University of Notre Dame Courses

Indiana, United States

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Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering 

The university has over many years earned an enviable reputation especially in research and innovations in the aerospace and mechanical engineering fields. The Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering offers two four-year undergraduate courses - a BSAE (Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering) and a BS in Mechanical Engineering. The bachelor’s degree programs in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc.

Notre Dame places major emphasis on the overall development of a student, and hence an engineering undergraduate has to opt for a humanities subject too throughout his four years.
The department offers Masters of Science degrees. There are two programs available:

  • list items  one involving a formal research component with a written thesis and the other one being just coursework.
  • list items Another unique course provided by the department is a dual degree - Master of Science in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering along with a degree from the School of Law.

This degree can be completed in three years.
Ph.D. students are expected to complete all degree requirements to qualify for a Ph.D. in approximately five years.

  • list items Areas of Expertise: Energy / Thermal Sciences; Flow Physics and Control; Mechanics, Computation, and Design; Biomedical Science and Engineering
  • list items List of Labs: Center for Enhanced Wind Energy Design eWind; Center for Informatics and Computational Science; Center for Shock Wave Processing of Advanced Reactive Materials
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Chemical

The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering awards a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering. The concentrations offered are Biomolecular Engineering, Energy, and Materials. The undergraduate program in Chemical Engineering at Notre Dame is recognized for its combination of a strong fundamental focus in chemical engineering courses and a broad humanities and science education. The science and humanities courses allow a study of chemical engineering as well as the complex scientific, social, and moral issues of the world today.

A student must be admitted to the department for a Master’s or Ph.D. program to be able to begin coursework towards a graduate degree. The department offers a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering (with thesis). A student entering the M.S. program with an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering is expected to take approximately 18-24 months to complete the requirements for the M.S. degree.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Chemical Engineering is also offered by the department. Students with an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering have completed the Ph.D. degree requirements in 4-4.5 years.
The department also offers a unique dual degree along with the Department of Law. This Master’s degree can be completed in three years.

  • list items Areas of Expertise: Materials and Nanotechnology; Nanofluidics and Microfluidics; Simulation and Theory; Energy and Sustainability; Bioengineering and Biomaterials
  • list items List of Labs: Center for Microfluidics and Medical Diagnostics; Center for Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics
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Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Civil Engineering program offered by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (ABET). The undergraduate programme in Civil Engineering, i.e., B.S. in Civil Engineering teaches basic principles of science and engineering in the first two years. The next two years are devoted to topics specific to Civil Engineering. All undergraduate students are required to study a course in humanities through their four years. 

The graduate school offers a Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE). The Ph.D. program offered by the department is open to undergraduate students too. During this course, a person holding a bachelor’s degree can receive a Master's degree without completing the thesis if the student has completed the course requirements for the Master's degree.
The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences in addition also offers a four-year Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering (B.S).

The core topics in this course are:

  • list items Global change
  • list items Water and energy
  • list items Environmental aquatic chemistry and geochemistry
  • list items Hydrology
  • list items Mineralogy
  • list items Fluid mechanics and hydraulics
  • list items Water quality
  • list items Treatment and biological process design.

In addition, a course in humanities is required.

The graduate school also offers a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering (MSEnvE), an MS in Earth Sciences and a Master of Science. The academic requirement for qualifying for the master’s level programmes is a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from an accredited institute. A Ph.D. student may also receive a Master's degree without completing a thesis if the student has completed the course requirements for the Master's degree and certain other conditions set by the department.

Students with a wide range of background in engineering and sciences can apply for the Ph.D. programme. Students with exceptional grades in their undergraduate years in subjects related to environmental engineering may also apply for the Ph.D. program.

A candidate for the Ph.D. must spend a minimum of three years in full-time study and research beyond a bachelor’s degree and exhibit proficiency in scholarly and investigative endeavors. Additionally, they should also pass a written Ph.D. qualifying exam, pass both oral and written admission-to-candidacy exams, and present a dissertation which they must successfully defend in an oral examination. All the requirements are expected to be completed within five years following the completion of residency requirements.

  • list items Areas of Expertise: Groundwater/Surface Water Interactions; Natural Hazard Mitigation; Dynamics and Safety of Structures; Water/Environmental Resources; Structural Engineering and Design; Environmental Geosciences and Environmental Engineering
  • list items List of Labs: Notre Dame Center for Sustainable Energy; Center for the Materials Science of Actinides
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Computer Science

The Computer Science program is the fastest-growing program in the College of Engineering in Notre Dame. 
The department offers a B.S in Computer Science and also one in Computer Engineering.

The important courses taught in the four-year BS in Computer Science and Engineering are:

  • list items Bioinformatics and Computational Biology
  • list items Cloud Computing, Cyber Security
  • list items Mobile Computing
  • list items Media Computing

Many students here conduct undergraduate research as well, and since the class strength is small, they get to know the professors on a personal level. 
The Bachelor’s degree program in computer science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc., while the Bachelor of Science programme in Computer Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Because Computer Engineering and Computer Science programs are identical until the fourth semester, a switch from one program to the other is very easy to make until the beginning of the fifth semester. The degree of Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering (MSCSE) is awarded to a student for advanced technical competency in a focus area of computer science.

The M.S. project or thesis requirement can be satisfied through any one of the three ways -

(i) completing a master’s project

(ii) completing a master’s thesis or

(iii) passing the Ph.D. candidacy exam.

The M.S. (non-Ph.D. track) is a coursework-focused degree resulting in advanced technical competency. Students in this program take courses full-time on campus and complete a project or thesis.  No tuition scholarships or other financial aid is typically provided for this degree. 
A student entering the M.S. program with an undergraduate degree in computer science and engineering can expect to take approximately 2 years to complete the degree requirements

The Ph.D. is a research-focused degree that leads to a research career in academia, industry, or government.  Students in the Ph.D. program normally receive support as a research or teaching assistant, by taking classes part-time and focusing on research under the supervision of a faculty advisor.  The Ph.D. degree can be completed in three to five years and is open to applicants with either a B.S. or M.S. degree.

  • list items Areas of Expertise: Distributed Systems and Grid Computing; Algorithms and Theory; Bioinformatics, Computational Biology, and Human Health; Scientific Computing; Computer Architecture and Nanotechnology; Computer Security; Operating Systems and Computer Networks; Data Mining and Machine Learning
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Electrical Engineering

The Department of Electrical Engineering offers a four-year Bachelor of Science (B.S) in Electrical Engineering.

The core courses to study in the Department of Electrical Engineering are:

  • list items Circuits
  • list items Electronics
  • list items Digital systems (hardware and software)
  • list items Signals and systems
  • list items Electromagnetics
  • list items Semiconductors

Students are encouraged to get involved in undergraduate research projects, particularly during their junior or senior years. These could add to their course credits, or they could even be paid research.
Notre Dame has two options in its M.S degree course:

a) Master of Science Degree (Research) - To receive a research degree in Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (M.S.E.E.), students must write a thesis under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

b) Non-Research Master of Science Degree. An applicant for graduate programs in electrical engineering must possess a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited American college or university, or from a recognized foreign institution.

The applicant should have scored at least a B' average in his or her most recent years of academic work.
Most applicants to the department possess undergraduate degrees in electrical engineering. However, individuals with degrees in mathematics/chemistry/physics and related scientific and technical areas are also encouraged to apply.

  • list items Areas of Expertise: Digital and Wireless Communications; Optoelectronics; Nanostructure Devices and Fabrication; Intelligent and Embedded Control Systems; Signal and Image Processing; Microelectronic Materials and Devices
  • list items List of Labs: Center for Low Energy Systems Technology; Wireless Institute; Center for Nanoscience and Technology
 
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