College of Sciences and Engineering Requirements

The College of Sciences and Engineering provides a liberal education in the sciences through course offerings to majors and non-majors, and provides students with technological skills and opportunities that stimulate professional, educational, and personal growth. The College provides this growth through a diverse faculty and staff that are committed to teaching, research, and service. The College seeks to improve the scientific literacy of all students enrolled in the University. Students are encouraged to participate in laboratory research and cooperative education programs that enhance career confidence. They are also encouraged to participate in ongoing research with faculty members who contribute to innovations. The College maintains an atmosphere that enhances students’ ability to achieve an optimum learning experience. Furthermore, through its vast alliances across academic institutions, corporate affiliates, and government relationships, the College fosters a rich environment for post-graduate employment, graduate study, entrepreneurial engagement, and unlimited professional success.

The goals of the College of Sciences and Engineering, under its current five-year strategic plan, are to:

1. Maintain an infrastructure to achieve academic and research goals;
2. Establish and maintain high-quality academic research and support programs;
3. Increase student outreach, enrollment, and success rate to nationally competitive levels; and
4. Improve the recruitment, development, and retention of high-quality faculty and staff.

The College of Sciences and Engineering offers four-year programs in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics (with a concentration in mathematics or physics), civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering, each leading to a Bachelor of Science degree. Through the Southern University Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, students may pursue a dual degree in chemistry and chemical engineering in collaboration with Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Effective Fall 2020, College of Sciences and Engineering is not accepting new freshmen or sophomore students in the electronics engineering technology program. The program will officially close at the end of the Summer 2022.

The College of Sciences and Engineering has programs leading to Master of Science degrees in biology, computer science and mathematics and physics and a program leading to a Master of Engineering degree. The College also offers Doctoral degrees in Environmental Toxicology and Science/Mathematics Education. Persons desiring to know more about graduate programs in the College should consult the Southern University Graduate Catalog.

Scholarships in the College of Sciences and Engineering are supported by foundations, industry, governmental agencies, and private contributions. The most beneficial aspect of the scholarship program is the opportunity it gives students to pursue academic career goals free from financial obligations. Award amounts vary depending on student performance. A minimum score of 21 on the American College Test (ACT) and a cumulative grade point average of 3.0/4.0 are required to obtain and retain all scholarships.

The civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, the computer science program is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC), and the electronics engineering technology program is accredited by the Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC) of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012- Telephone: (410)347-7700.

• Electronics Engineering Technology. Effective Fall 2020, College of Sciences and Engineering is not accepting new freshmen or sophomore students in the electronics engineering technology program. Junior and senior transfer students with 60 or more credit hours will be considered for acceptance in the program based on completed course work and academic progress. The electronics engineering technology program will officially close at the end of the Summer 2022.

Transfers from Other Areas of the University

Students transferring from other colleges at the University must meet the same above requirements. Transfer credits are acceptable for degree programs if they represent course requirements in the appropriate curriculum. Course work pursued at other colleges shall be reviewed and approved by the appropriate departmental chair and by the dean of the college for its applicability to the specific requirements for a degree.

Transfers from Other Universities

Students transferring from other approved colleges or universities must meet the admission requirements of the University and the College. Transfer students must submit an official transcript of courses completed at other institutions together with evidence of good standing to the Registrar at Southern University and A&M College.

Course work pursued at other institutions shall be reviewed by the departmental chair and the dean of the College for its applicability to the requirements for a degree.

Degree Requirements

Students enrolled in the College of Sciences and Engineering must successfully complete an approved program of study of 120 credit hours for science disciplines, 128 credit hours for engineering disciplines, and 124 credit hours for electronics engineering technology with a minimum overall GPA of 2.0/4.0 to earn an undergraduate degree. These credits include the general education components of the General Education Program of Excellence and the core courses of the applicable major area.

Students are expected to earn a grade of “C” or higher in the core courses in the major and all major courses (the section “Baccalaureate Degree Requirements” for details). Students must also pass a departmental comprehensive examination and the University Writing Proficiency Examination. Engineering students are also encouraged to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) examination before completing all engineering degree requirements.

General Education Requirements

Students must complete general education requirements, including the African-American experience and service learning, as outlined in the General Education Program of Excellence, the African American Experience, and the Service Learning sections in this catalog.

Comprehensive Examinations

Each College of Sciences and Engineering student must complete comprehensive examinations as a graduation requirement. Please visit your program office for details on the protocol for preparation and administration of departmental comprehensive examinations.

Computer Literacy

Computer literacy may be established by examination, through a computer application or technology based course in an academic program, or by an approved substitute (not more than five years old).

For additional details, consult the General Education Program of Excellence section in this catalog.

Cooperative Work/Study (CO-OP) Program for Engineering Majors

The Southern University administration believes that a college education should include one or more professional experiences. The College has held this view for many years and has worked with its industrial partners to provide meaningful work experiences via its CO-OP program. This program is open to all qualified students who desire to engage in such work experiences.

Differences between CO-OP and Non CO-OP Options: The College has held in almost all cases that engineering students should have their first CO-OP experience at the end of the sophomore year. The College grants three hours of course credit toward a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering to only junior and senior students who participate in the CO-OP experience and who enroll in the Engineering Practice (ENGR-499) course. These credits may be used as curricula technical electives upon approval of the Department Chair.

The Department Chair must approve the proposed CO-OP assignment before the work is performed. The College prefers that engineering students take the traditional option of alternating CO-OP involvement on a yearly basis, which gives them three CO-OP work experiences before completing their engineering degree requirements. However, a CO-OP experience is not a requirement for graduation. The essential elements of the CO-OP program include the following:

• Evaluation by Participating Employers: The quality of the job performed by our CO-OP students at the various facilities of participating employers is to be rated by the instructor assigning CO-OP student grades. Involvement of junior-level engineering science principles and project design components are expected in the CO-OP student’s work. The participating employers will submit a student’s work performance evaluation to the university.
• Instructor’s Evaluation of Students Work Performance: A student’s final project design report, along with the participating company’s evaluations of the student’s work performance, are transferred from the CO-OP office to the instructor who is responsible for issuing a final grade to the student.

The chairperson of each department is the CO-OP coordinator and serves as an advisor to all CO-OP students in that department; and is the teacher-of-record for all departmental CO-OP classes. This responsibility counts as part of each chairperson’s teaching load. If a student chooses to use a CO-OP experience as a technical elective, the student must enroll in ENGR-499. The student’s final CO-OP report must be evaluated for technical merit, accounting for a major part of the course grade, and it is to be kept on file. The Department Chairperson and the Dean of the College of Sciences and Engineering must give final approval of the assigned credit.