Special Programs

Admission to Fast Track Calculus is competitive. Interested students should contact the Head of the Mathematics Department or Director of Fast Track Calculus.

NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION

To aid entering students in their adjustment to college life, a five-day orientation period for students precedes regular classroom instruction prior to the start of the academic year. Each freshman is required to be present for this program. The program offers a number of advantages to both the students and faculty. The students become acquainted with the facilities and surroundings, with each other, and with the regulations and routines of college life. Students learn about the various student organizations, opportunities for co-curricular activities and Rose-Hulman student traditions.

Further, students are introduced to the nature of science and engineering studies, and they meet with their faculty advisers and resident assistants. Talks and discussions offer them insight into the kinds of work engineers and scientists do and into the satisfactions to be derived from a career in science and engineering.

The orientation period also permits the faculty an opportunity to administer a number of diagnostic tests. These tests seek to determine achievement levels in academic areas and are useful for two purposes: they are tools to be used by the faculty advisers and counselors to do effective counseling, and they help to identify students who may need special attention.

Although Rose-Hulman uses the best available criteria to select its students, the undeniable fact is that students come to college with widely varying degrees of motivation and with widely differing qualities of high school preparation. The diagnostic efforts of the orientation period help to identify those students who could immediately qualify for advanced work in certain areas, and those who indicate a need for additional help. Students at Rose-Hulman normally complete their degree requirements in four years, but the Institute also wishes to provide for those students who, with encouragement and opportunity, do more than the normal student in four years and for those who may need special help or a slower pace of study.

CONSULTING ENGINEERING PROGRAM

Through the generosity of J. B. Wilson, a prominent consulting engineer of Indianapolis, a program was established in 1973 to emphasize career opportunities in the field of consulting engineering and to provide selected courses which would be beneficial to students interested in consulting engineering careers.

Listed below is a program guide of recommended courses for a student interested in consulting engineering. This is not a degree program but is a supplement to the normal engineering degree programs. Some of the courses are in addition to the normal engineering degree programs and may result in a student earning more credits than are required for the B.S. degree in a specific discipline.

Students desirous of pursuing the Consulting Engineering Program should enroll in the Program by filing a declaration-of-intent form with the Chairman of the Commission. In order to be certified as having completed the Program, a student is required to successfully complete the prescribed list of courses, complete the requirements for a degree in Engineering, and take the Fundamentals of Engineering examination prior to graduation.

Upon completion of the program, students will receive a Certificate of Completion at the time of their graduation from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Completion of the program will be noted on the student’s official transcript but not on the diploma. The Consulting Engineer Program advisor is Dr. James L. McKinney P.E., Department of Civil Engineering.

FOREIGN STUDIES PROGRAM

The Foreign Studies Program is an honors program that helps particularly mature and academically talented juniors to study engineering and science at selected foreign colleges and universities. Spending a quarter, a semester, or even a year at a famous overseas university, in a city steeped in visual reminders of its history, will challenge the student both academically and personally. If students demonstrate in their first two years at Rose-Hulman that they have the academic and personal maturity to handle the conflict between study and distraction, Rose-Hulman will recommend them for admission and, if not otherwise restricted, permit them to use their scholarship funds abroad.

Sophomores who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or better and have an interest in the program should make a formal application to the director/advisor of the respective program by December 1 of their sophomore year. The application must contain: (a) A plan of study that has been worked out with the guidance and approval of the Professor-in-Charge of the student’s discipline, the appropriate department head, and the student’s adviser; and (b) two letters of recommendation from faculty members who have knowledge of the student’s ability and potential for success in foreign study. If the student plans to study at a non-English speaking institution abroad (in Germany, for example) the student must also demonstrate speaking, reading, and writing ability in the language of the country. Ordinarily the student may demonstrate this by completing the equivalent of at least two years of a foreign language at the college level. Students who want to participate in the Junior year program in Germany either at the University of Stuttgart or Magdeburg must first consult with the appropriate German faculty member who will assist in the selection of the courses to be taken overseas. The same applies for intensive German language courses taken in Germany and internships in Germany.

IMAGING SYSTEMS CERTIFICATE

Imaging concerns the collection, manipulation, analysis, generation, understanding and processing of images. It includes computer graphics, computer vision, optical imaging and filtering, signal processing and aspects of artificial intelligence. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology offers an undergraduate multidisciplinary Imaging Systems Certificate. Hands-on experience is emphasized in the Imaging Systems Laboratory, which is used for project work by certificate students and graduate students whose theses involve imaging.

The certificate recognizes undergraduate students who have gained a grounding in imaging systems while at Rose-Hulman. The certificate requires 6 courses (at least 22 credits). Three courses are required core courses, two are electives, and one is the imaging systems project. A student would expect to take these courses starting in the junior year. A student in any major should be able to obtain a certificate with minimal, if any, course overload. Students interested in pursuing the Imaging Systems Certificate should see the certificate advisor (listed below).

Required Courses

Elective Courses (choose 2 that are not named courses required for your major)

Other courses and independent studies which are consistent with an individual’s imaging systems studies may also be used to satisfy the elective course requirements, subject to approval by the imaging systems faculty.

Imaging Systems Project

A project with a significant imaging component is required. This may be done in any discipline. Projects must be approved by the Imaging Faculty. Projects must include both a written report and a public presentation, and be made available for future use. Students may meet this requirement in three ways: (1) A student may complete a 4-credit independent study, approved by the Imaging Faculty. (2) A student may begin the project in a course and then extend and document the project and make a public presentation during an independent study approved by the Imaging Faculty. (3) A student may complete an approved senior thesis or project involving imaging and substitute a senior thesis or project course for the independent study.

Imaging Systems Certificate advisor

Matt Boutell, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering

Imaging Systems Faculty

Matt Boutell, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering
S. Allen Broughton, Department of Mathematics
Robert M. Bunch, Department of Physics and Optical Engineering
Ed Doering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
David L. Finn, Department of Mathematics
Joshua Holden, Department of Mathematics
Charles Joenathan, Department of Physics and Optical Engineering
Cary Laxer, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering
Michael F. McInerney, Department of Physics and Optical Engineering
J.P. Mellor, Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering
Xiaoyan Mu, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Wayne T. Padgett, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Deborah Walter, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Huihui Xu, Department of Applied Biology and Biomedical Engineering

CERTIFICATE IN SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS AND DEVICES

The Certificate will consist of 20 credit hours of which 12 credit hours will be required courses. Students interested in pursuing this Certificate should see a PHOE certificate advisor (Professors McInerney, Siahmakoun, Wagner, and Syed).

Required Courses

1. PH405 Semiconductor Materials and Devices I -- 3R-3L-4C F Pre: PH113 or PH255 or PH265 or consent of instructor.

2. PH406 Semiconductor Materials and Devices II -- 3R-3L-4C W Pre: PH405 or consent of instructor.

3. PH410 Intro to MEMS: Fabrication and Applications -- 3R-3L-4C S Pre: JR or SR standing or consent of the instructor.
      or:
   CHE440 Process Control 4R-0L-4C W Pre: CHE202

Electives

Overall aim of the Certificate

A certificate holder will understand how semiconductor devices work, have practical experience in the main stages of device production, have practical experience in the more common forms of device testing and characterization, and have broad understanding of the mechanical and chemical properties of the material used.

A Certificate holder will be well suited for jobs requiring an understanding of semiconductor devices and their production. These jobs include not only those directly related to device fabrication, but also those involved with testing and trouble-shooting electronic equipment and the design of machines that contain electronic equipment. The experience in simple device fabrication that the Certificate provides is particularly useful for future engineers in “process” industries.

THE MANAGEMENT STUDIES PROGRAM

The Management Studies Program is a selected group of courses which develops a broad understanding of management in business and society. Like the Rose-Hulman Technical Translators Program, the Management Studies Certificate is a supplement to an engineering or science degree. The curriculum is a core of required courses in ethics, engineering management, economics, and technical communication with electives dealing with the role of management in society and specific tools for managers.

Statement of Objectives

The Management Studies Program broadens the education of engineers and scientists through a curriculum which:

• teaches the quantitative and economic concepts needed in management decision-making;
• promotes productivity through people;
• stresses communication skills required in management;
• examines intended and unintended impacts of management decisions;
• explores the social, legal, and ethical contexts of management.

Although the nine courses necessary to receive the certificate are a challenging addition to the undergraduate’s academic load, many of them may simultaneously be used to fulfill Humanities and Social Science, technical elective, and other degree requirements. Science majors should be able to complete the program easily within the regular four year pattern, but engineering majors may have to overload. In order to minimize conflicts and meet individual needs, each student will design a specific program with the Management Studies Adviser in the first quarter of the sophomore year.

Requirements:

1. All of the following core Courses:
   SL151 Principles of Economics
   VA303 Business and Engineering Ethics
   RH330 Technical and Professional Communication
   SL350 Managerial Accounting or VA454 Corporate Finance
   SL351 Managerial Economics
    
2. Two of the following Management in Society Courses (in addition to the core courses):
   SL171 Principles of Psychology
   SL290 Business Law
   GL306 Japanese Values & Technological Development
   VA304 Bioethics
   GL389 Intercultural Communication
   GL432 Literature and Film of the Global Economy
   VA353 Industrial Organization
   VA354 Labor Economics
   SL356 Game Theory
   VA366 America’s Future  
   VA453 The Entrepreneur
   VA498 Technology Management and Forecasting
    
3. Two courses from the following list. The student may choose to emphasize a strength area such as quantitative analysis, economics, or engineering management. Courses not included in this list may be approved by the Management Studies Advisor:
   CE303 Engineering Economy
   VA353 Industrial Organization
   SL354 Intermediate Microeconomics
   SL355 Intermediate Macroeconomics
   GL458 International Trade
   GL459 International Finance
   CE441 Construction Engineering
   CE442 Cost Engineering
   MA444 Deterministic Models in Operations Research
   MA445 Stochastic Models in Operations Research
   CSSEXXX Courses beyond CSSE 120 in Computer Science
   MAXXX Any statistics courses
   EMGTXXX Any engineering management course

GERMAN TECHNICAL TRANSLATOR’S CERTIFICATE PROGRAM

A student may earn, in addition to one of the regular degree programs in science or engineering, a certificate of proficiency in German technical translation. Successful completion of this non-degree program partially fulfills the graduation requirements in humanities and social sciences.

Certificate Requirements

A student must have a 3.0 in the first two years of the foreign language and in his/her major, as well as permission of the instructor, to enter the third year language courses. Exceptions may be made by the instructor in charge of the program.

1. A student must complete all the technical courses required by one of the Institute’s degree-granting programs.

2. A student must successfully complete the third and fourth year courses of the German Studies program (GE 311/312/313 and GE 411/412/413). See the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) section of this catalogue for a description of these courses.

3. A student who successfully completes the four-year language program is exempted from RH 131 Rhetoric and Composition, and from both courses in Global Studies. This generally means that the student will only need to take three HSS courses other than German, one each in Rhetoric and Expression, Self and Society, and Values and Contemporary Issues. (See the HSS section of this catalogue for a description of those thematic categories.)

Commentary

A student who qualifies through the Foreign Language Examination administered at Rose-Hulman during Freshman orientation week, will be permitted to enroll in the appropriate level of German as determined by the foreign language faculty. A student who successfully completes a quarter of more advanced language at Rose-Hulman with a grade of C or better will be granted 4 hours of Credit by Examination for each quarter of language by-passed. (Note: a minimum of two terms of college language must be completed in order to receive HSS graduation credit.)

1. A student who is in the German Studies Program in Culture and Technology is not required to take RH131, Rhetoric and Composition.

2. In order to obtain the Translator’s Certificate, some students in some curricula may have to take more than the minimum number of credits required for graduation.

3. Due to scheduling requirements of some regular degree programs, a student may also have to carry an overload in some terms. This means that the student will have to maintain a better-than-average grade point average to meet the Institute requirements permitting an overload. See the Student Handbook for details.

4. A student is strongly urged, but not required, to spend at least one summer studying in an approved program for foreigners in Germany. Some small grants may be available to help defray expenses.