Global Engineering Minor

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Contact Information

Dr. Thomas Fontaine
Program Coordinator
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Civil/Mechanical 315
(605) 394-5173
E-mail: Thomas.Fontaine@sdsmt.edu

Well prepared engineers must possess skills and attitudes needed for working on multidisciplinary teams that are increasingly multicultural and global in nature. In a recent survey of employers recruiting on campus, 68% said that competence in cultural and global diversity was important for career success in their organizations.

An immersion experience in a different culture is the best way to learn to meet cross-cultural challenges in the areas of communication, values, beliefs, politics, language, and ethics. Students will gain this experience by creating and completing an engineering project in a culture that is significantly different than their own. The project will develop skills in verbal and non-verbal communication and working on a multicultural team. Earning this minor will provide evidence to employers of the ability to understand client expectations and unspoken priorities and select appropriate and indigenous technology. Students from any engineering discipline at the School of Mines may pursue a minor in global engineering by completing 18 credit hours of coursework.

The minor will more fully prepare graduates as global professionals and give graduates competitive advantages in seeking employment.

Students from any engineering discipline at the School of Mines may pursue a minor in global engineering by completing 18 credit hours of coursework as described below.

Required Core Courses:

Students must complete a 3-credit cross-cultural engineering design activity (e.g., an approved design project, co-op, or engineering design course in a foreign culture or country). This design activity can take the form of (1) an approved design project in a foreign country or culture, or (2) a co-op or engineering design course in a foreign country or culture. Select 3 credits from the list below:

CP 297/397/497 Cooperative Education Credits: 1 to 3
EXPL 285/385/485/585/685 Study Abroad Experiences Credits: 1 to 3
EXCH 289 Student Exchange - International Credits: 0 to 18
EXCH 389 Student Exchange - International Credits: 0 to 16
EXCH 489 Student Exchange - International Credits: 0 to 18
xxx 464 Capstone Design I (prefix varies with department) Credits: (0-1) 1
xxx 465 Capstone Design II (prefix varies with department) Credits: (0-2) 2
CEE 489 Capstone Design Project Credits: (0-3) 3
CEE 498 Undergraduate Research/Scholarship Credits: 1 to 6
CEE 491 Independent Study Credits: 1 to 3
CBE 466 Capstone Design for Chemical Engineering Credits: (0-2) 2
CBE 487 Global and Contemporary Issues in Chemical Engineering Credits: 1-0) 1
ME 477 Mechanical Engineering Design I Credits: (0-2) 2
ME 479 Mechanical Systems Design II Credits: (0-2) 2
MEM 464 Mine Design and Feasibility Study Credits: (0-4) 4

Elective Courses for Cross-Cultural Teamwork and Project Management:

Students will be required to select six credits from the list below to improve cross-cultural teamwork or project management. Two or more different prefixes are required.

IENG 352 Creativity and Innovation Credits: (1-0) 1
IENG 366 Engineering Management Credits: (3-0) 3
MSL 201 Innovative Team Leadership Credits: (1-0) 1
PSYC 319 Teams and Teaming Credits: (1-0) 1
PSYC 331 Industrial and Organizational Psychology Credits: (3-0) 3
CEE 474/574 Construction Engineering and Management Credits: (3-0) 3

Elective Courses for Cross-Cultural Understanding and Communication:

Students will be required to select nine elective credit hours that expand the understanding of human nature, social systems, cross cultural communication in, or engineering practices in a global context*

ANTH 210 Cultural Anthropology Credits: (3-0) 3
EXCH 289 Student Exchange - International Credits: 0 to 18
EXCH 389 Student Exchange - International Credits: 0 to 16
EXCH 489 Student Exchange - International Credits: 0 to 18
EXPL 285/385/485/585/685 Study Abroad Experiences Credits: 1 to 3
GEOG 210 World Regional Geography Credits: (3-0) 3
GEOG 400 Cultural Geography Credits: (3-0) 3
GER 101 Introductory German I Credits: (4-0) 4 **
GER 102 Introductory German II Credits: (4-0) 4 **
POLS 250 Introduction to International Relations Credits: (3-0) 3
POLS 350 International Relations Credits: (3-0) 3
PSYC 461 Theories of Personality Credits: (3-0) 3
SOC 100 Introduction to Sociology Credits: (3-0) 3
SPAN 101 Introductory Spanish I Credits: (4-0) 4 **
SPAN 102 Introductory Spanish II Credits: (4-0) 4 **
* Specialized courses being developed in conjunction with efforts to create study-abroad pathways within all undergraduate programs of study will be considered for inclusion as electives as they are developed (i.e., CBE 487, Global and Contemporary Issues in Chemical Engineering).
**Intermediate or advanced language courses or language courses taken while studying abroad may be substituted for introductory German or Spanish with approval of the program coordinator.