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Minors in the College of Engineering .
The College of Engineering offers minors in the following areas:
Students may pursue minors in any department in any college that offers them, subject to limitations placed by the department offering the minor or by the students’ major. Completed minors will appear on the student’s transcript. Not all departments offer minors. Additional information on specific minors can be found above, in the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook, in the undergraduate major office of the department or school offering the minor, and in Engineering Advising.
An engineering minor recognizes formal study of a particular subject area in engineering normally outside the major. Students undertaking a minor are expected to complete the requirements during the time of their continuous undergraduate enrollment at Cornell. Completing the requirements for an engineering minor (along with a major) may require more than the traditional eight semesters at Cornell. However, courses that fulfill minor requirements may also satisfy other degree requirements (e.g., distribution courses, advisor-approved, or major-approved electives), and completion within eight semesters is possible.
An engineering minor requires:
- successful completion of all requirements for an undergraduate degree.
- enrollment in a major that approves participation in the minor.
- satisfactory completion of six courses (at least 18 credits) in a college-approved minor.
Students may apply for certification of a minor at any time after the required course work has been completed in accordance with published standards. An official notation of certification of a minor appears on the Cornell transcript following graduation.
Aerospace Engineering
Offered by the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Contact: 125 Upson Hall, (607) 255-3573
All undergraduates are eligible to participate in the aerospace minor.
Students intending to earn this minor should seek advice and pre-approval of their minor academic program from the Undergraduate Office in Mechanical Engineering before taking courses toward the minor.
The aerospace minor develops the engineering analysis and design skills necessary for creating and understanding aerospace vehicles and their subsystems. The minor includes diverse topics relevant to applications both in the earth’s atmosphere (e.g., aerodynamics) and in space (e.g., spacecraft thermal systems or orbital mechanics). Students in this minor will take at least four core aerospace courses, along with up to two supporting courses in engineering fundamentals or courses with applicability to aeronautics and spacecraft.
Academic Standards: A grade of at least C– in each course. If a course is offered only S–U, a grade of S is acceptable.
Requirements:
Six courses from the lists below, each worth at least 3 credits, must be completed. At most one course from outside Cornell can be used in place of one of those listed below, by petition. Any course used to satisfy early M.Eng. graduation requirements may not be used for the aerospace minor.
Rules for selecting courses:
- Rules for ME majors:
- Select at least four courses from group A, of which one must choose MAE 3050 or MAE 4060 (or both).
- Select at most two courses from group B. No courses from group C may be used.
- Two courses must be selected from the Aerospace Engineering subject field under the Major Approved Electives list in Mechanical Engineering (for a complete listing, consult the MAE webpage). These two courses may not be used toward fulfillment of the Mechanical Engineering B.S. degree requirements.
- Rules for other majors:
- Select at least four courses from group A, of which you must choose MAE 3050 or MAE 4060 (or both).
- Select a total of at most two courses from group B and group C.
- Students may not use any courses to satisfy requirements of both the Mechanical Engineering Minor and the Aerospace Engineering Minor.
Group A: Core Aerospace Engineering
Note:
*MAE 4291 and MAE 4900 require a form signed by the project advisor, stating that the project focuses on aerospace and is suitable as a core aerospace course for the minor. MAE 4291 or MAE 4900 must be worth 3 credits or more. Students may count at most one MAE 4291 OR one MAE 4900 toward the minor (i.e. students may not count both MAE 4291 and MAE 4900 toward the minor). Group B: Courses Applicable to Aerospace Engineering
Applied Mathematics
Offered jointly by the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Department of Mathematics.
Contact: Alan Zehnder, 409 Upson Hall, (607) 255-9189, atz2@cornell.edu, or the MAE Undergraduate Office, mae_undergrad@cornell.edu, 125 Upson Hall.
All Engineering undergraduates affiliated with all Engineering majors are eligible to participate in the Applied Mathematics minor.
Academic standards: At least C in each course in the minor.
Requirements:
To complete the minor, students must take MATH 2930 , MATH 2940 , and at least six (6) courses beyond MATH 2940, to be chosen as follows:
- At most one course may be chosen from each of groups 1-4.
- At least three courses must be chosen from groups 5 and 6.
- At most one 2000-level course may be chosen.
- At most one course may be chosen that is offered by the student’s major department.
Note: Students will not receive credit for MATH 4200 (Group 1) and MAE 5790 /MATH 4210 (Group 6) if both are taken.
2. Computational Methods:
3. Probability and Statistics:
Only one of the following may be chosen:
Only one of the following two may be chosen:
Also, you may choose from:
6. Mathematics courses:
Any 3000+ level course offered by the Mathematics Department in algebra, analysis, probability/statistics, geometry, or logic, with the following exceptions:
a. if any course from group 1 is chosen:
b. if any course from group 3 is chosen:
c. if AEP 4220 is chosen from group 5:
d. Only one of the following may be chosen:
Biological Engineering
Biological Engineering Minor
Offered by the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering
Contact: 207 Riley-Robb Hall, bee-ugrad@cornell.edu
Students may participate in either the Biological Engineering minor or the Biomedical Engineering minor, but not both.
Students in all engineering majors except biological engineering may participate. Students should meet with the BE coordinator as soon as they decide to pursue the minor and before their senior year. They will work with a BEE faculty advisor, who will assist them in completing their minor.
Educational objectives of the minor:
Biological engineering is the application of engineering to living systems. Examples of engineering efforts in this field include the development of new biosensor technologies, study and control of biologically based matter transformation systems, and development of engineered devices to study and regulate fundamental biological processes. The biological engineering minor is an opportunity for students to further their understanding of living systems and to increase their knowledge of the basic transport processes that occur within these systems. Courses in the minor provide opportunities to analyze and manipulate living systems at the molecular, cellular, and system levels.
Academic standards: At least C– in each course in the minor and a GPA > 2.0 in all courses in the minor Requirements:
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits), with at least three courses and 9 credits taught in BEE as follows: 1. Biology Foundation: at least one but no more than two courses:
2. Biological Engineering Core: at least one but no more than two courses:
3. Biological Engineering Focus Area Electives: minimum of 3 courses:
Choose any three courses from the focus area course lists at our BE Advised website. Courses appearing in more than one focus area do not double count. BEE 3400 and BEE 3600 may be taken as either a focus area elective or a core course.
Biomedical Engineering
Offered by the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering
Contact: bmeugrad@cornell.edu, (607) 254-3368
All undergraduates are eligible to participate in this minor, but they may participate in only one of the biological engineering and the biomedical engineering minors.
Educational Objectives: Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles and methods to a wide array of problems associated with human health. The discipline includes the design of biocompatible materials, prostheses, surgical implants, artificial organs, controlled drug-delivery systems, and wound closure devices. Diagnosing diseases and determining their biological origins depend upon increasingly sophisticated instrumentation and the use of mathematical models. This minor allows students to gain exposure to the breadth and depth of biomedical engineering offerings at Cornell, to prepare for advanced studies in biomedical engineering, and to obtain transcript recognition for their interest and capability in this rapidly growing area.
Students interested in the minor should contact Sharon Kaplan at the address listed above for an application. Consult the web site listed above for instructions.
Academic standards: At least C– in each course in the minor. A cumulative GPA ≥ 2.0 for all courses in the minor.
Requirements:
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits) from the five categories listed below; two course groups need to be in categories 1. Introductory biology and/or 2. Advanced biology with no more than one course from category 1. Four courses must come from the following categories: 3. Molecular and cellular biological engineering, 4. Biomedical engineering analysis of physiological systems, and 5. Biomedical engineering applications with courses from at least two of these categories represented. Up to two of the six courses are allowed to be required major degree courses or cross-listings. A course chosen from a list of major electives is acceptable. Additional courses may be approved by petition.
Category 1. Introductory biology (maximum of 4 credits; 3-8 credits count as one course toward this category of the BME minor):
Category 2. Advanced biology:
Category 3. Molecular and cellular biomedical engineering:
Category 4. BME analysis of physiological systems:
Category 5. Biomedical engineering applications:
Note:
*Students interested in professional practice as biomedical engineers should consider an M.Eng. degree in BME. The recommended sequence for admission is as follows: two courses from categories 1 and 2, BME 3010 , BME 3020 , BME 4010 , and BME 4020 . The program requires students to have a knowledge of molecular and cellular biomedical engineering, and of biomedical engineering analysis of physiological systems. Civil Infrastructure
Offered by the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact: 221 Hollister Hall, (607) 255-3412
Students affiliated with all majors except civil engineering may participate in this minor.
The minor in civil infrastructure is intended to introduce undergraduates to the engineering methodologies of mechanics, materials, analysis, design, and construction and to show how these are used in solving problems in the development, maintenance, and operation of the built environment that is vital for any modern society.
Academic standards: At least C in each course in the minor
Requirements:
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits), chosen as follows:
Note: courses shown in brackets [ ] not offered in current year.
2. Additional courses:
choose any five (groupings are for information only)* Geotechnical engineering:
Note:
*Other CEE courses may be approved by petition in advance. Contact the CEE Undergraduate Coordinator at nw346@cornell.edu for more information on the petition process.
Computer Science
Offered by the Department of Computer Science
Contact: Rhodes Hall, ugrad@ccs.cornell.edu
Students affiliated with all majors except Computer Science and Information Science, Systems, and Technology (ISST) are eligible to participate in this minor. This minor is for students who anticipate that computer science will play a prominent role in their academic and professional career. Completion of a Computer Science minor, with a well-selected set of classes, can serve as good preparation for further study in computer science through our two-semester Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) program, or our four-semester Master of Science program.
Requirements:
At least six courses (18 credits) chosen as follows:
2. Additional courses:
Four CS courses numbered 3000 or higher with the following exceptions: Note:
Academic standards: at least a letter grade of C is required for each course in the minor.
Cross-listed courses cannot be applied to the minor unless taken under the CS rubric, with the sole exceptions of ECE 2400 and ECE 3140 and CS courses also listed as ENGRD. All qualifying courses must be taken at Cornell for a letter grade. No substitutions allowed.
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Offered by the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Contact: 2102A Snee Hall, (607) 255-5466
A minor is a secondary area of interest that often complements a major and allows grouping of related electives in a meaningful way. Students typically need four to six courses to fulfill the requirements for a minor. EAS offers three undergraduate minor programs.
1. Atmospheric Science Minor
2. Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Minor
A minor in Earth and atmospheric sciences is available to all undergraduates except those majoring in earth and atmospheric sciences. The minor requirements are as follows:
3. Climate Change Minor
Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and dozens of courses at Cornell explore the many facets of a warming world—from impacts on farming and food, to the causes of climate change, from the potential of sustainable energy to replace fossil fuels, to the slow response of governments worldwide. The climate change minor gives students the opportunity to explore climate change from varied disciplinary perspectives while gaining a firm grounding in the basic physical, ecological, and social science as well as its interactions with history, philosophy and the arts. Based in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the minor is available to all Cornell undergraduates.
The minor is offered collaboratively with classes across campus coordinated by Peter Hess (BEE/CALS), Christy Goodale (EEB/A+S), Natalie Mahowald (EAS/ENG), and Karen Pinkus (COML/A+S). This coordinating committee can add or subtract courses from this list, based on proposals by professors or students. The minor is administered by the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.
During your final semester (or earlier if you have already completed your minor requirements), you should submit a completed climate change minor certification form to Annmarie Card in 2102A Snee Hall for approval. We have an email list with special events for climate change minors, so please email us to put your name on the list. Please contact Annmarie Card with any questions about the minor certification process and to obtain the climate change minor certification form.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the physical mechanisms that underlie climate change and the drivers of uncertainty in the future climate projections.
- Recognize how climate forces changes in ecosystems and agriculture, and how these can further amplify or mitigate climate change forcings.
- Explain how humans interact with climate change, including historical, social science perspectives, mitigation and/or adaptation solutions.
- Synthesize and communicate the multi-disciplinary complexities and uncertainties in the possible solutions to climate change.
Contacts:
Curricular topics: Natalie Mahowald (nmm63@cornell.edu)
Administration: Annmarie Card (ac2666@cornell.edu)
Minor Requirements
Many courses across Cornell deal with the multi-facets of climate change. The minor is structured such that students without prerequisites can obtain the minor, thus enabling students from most any major at Cornell to obtain the minor.
This minor requires that students complete at least 18 credits of appropriate coursework as follows:
1. BEE 2000 Perspectives on the Climate Change Challenge (1 credit spring seminar consisting of public lectures on climate change)
2. At least one course in each of the following categories:
Category 1: Physical Science Behind Climate Change
Category 2: Ecosystems and Climate Change
Category 3: Humans and Climate Change
3. Additional courses to meet the 18 credit requirement, chosen from the broad list (Categories 1-4) below.
Only one course at the 1000 level can count for the minor, and at least 12 credits must be at the 3000 level or higher.
Note: Students enrolled before Fall 2022 can use the old minor requirements including courses.
Category 1: Physical Science Behind Climate Change
Category 2: Ecosystems, Water Resources and Climate Change
a. Water Resources
b. Ecosystems and Agriculture
Category 3: Humans and Climate Change
a. Economics and Policy
b. Understanding the Context
c. Solutions: Mitigation, Adaptation and Remediation
Category 4: Additional Climate Change Courses
Note:
Students should pay close attention to prerequisite information for all courses listed above.
If a student would like a new course to be considered for the minor, they should email Professor Natalie Mahowald (nmm63@cornell.edu) and Annmarie Card (ac2666@cornell.edu) with the course syllabus and a statement from the instructor indicating that at least 30% of the course content is about climate change. Only Cornell classes, and some transfer classes, count towards the minor. AP credit cannot be used towards the minor. No more than 3 unstructured credits can count towards the minor.
Academic Standards
At least C- in courses taken for a letter grade, or, for Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory courses, Satisfactory.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Offered by the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Contact: ugrad-coordinator@ece.cornell.edu, 222 Phillips, (607) 255-9442
Students affiliated with all majors except Electrical and Computer Engineering are eligible to participate in this minor.
This minor offers the opportunity to study analog and digital circuits, data, signals and systems, and electromagnetics and to concentrate at higher levels in one of several different areas such as circuit design, electronic devices, communications, computer engineering, networks, and space engineering.
Academics standards: At least C- in each course in the minor. GPA ≥ 2.3 for all courses in the minor.
Requirements:
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits), chosen as follows: 3. ECE 3000-level course:
- One other non-project technical ECE 3000-level or above course (3-credit minimum)
4. ECE 4000-level course:
- One other non-project ECE 4000-level or above course (3-credit minimum)
Engineering Communications
Offered by the Engineering Communications Program
Overview and Description of the Minor
This minor promotes the core belief that engineering and technical work is more useful, understood, deployed, and engaging when the communication that supports and surrounds it is as carefully crafted as the technical work itself. Within the technical and engineering fields, students will explore the concepts of communicative practice, communication design, communicative context, and professional identity via not only written words but also by the plethora of multimodalities available to the technical expert. Our target population is undergraduates who are skilled in their engineering studies that understand that communication is a core complimentary skill that supports technical endeavors at all levels.
Policies, Eligibility, and Program Requirements
All College of Engineering undergraduates are eligible; students must be affiliated with the College of Engineering in a specific undergraduate major. Pre-approval is required, with an application process to begin. Students intending to earn this minor should seek early guidance (as soon as their sophomore year) by contacting the Director of the Engineering Communications Program. Send an email to engrcomm_info@cornell.edu for more information.
Note: Students undertaking a minor are normally expected to complete the requirements during the time of their continuous undergraduate enrollment at Cornell. Courses at graduate-level (5xxx) cannot be considered for the minor, even via petition. As well, pursuant to an agreement with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), students will not be permitted to declare both the Engineering Communication Minor and the CALS Science Communication and Public Engagement minor (known as SCoPE or SciComm).
Students must complete the Engineering Communication Minor’s 18 minor credits with a minimum GPA of 2.00 (not overall GPA); all courses for the minor must be finished with a letter grade of C or better. For the EC Minor, an application by an interested student begins the process. Each application will be reviewed for its completion plan, a statement of intent, and the student’s College of Engineering advisor consent. Forms will be provided by the EC Minor Advisor. A reviewed e-portfolio will be required before the minor is granted.
Educational Objectives
The Engineering Communication Minor (ECM) promotes the core belief that engineering and technical work is more useful, understood, deployed, and engaging when the communication that supports and surrounds it is as carefully crafted as the technical work itself. Within the technical and engineering fields, students will explore the concepts of communicative practice, communication design, communicative context, and professional identity via not only written words but also by the plethora of multimodalities available to the technical expert. This minor supports undergraduates who are skilled in their engineering studies that understand that communication is a core complimentary skill that supports technical endeavors, leadership, and teamwork at all levels.
Upon finishing the minor, students should be able to perform well in these areas of competency for diverse, organizational, and global audiences:
- Written Communication/Research: Identify, research, negotiate, and compose differing forms of communication to further a technical or engineering effort at a pre-professional level; skillfully use valid research methods for identifying and incorporating outside sources into projects
- Oral Communication/Presentations: Plan, devise, formulate, design, and report information via professional presentations or short talks for a variety of diverse technical and stakeholder needs
- Multimodal Communication: Identify, test, and skillfully integrate new software tools that allow for engineering work to be advanced; visualize, illustrate, and appropriately caption visuals; discriminate between methodologies for creating visuals other multimodal artifacts; create visuals and multimodal artifacts that are accessible
- Ethics: Identify, research, negotiate, and produce communication that respects diverse expertise and perspectives
- Teamwork: Collaborate effectively in teams (not simple ad hoc groups); appraise teammates’ contributions; collaborate in teams to identify, negotiate, assign roles, draft, and finalize projects with equality of effort in mind
Other Details
- Instructional modes: in person, hybrid, and online are all possible for individual courses
- Program location: Ithaca campus
- Total credits required: 18
- Length of program: variable; must be completed upon undergraduate education
Requirements:
Category A
Engineering Communications courses (7 credits, with items 1, 2, and 3 all required. Offered every spring and fall semesters.)
- Choose either ENGRC 3350 - Organizational Communications for Engineering Managers or ENGRC 3500 - Engineering Communications
- Choose COMM 2450 - Communication and Technology or COMM 2850 - Communication, Environment, Science, and Health or HADM 3670 - Persuasive and Ethical Communication
- ENGRC 4900 - Engineering Communication Minor Capstone
Category B
Engineering and Technical Professionalism (minimum of 5 credits required, student choice from approved listing, below.)
Category C
Engineering, Technical, or Scientific Communication Electives (minimum of 6 credits required, student choice).
Any ENGRC partner classes (no limit) for 1 credit each.
This list may change due to partnerships in majors. Below, each ENGRC class is shown with the co-requisite course in the major.
Other Courses at Cornell
Stats
One of these courses may count towards the minor: AEM 2100 , BTRY 3010 , BTRY 6010 , CEE 3040 , ENGRD 2700 , HADM 2010 , ILRST 2100 , ILRST 6100 , MATH 1710 , ORIE 3500 , PUBPOL 2100 , PUBPOL 2101 , PSYCH 2500 , SOC 3010 , STSCI 2100 , STSCI 2150 , STSCI 2200 .
Language
Any language course, besides English, at 3xxx level or above. Up to four credits can be taken in this category. Students who pass a Cornell CASE sitting may petition for credit in this category. Department of Romance Studies: Placement, Testing, and Transfer Credit.
Study Abroad
Students may petition to have Study Abroad communication courses, up to three credits, count towards the minor. Formal petition required, approved in advance of the Study Abroad experience, not after.
* Courses marked with an asterisk will also fulfill the Engineering Communication Requirement on their own; however, they are part of the elective count for the EC Minor only.
Engineering Entrepreneurship
This minor is no longer being offered in 2024-2025 and interested students are encouraged to explore the Dyson Business Minor .
Offered collaboratively by: Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Operations Research and Information Engineering
Contact: MSE Undergraduate Coordinator, 210 Bard Hall, (607) 255-9159
Academic Standards: At least C- in each course in the minor.
Eligibility:
All Engineering undergraduates. Students pursuing the Independent Major should obtain approval for the proposed minor courses to avoid significant overlap with approved primary and secondary area programs.
Educational Objectives:
This minor focuses on giving engineering students the skills necessary to identify and evaluate opportunities and begin new business ventures. The coursework leads to an understanding and ability in intellectual property, competition, technology assessment, product development, finance, and accounting—the tools necessary to start a high technology business.
Requirements:
At least six (6) courses (minimum of 18 credits), chosen as follows:
Notes:
(1) Experiential Learning: Students are encouraged to consider completing a summer internship or co-op placement with an entrepreneurial or venture capital company. Please contact the Cornell Engineering Career Center office, the Red Bear Angel Group, and the Entrepreneurship@Cornell office for assistance in finding such positions.
(2) Other courses may be approved by petition in advance.
Engineering Management
Offered by the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact: 221 Hollister Hall, (607) 255-3412
Students affiliated with all majors are eligible to participate in this minor. CEE students may not use courses simultaneously to satisfy a requirement for the minor and as a major-approved elective or design elective. ORIE students have some specific restrictions and requirements as noted below. Students pursuing the Independent Major should obtain approval from CEE for their proposed minor courses, as they relate to approved primary- and secondary-area programs.
This minor focuses on giving students a basic understanding of engineering economics, accounting, statistics, project management methods, and analysis tools necessary to manage technical operations and projects effectively. The minor provides an important set of collateral skills for students in any engineering discipline.
Academic standards: At least C in each course in the minor.
Requirements:
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits), chosen as follows: 2. Additional courses-choose any three:*
Environmental Engineering
Environmental Engineering Minor
Offered jointly by the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering and the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact: BEE Office, 207 Riley-Robb Hall, bee-ugrad@cornell.edu or CEE Office, 221 Hollister Hall, nw346@cornell.edu, or visit the Environmental Engineering website.
Eligibility
All undergraduates except Environmental Engineering Majors.
For Civil Engineering majors, at least four of the six courses may not be used to fulfill both minor requirements and major-approved elective or design course requirements.
For Biological Engineering majors, at least 12 of the 15 credits used toward the focus area electives in the Biological Engineering major cannot also be used towards the Environmental Engineering minor.
Educational Objectives
A fundamental challenge for the engineering profession is development of a sustainable society and environmentally responsible industry and agriculture reflecting an integration of economic and environmental objectives, and implementation of renewable energy resources. We are called upon to be trustees and managers of our nation’s resources, the air in our cities, and water in our aquifers, streams, estuaries, and coastal areas. This minor encourages engineering students to learn about the scientific, engineering, and economic foundations of environmental engineering so that society is better able to address environmental management issues.
Academic standards: At least C– in each course in the minor. GPA ≥ 2.0 for all courses in the minor. Courses shown in brackets [ ] are not offered in current year.
Requirements:
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits), chosen as follows. Note: courses shown in brackets [ ] not offered in current year.
Students must select courses from the following group listings, with at least one (1) course from three of the four groups below.
Group A. Sustainable Energy
- CEE 4880 - Applied Modeling and Simulation for Renewable Energy Systems (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 5420 - Energy Technologies and Subsurface Resources (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 5200 - Economics of the Energy Transition (3 credits, Fall)
- MAE 5010 - Future Energy Systems (3 credits, Spring)
- CHEME 6660 - Analysis of Sustainable Energy Systems (2 credits, Fall)
- CHEME 6661 - Bioenergy and Biofuels Module (1 credit, Spring)
- CHEME 6670 - Fossil Fuels Module (1 credit, Spring)
- CEE 4210 - Renewable Energy Systems (3 credits, Fall)
- MAE 4020 - [Wind Power] (3 credits, Fall)
- ENGRI 1165 - Climate Change and You, the Engineer (crosslisted) (3 credits, Fall) (may only count if taken before the junior year; only one ENGRI course may count toward the minor)
Group B. Environmental Processes
- BEE 4590 - Physical Design in Biological Engineering (3 credits, Fall)
- BEE 4800 - Atmospheric Chemistry: From Air Pollution to Global Change (3 credits, Fall)
- CEE 4510 - Microbiology for Environmental Engineering (2 credits, Fall)
- CEE 4530 - Laboratory Research in Environmental Engineering (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 4535 - Water Chemistry for Environmental Engineering (3 credits, Fall)
- CEE 4555 - Physical and Chemical Process (3 credits, Fall)
- CEE 4570 - Environmental Biological Processes (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 6585 - Biogeochemical Reaction Modeling (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 6590 - Partitioning and Transformation of Organic Contaminants in Environmental Systems (3 credits, Spring)
- EAS 4570 - Atmospheric Air Pollution (3 credits, Fall; Offered alternate years)
- CEE 4565 - Waste Water Processes and Resources Recovery (3 credits, Fall)
- ENGRI 1130 - Sustainable Engineering of Energy, Water, Soil, and Air Resources (crosslisted) (may count only if taken before the junior year, only one ENGRI course may count toward the minor)
Group C. Hydrology and Environmental Fluid Mechanics
- BEE 3710 - Physical Hydrology for Ecosystems (3 credits, Spring)
- BEE 4270 - Water Measurement and Analysis Methods (3 credits, Fall)
- BEE 4710 - Introduction to Groundwater (3 credits, Spring)
- BEE 6740 - Ecohydrology (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 3410 - Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering (4 credits, Fall)
- CEE 4330 - Physical Hydrology in the Built and Natural Environments (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 4370 - Experimental Methods in Fluid Dynamics (4 credits, Spring)
- CEE 6370 - Experimental Methods in Fluid Dynamics (4 credits, Spring)
- CEE 6550 - Transport, Mixing, and Transformation in the Environment (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 4350 - Coastal Engineering (4 credits, Spring)
- BEE 4730 - Watershed Engineering (4 credits, Fall)
Group D. Sustainable Systems and Environmental Analytics
- BEE 3299 - Sustainable Development (3 credits, Spring)
- BEE 4310 - Environmental Statistics and Learning (3 credits, Fall)
- CEE 4200 - Managing Water Resources in a Changing World (3 credits, Fall)
- CEE 4930 - Data Analytics (4 credits, Fall)
- CEE 5970 - Risk Analysis and Management (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 5980 - Decision Framing and Analytics (3 credits, Spring)
- PLSCI 4200 - Geographic Information Systems (GIS): Concepts and Application (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 4665 - Modeling and Optimization for Smart Infrastructure Systems (3 credits, Fall)
- CEE 4795 - Sensors for the Built and Natural Environments (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 4800 - Engineering Smart Cities (3 credits, Fall)
- BEE 4510 - Sustainable Water Resources System Design (3 credits, Spring)
- CEE 4640 - Sustainable Transportation Systems Design (3 credits, Fall)
Game Design
Offered by the Department of Computer Science.
Visit The Game Design Initiative at Cornell website.
Requirements:
At least six (6) courses (18-credit minimum) chosen as follows: Required courses:
Complete the following two courses: Additional Courses:
Choose four courses (outside of your major department) from the following lists:
Art
All art classes below the 4000 level may be used for this requirement.
Computer Science
Any CS course 2000 or above that is immediately relevant to the production of computer games may count towards this requirement. This includes BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:
Information Science
Any INFO course 2000 above that addresses digital cultures, the ethics of technology, or human-computer interaction may count towards the requirement. This includes BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:
Music
Any music class that is NOT classified as a performance class may be used for this requirement. For a list of excluded classes, see: https://music.cornell.edu/courses#performance-courses
Performing and Media Arts
Any PMA course that trains students in the techniques applicable to video or digital media production may be used for this requirement. This includes BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO:
Psychology
Any psychology course 2000 or above that is classified as perception, cognition and development (PCD) may be used for this requirement. For a list of acceptable courses, see: https://psychology.cornell.edu/major
Other Departments
Other departments may offer courses that are directly relevant to game design. Because of the transient and/or scattered nature of these courses, those courses are typically accepted for the minor on a petition basis. Examples of classes that fall in this category are:
Additional Information:
Academic standards: at least a letter grade of C is required for each course in the minor.
Information Science
Information Science Minor
Offered by the Department of Information Science
Contact: 521 and 521A Rhodes Hall, (607) 255-3615 and (607) 255-0772
A minor in information science is available to students in the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Architecture, Art, and Planning; Arts and Sciences; Engineering; Human Ecology; and the Schools of Hotel Administration and Industrial and Labor Relations. Because of small differences in regulations between the colleges, the requirements may vary slightly, depending on a student’s college and, in a few cases, a student’s major. Students interested in pursuing the information science minor must initiate the process by sending an e-mail message with their name, college, year of study (e.g., second-semester sophomore), expected graduation date, and (intended) major to ISadvising@cornell.edu.
Requirements
IS Minor Requirements by College
Agriculture and Life Sciences
Architecture, Art, and Planning
Arts and Sciences
Human Ecology
Industrial and Labor Relations
- One core course based on your concentration.
- Concentrations: three courses.
- Elective/Additional: two courses from any concentration.
Engineering
- One core course based on your concentration.
- Concentrations: three courses.
- Elective/Additional: one course from any concentration.
Hotel School
Materials Science and Engineering
Offered by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Contact: 210 Bard Hall, (607) 255-9159
Students affiliated with all majors except Materials Science and Engineering are eligible to participate in this minor.
Materials properties are the foundation of many engineering disciplines including mechanical, civil, chemical, and electrical engineering. This minor provides students with a fundamental understanding of mechanisms that determine the ultimate performance, properties, and processing characteristics of modern materials.
Academic standards: At least C in each course in the minor.
Requirements:
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits), chosen as follows: 3. Three electives chosen from:
Any MSE course at the 3000-level or above OR selected courses in materials properties and processing (at the 3000-level or above) from AEP, CHEME, CEE, ECE, MAE, PHYS, and CHEM. Any questions regarding allowable courses can be directed to the MSE Undergraduate Coordinator.
Mechanical Engineering
Offered by the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Contact: 125 Upson Hall, (607) 255-3573
Students affiliated with all majors except MAE are eligible to participate in this minor. Students intending to earn this minor should seek advice and pre-approval of their minor academic program from the associate director for undergraduate affairs in mechanical engineering before taking courses toward the minor.
Academic standards: At least C– in each course in the minor.
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits) from among the following:
Rules for selecting courses:
- The selection of courses must satisfy the following three requirements.
- At least two courses must be numbered above 3000.
- At least one course must be either (i) numbered above 5000 or (ii) numbered above 3260 and have as a prerequisite ENGRD 2020 , MAE 2030 , ENGRD 2210 or a MAE course.
- Each course must be worth at least 3 credits.
- All courses used to satisfy the MAE minor must be MAE courses, ENGRD 2020 , ENGRD 2210 , or MAE 2030 . No substitutions will be accepted from other departments at Cornell or elsewhere. Transfer credit may not be used to satisfy the MAE minor. MAE 4980 - Teaching Experience in Mechanical Engineering may not be used toward satisfying the M.E. minor. MAE 4900 or MAE 4291 may be used for at most one course in the minor.
Operations Research and Management Science
Offered by the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering
Contact: 278 Rhodes Hall, (607) 254-8949
This Minor is open to all students except majors in Operations Research & Engineering and Information Science, Systems, and Technology (ISST).
The Minor exposes students to the rational basis for decision making through understanding and modeling complex situations. Students use this understanding to predict system behavior and improve system performance. Students have the opportunity to obtain a wide exposure to the core methodological tools used in OR/MS including mathematical programming, stochastic and statistical models, and simulation.
The objective of the Minor is for students to obtain a broad knowledge of these fundamentals versus training students in one specific domain. Students are able to adjust the selection of their advanced courses in the Minor to pursue areas—either methodological or application oriented—of greatest interest to their educational goals.
Academic standards: At least C- in each course in the minor. GPA ≥ 2.0 for all courses in the minor.
Requirements:
At least six courses (≥ 18 credits), chosen as follows: 1. At least three of these courses:
2. Any ORIE courses at the 3000-level or higher (including those in list 1)
At most three of these credits can be satisfied by undergraduate research in ORIE, Team project course in ORIE (ORIE 4999 ) and being a course assistant (ORIE 4990 ) in ORIE combined
Robotics
Offered collaboratively by the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Computer Science
Administered by: MAE Undergraduate Office, 125 Upson Hall, (607) 255-3573
Eligibility: All undergraduates, except those completing minors in ECE, MechE, or CS. Pre-approval of minor plan is required.
Educational Objectives: The robotics minor covers the fundamentals of designing, building and programming robots, and in addition requires students to dive deeper in a specific area of robotics.
Requirements:
1) Six distinct courses including at least three from Group A and three from a single category within Group B, must be
completed.
2) ME majors may not count MAE 3780 / MAE 3783 if it is used to satisfy the ME circuits requirement.
3) Students may petition to use one semester of independent research (minimum 3 credits of CS 4999 or ECE 4999 or INFO 4900 or MAE 4900 ) in lieu of one group B course. Such petitions must include a short description of the project and a note from the faculty advisor commenting on the robotics aspect of the project.
Academic Standards: A grade of C or better in each course.
GROUP A: Fundamentals - choose three
GROUP B: Specialization - choose three courses in one of the below categories
Modeling, Dynamics, and Control
Smart Cities
Offered by the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Contact: 221 Hollister Hall, (607) 255-3412
The Smart Cities minor recognizes the growing ubiquity of sensors, smart devices, real-time data and advancements in artificial intelligence in the fields of civil and environmental engineering to approach the built and natural environments. This minor encourages engineering students to learn about how to best use data to design, analyze, and control smart, interconnected, and dynamic infrastructure systems. To help engineer smart cities of the future, in addition to technical skills in civil engineering students in this minor will also gain knowledge on the environment, climate change, technology, sensors, and data science.
Requirements:
A minimum of six (6) courses (18 credits).
1. Core requirements:
At least two (2) courses chosen from:
2. Focus Areas:
Remaining credits can be bundled into focus areas. Examples of areas and courses are given below; students can petition other areas and relevant courses:
Transportation & Energy Systems
Climate-Energy-Water Nexus
Finance, Economics, and Infrastructure Policy
Engineering students affiliated with all majors except Civil Engineering are eligible to participate in this minor. Civil Engineering students can choose to follow the Smart Cities concentration.
Sustainable Energy Systems
Sustainable Energy Systems Minor
Offered collaboratively by the Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, the Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Contacts: curricular topics: Jeff Tester, David Croll Sesquicentennial Fellow and Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, 230A Olin Hall, (607) 254-7211; administrative or registrar topics: Carol Casler, undergraduate programs office of the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, (607) 255-1489.
Individual faculty members in most units in the College of Engineering are involved in research and education intended to move society toward more sustainable solutions to our energy needs and are sources of guidance to students interested in the Energy minor. Many of these faculty members are in the College of Engineering. The minor is open to all undergraduate students.
Providing affordable energy to meet the demands of both developed and developing nations without further damaging the natural environment and the Earth’s climate system is a grand challenge for the 21st century. Our quality of life and the stability of nations ultimately depend on having accessible energy resources and an equitable and sustainable energy supply and distribution system. Achievement of these goals requires the participation, ingenuity, and hard work of people with a range of specialized backgrounds, working collaboratively. The minor is intended to emphasize the importance of viewing the challenge of meeting the world’s energy needs as a system of interacting themes. The requirements of the minor are designed to provide breadth across a range of energy resource types and conversion, transmission and storage technologies along with coverage of the environmental, economic, political, and social consequences of various options.
Academic standards: At least C– in each course or, for S–U only courses, S.
Requirements:
- Six courses and a minimum of 18 credits; at least 2 credits in each category, category 2 requires 3 credits
- At least two courses (together totaling no less than 3 credits) in category 2: Energy Sources and Technologies for a Transition to Sustainability
- At most two courses may be specific requirements in the student’s major; not a course decided on, like an elective, this restriction applies when everyone in the major must complete the course
- At least one course from each of four breadth categories
Four Breadth Categories:
- Energy Systems Analysis
- Energy Sources and Technologies for a Transition to Sustainability
- Natural Systems Impacted by Energy Production and Use
- Social Impact: Policy, Economics, Business, History, Ethics, and Risk Analysis.
Courses satisfying each of the breadth categories:
1. Energy systems analysis:
2. Energy sources and technologies for a transition to sustainability:
3. Natural systems impacted by energy production and use:
4. Policy/economics/business/history/ethics/risk analysis:
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