Overview of the Undergraduate Curricula

The undergraduate curricula in engineering and computer science are designed to prepare the student for practice in the field of choice. Courses in the major provide a firm grounding in the principles of the various disciplines; these basic principles are applied and expanded in a series of design or similar courses. All of these courses emphasize the development of engineering viewpoints, attitudes, and methods of approach to problems.

The Undergraduate curricula offered by the Grove School of Engineering also provide a background in written and oral English and the humanities. The Grove School of Engineering offers programs that start from the freshman level and continue to the highest academic levels, up to and including the doctorate.

English and Liberal Arts Courses (General Education)

English and Liberal Arts (General Education) requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree in computer science and for the Bachelor of Engineering degrees in the engineering programs are listed below:

Writing Requirements

FIQWS 10026 fulfills the English 11000 requirement, as well as any ENGR 10100 requirement

Foundational Courses

Foundational courses for all undergraduate programs in the Grove School of Engineering must be completed before embarking upon related courses in the major. Students with appropriate background as demonstrated by the College’s Placement Exam may be exempted from some or all Foundational Courses. The foundational course for Calculus I (MATH 20100) is Pre-Calculus (MATH 19500), and this course must be passed with a grade of C or higher in order to proceed to the next level.

Pathways General Education Requirements 

Grove School of Engineering students must take one course from each of the following Pathways categories: Creative Expression (CE), Individual and Society (IS), World Cultures and Global Issues (WCGI), and US in its Diversity (US)). (See General Education Requirement (Pathways) section in the Bulletin for more details). Each of Grove’s academic programs may require additional General Education courses; some of which are specified while others can be selected from a list of approved courses that is posted on the Grove School of Engineering Web site and can be viewed at the Office of Undergraduate Studies (ST 209). These courses may not include courses in creativity, design, language skills, performance, professional, studio, and or technical courses such as statistics, neuroscience, experimental psychology, etc. This list is subject to periodic review and updates..

At least two of the courses must be at the 20000 level or higher. Upon being accepted into the Grove School of Engineering, transfer students should consult with an advisor in the Office of Undergraduate Studies for Pathways regulations based on the number of credits taken at the point of transfer.

ChE, CE, CpE, and ME students must take six approved courses (one from each of the 4 Pathways categories and two additional courses from the GSoE list).

BME students must take five approved courses (one from each of the 4 Pathways categories and one additional course from the GSoE list) and Engr 30000 (Social, Economic, and Cultural Impact of Biomedical Technology) for a total of six courses.

CSC students must take four approved courses (one from each of the 4 Pathways categories), and Speech 11100 (Foundations of Speech Communication) for a total of five courses. Students may be exempted from Speech 11100 by passing a speech proficiency examination, in which case they must take another speech course.

ESE and EE students must take five approved courses (one from each of the 4 Pathways categories and one additional course from the GSoE list) and Engr 27600 (Engineering Economics) for a total of six courses.

Credit Requirements

The Bachelor of Engineering degree and the Bachelor of Science in Computer Science degree require the satisfactory completion of 126–134 credits. In the School of Engineering, not all credits passed or transferred count toward the degree. Students with non-degree courses, whether remedial or otherwise, will accumulate more credits than students whose total credits count toward their degree.

Except for special cases, the maximum number of credits allowed per semester is eighteen. Students who wish to take more than eighteen credits in any one semester must obtain permission from the Office of Undergraduate Affairs (ST 209; 212-650-8020). If permission is granted, the student will not be allowed to drop any Grove School of Engineering courses.

Liberal Arts Credit Requirements

The following applies to all students who enter The City College of New York either as a freshmen or a transfer student:

To obtain a Bachelor of Science degree, a minimum of sixty (60) credits must be earned in courses that are classified as Liberal Arts and Science courses. For Bachelor of Engineering, a minimum of thirty (30) credits must be earned in courses that are classified as Liberal Arts and Sciences courses. Credits taken at or transferred into City College are subject to this requirement based on New York State Regulations.

Residency Requirement

Residency requirements specify the minimum number of credits that students must take at City College in the department(s) of their major to obtain a degree, and must be met regardless of the number of transfer credits that a student may claim in the major area. Only courses offered by the major department(s) and prefixed by the department initials (e.g., CHE, CE), and at the 30000 level or higher, count toward residency requirements.

Residency requirements are based on the total credit in major courses in the department’s curriculum, excluding pilot and experimental courses, and are listed below.

*A maximum of 6 credits may be in non-CHE technical elective courses.