Humanitarian Engineering

Multidisciplinary Concentration Guideline

Semester  1	Course	Cr	Semester 2	Course	Cr
CHM 115	GENERAL CHEMISTRY	4	ENGR 132	TRANS IDEAS TO INNOV II	2
ENGR 131	TRANS IDEAS TO INNOV I	2	GEN ED	GEN ED (Found Outcome OC)2	3
GEN ED	GEN ED (Found Outcome WC)1	3	MA 166	PL ANAL GEO CALC II	4
MA 165	PL ANAL GEO CALC I	4	PHYS 172	MODERN MECHANICS	4
			SCI SEL	FYE SCIENCE SELECTIVE	3
	Total	13		Total	16
Semester 3	Course	Cr	Semester 4	Course	Cr
AREA	AREA CLASS3	3	AREA	AREA CLASS3	3
MA 261	MULTIVARIATE CALCULUS	4	CGT 163	GRAPH COM & SPAT ANLY7	2
ME 200	THERMODYNAMICS4	3	ECE 201	LIN CIRCUIT ANALYSIS I	3
ME 270	BASIC MECHANICS I5	3	ECE 207	ELEC MEAS TECH LAB8	1
PHYS 241	ELECTRICITY & OPTICS6	3	MA 262	LIN ALG AND DIF EQU9	4
			ME 274	BASIC MECHANICS II10	3
	Total	16		Total	16
Semester 5	Course	Cr	Semester 6	Course	Cr
CE 340	HYDRAULICS11	3	ENGR 500	GLOBAL DESIGN TEAM	3
CE 343	HYDRAULICS LAB8	1	EPCS 302	JR PART IN EPICS (Found Outcome STS & Design Sel)12,13	2
ENGR 310	GLOBAL ENGINEERING	3	GEN ED	GEN ED (Found Outcome BSS)16	3
EPCS 301	JR PART IN EPICS (Found Outcome STS & Design Sel)12,13	1	GEN ED	GEN ED (300 level or non intro)17	3
GEN ED	GEN ED (Found Outcome H)14	3	IDE 360	MDE STATISTICS18	3
IDE 301	PROF PREP IN IDE SEMINAR	1
NUCL 273	MECHANICS OF MATERIALS15	3
	Total	15		Total	14
Semester 7	Course	Cr	Semester 8	Course	Cr
AREA	AREA CLASS3	3	AREA	AREA CLASS3	3
ENGR	ENGR CLASS (selective)19	3	AREA	AREA CLASS3	3
GEN ED	GEN ED17	3	ENGR	ENGR CLASS (selective)19	3
GEN ED	GEN ED17	3	GEN ED	GEN ED (300 level or non intro)17	3
IDE 483	MDE ENGR ANALYSIS/DECISION20	1	IDE 485	MDE ENGR DESIGN PROJ21	3
IDE 484	MDE DESIGN METHODOLOGY	1
IDE 487	MDE SENIOR DEVELOPMENT	1
	Total	15		Total	15

 

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¹Written Communication University foundational outcome.  Courses can be found at: http://www.purdue.edu/provost/students/s-initiatives/curriculum/courses.html

²Oral Communication University foundational outcome.  Courses can be found at: http://www.purdue.edu/provost/students/s-initiatives/curriculum/courses.html

³Area classes are chosen based on a student’s educational objectives.  These courses should be focused toward HUMANITARIAN interests.  The objective of the AREA coursework (plus the general education courses) is to either refine or broaden your understanding of languages, anthropology, cultures, geo political policy, religions, health and wellness, and/or aspects of military or medical aid.  Additional engineering courses can also be used in the AREA.  Please see footnote 12 for recommended engineering courses.  Strongly consider using AREA classes to complete the minors/certificates such as Global Engineering Studies minor, Global Studies minor, and Medical Humanities Certificate.(NOTE SPECIFIC COURSE RELATED TO CONCENTRATION)

⁴other options include ABE 201, ABE 210, CHE 211, MSE 260

⁵other options include CE 297, AAE 203

⁶sophomore science selective.  Other options include PHYS 272 or BIOL 110, 203, 221, 230 231 or CHM 116, 255, 257, 261, 321, 333 or EAPS 104, 105, 109, 111, 112, 113, 116, 117, 120, 138, 171 (May not be the same course used as FYE Science Selective.)

⁷other options include CGT 164, 110; THTR 254, 554.

⁸hands on (not computer) engineering lab; other options include 1 credit engineering lab class ( AAE 20401, AAE 33301, CE 343 etc.); 1 credit from a 2 credit engineering lab class (BME 306, NUCL 205, etc.); 1 credit from a 3  credit engineering class that includes a lab (ABE 305, CE 231, IE 386, MSE 235, etc); 1 credit from a 4 credit engineering class that includes a lab (ME 309, CE 203, CHE 377, ECE 270 etc.).  Consult academic advisor for list of engineering lab courses. 

⁹other option MA 265 + MA 266

¹⁰other option CE 298

¹¹other options include AAE 333, ME 309, CHE 377                     

¹²Science Technology and Society University foundational outcome.  Courses can be found at: http://www.purdue.edu/provost/students/s-initiatives/curriculum/courses.html  If EPCS is used to satisfy this outcome, 3 credits of EPCS (300+ level) must be taken, and an additional general education elective is required. (NOTE SPECIFIC COURSE RELATED TO CONCENTRATION)

¹³EPCS 300+ level is highly recommended as the design selective for this concentration. Consult academic advisor for other options. (NOTE SPECIFIC COURSE RELATED TO CONCENTRATION)

¹⁴Humanities University foundational outcome.  Courses can be found at: http://www.purdue.edu/provost/students/s-initiatives/curriculum/courses.html  Although other general education courses can be used, a foreign language (either Spanish or French are recommended) is very desirable for the Humanitarian Engineering concentration.  A foreign language course (levels 1-4) will satisfy the Humanities University foundational outcome.   Students are encouraged to obtain at least 12 credits of a foreign language.

¹⁵other “materials course” options include MSE 230, AAE 204, ABE 305, CE 231, CE 331, CHE 330, ME 323 (CODO from ME only)

¹⁶Behavioral/Social Sciences University foundational outcome.  Courses can be found at: http://www.purdue.edu/provost/students/s-initiatives/curriculum/courses.html

¹⁷Although other general education courses can be used, a foreign language (either Spanish or French are recommended) is very desirable for the Humanitarian Engineering concentration.  Students are encouraged to obtain at least 12 credits of a foreign language.  General education courses can be taken from the College of Liberal Arts, the Krannert School of Management, and/or the Honors College, etc. provided such courses are not focused primarily on engineering, technology, the natural sciences, or mathematics.  Consult with academic advisor for acceptable general education courses. 

¹⁸other options include IE 230, IE 330, STAT 350, STAT 511

¹⁹Choose engineering selective courses from any one subtopic:(NOTE SPECIFIC COURSE RELATED TO CONCENTRATION)

Water

ABE 325 Soil and Water Resource Engineering

ABE 525 Irrigation Management and Design

CE 341 Hydraulics, hydrology and Drainage

Agriculture

ABE 305 Physical Properties of Biological Materials

EEE 355/CE 355 Environmental Engineering Sustainability

Sanitation

ABE 305 Physical Properties of Food Crops

EEE 350/CE 350 Intro to Environmental and Ecological Engineering

Habitat

CE 222/CEM 201 Life Cycle Engineering and Management

ENE 553 Introduction to Globalization and Engineering

ENE 554 Globalization and Engineering

Energy

ME 415 Energy Systems

ME 430 Power Engineering

ME 514 Wind Energy

Health

ME 597 Adv Mech Engr Proj I (example: “Healthcare Product Design”)

IE 490 Special Topics in IE (examples: “Gnd Challenges and Accessibility”, “Ergonomics and Healthcare”)

IE 590 Topics in Indust Engr (examples: “Human Factors & Medical Devices”)

*Note: This list is not exhaustive ; alternate engineering courses considered with PRIOR program approval

²⁰other option IE 343

²¹other options include EPCS 411 + 412. Consult with academic advisor.

Additional Requirements

A course listed on the Concentration Guideline is not a guarantee that the course will be accessible/made available to a student.  Lack of availability could be due to any number of circumstances beyond the control of either student or program. 

A student in the Humanitarian Engineering concentration must identify a University faculty/mentor with experience in the engineering area topic of choice. (NOTE RELATED TO CONCENTRATION)

At least one study abroad experience, EPICS course or global design engineering course (ENE 500) is required for this concentration. (NOTE SPECIFIC COURSE RELATED TO CONCENTRATION)

Engineering credits: A minimum 45 credits at 200+ level, of which at least 18 credits are at 300+ level and 6 credits of the 18 must be at 400+ level. Maximum number of credits in any engineering discipline is 24.   It is the student’s responsibility to see that all prerequisites are met for selected courses.

30 credits must be Math and Basic Science (MA, BIOL, CHM, PHYS, EAPS, SLHS are some examples)

32 credits at 300+ level (any courses) must be taken at Purdue West Lafayette.

3 credits of “hands-on” (not computer lab) required.  2 credits must be engineering (See footnote 6).  The third credit may be engineering on non-engineering. A non-engineering lab credit would be included in an AREA class.  Some examples are BIOL, CHM, or PHYS lab classes or THTR and AD classes that include a studio component. Consult academic advisor for details. 

Overview

Humanitarianism, and efforts toward integrating the range of definitions of humanitarianism with engineering abound and have deep historic roots going back to the 1800’s.  These applied definitions range from the specific enonciation of “responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity” (Humanitarian Engineering p12) to political and practice related orientations that may involve concepts of volunteerism, human equity, theology, medical/disaster relief, global outreach, cultural awareness/sensitivity, and economic development.

As with most IDES and MDE programs, the nature of Humanitarian Engineering cannot be contained in a single engineering or non-engineering domain of study, making it both reasonable and viable for our student population and the School of Engineering Education at large.  Further, as a domain space, the qualities, competencies, and quantities needed in the larger workplace/economy, are still still emergent, another characteristic of novel MDE innovation space for concentration areas.  

Students should be aware of and remain sensitive to the nascent state of this new engineering concentration;  this includes heightened awareness of the following non-exhaustive list of possible career and professional constraints and requirements:   

• Reduced formal career support from Purdue CCO and other related organizations, and the need for an aggressive and proactive personal effort to gain employment.
• Limited career options in international NGO’s /non-profits and national governments, with fewer career options to apply this concentration in traditional industrial organizations.
• Reduced first-role compensation rates, when compared to “traditional” industrial organizations and roles in engineering.
• Geographic relocation and travel a likely occupational attribute.
• Exposure to foreign cultures, religions, geo-political unrest/danger, and living conditions that vary with local norms, constraints, health/wellness limitations and conflicts.

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^{Last Updated: April 19, 2019}