Engineering Course Descriptions
Scroll down to read descriptions of the engineering courses offered at Carthage, or click on these links for additional resources:
Computational Reasoning with MATLAB
EGR 1020 / 2 credits
Computational Reasoning with MATLAB is an introductory course focused on learning the processes of exploring systems and data analytically as a means to draw data-informed conclusions and recommendations. This course will draw from topics of algebra, geometry, and trigonometry to inform modeling of simple systems. Students will work in small groups as they learn to break down complex systems into simpler constituents which can be approximated as analytical models in the MATLAB scripting environment. Within this course, students will focus on problems related to mathematical, scientific, and engineering problems while learning to use MATLAB to script, analyze data, and present and communicate results. Lecture and laboratory.
Prerequisites: None
Introduction to Engineering Design
EGR 1100 / 4 credits
This course introduces students to engineering as a professional discipline rooted in problem identification and solving. The course focuses in one or more areas drawn from the domains of energy, transportation, environment, consumer technology, health, and exploration. Through this course, students are introduced to the principles of identifying engineering opportunities, benchmarking existing solutions, and reverse engineering. Through their analysis of reverse engineered products, students explore engineering and manufacturing decisions, sustainability principles, and engineering ethics. Students present their work throughout the course informing each other of their findings as they explore existing engineered products. The course incorporates key aspects of professional engineering in which critical thinking, teamwork, and creativity are essential attributes of the successful practitioner.
Prerequisites: None
Visualization & Modeling with SolidWorks
EGR 1200 / 2 credits
This is a course about communicating design ideas through modeling, visualization, and prototyping. Students learn to create value through the representation and communication of engineering design ideas with computer aided drafting and rapid prototyping. Students will begin with foundational elements of dimensions, sketching, and projecting. Students will learn to transition design ideas into computer aided drafting software, and recognizing that designs change and new information is learned, students will learn to model their design ideas using parametric modeling techniques to account for design intent. Modeling in computer-aided drafting software will be used as an entry point into the fundamentals of rapid manufacturing. The course will culminate in a project where students apply both modeling and rapid manufacturing to communicate design ideas. Lecture and laboratory.
Prerequisites: None
Managing an Engineering Venture
EGR 1300 / 2 credits
This is a course on entrepreneurial thinking, the development of engineered solutions, and the effective management of the organizations and processes supporting such work. In this practice-based course, students learn to create value through practice of managing an engineering project with an engineering team. Students will explore, apply, and compare processes of agile management, including Strategic Doing and SCRUM as well as traditional project management approaches by identifying project requirements, developing a work breakdown structure and network diagram, and formulating a project schedule. These skills and processes reflect those currently used in active engineering firms, both established and startups.
Prerequisites: None
Engineering Project Experience
EGR 1700 / 1 credit
Engineering Project Experience (EPE) is a companion course to the Introduction to Engineering Design (IED) course. Students complete individual and small group projects associated with engineering team activities mentored by faculty. Projects are expected to emerge from company-sponsored engineering competitions such as the recent “Smart Cities” competition hosted by Foxconn, the Wisconsin Space Grant’s Collegiate Rocket Competition, or space science projects such as the RockSat-C or the Carthage Microgravity Team. EPE is a laboratory with no lecture component. Prerequisities: Declared Engineering Science major and co-enrollment in any of the science and math core classes in the Engineering Science major curriculum.
Engineering Statics and Solid Mechanics
EGR 2100 / 4 credits
Statics and Solid Mechanics examines force systems under equilibrium conditions; vector properties of forces, moments, couples, and resultants; rigid body structures; hydrostatics; shear and bending-moment diagrams; friction; centroids; area/mass moments of inertia. The course uses graphical, algebraic, and numerical (computer) methods to solve the vector mechanics problems posed by static equilibrium. The mechanics of deformable bodies, and the effects of externally applied loads on materials, are also studied. The laboratory component of the course emphasizes measurement of the mechanical properties of engineering materials with modern hardware and software tools. Lecture and laboratory.
Prerequisites: PHY 2200 and MTH 1220 or permission of instructor
Engineering Practice I: Understand and Conceptualize
EGR 2700 / 4 credits
This course is the first in a sequence about exploring and evaluating opportunities to solve a real problem with real stakeholders. Through this course, students will learn about the engineering design process with a focus on early-stage engineering design: understanding and detailing customer requirements, describing engineering problems functionally, exploring the engineering solutions space, ideating potential design solutions, and analyzing potential design options. Students will work with a real client through this course with a goal of delivering a final design solution. This course includes significant team and project-based components and provides an introduction to interpersonal communication skills that lead to effective problem solving, idea generation, and decision making.
Prerequisites: EGR 1100 and EGR 1020
Engineering Practice II: Model and Realize
EGR 2710 / 4 credits
This course is the second in a sequence about exploring and evaluating opportunities to solve a real problem with real stakeholders. Through this course, students will learn about the engineering design process with a focus on late-stage engineering design: embodiment, modeling and prototyping, and testing and refinement of design solutions. Students will work with a real client through this course with a goal of delivering a final design solution. This course includes significant team and project-based components and provides an introduction to interpersonal communication skills that lead to effective problem solving, idea generation, and decision making.
Prerequisites: EGR 2710 and EGR 1200 or EGR 1300 or permission of instructor
Engineering Materials
EGR 3100 / 4 credits
This course examines the nature, mechanical behavior, and design applications of materials. The structure-property relationships of metals, ceramics, polymers, and semiconductors are studied, and their mechanical properties are understood as arising directly from their atomic/molecular structure. The mechanics of deformable bodies, and the effects of externally applied loads on materials, are also studied. Materials selection to match design requirements to mechanical attributes is also introduced. The laboratory component of the course emphasizes measurement of the mechanical properties of engineering materials with modern hardware and software tools. Lecture and laboratory.
Prerequisites: EGR 2100 and CHM 1010. Concurrent enrollment in MTH 2020 or permission of the instructor.
Thermal Fluids
EGR 3400 / 4 credits
This course is an integrated development of the fundamental principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. The first and second laws of thermodynamics are covered including mass and momentum conservation for open and closed systems. Heat transfer and the relationship between heat and work will be explored. This course will also cover hydrostatic properties of fluids and fluid dynamics, including Bernoulli equation, pipe flow, and fluid transport. Applications of principles to thermal-fluid systems across engineering disciplines will be emphasized.
Prerequisites: MTH 2020 and PHY 2210
Field Placement in Engineering
EGR 3500 / 2-8 credits
Enables the student to explore a possible engineering career and to work in an individual, academically oriented position designed to supplement or complement the student’s academic experience. All field placements require faculty supervision and regular meetings between the student and the instructor.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
Internship in Engineering
EGR 3550 / 1-12 credits
An internship enables students to gain practical experience in engineering. Such internships are longer in duration than field placements. All internships require faculty supervision and regular meetings between the student and the instructor.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor
Dynamics
EGR 3600 / 4 credits
This course focuses on vector dynamics introducing the rigid-body kinematics necessary for analyzing simple systems and machines. Use of vectors and free body diagrams will be stressed, and Newton’s laws will be employed to solve problems. Students will use energy and momentum methods of analysis to predict paths of motion of particles and rigid bodies and understand how to modify those paths. Computational methods will be used to create dynamics simulations and animations. Undamped, damped, and driven vibrations will also be discussed.
Prerequisites: MTH 2120 and PHY 2200
Nanomaterials
EGR 4100 / 4 credits
This course provides a dive into the nanoscale world. Students learn how mechanical, electrical, optical, and thermal properties will change when working with materials at the nanoscale. The importance of dimensional confinement will be discussed, including nanoparticles, nanowires, and two-dimensional materials. This course will further provide an overview of synthesis methods, current applications, and challenges. The role of miniaturization and incorporation of nanoscale devices into aspects of modern life will be discussed, with examples pulled from cutting-edge research.
Prerequisites: EGR 3100 or permission of instructor
Internet of Things
EGR 4110 / 4 credits
In this course, students will explore the Internet of Things using a combination of lecture and laboratory practice. Topics include, but are not limited to, IoT Architectures, Sensors and Microcontrollers, Synthetic Sensors, Digital and Analog Electronics, Python and C programming for IoT, Sampling Strategies, Connectivity and Networks, Data Analysis and Data Management. In the laboratory component, students will design and build IoT solutions according to design requirements provided by the instructor. This is a technical elective course within the Engineering major.
Prerequisites: EGR 3120 or PHY 3120 or CSC 3600 or permission of instructor
Manufacturing Processes & Design
EGR 4120 / 4 credits
Through this course students will explore the practices and processes of engineering manufacturing, from raw materials acquisition to design for manufacturing to processing to prototyping to production. There will be discussion of the influences of material choice and product performance on manufacturing methods while balancing practical limitations such as scalability and cost. Sustainability and ethical concerns involved in the manufacturing process will also be investigated. Processes and optimization will be considered as a practical part of the engineering world. Students will go on field trips to local manufacturing facilities and see the application of these ideas in active engineering settings.
Prerequisites: EGR 3100 or permission of instructor
Mechanics of Human Movement
EGR 4130 / 4 credits
This course focuses on the influence of external forces upon the body, while both moving and still. Concepts of physics and engineering will be applied to examples taken from everyday motion, dance, and athletics. Both ideal and unideal execution of movements will be studied, with a lens of easing unnecessary stresses and improving ability. The performance modifications due to athletic gear and other specialized equipment will be discussed. Students will collect data based on in-class movement, culminating in an analysis of a movement of their choice. No specialized movement experience or expertise is needed.
Prerequisites: PHY 2100 or PHY 2200 or EGR 3600 or permission of instructor
Analysis and Performance of Composites
EGR 4140 / 4 credits
Students will delve into the dynamic world of fiber-reinforced polymer-matrix composites. Applying a multidisciplinary approach, students will synthesize knowledge from materials science, mechanical engineering, and manufacturing processes to unravel the intricate relationship between processing conditions and material properties. Polymer composites will be investigated in a sustainability context, evaluating the economic, environmental, and social impacts of material and design decisions. Through hands-on lab experiences in fabrication, testing, and analysis, students will apply standard approaches to composite fabrication and processing, motivating discussion on the next generation of composite manufacturing. Lecture and Laboratory.
Prerequisites: EGR 2100 and EGR 3100, or permission of instructor
Engineering Management & Economics
EGR 4300 / 2 credits
This course focuses on the skills to make engineering decisions based on project schedule, scope, and economics. Students will learn about the importance of balancing risks, creating a realistic project timeline, managing costs, and allocating resources. Students will explore the principles of engineering economics to assess the costs and benefits of engineering investments including product and technology development programs and capital purchases. The underlying ethics, standards, and quality control as integrated into any project will also be investigated. Students will apply principles of engineering management and economics to explore design options based on varied alternatives.
Prerequisites: EGR 1300 and EGR 2710, or permission of instructor
Analysis & Measurement of Engineering Systems
EGR 4500 / 4 credits
This course focuses on the concepts and the practice of analysis and measurement for complex engineered systems. Students will develop basic knowledge and tools to identify a system, decompose it into parts, define interactions, perform analysis and apply control measures if necessary. Working with engineered systems, students will apply industry-standard measurement methods and strategies to collect data toward interpretation and analysis of system behavior. Application of computational tools and mathematical modeling will be emphasized through analysis and measurement laboratory activities.
Prerequisites: EGR 3600 and EGR 3210/PHY 3120, or permission of instructor
Engineering Cooperative Learning Experience
EGR 4550 / 2 credits
The engineering cooperative (co-op) experience is designed to provide an opportunity to applied engineering knowledge and skills. Through co-op students develop and enhance hands on, technical, and professional skills within an industry related to one’s engineering program of study. Students will be working full time in a paid engineering position on-site with external project partner (e.g., industry, non-profit, community organization). This course pairs with the co-op experience to guide students through reflective learning and discussion based on their work experience. During co-op, students engage with a co-op faculty instructor virtually three times per semester, submit reflective writings based on co-op learning goals, participate in a performance evaluation led by the employer, and facilitate one on-site visit with the co-op faculty instructor. A memorandum of understanding agreed to by Carthage and the external employer must be in place before work can begin.
Prerequisites: EGR 2710 and one of the following 3000-level EGR courses: EGR 3100 or EGR 3210: Electronics or EGR 3400: Thermal-Fluids or EGR 3600: Dynamics)
Senior Capstone Project — BA in Applied Engineering Only
EGR 4900 / 4 credits
This course requires students to carry out a culminating project within an engineering context. Students engage in a formal design experience that starts with design requirements, proceeds to idea generation for design, then prototyping and testing, concluding with a comprehensive written report and oral presentation. Senior Capstone is intended to aid students in consolidating content knowledge acquired in earlier parts of the engineering curriculum with technical skills needed to execute a full design project.
Prerequisites: EGR 3100 and senior standing, or permission of the instructor.
Senior Capstone Completion — BA in Applied Engineering Only
EGR 4910 / (0 credits)
Engineering Capstone I — BS in Engineering only
EGR 4910 / (2 credits)
This is the first semester of the two-semester long capstone experience in engineering. This course provides students in the BS in Engineering program with a culminating engineering design experience that 1) incorporates appropriate engineering standards and multiple constraints and 2) is based on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier course work. This course contains a lecture component with an emphasis on codes and standards, course balance associated with design requirements, integrative design, and analysis. During the lecture, students will work under the guidance of faculty instructors to put into practice their engineering skills and knowledge on an engineering project with external project partners (e.g., industry, non-profits, community organizations).
Corequisites: EGR 4500 and EGR 4300
Engineering Capstone II — BS in Engineering only
EGR 4920 / (2 credits)
This is the second semester of the two-semester long capstone experience in engineering. This course provides students in the BS in Engineering program with a culminating engineering design experience that 1) incorporates appropriate engineering standards and multiple constraints and 2) is based on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier course work. This course contains a lecture component with an emphasis on codes and standards, modeling, prototyping and testing, validation, and production. During the lecture, students will work under the guidance of faculty instructors to put into practice their engineering skills and knowledge on an engineering project with external project partners (e.g., industry, non-profits, community organizations). Lecture and laboratory.
Prerequisites: EGR 4910