; notation on unofficial transcript.
Required Academic Withdrawal for one semester: Credits and GPA meet the criteria of academic probation for any subsequent semester. No longer in good standing; student, advisor, and parents/guardians notified; notation on unofficial transcript.

Permanent Academic Withdrawal: A student who returns from having been required to withdraw for a semester and meets the criteria for academic probation in any semester after the return will be subject to a permanent academic withdrawal, determined by the Committee on Academic Standing.

Satisfactory Progress Toward the Degree: Undergraduates will be alerted by their Advising Dean if they are not earning adequate semester hours to make satisfactory progress toward the degree. Satisfactory progress is deﬁned by the number of semester hours completed by the end of each semester, as follows:

	Fall	Spring
First-year	12	24
Sophomore	39	54
Junior	70	86
Senior	102	120

Pass/Fail Option

The spirit of the pass-fail option is to encourage academic exploration. A maximum of eight (8) courses taken under pass-fail grading may be counted toward a degree in the School of Engineering. Pass-fail credits may not be applied toward the SHU requirements for SOE-Engineering + SOE-Computing and SOE-Mathematics + SOE-Natural Sciences. In addition, ENG 1, EN1, ES2, and COMP11 may not be taken pass-fail. Courses that fulfill a major requirement may not be taken pass-fail unless specifically excepted on the official statement of the major requirement. Major requirements are available online. No distinction is made between regular courses that students elect under the pass-fail grading and those courses in which grading is pass-fail. Refer to the academic calendar for deadlines. After the deadline, the only choices are to complete a course under the existing grading system or to withdraw for the remainder of the term. Forms are available here.

Pre-Matriculation Credit

Students are limited to 27 semester hours of pre-matriculation credit toward their degree. Pre-matriculation credit may not be used to satisfy the minimum requirements for coursework in the humanities and social sciences. Students must complete at least 3 SHU of coursework having attribute SOE-HASS-Humanities and at least 3 SHU of coursework having attribute SOE-HASS-Social Sciences as a part of their program of study subsequent to matriculation.

Dean’s List

Each semester, students who have been enrolled with a minimum of 12 semester hours, received letter grades in a minimum of 9 semester hours, completed every course in which they were enrolled with no work incomplete, and earned the minimum grade point average of 3.2 will be placed on the Dean’s List in recognition of their academic achievement. An indication of Dean’s List status will be placed on their permanent record.

Degrees with Honors

Distinction (cum laude) is conferred at commencement on deserving students who earned an academic average of 3.20 or higher.

High distinction (magna cum laude) is conferred at commencement on deserving students who have an academic average of 3.50 or higher.

Highest distinction (summa cum laude) is conferred at commencement to deserving students who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.80 or higher.

These nominations are approved by a special vote of the faculty.

The above criteria may be replaced by special evaluation of the Tufts academic record if substantial transfer credit is submitted in fulfillment of the degree requirements, or if the degree program is of unusual duration. Students whose permanent record includes a serious disciplinary infraction will not normally be eligible for degrees with honors.

Tau Beta Pi

Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, founded in 1885, affords engineering students the same recognition for high scholastic achievement and exemplary character as is provided for Arts and Sciences students in Phi Beta Kappa. The Tufts chapter is designated as Delta Chapter of Massachusetts.

Fifth-Year Master’s Program

The Fifth-Year Master's Degree Program is a synergistic pathway for students interested in earning both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Tufts. For additional information see: https://asegrad.tufts.edu/academics/special-degree-programs/soe-fifth-year-masters-degree-program.