Based on the premise that the primary function of engineering is design, the engineering program provides broad-based knowledge and experience in synthesis as well as analysis. It is designed to prepare students for professional practice as well as advanced study in various engineering specialties. Leading to an unspecialized bachelor's or master's degree, the program emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving.
At the core of the curriculum is a sequence of systems courses that emphasize mathematical modeling and provide analysis and design tools applicable to the entire spectrum of engineering disciplines. This sequence integrates knowledge gained from a thorough background in the fundamentals of engineering science and computer science. In addition, a wide range of technical electives provides opportunity to study specialized areas in greater depth.
Professional experience that draws on this broad knowledge base is provided by requiring students to undertake challenging design problems in the Engineering Clinic. An educational innovation at Harvey Mudd College, the Clinic brings together teams of students with faculty advisors to work on carefully selected industry-sponsored projects. Coordination with industrial liaisons ensures that the project experience corresponds as closely as possible to that encountered in actual practice. The students plan and execute their projects; coaching, monitoring, and evaluation are provided by the professors. The questions they face are of the sort that professional engineers must face regularly; the solutions they devise must be satisfactory in practice as well as in theory.
The College believes that its broad engineering program is most likely to produce engineers capable of adapting a changing technology to expanding human needs. Within this context, an engineering major may choose to emphasize a particular engineering specialty by appropriate choice of elective courses and Engineering Clinic projects. Specific programs tailored to individual needs are developed in consultation with an engineering advisor.