The College of Engineering at Ohio State is
one of the top engineering colleges in the
nation. It houses fourteen majors in a wide
range of engineering fields, twelve of which
are ABET-accredited and meet the educational
requirement for licensure as a professional
engineer. OSU Engineering graduates go on
to be key contributors to society through
the technological, professional, and interpersonal
skills they develop in the program, with an
average starting salary just shy of $60,000
for the college as a whole. The Engineering
curriculum emphasizes both technical mastery
and creativity, combining challenging classroom
academics with hands-on collaborative projects,
co-ops and internships, and research.
The Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
major provides students with a technical background
in aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, controls,
design, and systems. Students will learn how
to identify the best materials for lightweight
structures, how to create an aerodynamic shape,
and how to improve the safety of control systems
in an aircraft. Graduates find work with aerospace
firms, aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and
government aerospace labs.
The Aviation major prepares students to become
both professional pilots and effective managers
within the aviation industry. Majors can elect
to complete a professional pilot track which
can lead to certification as a commercial
pilot. In addition, students study transportation,
economics and logistics, flight operations,
and flight support, along with the rigorous
science, math, and engineering topics appropriate
to an engineering major. Aviation majors engage
in hands-on learning and training at the OSU
Airport. The OSU Airport is home to 230 aircraft,
oversees approximately 100,000 operations
per year, and serves as a general aviation
reliever for Port Columbus International Airport.
Graduates work in a variety of settings, including
airports, airlines, corporate aviation, cargo
aviation, flight support and planning, air
traffic, government, regulatory bodies, and
transportation management.
Biomedical Engineering is the most competitive
Engineering program, with a yearly admissions
cycle that admits a fixed number of applicants.
Biomedical engineers develop devices and procedures
that solve medical and health-related problems
by combining their knowledge of biology and
medicine with engineering principles and practices.
Students learn about the areas of bioimaging,
biotransport, biomaterials, biomechanics,
biotechnology, and molecular, cellular and
tissue engineering. Graduates find employment
in the medical instruments and supplies industry,
health services, government agencies, and
consulting.
The Chemical Engineering major educates students
about the composition and development of chemicals
used to create food, pharmaceuticals, consumer
goods, and petroleum products. Chemical Engineering
differs from Chemistry in its emphasis on
the commercial application of chemical knowledge
and methods. Graduates find work in government
or private laboratories and engineering firms,
where they develop chemical technologies relevant
to food, clothing, shelter, energy, transportation,
and communication.
The Civil Engineering major prepares students
to plan, design, and build the infrastructure
and systems essential to society, such as
buildings, bridges, tunnels, airports, highways,
railways, landfills, and irrigation & drainage
systems. Students have an opportunity to take
technical electives in one of three areas:
(1) infrastructure, (2) water resources and
environmental engineering, and (3) transportation
and geodetic engineering. Graduates work in
government agencies, the construction industry,
consulting, engineering sales, and private
engineering firms.
The Computer Science & Engineering major provides
a technical background in both software and
hardware. CSE majors develop a thorough practical
knowledge of programming. But they also learn
about software design and testing, computing
and information theory, operating systems,
databases, and programming languages. CSE
majors additionally focus on one or more areas
of advanced technical specialization, such
as artificial intelligence, gaming, graphics,
data analytics, or security. Graduates work
as software engineers, web developers, network
administrators, systems analysts, and product
developers, among others.
The Electrical & Computer Engineering major
has two areas of focus: electrical engineering
and computer engineering. The field of electrical
engineering encompasses a broad spectrum of
technical areas, including computers and digital
systems, microelectronics, photonics, materials,
controls, communication systems and signal
processing, energy conversion and power distribution,
antenna design and electromagnetic scattering,
and robotics in manufacturing. Electrical
engineers create, research, design, develop,
manufacture, and market new devices. The field
of computer engineering covers a wide range
of topics including multimedia systems, robots,
microprocessors, memory systems, networks,
the Internet, chip design, supercomputers
and all other aspects of computer organization,
design, and programming. ECE graduates are
recruited by major companies, including IBM,
Texas Instruments, Microsoft, AT&T, Intel,
Hewlett Packard, Ford, and GM.
The Engineering Physics major offers the opportunity
for students to combine a broad set of options
in the engineering disciplines with a strong
background in physics and mathematics. This
unique combination of courses helps students
prepare for careers in a variety of engineering
professions. Engineering Physics provides
excellent preparation for scientific or engineering
careers directly after graduation, as well
as graduate work in physics, engineering,
or math.
The Environmental Engineering major prepares
students to plan, design, construct, operate,
and maintain facilities meant to protect and
preserve human health, wildlife, and the environment.
Environmental engineers generally work on
large-scale projects related to water supply,
wastewater management, solid waste management,
air pollution control, environmental chemistry
and more. Graduates work for consulting firms,
manufacturing companies, and government agencies.
The Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering
major is a joint program between the College
of Engineering and the College of Food, Agricultural,
and Environmental Sciences. Ohio State's Department
of Food, Agricultural, Biological & Ecological
Engineering was ranked 10th best undergraduate
biological/agricultural engineering program
by U.S. News & World Report. FABE majors choose
from among four specializations: Food, Agricultural,
Biological, and Ecological engineering. Students
learn to identify and solve engineering problems
related to renewable energy; environmental
issues; production of safe, healthy, nutritious,
value-added food products; and other areas
where natural earth systems can be engineered
to be more productive for humanity, while
protecting these resources for a sustained
and secure future. Graduates work in a variety
of settings including federal and state environmental
agencies, consulting firms, manufacturing,
food production, and more.
The Industrial & Systems Engineering major
focuses on the design, operation and management
of complex systems, providing students with
a blend of technical, management, and human-centered
design skills. ISE majors specialize in Data
Analytics & Optimization, Human-Systems Integration
& Design, Management Systems & Operations
Research, Manufacturing, or Supply Chain Management.
Graduates of this program work in a wide variety
of fields, including manufacturing, strategic
planning, production, design, technical sales,
and management.
The Materials Science & Engineering major
examines the performance, specification, and
manufacture of metals, ceramics, semiconductors,
plastics, and composites. Graduates of this
program find employment in several industries,
including aerospace, appliances, automotive,
computers, construction, oil and gas, and
power generation.
The Mechanical Engineering major teaches students
about the design, analysis, testing, manufacturing,
control, operation, and maintenance of mechanical
systems - that is, any system that has a
moving part! Mechanical systems can vary greatly
in complexity and magnitude, from the valve
in an artificial heart to a car engine to
a mammoth nuclear power plant. Mechanical
Engineering majors choose a specialization
from among Applied Mechanics; Automotive Engineering;
Biomechanical Systems; Design & Manufacturing;
Dynamics, Vibrations, & Controls; Energy Systems;
and Nuclear Engineering. Graduates find work
in research, development, design, testing
& evaluation, production & manufacturing,
operation & maintenance, marketing & sales,
and administration.
Finally, the Welding Engineering major focuses
on the design and process of joining materials
together, such as metals, ceramics, and plastics.
Welding Engineering majors learn about material
selection, manufacturing methods, tooling,
operator training, quality control, performance
evaluation, sales, and service. Graduates
work in consulting, construction, production,
research & development, teaching, management,
and sales.
All Engineering majors are highly structured
with competitive admission. Admission criteria
and competitiveness vary by major, but admitted
applicants have strong grades in first-year
math, science, and engineering courses. Because
of this, if you're considering an Engineering
major, it's very important to discuss your
interests as early as possible with an Engineering
advisor. If you do not yet meet the eligibility
criteria to apply to your desired Engineering
major, you might be eligible to declare Pre-Engineering
while working on the rest of your admission
requirements. To declare Pre-Engineering,
you must have at least a 2.5 OSU GPA and a
C- or higher Math 1151, and either Chemistry
1210, Chemistry 1250, Physics 1250, or Biology
2100. Pre-major status has no bearing on admission
to the full major, so Exploration students
are just as competitive as Pre-Engineering
students when applying to any Engineering
major. To find out more about Engineering
majors or declare the pre-major, meet with
an Engineering advisor. Contact information
is available at advising.engineering.osu.edu.
As always, you are welcome to meet with any
advisor in University Exploration if you have
follow-up questions. You can schedule an appointment
by calling 614-292-0646 or stopping by our
office in 352 Denney Hall.
