The Cooper Union
School of Engineering
School of Engineering











Degree Requirements

Bachelor's Degree | Master's Degree

The requirements for the bachelor's degree programs must be completed within four years of first registration, except with the explicit consent of the dean. Requests for extension must be presented in writing to the dean prior to the sixth semester of registration (or the end of the third year). Departmental chair's approval is also required. It is the responsibility of the student to maintain normal and reasonable progress toward the degree. If courses are made up elsewhere for credit, the student is responsible for all costs incurred. Prior appropriate departmental approval is required.

The minimum degree requirements for all bachelor's programs in the School of Engineering are:

  1. A minimum of 135 credits.
  2. Completion of the 55-credit core program described below.
  3. A minimum of 24 credits in the Humanities and Social Sciences (inclusive of the 12 credits in the core program).
  4. Satisfaction of the departmental requirements.
  5. Satisfaction of the residence study requirement.
  6. A minimum cumulative grade point rating (grade point average) of 2.0.
  7. A minimum 2.0 academic rating for the junior and senior years combined.

The 55-credit core program consists of 19 courses in the following subject areas:

  Credits
Mathematics 17
Physical Science 21
Engineering (General) 5
Humanities and Social Sciences 12

These courses are scheduled in the first and second years in accordance with the table shown below. All first-year students in the School of Engineering follow the same program, subject only to personal variations as a result of advanced placement and transfer credit. Course CS 102, Computer Programming for Engineers, is sometimes offered in the summer and may be taken prior to the start of the first year.

Core Curriculum of the School of Engineering

First Year Credits
Fall Semester:
ESC000.1 Professional Development Seminar 0
Ma 110 Introduction to Linear Algebra 2
Ma 111 Calculus I 4
Ch 110 General Chemistry 3
EID 101 Engineering Design and Problem Solving 3
CS 102 Introduction to Computer Science 3
HSS 1 Literary Forms and Expressions 3
Total Credits Fall Semester 18
Spring Semester:
ESC000.2 Professional Development Seminar 0
Ma 113 Calculus II 4
Ch 111 General Chemistry Laboratory 1.5
Ch 160 Physical Principles of Chemistry 3
Ph 112 Mechanics 4
HSS 2 Texts and Contexts: Old Worlds and New 3
ECE 150 Digital Logic Design
(Electrical Engineering only)
3
Total Credits Spring Semester
Total Credits Spring Semester (Electrical Engineers)
15.5
18.5

Second Year Credits
Fall Semester:
ESC000.3 Professional Development Seminar 0
Ma 223 Vector Calculus 2
Ma 224 Probability 2
Ph 213 Physics II: Electromagnetic Phenomena 4
Ph 291 Introductory Physics Lab 1.5
HSS 3 The Making of the Modern World 3
Major or Electives 6
Total Credits Fall Semester 18.5