Engineering Architectural Engineering (Omaha)

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Description

Website: http://engineering.unl.edu/durhamschool/architectural-engineering/

The architectural engineering (BSAE) undergraduate program is a four-year program requiring 128 credit hours. A one-year master of architectural engineering (MAE) program of 30 credits is also offered. The Architectural Engineering (MAE) program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Architectural and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. Virtually all of our BSAE graduates continue to complete the MAE degree.

Educational Objectives

The following are the BSAE/MAE program educational objectives (PEOs):

  1. Professional Accomplishment: Our AE graduates will become licensed professional engineers a few years after graduation.
  2. Career Accomplishment: Our AE graduates will contribute to society by working in an occupation related to the built environment a few years after graduation.

Architectural engineering (AE) is the engineering design of buildings. Students have the option to specialize in the design of:

  1. Building structural systems
  2. Building mechanical systems and acoustics
  3. Building lighting and electrical systems

The first three years are common to all three fields of specialization and include the math and science courses common to all engineering programs. Students take an introductory course in AE in their first semester where they learn about the materials and systems that comprise a building, visit a construction site, and interact with their industry mentors. It provides a preview of the work they can expect to perform after graduation. This introductory course helps students decide if AE is the career path they wish to pursue. 

In the third semester, the AE student begins the first of a three-course sequence of courses in AE Design and Simulation Studio. These courses familiarize the engineering student with building information technology (BIM), building systems, and how they support the design process of architects. The AE degree is keenly focused on integrating engineering concepts with architectural features to deliver aesthetic and high performing buildings. Exposure to construction is an important part of the AE student's education. It develops creativity and constructability where AE graduates enjoy a special ability to work effectively with all professionals on the design and construction team.

The AE program develops breadth and depth by requiring a good understanding of all the systems that comprise a building while also providing specialized education in one of the areas listed above. Breadth is provided in the fifth and sixth semesters, where all students take courses in each of the three areas of specialization. Depth is provided in the seventh and eighth semesters where courses are taken primarily in one of the three specialization tracks.

A one-year master of architectural engineering (MAE) degree follows the four-year undergraduate program. This fifth year continues the specialized education in each of the three option areas and provides the professional practice topics that architectural engineers need later in their careers.

The MAE year features a major interdisciplinary design project. The project requires students to practice the design skills and understanding of building systems previously developed. Student teams complete a significant building design in a manner that closely simulates professional practice. Industry and faculty members serve as consultants to the students.  Typically, students enter this design into the national Architectural Engineering Institute competition. Traditionally, our students do very well at this competition. Additionally, students complete an individual mastery project on a topic of their choice.

Career Opportunities

Architectural engineering graduates normally enter the building design industry and become registered professional engineers. There are only about 20 accredited architectural engineering programs in the country, so there is a large unfulfilled demand for engineers educated in building design. In Nebraska, the home of several large architectural and engineering design firms, this is especially true.

Architectural engineering is accredited by the EAC-ABET, Inc. The accreditation is attached to the one-year master of architectural engineering degree.

Major Department Admission

Students must complete at least 43 credit hours in the AE program before applying for professional admission to the degree program in AE. Transfer students must have all transfer hours accepted before applying for professional admission. Professional admission in the BSAE program requires a minimum of a 2.8 GPA and allows students to enroll in 300-level AREN courses. The number of admitted students will depend on the availability of space, faculty, and other academic resources. Students are not permitted to register for more than 61 credit hours of courses listed in the AE curriculum until they have been professionally admitted into the degree program.
 

College Requirements

College Admission

College Entrance Requirements

Students must meet both the University and College of Engineering entrance requirements.  The following includes both the University and College of Engineering entrance requirements.

Students must have high school credit for (one unit is equal to one high school year):

  1. Mathematics – 4 units: 2 of algebra, 1 of geometry, and 1 of precalculus and trigonometry
  2. English – 4 units
  3. Natural sciences – 3 units that must include 1 unit of physics and 1 unit of chemistry (chemistry requirement waived for students in construction management or computer science)
  4. Foreign language – 2 units of a single foreign language
  5. Social studies – 3 units
  6. Students having a composite ACT score of 28 or greater (or equivalent SAT score) will be admitted to the College of Engineering even if they lack any one of the following: trigonometry, chemistry, or physics. Students without test scores who are missing a full unit of trigonometry/pre-calculus/calculus or chemistry or physics will be evaluated through College Review.
  7. Students having an ACT score of 19 or less in English (or equivalent SAT score) or a grade lower than B in high school English, must take ENGL 150 Writing and Inquiry or ENGL 151 Writing for Change.

A total of 16 units is required for admission.

Engineering requires that student performance meet one of the following standards: composite ACT of 24, SAT of 1180, ACT Math subscore of 24, SAT Math subscore of 580, or a 3.5 cumulative GPA. 

 

Any domestic first-year student who does not gain admission to Engineering but does gain admission to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) will be reviewed through College Review. College Review is conducted through the College Review Committee which considers factors beyond standardized testing. Any first-year student who is not admitted through college review is placed in Pre-Engineering (PENG) with the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center (Explore Center). Students in the Explore Center can transfer to the College of Engineering once college admission requirements are met.  

Students for whom English is not their language of nurture must meet the minimum English proficiency requirements of the University.  

Students who lack entrance units may complete precollege training by Independent Study through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Office of On-line and Distance Education, in summer courses, or as a part of their first or second semester course loads while in the Explore Center or other colleges at UNL.  

Students should consult their advisor, their department chair, or Engineering Student Services (ESS) if they have questions on current policies.  

Other Admission Requirements

Students who transfer to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from other accredited colleges or universities and wish to be admitted to the College of Engineering (COE) must meet COE first-year student entrance requirements, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5, and be calculus-ready. Students not meeting either of these requirements must enroll in the Explore Center or another University college until they meet COE admission requirements. Students transferring from UNO, UNL, or UNK to the College of Engineering must be in good academic standing with their institution.  

The COE accepts courses for transfer for which a C or better grade was received. Although the University of Nebraska–Lincoln accepts D grades from the University of Nebraska Kearney and the University of Nebraska Omaha, not all majors in the COE accept such low grades. Students must conform to the requirements of their intended major and, in any case, are strongly encouraged to repeat courses with a grade of C- or less. 

Students who were previously admitted to COE and are returning to the College of Engineering must demonstrate a cumulative GPA of 2.5 to be readmitted to COE.

College Degree Requirements

Grade Rules

Grade Appeals

In the event of a dispute involving any college policies or grades, the student should appeal to their instructor, and appropriate department chair or school director (in that order). If a satisfactory solution is not achieved, the student may appeal their case through the College Academic Appeals Subcommittee. 

Catalog Rule

Students must fulfill the requirements stated in the catalog for the academic year in which they are first admitted at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In consultation with advisors, a student may choose to follow a subsequent catalog for any academic year in which they are admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at Nebraska in the College of Engineering. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year. The catalog which a student follows for degree requirements may not be more than 10 years old at the time of graduation. 

Students who have transferred from a community college may be eligible to fulfill the requirements as stated in the catalog for an academic year in which they were enrolled at the community college prior to attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  This decision should be made in consultation with the student’s College of Engineering academic advising team (e.g., ESS professional advisor and the chief faculty advisor for the student’s declared degree program).  The chief faculty advisor has the final authority for this decision. Eligibility is based on a) enrollment in a community college during the catalog year the student wishes to utilize, b) maintaining continuous enrollment of at least 12 credit hours per semester at the previous institution for at least 2 semesters, and c) continuous enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln within 1 calendar year from the student’s last term at the previous institution.  Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year and within the timeframe allowable for that catalog year. 

 Learning Outcomes

Graduates of architectural engineering will develop:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

The Architectural Engineering (MAE) program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Architectural and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.