Prospective Students
The Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM) is an internationally distinguished department that is recognized for its globally competitive excellence in engineering and scientific accomplishments, research, and educational leadership. ESM aims to develop world-class engineers who can impact and advance the well-being of the global society, its environment, and future frontiers yet to be discovered.
Our Engineering Science program is the official undergraduate honors program of Penn State’s College of Engineering.
As the honors program of the College, we attract the University’s brightest, most creative, and most ambitious engineering students. Our multidisciplinary program emphasizes enhanced understanding and integrated application of engineering, scientific, mathematical, and statistical principles. Students are also able to customize their programs to their individual engineering, science, and pre-med interests, and select a focus area of study during their senior year.
Our curriculum prepares students for advanced studies and careers in leadership in a diverse array of scientific and engineering endeavors.
The curriculum is designed for students who seek to link science with the engineering disciplines such as electrical, mechanical, chemical, civil, and biomedical, and who want to gain a thorough understanding of the analytical, interpretive, and extrapolative aspects of engineering. The courses provide a broad, yet solid, foundation in mathematics, chemistry, physics, mechanics, materials, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, wave phenomena, and computational analysis.
Penn State engineering science graduates obtain the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary engineering skills to pursue successful careers and leadership positions in a wide variety of areas including engineering, the legal profession, medicine, business, politics, and government service. Many of our honor students go on to pursue graduate degrees and conduct multidisciplinary research and development.
Penn State Engineering Science is a program like no other.
Our program is unique because the engineering science student forgoes specialization in a single engineering discipline in exchange for a deeper and broader perspective of science and engineering. Students are immersed in multidisciplinary team environments where they engage in interactions across research groups within the department, with research groups across the college, in colleges across the University, and even across multiple institutions.
Students are able to interact closely with diverse, award-winning faculty in a tight-knit, collegial environment that fosters innovation and leadership. Students also have the opportunity to work directly with graduate students and postdoctoral scientists, who possess a wide range of expertise, to further their learning and development.
What can you expect as an engineering science student?
- Access to world-class facilities and labs
- Use of state-of-the art tools and equipment
- Small class sizes
- Personal academic and research advising
- Foundational electives during your third year
- Technical electives during your fourth year
- Senior research and design thesis
Is engineering science for you?
If you are interested in, and excel at, science and math, and want to use your skills in these areas to research, develop, and design new products and processes in a wide variety of fields, then the Engineering Science program is an excellent choice for you.
Schedule a visit today, and we will show you around!
