ERE-BS - Energy Resources Engineering (BS)
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Program Overview
The four-year program leading to the B.S. degree provides a foundation for careers in many facets of the energy industry. The curriculum includes basic science and engineering courses that provide sufficient depth for a wide spectrum of careers in the energy, engineering, and environmental fields.
One of the goals of the program is to provide experience integrating the skills developed in individual courses to address a significant design problem. In course Senior Project and Seminar in Energy Resources, taken in the senior year, student teams identify and propose technical solutions for an energy-resource related problem of current interest.
The requirements for the B.S. degree in Energy Resources Engineering are similar, but not identical, to those described in the "School of Engineering" section of this bulletin. Students must satisfy the University Thinking Matters, Ways of Thinking/Ways of Doing (Ways), writing and rhetoric, and language requirements. The normal Energy Resources Engineering undergraduate program automatically satisfies the University Ways requirement in the Disciplinary Breadth areas of Natural Sciences, Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Mathematics.
Courses taken to fulfill the requirements for the major (energy resources core and depth; mathematics; engineering fundamentals; science; and technology in society) must be taken for a letter grade if the option is offered.
The Energy Resources Engineering undergraduate curriculum is designed to prepare students for participation in the energy industry or for graduate studies, while providing requisite skills to evolve as the energy landscape shifts over the next half century. The program provides a background in mathematics, basic sciences, and engineering fundamentals such as multiphase fluid flow in the subsurface. In addition, the curriculum is structured with flexibility that allows students to explore energy topics of particular individual interest and to study abroad.
The following courses constitute the normal program leading to a B.S. in Energy Resources Engineering. The program may be modified to meet a particular student's needs and interests with the adviser's prior approval.
Complete at least 5 courses from either the Renewable and Clean Energy or Petroleum Engineering emphasis lists below. Complete at least one course from the other emphasis. Units must total to at least 18 units.
The program in Energy Resources Engineering leading to the Bachelor of Science with Honors provides an opportunity for independent study and research on a topic of special interest and culminates in a written report and oral presentation.
The honors program is open to students with a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.5 in all courses required for the ERE major and minimum of 3.0 in all University course work. Qualified students intending to pursue honors must submit an Honors Program Application to the undergraduate program director no later than the eighth week of their ninth quarter, but students are encouraged to apply to the program during Winter Quarter of their junior year. The application includes a short form, an unofficial transcript, and a 2-3 page research proposal prepared by the student and endorsed by a faculty member who serves as the research adviser.
Upon approval, students enroll in the honors program via Axess. Students must enroll in a total of 9 units of course Undergraduate Research Problems; these units may be spread out over the course of the senior year, and may include previous enrollment units for the same research project. Research undertaken for the honors program cannot be used as a substitute for regularly required courses. A formal written report must be submitted to the student's research adviser no later than the fourth week of the student's final quarter, and the report must be read, approved, and signed by the student's faculty adviser and a second member of the faculty. Each honors candidate must make an oral presentation of his or her research results.