Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering

Al Sacco, Jr., Ph.D., Dean

100 Engineering | Box 43103 | Lubbock, TX 79409-3103
T 806.742.3451 | F 806.742.3493 | www.coe.ttu.edu

About the College

The Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering (WCOE) is an internationally recognized research institution ranked among the best in the nation. Award-winning faculty, interactive classes, and hands-on learning experiences combine to empower students with the knowledge and experience they will need for a future in engineering.

By blending math, science, and creative thinking, engineers design solutions that improve society and transform the world. Each academic program includes not only an education in the basic sciences, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences, but also the technical knowledge needed to solve the technological problems confronting society.

The Chemical Engineering BS , Civil Engineering BSCE , Computer Engineering BS , Construction Engineering BS , Electrical Engineering BS , Industrial Engineering BS , Mechanical Engineering BS , and Petroleum Engineering BS  are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org. The Computer Science BS  is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

The Environmental Engineering MEV  is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org, and is administered in the Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering.

Academic Programs

Degree Programs

Undergraduate Degrees. Whitacre College of Engineering offers the following professional engineering curricula, each leading to a BS degree in the respective engineering fields: chemical, civil, computer, construction, electrical, industrial, mechanical, and petroleum. A degree in computer science is offered by the Department of Computer Science and supports teaching and learning in the areas of languages, systems, hardware, software, and related studies. Graduates are prepared to continue their formal study or work in a variety of industries.

A cooperative program between the Colleges of Engineering and Architecture leads to dual degrees from both colleges: a B.S. in Architecture and a Civil Engineering BS. The Department of Civil, Environmental and Construction Engineering coordinates the program for WCOE.

WCOE is divided into instructional departments that offer coursework and supervise degree programs. These departments are presented on the following pages along with a descriptive list of the courses offered by each department. The courses listed in individual curriculum tables are prescribed for the various degrees. The course arrangement for the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years is the recommended sequence of courses, whether students begin in the summer or during a long session. Before registration for each semester, a student should check course prerequisites carefully to include courses that are prerequisite to those needed the next semester.

Accelerated Bachelor’s-to-Master’s Program. The college offers accelerated bachelor’s-to-master’s programs in selected departments that allows students eligible for graduate school to earn both a BS and a M.S. degree with approximately 150 hours. Students are allowed to use graduate work that closely matches the subject requirements of the undergraduate degree to substitute for undergraduate courses. Application should be made during the first semester of the junior year following procedures available from graduate program coordinators in the department. Students interested in this program must apply to the Graduate School  prior to taking graduate courses. Early planning and contact with the department advisors are essential because in some cases students may be able to connect undergraduate research experience to their thesis work in graduate school.

Advanced Degrees in Engineering. Programs are available through WCOE leading to Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in the fields of computer science and chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, and petroleum engineering. These programs are discussed within the catalog section of each department. The Master of Environmental Engineering is a 154-hour freshman-to-master’s degree. In addition, the college offers a Master of Science in Bioengineering degree and also a Master of Engineering degree designed especially for practicing engineers desiring to continue their professional education. Admission to the Graduate School  is based upon an above average undergraduate record and satisfactory standing on the Graduate Record Examination.

International Experience Requirement. Effective fall 2013, all incoming students must complete an international experience as a component of their graduation requirements. The international experience requirement may be satisfied by any of the following:

• Academic Study Abroad (TTU-approved faculty-led programs, traditional reciprocal exchange agreements, or third-part programs).
  • Summer programs (minimum of six weeks in length and 3 course credit hours)
  • Semester Abroad — credit bearing
  • Year Abroad — credit bearing
• Research Abroad
  • Credit or non-credit bearing programs, for a minimum of eight weeks in length.
• Internship Abroad
  • Credit or non-credit bearing programs, for a minimum of six weeks in length.
• Service Learning Abroad
  • Credit or non-credit bearing programs, for a minimum of six weeks in length.

Other international experience may be considered for the fulfillment of the requirement, such as an ROTC experience, residency abroad and prior international experience for transfer students, among others, prior approval from the Executive Associate Dean for International Programs, the College of Engineering and proper TTU channels. Students may qualify for an exemption from the international experience requirement by providing documentation to justify their exemption; however, they must also obtain approval from the Executive Associate Dean for International Programs.

WCOE Distance Learning Program. The WCOE Distance Learning Program offers educational opportunities to students, engineers, and science professionals interested in pursuing graduate coursework in engineering but cannot come to campus. The WCOE Distance Learning Program is designed to meet the needs of both practicing engineers and industry. The graduate degrees and graduate certificate offered are:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Systems and Engineering Management
• Master of Science in Civil Engineering
• Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering
• Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
• Master of Science in Industrial Engineering
• Master of Science in Systems and Engineering Management
• Master of Science in Software Engineering
• Master of Engineering (Interdisciplinary or Healthcare Option)

The goal in the WCOE Distance Learning program is to offer a high quality education. There is no distinction between on-campus and off-campus students. Both are concurrently enrolled in the same course. Students enrolled in the program participate in classes through the use of an Internet connection. This approach allows students to manage career and family commitments while earning graduate credentials and upgrading their engineering skills. Location changes do not pose a problem for students because the program is offered via distance learning. Students who move, or are transferred, can continue work toward completion of their degrees or certificate.

Departmental Minors. Review the catalog for each department’s required course selection for the departmental minors. Each department will specify the required courses and number of hours that constitute a minor. Information on approved minors, if offered, is available from each department chair. No letter grades of D, F nor pass/fail will be accepted for any engineering minor courses (C or better only). Non-engineering majors are subject to GPA requirements outlined in “Coursework for Non-Engineering Majors” below.

Coursework for Non-Engineering Majors. Students from other colleges within the university must have a Texas Tech University institutional GPA of a 3.5 or higher and additionally cannot enroll in engineering courses until after all declared engineering majors in the Whitacre College of Engineering have registered/enrolled (which also includes new student orientations completed for each term).  

Graduate Program

For information on graduate programs offered by the Whitacre College of Engineering, visit the Graduate Programs  section of the catalog.

Admissions to Foundational Curriculum and Degree Programs

The engineering degree programs consist of a foundational curriculum followed by a department specific upper-division program. The criterion for admission to the Whitacre College Foundational Curriculum requires that a first-time freshman must be accepted to the university with assured admission status and must be Texas Success Initiative (TSI) compliant. Transfer students  must be accepted to the university with assured admission status (defined by 24 hours of transfer credit and a 3.0 GPA) and must be Texas Success Initiative (TSI) compliant. 

Students who do not meet the assured admissions requirements may enter the Texas Tech University Pre-Engineering Program and then work to qualify as a Foundational Engineering Student. Upon completion of the foundational curriculum, a student must apply and be successfully admitted to a WCOE upper-division degree program. Students who are not successfully admitted to an upper-division degree program must transfer out of the college.

External Transfer Admission to WCOE Foundational Curriculum. A transfer student with fewer than 12 hours of transferable coursework must meet first-time freshmen assured admission standards. For admission to the foundational curriculum with an engineering degree program concentration, transfer students must have 24 or more hours of transferable coursework and have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 that includes the work at all previous institutions. External transfer students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of Texas Tech engineering degree program coursework before application to the upper division. Eligibility for admission to the upper division is based exclusively on the cumulative GPA earned at Texas Tech specified by department.

Second Degree. A student who has completed the requirements for a first bachelor’s degree with a 3.0 GPA or greater from Texas Tech University or another institution may acquire a second degree by completing the second program with the following restriction: at least 30 hours of the second degree requirements must be from courses not counted in attaining the first degree and must be taken at Texas Tech.

Internal Transfer Admission to WCOE. Current Texas Tech students must have completed at least Calculus I with a C or better, have a Texas Tech University institutional GPA of 3.0 or higher, and must have completed the required math, science, and core curriculum for each degree program in preparation for entering into the Whitacre College of Engineering as a foundational student in a major. These students will become foundational students upon acceptance to the WCOE. Texas Tech non-engineering college majors cannot enroll in Whitacre College of Engineering courses until after transfer paperwork has officially processed. 

Pre-Engineering. The pre-engineering student will have to have at least Calculus I complete with a C or better and a Texas Tech University institutional GPA of 3.0 or higher. Pre-engineering students cannot take engineering departmental courses while under the pre-engineering designation but will need to complete the required math, science, and core curriculum for each degree program to prepare the student for entering into the Whitacre College of Engineering as a foundational student in a major. Texas Tech non-engineering college majors cannot enroll in Whitacre College of Engineering courses until after transfer paperwork has officially processed. 

Admission to a WCOE Degree Program. All newly admitted students work to complete a foundational curriculum consisting of English I, English II, Calculus I, Calculus II, Physics I (calculus-based) plus another science course and a first engineering course that vary among the engineering degree programs. The foundational curriculum is supplemented with courses from the university core curriculum and general engineering courses (specified by department) to provide the opportunity for full course loads and scheduling flexibility.

When the foundational curriculum has been completed, students apply for admission to the upper division of their degree program. The acceptance criterion is based exclusively on a Texas Tech cumulative GPA that includes a minimum of 12 hours of coursework from the foundational curriculum. The specific GPA standard varies among the degree programs and may change from one academic year to the next as necessary to align enrollments with educational resources.

Students must be prepared to make an alternate choice of major if their foundational curriculum GPA does not qualify them for their preferred major. Students must make progress appropriate to their classification in their alternate choice of major as determined by each department for their degree programs. Students who are not admitted successfully to an upper-division degree program are not allowed to enroll in engineering courses and must transfer out of WCOE.

Refer to the program descriptions in this catalog for the specific foundational curriculum and upper-division GPA admission standards.

WCOE Academic Standards and Requirements

Progress Towards a Degree. WCOE students are expected to maintain good engineering academic standing (specified by department). Engineering students are expected to maintain continuous progress toward completion of their degree program regardless of catalog year. Specifically, a full-time student must achieve a C or better in 18 hours of coursework included in the degree program each year (two long semesters). Students are required to complete the foundation curriculum within three long semesters. Continued acceptance within WCOE for students who do not maintain this level of progress is subject to the discretion of the Dean of the college.

Students not compliant with the 18 hours of coursework in two long semesters and completion of the foundation curriculum (see Admission to a WCOE Degree Program) will follow the guidelines specified in WCOE Expulsion.

Dean’s List. Full-time students who maintain a semester GPA greater or equal to 3.5 with at least 12 semester hours are placed on the Dean’s List. The student should request  a certificate from the Engineering Opportunities Center.

WCOE Probation. Students whose cumulative Texas Tech GPA falls below 2.5 are placed on “WCOE academic probation.” The student may not enroll for more than 15 hours without prior approval from their advisor or the Academic Dean. A student on WCOE probation (below 2.5 GPA) will be allowed to take no more than two engineering courses per semester (up to 6 hours of engineering course work), and those courses should be eligible for grade replacement (attempted previously and resulting in grades of D or F).

WCOE Continued Academic Probation. A probationary student whose current GPA is 2.5 or higher but whose cumulative Texas Tech GPA is below 2.5 will be placed on “WCOE continued academic probation” until the cumulative Texas Tech GPA is 2.5 or higher. The student may not enroll for more than 15 hours without prior approval from an advisor or Academic Dean. Students will not be allowed to be on WCOE academic probation for more than one long semester (summer not included). Failure to meet the conditions established will result in WCOE Expulsion.

WCOE Expulsion. A student on WCOE probation who has a current or cumulative GPA below 2.5 at the end of two consecutive semesters will be on WCOE Expulsion unless grade replacements for courses completed at that time raise the cumulative GPA above 2.5. A student on WCOE Expulsion is not permitted to take engineering courses.

Students may return to WCOE after a WCOE Expulsion with a 3.0 Texas Tech cumulative GPA and completion of the WCOE Student Expulsion Petition form with approval from the department and the Engineering Dean’s office. Students are not eligible to enroll in engineering classes due to their GPA.

Former and/or removed engineering students may petition to return to engineering after earning a 3.0 Texas Tech cumulative GPA. The return to WCOE is subject to a review and approval by the engineering departmental chair and WCOE advisors and the office of the Engineering Dean after changing the major for a minimum of one long term.

Transfer Students. If a transfer student needs to complete the foundational curriculum upon arrival at Texas Tech, the student will follow the process outlined in the “Admission to a WCOE Degree Program” section and must comply with processes outlined in the “WCOE Academic Standards” section of this catalog. Students who have completed the foundational curriculum prior to transferring and have a Texas Tech cumulative GPA less than 2.5 their first semester at Texas Tech will be placed on WCOE probation and will follow the guidelines specified in the “WCOE Academic Standards” section of this catalog.

Academic Integrity and Misconduct. WCOE will not tolerate academic dishonesty and behavior incongruent with behaviors acceptable for professional engineers and computer scientists. Please refer to the “Academic Integrity” section of this catalog; the Code of Student Conduct, Part X, B3 of the Student Handbook; and Operating Policy 34.12 regarding academic integrity, cheating, and plagiarism. Also, please refer to the National Society of Professional Engineers Code of Ethics (www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics) for ethical behavior expected of professional engineers and computer scientists. Ignorance provides no protection from the consequences and all students are expected to review and understand the academic integrity standards and professional ethical code behavior expected of professional engineers. WCOE has adopted the following policy:

Instances of academic dishonesty will be submitted to the Office of Student Conduct. The student will, at minimum, receive a grade of F for the assignment or exam, and/or may receive an F for the course. Also, students will be subject to the disciplinary sanctions as prescribed by the Office of Student Conduct. For students found responsible of an Academic Integrity violation or behavior not consist with the professional code of ethical behavior and the disciplinary action is suspension from the university, the student will be expelled from their degree program and the WCOE with no opportunity to return.

Core Curriculum Requirements. The university has established a set of core courses required for all students. These requirements ensure breadth in each academic program. Students should consult their departmental advisors regarding specific requirements. These requirements are incorporated into the curriculum of each major or concentration in the college. Students are required to seek advisement prior to their first enrollment to avoid losing credit. A listing of core curriculum requirements is in the Academic Requirements  section of this catalog.

Chemistry and Math Placement Exams. Students enrolling in the college must take placement exams in chemistry and math unless they pass MATH 1451 , CHEM 1307 , and CHEM 1107  by university approved exam score or transferable equivalent coursework with a grade of C or better.

Prerequisites. In scheduling courses, students must comply with the degree required prerequisites and corequisites that are mandatory.

Repeated Courses. Students will only be allowed to attempt any engineering course twice to obtain a grade of C or better. The grades of D, F, and DG require a second attempt. Additionally, if a student earns a grade of D or F in a prerequisite to a required course, the student must retake the prerequisite course before enrolling in the required course. If the student’s second attempt at an engineering course does not result in a passing grade, the student will not be permitted to continue studies in an engineering program.

Students may repeat up to three engineering courses during their program of study. Upon the need to repeat their fourth course, students will not be permitted to continue studies in an engineering program. Students will follow the guidelines specified in WCOE Expulsion.

Maximum Course Load. A normal course load for engineering students is 16 to 18 credit hours. Students must have a Texas Tech GPA of 2.5 or higher to obtain approval from their academic advisors to take more than 19 hours during a long semester or more than 8 hours during a summer term.

Computer Requirements. All students in the college are required to have access to a personal laptop. Students should check with their respective department for hardware and software recommendations.

Course Credit

Cooperative Education. A Cooperative Education academic credit for engineering students may be available with specific departmental advisor approval. Upon advisor approval, students should contact the Engineering Opportunity Center.

Transfer Course Evaluation. Courses transferred from another institution will be evaluated for use in a given degree program. Course equivalency between Texas Tech and other institutions is found on the Texas Tech University transfer equivalency website which can be accessed from the main Texas Tech University homepage. Students should contact the institution were credit resides for any approved articulation agreement with WCOE.

Grades for Transfer Courses. A minimum grade of C is required for all courses on any engineering or computer science degree plan.

Course Substitutions. Any substitution of courses specified in a degree program requires the written approval of the student’s major department. Students must visit with the departmental advisor to discuss options and process for approval. 

Pass/Fail. All courses used to satisfy the degree program requirements must be taken for a grade. The pass/fail option is not allowed.

Scholarships

All WCOE scholarships are awarded for one year only and students must reapply each year. The award may not be deferred to future semesters. The deadline to apply for a WCOE scholarship is February 1 for any given year. For WCOE scholarships, students must be enrolled as a full-time student (a minimum of 12 semester credit hours per semester) in accordance with their engineering degree plan, achieve a minimum cumulative Texas Tech GPA of 3.25 and provide a letter of appreciation to the sponsor. Many scholarships have higher GPA requirements. Failure of the recipient to submit the letter of appreciation to the sponsor by 95 percent payment of mandatory tuition and fees or enrollment in a payment plan date will result in forfeiture of the scholarship. For departmental scholarships, students must be full-time students and meet the department’s scholarship requirements.

Students must make satisfactory academic progress towards their degree to remain eligible for college-level scholarships. Failure to complete coursework successfully with passing grades by the end of each period of enrollment will put both current and future financial aid eligibility at risk. Violation of Texas Tech’s academic integrity policies will result in loss of scholarship.

Graduation

Graduation Requirements. To fulfill graduation requirements, a student must complete each course specified in the degree program with grade of C or higher. Course substitutions may be used to fulfill degree program requirements as approved by department.

Application for Degree. Students must submit a “Graduation Application” electronically in their student records on RaiderLink at least one year before the anticipated date of graduation. All requirements for an undergraduate degree must be completed within seven years of the date of the catalog chosen.

Undergraduate Program Offerings & Course Descriptions

Course descriptions for the college’s various engineering concentrations can be found within the catalog information for each department. Courses with an ENGR prefix are common to many disciplines within the college and can be viewed below.

Programs

Undergraduate Minor

• •  Engineering, Undergraduate Minor