Course Overview!

Ball State University's Pre-Engineering major is a five-year program designed to prepare students for a career in engineering. The program involves three years of coursework at Ball State, followed by a transfer to an engineering school to complete the engineering degree requirements. Students will receive a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Ball State upon completion of the first three years. The program offers concentrations in metallurgical, chemical, or general engineering, providing a strong foundation in physics and mathematics to prepare students for various engineering specializations. Students benefit from research opportunities, access to state-of-the-art technology, and active student involvement through the Society of Physics Students (SPS). The program also offers scholarships and student employment opportunities.

Course Structure

The Pre-Engineering major comprises 67-77 credits of pre-engineering coursework across three concentrations: metallurgical, chemical, or general engineering. The general engineering concentration covers aeronautical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, and nuclear engineering specializations. Core courses include general physics (PHYC 120-122), introductory and modern physics (PHYC 260, PHYC 262), computer science (CS 120), technical design graphics (TMFG 105), electronics (PHYC 354), and nanomaterials and devices fabrication (PHYC 312). The curriculum also includes the University Core Curriculum requirements (36 credits) and culminates in a senior capstone experience focused on scientific research in areas such as astronomy and astrophysics, computational nanoscience, condensed matter physics, medical physics, nanomaterials and devices, nuclear and radiation physics, particle physics, or physics education. Students also benefit from undergraduate research opportunities and access to state-of-the-art technology including the College of Science and Humanities supercomputing cluster and the SARA consortium telescopes.