亚色影库 News > Campus & Community > Announcements > Human-Centered Engineering major

Boston College will begin recruiting the first class for its highly anticipated Human-Centered Engineering program, a major that will integrate 亚色影库鈥檚 core liberal arts focus and a rigorous engineering curriculum to prepare students to find solutions that address critical human needs.

Launching in the fall of 2021 and guided by the fundamentals of engineering education, the Human-Centered Engineering program will emphasize experiential learning and application-based course offerings, giving students opportunities to work in collaborative teams and across disciplines to address critical issues in the areas of the environment, health, and energy.

Aligned closely with the University鈥檚 new Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, the program will create new avenues for faculty and student research in the applied sciences and respond to the high level of interest in engineering among prospective applicants considering majors in STEM fields.

Graduates will be well positioned to solve complex problems with scientific, technological, human, and societal dimensions that confront the world. The program will integrate the liberal arts focus of 亚色影库鈥檚 core curriculum with foundations of engineering, design and systems thinking applications, and service-focused capstone experiences.

“鈥淒rawing upon our liberal arts offerings and our professional schools will allow us to offer a broad-based, interdisciplinary program of human-centered engineering, which many traditional engineering programs have struggled to develop.鈥�”
Tom Chiles, Vice Provost for Research

The Bachelor of Science in Engineering will require 120 credits, with two thirds in engineering, mathematics, and science topics and one third in liberal arts and humanities. Projected course offerings include: Introduction to Human-Centered Engineering and Design, Human Factors in Engineering Design, Engineering for Sustainable Development, Data Science, Introduction to Machine Learning, and Applications of Control Theory and Robotics.

鈥淏oston College's enduring strength is rooted in the University's ability, developed over many generations, to uphold core elements of our tradition while identifying and investing in emerging contemporary opportunities,鈥� said Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. 鈥淭his commitment to engaging the spirit of the age helps fuel our investments in the Schiller Institute and its academic programs. The launch of an undergraduate engineering degree promises to position Boston College and our graduates to help lead the way on ethical, human-centered explorations of the possibilities and perils of technology in the 21st century.鈥�

Anchored by a human-centered, inclusive approach and design-thinking methodologies, engineering study at Boston College will be bolstered by a global viewpoint, ethical underpinnings, and distinctive capstone projects that address real-world challenges.

鈥淲e find ourselves in a unique position based on the complex problems the planet now faces and a seismic shift that is taking place in undergraduate engineering study,鈥� said Vice Provost for Research Tom Chiles, who has led the planning efforts. 鈥淚ntroducing the Human-Centered Engineering program builds upon our mission to educate students and improve the lives of others. Drawing u