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Engineering

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Engineers apply scientific and mathematical principles to design, create, and operate useful devices, structures, or processes in an efficient and economical manner. Many branches of engineering exist within this broad definition. Examples are the following:

  • Electrical Engineering: Electrical engineers deal with the capture and transmission of energy and information (think of fuel cells, solar panels, hydroelectric plants, satellite transmission, TV, your cell phone).
  • Mechanical Engineering: Mechanical engineers harness power and mechanical forces to develop all sorts of machines (think of supersonic jets, automobiles, robots, and even artificial organs). They also design and build heating and cooling systems, manufacturing facilities, and machine tools.
  • Civil Engineering: Civil engineers design and supervise construction of visible infrastructure items (think of bridges, highways, airports, skyscrapers, or waste-water treatment facilities).
  • Systems Engineering: Systems engineers help integrate many different components of a project to see that they work together smoothly and still meet performance, scheduling, and cost goals.

Engineers are employed in every state and city and every major industry, and command among the highest starting salaries of all college graduates. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, predicts that by the year 2016 the United States will need nearly 400,000 more engineers than we have today. UH Hilo Pre-Engineering gives a solid background in the mathematics, physics, and chemistry needed for any engineering degree. In the second year of the program, three foundational engineering courses are offered—CE 270 and 271, commonly known as statics and dynamics—and EE 211, a basic electrical engineering course. Students who finish this two-year program can transfer with a very good start to a four-year accredited engineering program in Civil, Electrical, or Mechanical engineering.

Year 1 Suggested Schedule

  1. Semester I (14 semester hours)
    • ENG 100 Composition (3)
    • CHEM 124–124L Chemistry I with Lab (4)
    • COM 251 Speech (3)
    • MATH 205 Calculus I (4)
  2. Semester II (15 semester hours)
    • CS 150 Introduction to Computer Sci I (3)
    • CHEM 125 Chemistry II (3)
    • PHYS 172–170L Physics I with Lab (5)
    • MATH 206 Calculus II (4)

Year 2 Suggested Schedule

  1. Semester I (17 semester hours)
    • CE 270 Applied Mechanics I (3)
    • MATH 231 Calculus III (3)
    • PHYS 173–171L Physics II with Lab (5)
    • HIST 151 World History I (3)
    • Hum/SocSci Elective (3)
  2. Semester II (15 semester hours)
    • CE 271 Applied Mechanics II (3)
    • MATH 232 Calculus IV (3)
    • EE 211 Basic Circuit Analysis I (3) or CE 394 Special Topics in CE (Mechanics of Materials)
    • HIST 152 World History II (3)
    • ECON 100 Introduction to Economics (3)

Engineering Faculty and Staff