College of Engineering and Applied Science
Keith Molenaar, Dean
422 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0422
T: 303-492-5071

The College of Engineering and Applied Science has a tradition of excellence in engineering education dating back to 1893, and we continually update and improve our programs to reflect the highest standards in teaching and learning, discovery, innovation, community and culture. 

Mission & Vision

The College of Engineering & Applied Science's mission is to generate new knowledge in engineering and related fields, and to equip students from diverse backgrounds to become leaders and citizens responsible for the betterment of individuals and society. Our vision is to be a recognized world leader for excellence and innovation in engineering research and education, with an emphasis on inclusive excellence, active learning and global society.

Degrees

The College of Engineering and Applied Science offers Bachelor of Science degrees in:

Along with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science and a post-baccalaureate Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Computer Science.

Accreditation

The CU Boulder campus is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Programs accredited by ABET can be found on the College of Engineering & Applied Science Accreditation webpage. The degrees in applied mathematics and engineering physics are offered in cooperation with the Department of Applied Mathematics and Department of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Professional Registration

Professional registration is recommended for all fields of engineering in order to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. Registration is required in all states for the legal right to practice professional engineering. Although there are variations in state laws regarding engineering licensure, there is a general four-step process for licensure candidates: earn a degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited engineering program, pass the FE exam, gain acceptable work experience under the supervision of a PE and pass the PE exam. Students typically take the FE exam during their last year in college.

Areas of Interest

On This Page

Campos Student Center

The Campos Student Center (CSC) is part of the College of Engineering and Applied Science’s commitment to cultivate community and create a supportive educational environment for students of all backgrounds. CSC's scholarship program and student societies incorporate mentoring and meaningful engagement with current students, alumni, and industry partners. Campos' academic services are central to supporting student success in the college. CSC elevates the student experience to connect students with academic, cultural, social, professional and leadership opportunities to enhance their skillsets and preparedness to implement engineering and social solutions in an increasingly complex and diverse world. 

Colorado Space Grant Consortium

CU's Space Grant program provides interdisciplinary students with access to space through innovative courses and real-world, hands-on space hardware programs that include short and long-duration, high altitude balloon payloads, sounding rocket payloads and low-Earth orbiting satellite missions. NASA's Colorado Space Grant Consortium (also known as Space Grant) is part of a national program.

Space Grant students interact with engineers and scientists from NASA and industry to develop, test and fly new space technologies. All missions are entirely student run—including students in the roles of team members, team leads, systems engineers, project managers and mission operators. Students participate in programs that aid them in their future academic courses and careers.

Engineering Career Hub

The Engineering Career Hub prepares CU Engineering students to be professionally ready for meaningful, impactful careers by providing just-in-time resources, engineering-specific career advising, and meaningful professional experiences and connections in industry and research.

The Engineering Career Hub team is committed to helping CU Engineering students gain relevant experience, build professional networks and make an impact on society. The Engineering Career Hub team is also committed to meeting the evolving needs of industry, research and government employer partners.

Engineering Connections

Engineering Connections is the residential community for first-year engineering students, which has staff and faculty dedicated to developing curricular, co-curricular, social and wellness programs just for them. These programs are specifically designed to help engineering and applied science students build the sense of community and belonging they need to succeed—from their first day through graduation day.

Engineering Honors Program

Incoming first-year students are selected to participate in the Engineering Honors Program via an online application process. The Engineering Honors Program (EHP) provides an educational experience that transcends the classroom and matches the unique abilities, needs and ambitions of this select group of students. The program is for students who want to help build an honors culture that cares more about learning than grades; more about maximizing opportunities than meeting minimum requirements; and more about being thoughtful, critical, engaged and intentional than being passively defined by the vague expectations of others. Being part of EHP means belonging to a community that is ambitious without being competitive and committed to a wide range of goals from international development work to graduate school, from research to teaching, and from industry to service. It means living next to students already doing research, returning from summer internships, working with Engineers without Borders and applying to graduate school.

Engineering Leadership Program

The Engineering Leadership Program (ENLP) explores leadership challenges in applied science using liberal arts pedagogy. The program aims to cultivate leaders of curiosity and character, whose technical expertise is enriched through the study of the political, moral and philosophic dilemmas posed by the perpetual advancement of science and technology. The program offers a wide variety of courses on the thought and practice of leadership, many of which utilize primary source texts in history, the philosophy of science, moral philosophy, political science and anthropology. The program’s courses (with ENLP course prefix) count for humanities and social sciences credit in the College of Engineering and Applied Science, and most courses are discussion-based seminars. Students with a deep interest in ENLP’s curriculum are encouraged to pursue the Engineering Leadership Certificate. The program also addresses contemporary concerns in engineering practice. CU engineering alumni and established leaders from engineering industry, business and politics frequently visit ENLP classes to give guest lectures, hold interview sessions and converse with students over informal lunches. 

Global Engineering

In today’s global environment, engineers must be prepared to tackle complex challenges, including the unequal and unjust distribution of access to basic services such as water, sanitation, food, energy, transportation, and infrastructure. Confronting these development challenges requires collaboration with other professionals and with the communities they seek to serve, as well as the generation of credible evidence that drives lasting impact. These global challenges must therefore be addressed with a global mindset. Engineering students need to develop global engineering competencies alongside their technical skills by engaging in peer-to-peer connections, faculty mentorship, and professional networking. The Global Engineering Residential Academic Program (GE RAP), implemented by the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering & Resilience, prepares students to engage with complex, uncomfortable, and deeply human problems that continue to hinder poverty reduction, while expanding cultural awareness, linguistic preparedness, and global connections for long-term success. The GE RAP helps students move beyond technical preparation alone; it challenges them to think differently and asks more of them than memorizing theories. The program offers early entry into the global engineering community and lays a strong foundation for future global engineers to succeed both inside and outside the classroom.  

Additional opportunities include completing a Global Engineering Minor, including the opportunity to study or complete service learning abroad through Study Abroad, Engineers Without Borders-CU (EWB), Bridge-Buffs and more!   

Herbst Program for Engineering, Ethics & Society

The Herbst Program for Engineering, Ethics & Society enriches and broadens the education of engineering students with seminar and lecture courses in literature, philosophy, history, social issues and the arts.

In its two seminars, ENES 1010 and ENES 3100, class time is devoted almost exclusively to roundtable discussion of original texts in literature, philosophy and the fine arts. These seminars have fewer than 14 students, so students can hone their critical thinking skills through reading, discussion and extensive writing. Both of these seminars satisfy the college's writing requirement. Note: ENES 1010 satisfies the writing requirement only when taken in a student's first year.

Idea Forge

The Idea Forge is a flexible, cross-disciplinary collaborative space where students can imagine, design, create and test products and solutions to meet a range of societal and customer needs. The space serves as the home for Design Center Colorado and Catalyze CU. It supports student teams working on invention and innovation as part of courses, as well as design and development driven by entrepreneurial-minded individuals and service-oriented groups. With all these students working side-by-side, the Idea Forge boosts student learning through collaborative, hands-on experience, while supporting industry interaction through scheduled workshops as well as spontaneous exchanges. The mission of the Idea Forge is to enhance interdisciplinary creativity and synergy to develop flexible, adaptable and practical graduates. To do this, the Idea Forge supports design from a variety of perspectives, from the most formal engineering design process to the human-centered design philosophy. By providing students the opportunity to design, build and test their concepts, the Idea Forge builds creative confidence and promotes the formation of strong professional skills.

The Idea Forge boasts a variety of flexible spaces to achieve its mission and to fit individual student needs. These spaces fit into three categories: fabrication shops, project space and community space. The fabrication shops provide students with the tools and equipment needed for prototyping through machining, welding, 3D printing, laser cutting, woodworking and sewing with an additional emphasis on electronics and micro-controllers. Students learn safe, efficient use of the tools and equipment through action, by taking workshops or tackling a project. Project spaces fill the Idea Forge – students are able to find their nearest wood-topped workbench to assemble their design. The central Idea Forge Commons, an inspiring environment for teamwork and brainstorming, doubles as a project space and a community space. Just off the Commons, the Thinking Lounge community space provides students with a comfortable place to take a break. Additional community space consists of two impressive conference rooms, which are perfect for meetings with industry and community members.

Integrated Teaching and Learning Program

The Integrated Teaching and Learning (ITL) Program provides a creative, hands-on environment where students connect theory with practice and learn by doing. The program partners with faculty to develop and incorporate hands-on experiences in courses throughout the college. It also manages the ITL Laboratory, which features two open, interactive laboratory plazas that support inquiry-based experimentation, data acquisition, and analysis.  Resources in the ITL Laboratory, including design studios, project work areas, and active learning spaces, support students and courses across all engineering disciplines.  

The program also offers skill-building workshops on tools, machining, soldering, circuits, laser cutters, 3D printers, Arduino microcontrollers, LabVIEW, computer-aided design, and more, where students gain confidence applying authentic engineering skills and practices. With a strong focus on engineering design and modern prototyping, manufacturing, and electronics capabilities, the ITL Program helps undergraduate engineering students bring their ideas to life in innovative engineering courses and co-curricular activities that foster creativity and engineering identity.