BUILD and existing programs

To make the program tenable, we need to refrain from any modification to graduation requirements. We are therefore not proposing to change the requirements for any degrees. Rather, we created two special electives and formed sections of existing courses developed specifically for THE BUILD program to close the technical gaps.

The BUILD Foundation and Capstone technical courses will fulfill existing freshman Foundation and senior Capstone courses, with the Sophomore Cornerstone and Junior Keystone courses serving as technical electives for existing programs. There are, however, many other important skills modern engineers need to be successful which must also be integrated into the existing academic system.

A complete engineering education MUST go beyond technical skills. Engineers need to be able to work in multidisciplinary teams, communicate effectively with both engineers and non-engineers, write project documentation, and attend to business concerns.

Like the technical courses, we need to somehow incorporate all of this without changing graduation requirements. The concept is to create special sections of existing classes: a section of English that focuses on technical writing and documentation, a Psychology section on teamwork, a Business class with a focus on entrepreneurial engineering, and an Economics course which teaches students to manage project scheduling and finances. These would fulfill the existing requirements for English as well as electives in Social Science, Business, and Economics.

Summary: What’s in this for you?

The BUILD program takes you beyond technical skills without additional graduation requirements. How can we do that? We’ve done it by efficiently interleaving learning and threading throughout the program, letting lessons and projects build on reach other. You will learn what you need to know, why you need to know it, and apply it.