Engineering Major

Harness the laws of nature, design and build technology, and help solve real-world problems as an Engineering major at Taylor. Train in mechanical, electrical, material, and thermal systems; and examine how the principles of mathematics, engineering, and physics influence one another. You will also conduct large-scale research projects and put your classroom knowledge into practice with hands-on projects.

Accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), Taylor’s Engineering program focuses on producing knowledgeable, high-quality engineers with strong Christian character. Our Engineering faculty foster a Christian community that teaches engineering relationally. Your professors will not only care about how you are preparing for your future career in engineering, but also how you are developing as a Christ-follower while an engineering major in college. Faculty encourage students to discover how applied science and faith interact and are excited to send Christian leaders into the engineering field.

Instead of offering specific Engineering majors, Taylor’s Engineering program offers a single interdisciplinary BS Engineering degree that builds a broad and robust engineering foundation that matches the approach to developments in the industry across all engineering disciplines. To gain disciplinary depth in the engineering field, Taylor offers the option to choose among several Engineering concentrations.

Students can choose concentrations in Electrical, Mechanical, Physics, and General. A Taylor Engineering degree gives students the tools they need to pursue a graduate program or a career in their preferred engineering concentration. For example, a student choosing the Electrical Engineering concentration would receive a BS degree in Engineering and would take courses that focus on electrical systems. A student choosing the Mechanical concentration would also receive a BS degree in Engineering, but would take courses that focus on mechanical systems. If you choose a general engineering major, you'll essentially design your own concentration for an advanced, practical understanding of the various areas of engineering, rounded out by additional mathematics and science courses.

Read more about Engineering concentrations:

• Electrical Engineering Concentration

  Learn about the theory and behavior of electrical systems by studying electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism; and apply your knowledge to the design of systems requiring analog, digital, micro-computer, and/or power electronics. Students completing this concentration are well-equipped to enter the workforce as an electrical engineer or pursue graduate work in a number of electrically-oriented disciplines (i.e. Electrical Engineering, Control Systems, Robotics, Biomedical Sensors, etc.).

• Mechanical Engineering Concentration

  The Mechanical concentration focuses on the theory and behavior of mechanical systems. Students will study fluid mechanics, heat transfer, the dynamics of machinery, and materials used for machine design. Completing this concentration will equip students to enter the workforce as a mechanical engineer or pursue graduate work in a range of mechanically-oriented disciplines (i.e., Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, Robotics, Biomechanics, Prosthetics, etc.).

• Physics Engineering Concentration

  Build an advanced knowledge of the application of experimental physics, especially electricity and magnetism, waves, optics, and quantum mechanics. This concentration is particularly well-suited for students who are more interested in the application of physics than theory. Students pursuing this course would be equally well-prepared for a career or advanced study in either applied physics or engineering research.

• General Engineering Concentration

  Design your own concentration for an advanced, practical understanding of the various areas of engineering, rounded out by additional mathematics and science courses. This concentration allows students who have a broader interest in engineering to take a variety of engineering courses across the spectrum. Graduates from this concentration require strong engineering fundamental coursework like the other concentrations, but have more elective course options, which allows them to prepare for a wide variety of engineering disciplines and graduate programs, including chemical engineering, environmental engineering, project management (MBA), and others.

The Engineering curriculum includes a variety of courses designed to meet four program educational objectives:

1. Prepare our graduates to serve others dependably, most importantly their employer, customers, and community. (dependable service)
2. Prepare our graduates to practice technical competence, producing reliable engineering designs. (reliable design)
3. Prepare our graduates to exercise creativity in their work, fostering innovative solutions. (innovative solutions)
4. Prepare our graduates to pursue growth, both knowledge and career, thus ensuring dependability in an ever changing world. (growth mindset)

In addition to a strong theoretical core, our program emphasizes design-focused classes that use engineering tools and technology to sketch designs and construct digital prototypes. To ensure that engineering majors can move designs into the real world, we offer dedicated project courses in the freshman, junior, and senior years. These classes give students hands-on experience and utilize our high quality engineering facilities, including a machine shop with 3D printers, CNC/lathe, laser cutter, etc.; a fully-equipped wood shop; and a state-of-the art electronics lab.

On top of building a theoretical and experiential knowledge of engineering, students are able to engage with the ethical issues associated with technology in the 21st century digital society.

Take a peek into some of our core Engineering courses:

• Introduction to Engineering: a course in your first year that introduces you to several commercial engineering CAD and programming software tools through a multi-disciplinary hands-on project. Students learn Solidworks and Cadsoft Eagle and gain exposure to the Arduino programming environment.
• Introduction to Circuits & Electronics / Principles of Engineering: two sophomore-year courses that each include a 4- to 6-week end-of-semester project. One project gives students a concept-to-design-to-CAD-to-prototyping electrical experience. Previously, students designed and built laser tag guns and receivers. The second project leads students through a multi-physics system modeling and design optimization problem. In the past, the project platform has been a small electric vehicle.
• Junior Engineering Project: a junior year course that focuses on applying engineering, math, and science knowledge to solving a multidisciplinary problem using a variety of analytical tools that have been learned through the Engineering curriculum. With multiple concentrations represented on a team, Engineering majors learn how their specialties fit into real projects and how to integrate their concentration with other engineering specialties. Recent projects include the design of an induction bread baking table-top oven and an inverted pendulum two-wheeled robot.
• Practicum: an experience involving significant engineering work. Practicums can be in the engineering industry or in engineering research. Past students have completed practicums with industry leaders like Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Dynamic Aviation, NuVasive, and Gentex.
• Senior Capstone: a three-course experience designed to prepare students for professional engineering work through a year-long student-driven project. Just like the junior engineering project, teams are multidisciplinary and bring engineers of all concentrations together to apply theory to hands-on projects.

Engineering Curriculum & Degree Options

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering

Students interested in course descriptions and academic policies can check out our Undergraduate Catalog here.

Contact the Physics & Engineering Department

Bob Davis, Department Co-Chair and Professor of Physics & Engineering
765-998-4987
rbdavis@taylor.edu

Dae-Hyun Jin, Department Co-Chair & Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering
765-998-4672
daehyun_jin@taylor.edu

Lara Horsley, Physics & Engineering Program Assistant
765-998-5162
lrhorsley@taylor.edu