Cornell University Courses

Aerospace and Mechanical

The Aerospace Department of Cornell University operates under the Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace engineering. The programs strike a proper balance between the basic and applied aspects of aerospace science and technology and assist students to find their niche in research, industrial development, and government agencies. The mechanical division at Cornell Engineering is one of the top ten departments for mechanical engineering in the United States.

The department offers both undergraduate and graduate programs with classroom training and experience in research methodology and prepares students for superior performance in the industry, government sector, and academia.

Prominent study and research fields include:

• Energy and thermal systems engineering
• Biomechanics
• Fluid dynamics
• Granular flow
• Engineering materials
• Mechanics of solids
• Aerospace engineering
• Applied and computational mathematics
• Dynamics
• Nonlinear systems and controls.

The department offers BS in Mechanical, MS (Thesis/non-thesis) and MEng (Professional) in Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering.

Areas of Expertise:

• Dynamics
• Nonlinear Systems and Controls
• Engineering Materials and Mechanics of Solids
• Aerospace Engineering
• Applied and Computational-Mathematics
• Fluid Dynamics and Granular Flows
• Biomechanics
• Energy and Thermal Systems Engineering

Chemical and Biomolecular

The chemical engineering department of Cornell University runs independently as the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The school opens the gateway to a wide range of opportunities and plays a significant role in solving present-day societal issues. Both undergraduate and graduate programs are offered by the department.

It covers domains like: 

• Complex fluid and polymers
• Nanoscale electronics
• Photonics and materials processing
• Computational and system biology
• Biomolecular engineering

Students, especially in the field of sustainable energy systems, also take advantage of a large number of interdisciplinary laboratories and research centers within the university campus including the Cornell Energy Systems Institute (CESI) which is dedicated to developing smart energy systems with low carbon footprints which are safe for the society.

Areas of Expertise:

• Computational and Systems Biology
• Nanoscale Electronics, Photonics and Materials Processing
• Sustainable Energy Systems
• Complex Fluids and Polymers
• Biomolecular Engineering

List of labs: Cornell Energy Institute

Civil and Environmental

The school of Civil and Environmental Engineering is known for constantly exploring and contributing to the fields of civil infrastructure, environment, and Engineering systems and management. Along with the academics, the department has an incredible depth of knowledge with 14 majors and 20 minors on the offer.

Students can work in:

• Transportation systems engineering
• Computational solid mechanics
• System engineering and engineering management
• Structural engineering/engineering materials
• Cross-disciplinary research and innovation in the spheres like environmental processes
• Geotechnical and lifeline engineering
• Environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology
• Environmental and water resources systems

is a particular strength of the department which opens up opportunities for rewarding careers for the students. The transportation infrastructure research consortium and collaboration with the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering (MCEER) are the additional benefits for the aspiring candidates who will be admitted into the department.

Environmental

The undergraduate and graduate programs cover the fields applied climatology and forecasting, geophysics and upper atmospheric physics, igneous and metamorphic petrology, isotopes and rare-earth element geochemistry, and water resources systems and ocean science. The Department of Environmental and Biological Engineering of the university also offers M.S (Thesis/non-thesis) and M.Eng (Professional) programs which focus on fields like biogeochemistry, water, and wastewater treatment, transport of contaminants, environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology.  Students also get the opportunity to work on projects with eminent institutes like the New York State water resource institute. The programs offered by the department are B.S, M.S (Thesis/non-thesis), M.Eng (Professional), and  Ph.D. degree programs in Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering.

Areas of Expertise:

• Sustainable Engineering
• Biological Engineering
• Structural Engineering/Engineering Materials
• Renewable Energy
• Computational Solid Mechanics
• Industrial Biotechnology
• Food and Bioprocess Engineering
• Transportation Systems Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Environmental & Water Resources Systems
• Environmental Fluid Mechanics & Hydrology
• Geotechnical & Lifeline Engineering
• Systems Engineering & Engineering Management
• Environmental Processes

List of labs:

• Transportation Infrastructure Research Consortium
• MCEER
• The New York State Water Resources Institute

Computer Science

The Computer Science department is one of the oldest departments of Cornell Engineering. The department offers B.S., M.S, MEng (Professional) and Ph.D. degree programs in Computer Science.

These courses include established domains like:

• Programming languages, computer graphics, and vision
• Theory of computation and algorithm
• System engineering
• System architecture
• System modeling and analysis
• Systems (networking, databases, and distribution)

with a focus on their latest trends.

Students also get to contribute to and build their careers in the most recently and rapidly growing domains like:

• Machine learning
• Natural language processing
• Artificial intelligence
• Robotics

An inclusive approach brings different fields together like:

• Biological, social statistics, mathematical, and engineering statistics
• System engineering and system engineering management
• Systems applications, and econometrics

thus helping the students to stand out in the market crowd.

The department of computer science also jointly works with:

• The Center of Advanced Computing
• The Institute for Computational Sustainability
• Intelligent Information Systems Institute
• Jacobs Technion

which are in-house sites for research.

Areas of Expertise:

• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Robotics, and Natural Language Processing
• Computer Graphics and Vision
• Theory of Computation and Algorithms
• Scientific Computing
• Systems Architecture, Behavior and Optimization
• Systems Modeling and Analysis
• Systems (Networking, Databases and Distributed Systems)
• Systems Engineering
• Systems Engineering Management
• Systems and Technology Integration
• Programming Languages
• Systems Applications

List of labs:

• Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute
• Cornell University Center for Advanced Computing
• Intelligent Information Systems Institute
• Program of Computer Graphics
• Institute for Computational Sustainability

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The study at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Cornell University, takes place in subjects ranging from nanoscale integrated electronics to terrestrial scale power grids, from single transistor device to billion node networks, from microscopic ICs and biological systems to large scale energy generator, and from maker movements to theoretical quantum mechanics. Both B.S. and M.Eng (Project) programs are offered by the department. ECE department also includes a number of centers and labs to support research and innovation.

Areas of Expertise:

• Information, Networks and Communication Systems
• Circuits, Devices, MEMS and Photonics
• Energy and Power Systems
• Computing Systems
• Space Engineering and Plasma Physics
• Bio-Electrical Engineering
• Circuits, Device

Engineering Management

The Engineering Management program of the Cornell University caters to students who want to focus on managerial roles while being in the technological environment. The engineering management division offers a Master of Engineering (MEng) degree which can be completed in 2 semesters through a thorough and exhaustive study. Students can also choose to complete the course in 3 semesters in case they need to include an internship or extra electives or need time to adjust with the study. College of Engineering and Johnson Graduate School of Management, Cornell University, together offer a dual degree program with the help of which students can obtain M.Eng. and MBA degrees in 5 semesters.

The focus study areas include applied:

• Probability
• Dynamic programming
• Statistics
• Financial engineering
• Manufacturing and service system logistics
• Game theory
• Discrete event simulation and combinational
• Linear and non-linear optimization.

Engineering management students are also benefited by the on-campus recruitments which see the participation of top companies across the world looking for talent in fields like:

• Production management
• Finance
• Entrepreneurship
• Engineering leadership
• Data analytics
• Real estate management

Materials Science

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is a global leader in producing and cultivating materials scientists and engineers of the new generation. With a flexible curriculum for the undergraduate program and an emphasis on strong collaborative and interdisciplinary research culture for the graduate program, MSE has become one of the top educators in materials science.

The importance is given to the key areas of energy production and storage, biomaterials and systems, electronics and photonics, and green technologies, which have been chosen by the department after brainstorming and analyzing the current trends in the sphere of material science and engineering. Cornell University also has centers for material research and nanomaterials engineering and technology which facilitate and promote groundbreaking research in the branches of science related to materials. The department offers BS, MS, MEng in the Materials Science and Engineering

Areas of Expertise:

• Energy Production and Storage
• Electronics and Photonics
• Green Technologies
• Biomaterials and Systems

List of labs:

• Platform for the Accelerated Realization, Analysis, and Discovery of Interface Materials
• Center for Nanomaterials Engineering and Technology
• Cornell Center for Materials Research

Pure Science

• B.S. degrees in physics
• Mathematics
• Biology
• Chemistry

are offered by the respective departments.

After exploring the detailed sub-streams in these domains, students can choose expertise from areas:

• Biological physics and biotechnology
• Energy resources and technology
• Plasma physics
• Nanobiotechnology
• Nanotechnology
• Laser physics and technology
• Photonics and applications
• Electron
• Ion
• X-ray
• Scanned probe
• Quantum optics
• Material physics
• Solid-state devices

The Laboratory of Plasma Studies is a benchmark establishment to facilitate students' research in the field of plasma.

Other programs offered in:

• Pure Sciences are Applied Physics (M.S.)
• Applied Mathematics (M.S.)

Areas of Expertise:

• Biological Physics and Biotechnology
• Econometrics
• Photonics and Applications
• Engineering Statistics
• Mathematical Statistics
• Biological Statistics
• Nanotechnology
• Energy, Resources and Technologies
• Dynamical Systems
• Optimization
• Mathematical Biology
• Quantum Optics
• Mathematical Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Nanobiotechnology
• Probability
• Social Statistics
• Electron, Ion, Xray, and scanned probe
• Mathematical Finance
• Laser physics and technology
• Probability Theory
• Computational Fluid Dynamics
• Materials Physics and Solid State Devices

List of labs: Laboratory of Plasma Studies