Engineering and Applied Science Option (EAS)

The engineering and applied science (EAS) option offers students the opportunity for study in a wide variety of challenging areas of science and technology by allowing each student to design a customized course of study that has breadth, depth, and rigor similar to the options listed above.

The aim of the EAS option is to prepare students for research and professional practice in an era of rapidly advancing interdisciplinary technology. The program builds on the core curriculum to combine individual depth of experience and competence in a particular chosen engineering specialty, and a strong background in the basic and engineering sciences, with laboratory and design, culminating in a capstone design experience. It strives to develop professional independence, creativity, leadership, and the capacity for continuing professional and intellectual growth.

The first year of the four-year course of study leading to a Bachelor of Science degree is common for all students of the Institute, although first-year elective subjects are available as an introduction to various aspects of engineering and applied science. At the end of the first year, students who elect the EAS option are assigned advisers as close to their expressed field of interest as possible, and together with their advisers they develop programs of study for the next three years. Beyond the Institute-wide requirements of physics, mathematics, and humanities, the EAS option requires one year of applied and computational mathematics and a prescribed number of units selected from a wide variety of engineering and applied science courses. Engineering design (synthesis), as distinct from analysis, is considered an essential part of every engineer’s capability. Advisers will expect students to select a sufficient number of courses that place emphasis on design.

Any student in the EAS option whose grade-point average is less than 1.9 at the end of the academic year in the subjects listed in the option requirements may be refused permission to continue to work in the EAS option.

Students who have elected the EAS option must either choose one of the approved areas of concentration (see item 7 below), or by the end of the third term of the sophomore year submit a written proposed customized course of study and obtain approval for it from the EAS option representative.

The course of study must include each of the following elements:

1. Fulfillment of core requirements in differential equations (Ma2 or equivalent); Probability and Statistics (Ma 3 or equivalent); Waves (Ph2a, Ph12a or equivalent), Quantum Mechanics (Ph 2b, Ph 12b, Ch 21a or equivalent); Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (Ph 2c, Ph 12c, ChE 63, ME 11, Ch 21c or equivalent);
2. Demonstration of computer programming competency by taking CS 1, or by taking an approved alternative course, or by passing a placement exam administered by the computer science option by first term of sophomore year.
   1. 27 units of advanced EAS courses with the prefixes Ae, ACM, AM, APh, CE, CS, CDS, EE, ESE, MS, or ME; and
   2. 27 additional units of either advanced EAS courses or advanced science courses offered by the BBE, CCE, GPS, or PMA divisions.
   3. 9 units of laboratory courses taken from the following list: APh 77 bc, Ae/APh 104 bc, CE 180, CS/CNS 171,174, EE 45, 53, EE 90, EE 91, MS 90, MS 125, ME 72 ab, ME 50 ab, ME 90 bc; and
   4. 9 units of additional laboratory courses either from the list in 3a or from EAS courses with the word ”laboratory” in the title, but excluding those courses for which first-year laboratory credit is allowed.
3. ACM 95 ab or Ma 108 abc or Ma 109 abc. None of these course sequences may be taken pass/fail.
4. SEC 10 or equivalent; one of SEC 11, SEC 12, or SEC 13 or equivalent.
5. Courses used to satisfy requirements 1–5 above must also satisfy a depth requirement, which must be met by a customized schedule of requirements that is rigorous, has both breadth and depth, and that includes a senior thesis or capstone design project, such as, but not restricted to, EE 80 abc, CS 80 abc, ME 90 abc, or two terms ofEE 91 ab. The student must submit a written proposal justifying their course selections, and obtain the approval of, the EAS option representative by the end of the third term of the sophomore year.
6. At least 117 units of EAS courses not including those used to satisfy requirements 4, 5, and 6 above.
7. The customized schedule of requirements described in 7 shall include a major design experience.
8. Passing grades must be earned in at least 486 units, including those listed in requirements 1–8 above.