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Department of Engineering

Department Chair: Brian D. Swartz
Assistant Chair: Randall K. Fish
Administrative Assistant: Jean McCauslin
Professors: R. Fish, D. Pratt, T. Soerens, D. Vader
Associate Professors: B. Swartz, H. Underwood, T. VanDyke
Assistant Professors: E. Farrar, P. Tan
Senior Lecturers: S. Heisey, T. Howell, M. Lockwood

Majors and Minors

The Department of Engineering offers the following majors: 

Engineering (B.S.E.) with concentrations in:

Biomedical

Civil

Computer

Electrical

Environmental

Mechanical 

General

Biomedical Engineering (B.S.B.M.E.)

Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E.)

Electrical Engineering (B.S.E.E.)

Mechanical Engineering (B.S.M.E.)

The Department of Engineering offers the following minors:

Biomedical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Mechanical Engineering 

Mission

Graduates of the Engineering majors will be technically competent and broadly educated, prepared for interdisciplinary work in the global workplace. The character and conduct of Messiah engineering graduates will be consistent with Christian faith commitments. We accomplish this mission through engineering instruction and experiences, an education in the liberal arts tradition and mentoring relationships with students.

Program Educational Objectives

  • Graduates will be technically competent in their Engineering specialty area and able to perform essential engineering functions in their career of choice.
    • Furthermore, graduates will continue to learn and hone competencies necessary to their career through graduate education, participation in professional activities/societies, or other means relevant to their work.
  • Graduates will be broadly educated, prepared to
    • work effectively in an interdisciplinary, diverse, and team-based environment.
    • generate creative solutions
    • lead others in bringing ideas to reality
    • communicate clearly in both technical and lay settings
  • Graduates will conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Christian faith, pursuing their work with a servant’s heart and a keen awareness of social responsibility

Student Outcomes

Prior to graduation Messiah College Engineering students will demonstrate the ability to:

  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

EngineeringAccreditation

Messiah College awards a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) with a concentration in one or more of six concentrations: Biomedical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental and Mechanical. The Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org. Discipline-specific degrees such as the BSME cannot be reviewed for accreditation until a student graduates with each degree. Program leadership has designed new degrees with accreditation expectations in mind. We anticipate an accreditation review for each discipline-specific degree (BSBME, BSCE, BSEE, BSME) during the 2022-23 academic year.

Messiah College’s engineering students explore both the art and science of engineering in preparation for creative professional practice. Building on a foundation of mathematics and the basic sciences, the engineering faculty use courses and client-defined projects to prepare students for entry-level engineering employment and/or advanced studies. The Project portion of the curriculum is offered in partnership with the Collaboratory for Strategic Partnerships and Applied Research.

Engineering students at Messiah also consider the value and social impact of technology. Students are encouraged to explore service and missions opportunities for engineers, and to participate in activities that build leadership skills under the guidance of faculty members.

The following are recommended for prospective students in addition to the standard admissions requirements of the College:

  1. Rank in the top 20% of high school class.
  2. Complete four units or more of college preparatory mathematics, one unit of chemistry, and one unit of physics. A course or other preparation in computer programming is also helpful, but not required.
  3. Earn a combined SAT score (Math, Verbal) of 1200 or higher or a composite ACT score of 27 or higher. A minimum mathematics SAT score of 600 or ACT score of 25 is required.

Progression in the Engineering Major

Students are directly admitted to the Engineering major of their choice but must meet progression criteria to advance into a specific concentration and enroll for upper division (300- and 400-level) courses. The following progression criteria will be enforced prior to registration for upper division coursework:

  1. The student must have an earned grade of C- or better in each of the following courses: MATH 111, MATH 112, CHEM 105, PHYS 211, PHYS 212, ENGR 215, ENGR 216. Transfer courses are acceptable.
  2. The student’s GPA across the seven courses listed in (1) must be at least 2.50
    1. In instances where one course from the list has not yet been attempted, a GPA across the remaining courses of at least 2.60 shall be sufficient for progression
    2. In instances where two courses from the list have not yet been attempted, a GPA across the remaining courses of at least 2.70 shall be sufficient for progression
    3. Courses for which credit has transferred into Messiah College will not be counted in the GPA calculation
    4. For purposes of this GPA calculation (different than the College-wide calculation) courses may be retaken and the new course score will replace the previous course score regardless of the grades in each of the two attempts
    5. Students may attempt each of the courses listed in (1) only twice – an initial attempt and one re-attempt. Withdrawals after the College add/drop deadline shall count as the initial attempt. Extenuating circumstances, such as medical withdrawal, will not count against the student’s attempt quota.
  3. Students who fall short of the progression criteria may appeal the decision and will be asked to provide evidence that they can succeed in the upper-level coursework. The appeal will be processed by a sub-committee in the Engineering department (the Admission and Progression Committee) that will be composed of the department chair and two faculty appointed by the department. The student should submit their appeal, in writing, to their assigned academic advisor. Appeals will be reviewed in January (related to previous fall performance and upcoming spring progression) and May (related to previous spring performance and upcoming fall progression).

Transfer students

Internal transfers (from another Messiah College program) will be held to the same progression standards as indicated above. External transfer students (anyone taking 2 or fewer of the courses listed in (1) at Messiah College) will be asked to submit grades in relevant coursework at other institutions to the Admission and Progression Committee. A decision from that committee will be rendered to the student and may include admission to the concentration of choice, or some remedial actions that will be expected (such as re-taking a course in question).