All undergraduate engineering students are required to complete a minimum of 30 credits of coursework in mathematics and natural sciences. The specific requirements in each of these subject areas are described below:
The following four courses in college calculus are required:
CAS MA 123 | Calculus I
CAS MA 124 | Calculus II
CAS MA 225 | Multivariate Calculus
CAS MA 226 | Differential Equations
Students in their first semester of study typically enroll in CAS MA 123, Calculus I, unless they have advanced credit or transfer credit in calculus.
Students with Calculus I advanced credit or transfer credit are encouraged to use it to satisfy the CAS MA 123 requirement. Such students enroll in CAS MA 124, then CAS MA 225, followed by CAS MA 226.
Students with Calculus I & II advanced credit or transfer credit are encouraged to use it to satisfy the CAS MA 123 & CAS MA 124 requirement. These students enroll in CAS MA 225, followed by CAS MA 226.
Students who have previous experience in calculus, but do not receive advanced credit or transfer credit, must first enroll in CAS MA 123. In exceptional circumstances, and with approval of their faculty advisor, such students may instead begin in CAS MA 124. These students must take a four-credit technical course to satisfy the credit deficiency they will incur by skipping MA 123.
Honors-level courses in Calculus and Differential Equations (CAS MA 230, CAS MA 231) are acceptable substitutions for CAS MA 225 and CAS MA 226, respectively.
All undergraduate engineering students are required to take a minimum of three natural science courses. For students who matriculated before Fall 2024, these requirements are:
CAS CH 101 or 131 | Introductory Chemistry
CAS PY 211 | Physics I
CAS PY 212 | Physics II
Students in some majors are required to take additional natural science courses; see specific curricula for each program. Please note: students who have not declared their major but are at all considering biomedical engineering as a major should enroll in CAS CH 101 instead of CAS CH 131.
For students who matriculate in Fall 2024 or later, the following Natural Science requirements apply:
Students who are Undecided but considering Biomedical Engineering should take CAS CH 101. Students who are Undecided but considering Mechanical Engineering should take CAS CH 131 (only if they are certain that they do not want to be a Biomedical Engineering major). Undecided students who are certain they only want to be Electrical or Computer Engineers can choose to take a lab science other than Chemistry, but those courses will not count towards other majors should the student change their mind. All students, regardless of engineering major, will still need to take CAS PY 211 and CAS PY 212. In addition to this, other natural science requirements may apply based on major.
Students who wish to obtain a more in-depth foundation in chemistry may enroll in one of the following 2-course sequences in place of the CAS CH 101 & CAS CH 102 sequence:
1. CAS CH 109 & CAS CH 110
2. CAS CH 111 & CAS CH 112
Students who wish to obtain a more in-depth foundation in physics may enroll in the following 2-course sequence in place of CAS PY 211 & CAS PY 212:
1. CAS PY 251 & CAS PY 252
Students who wish to obtain a more in-depth knowledge of physics may enroll in either of the following courses in place of CAS PY 313:
1. CAS PY 351 & CAS PY 352
All undergraduate engineering degree programs require the following core engineering courses, covering basic engineering sciences. Most of these courses are completed during the freshman and sophomore years.
ENG EK 103 | Computational Linear Algebra (3 cr)
ENG EK 121 | Introduction to Programming (2 cr)
ENG EK 122 | Programming for Engineers (2 cr)
(EK 125 for students who matriculated prior to Fall 2023)
ENG EK 131 | Introduction to Engineering (2 cr)
ENG EK 210 | Introduction to Engineering Design (2 cr)
ENG EK 301 | Engineering Mechanics I (4 cr)
ENG EK 307 | Electric Circuits (4 cr)
ENG EK 381 | Probability, Statistics, and Data Science for Engineers (4 cr)
All students entering as First-Year students in Fall 2018 and after will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, a general education program that is integrated into the entire undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements (bu.edu/hub) are flexible and can be satisfied in many different ways, through coursework in and beyond the major and, in some cases, through co-curricular activities.
All College of Engineering students are required to complete a First-Year Writing seminar (4 credits) and a Writing, Research & Inquiry seminar (4 credits) or the equivalent. All BU Hub requirements in the capacities of Quantitative Reasoning, Communication and Intellectual Toolkit and in the area of Scientific Inquiry will ordinarily be satisfied through College of Engineering requirements and through required coursework in the respective majors. Please view the ENG Hub requirements mapping sheet for information on how these requirements map to the Engineering degree requirements.
Students will need to complete eight additional requirements in at least four Hub Electives. These requirements are:
To complete a four-year degree without adding any additional coursework/Hub elective classes it is important that students fit the eight additional Hub requirements into the four Hub Elective slots included in each degree program, meaning that two Hub requirements be completed with each Hub elective, and that each of the eight Hub elective requirements be met once and only once. You can search for courses by School/College, number of credits and/or specific Hub requirements here.
The sequence described above may be alternatively satisfied by participating in the CAS Core Curriculum or Kilachand Honors College; for more information about these programs, contact the Undergraduate Programs Office.
Transfer students entering in Fall 2020 and after will pursue coursework in the BU Hub, a general education program that is integrated into the undergraduate experience. BU Hub requirements (bu.edu/hub) are flexible and can be satisfied in many different ways, through coursework in and beyond the major and, in some cases, through co-curricular activities.
Students take BU courses that fulfill requirements in each of the Hub areas below and must earn all 10 Hub requirements in order to graduate. These HUB requirements are as follows:
The College of Engineering General Education Requirement is intended to enhance effective communication, and to better understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and/or societal context. All undergraduate engineering students are required to complete a minimum of 24 credits of general education courses: a two-course writing sequence, a three-course distribution in humanities and social sciences; and a general education elective, as follows: Writing Requirement | 8 credits
Social Science & Humanities Distribution | 12 credits
General Education Elective | 4 credits The General Education sequence described above may be alternatively satisfied by participating in the CAS Core Curriculum or Kilachand Honors College; for more information about these programs, contact the Undergraduate Programs Office.
All College of Engineering undergraduate students are required to complete CAS WR 120 and CAS WR 151, 152, 153, or an equivalent. The writing requirement may be fulfilled by a program such as the CAS Core Curriculum or Kilachand Honors College.
All College of Engineering undergraduate students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits (3 courses) in the humanities and social sciences, enrolling in at least one social science course and at least one humanities course. Social Sciences: The Social Sciences are the study of individual relationships in and with society. Students must take at least one course in the social sciences. Courses that fulfill this requirement must be chosen from the approved list of Social Science Electives. Humanities: The humanities are the branches of knowledge concerned with individuals and their culture. Students must take at least one course in the humanities. Courses that fulfill this requirement must be chosen from the approved list of Humanities Electives.
The general education elective allows students to be exposed to fields of study beyond social sciences and humanities in order to further broaden their education. This 4-credit elective can be satisfied by appropriate combinations of 1-4 credit courses that include additional writing, social sciences, humanities, languages, fine arts, among others. Courses that fulfill this requirement must be chosen from the approved list of General Education Elective courses. Please note: Non-native English speakers may not use a language course in their native language to fulfill this requirement. Students who are bilingual or fluent in a language other than English may not use a conversation course in that language to fulfill this requirement If they are unable to read or write in their second language, they may use a grammar or composition course for this requirement. Students who transfer credit from another institution to satisfy any of their General Education requirements may incur a credit deficiency if any of these transferred courses are less than 4 credits. Students are responsible for making up any credit deficiencies in their General Education courses in order to complete the 24 required credits.
Please keep in mind that minors, concentrations, & special programs must be declared by the closure of the spring registration of the junior year, and are subject to official approval. Information on requirements for these programs may be found here:
Minors
Concentrations
Special Programs
Petitions are requests to deviate from a degree requirement. To request a waiver of an academic regulation or requirement, a petition must be submitted. The petition must clearly state what is being requested and the reason(s) for the request. Petitions should be discussed with the student’s faculty advisor, requiring the advisor’s recommendation and signature. Please keep in mind that it is recommended that course substitution petitions be submitted prior to registering for that course. Completed petitions must be submitted to the (Undergraduate Records Office). Submitted petitions are reviewed by both the relevant department and the Associate Dean. Students are usually notified of the outcome within three weeks; unusual requests may take longer. Petition forms may be accessed in the relevant section of our forms page.
Undergraduate engineering students may receive advanced credit by earning a qualifying score on the appropriate College Board AP examination. Students may also receive International Baccalaureate credit by earning a qualifying score on the appropriate subject-matter examination. In all cases, AP or IB examinations must be taken prior to matriculation at Boston University. To view a list of advanced credit courses, please review the Advanced Credit Guides. Students who have taken the advanced credit examinations must have the official CEEB score reports submitted to the Admissions Office in order to determine eligibility for advanced credit. In the event that credit is awarded, students should confirm the posting of credit to their student record via the Student Link. Please note: if a student chooses to enroll in the same or equivalent course for which advanced credit has been awarded, the duplicate credits will not be applied to the degree. Courses taken at Boston University take precedence over AP credit. Freshmen must resolve all advanced credit issues within 6 months of initial registration at Boston University.
When a student has fulfilled all course and curricular requirements for a degree program but has completed fewer credits than is required for the degree (e.g., due to transferred courses from another school), the student must make up the credit deficiency with additional coursework. This additional coursework cannot include PDPs, courses lower than degree requirements and/or duplicate credit. Contact the ENG Records Office with any questions (engrec@bu.edu).
Students who are interested in entering the fields of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine or other health-related fields following their engineering degree should connect with the BU Pre-Professional Advising Office early in their undergraduate careers. This office can advise on all issues relating to professional goals, curriculum, professional school admission requirements, and the application process. The office also organizes meetings for interested students throughout their undergraduate years and maintains an extensive pre-medical and health careers library. BU pre-medical students may also be interested in the MMEDIC program. Pre-medical students should be mindful that advanced credits (AP/IB/etc.) in a core science course typically will not satisfy pre-medical requirements, as medical schools prefer that science requirements are fulfilled while in college. If a students chooses to apply advanced credit for one of these courses, they are advised to take an alternate higher-level course in the same discipline. The minimum requirements for most medical programs are:
1. 1-year of biology with laboratory
2. 1-year of general chemistry with laboratory
3. 1-year of organic chemistry with laboratory
4. 1-year of physics with laboratory
5. 1-year of English at the college-level: composition and/or literature
6. 1-year of mathematics is recommended and specifically required by some schools Additionally, the College of Engineering social science and humanities requirements may be used to fulfill suggested curricula in psychology and sociology. For further information, contact the BU Pre-Professional Advising Office:
100 Bay State Road, 4th floor
preprof@bu.edu
(617) 353-4866
In order to graduate, students must complete all of the degree requirements for their respective degree programs. Additionally, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.00. All students must also satisfy either the Hub or General Education requirements outlined above (as determined by the year they matriculated at BU) plus the Math, Natural Science and Residency requirements described above. Residency requirement: In addition to satisfying all BS degree requirements, a minimum of 48 credits of coursework must be taken at Boston University in the upper-division program. The upper-division program consists of the program requirements and/or program electives required for the student’s major as listed on the program planning sheet for the junior and senior years. General education classes, Hub electives, and/or writing courses taken during the junior or senior years cannot be counted toward this requirement. The residency requirement must be completed within the five years preceding the student’s official date of graduation, with the exception of military service. No more than 12 credits with a grade of D may be applied toward coursework in the major (all courses except CAS WR 120, CAS WR 15x, and the four Hub electives). Four additional credits with a grade of D may be applied toward CAS WR 120, CAS WR 15x and the Hub electives. (This policy complies with the University Policy on D Grades for Undergraduate Students.) If a course is repeated to meet this requirement, both courses are included in computing the cumulative GPA. Students who have transferred courses from another college or university and have satisfied all course requirements but are deficient in the number of credits required to graduate must make up the credit deficiency
The top 30% of students from each class year are placed on the Dean’s List of academic honor each semester. Dean’s List students must achieve a semester GPI of at least 3.0 for all courses taken with at least 12 academic credit hours of graded coursework, and have no incomplete, missing, or unresolved grades.
The academic status of every student is reviewed at the end of each semester. Failure to make satisfactory progress and remain in Good Standing can result in Academic Probation, Suspension for a stated time or until stated conditions are met, or Dismissal, as detailed below. Definition of GPI and GPA:
GPI or Grade Point Index is a single-semester indicator, calculated by dividing the grade points earned by the number of credits attempted.
GPA or Grade Point Average is a cumulative average, calculated across all enrolled semesters. For more information please review Boston University’s policies on Academic Standing.
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