Lyle School of Engineering - General Information
The Lyle School of Engineering traces its roots to 1925, when the Technical
Club of Dallas, a professional organization of practicing engineers, petitioned SMU
to fulfill the need for an engineering school in the Southwest. In response to the
club’s request, the Lyle School of Engineering began one of the first cooperative
education programs in the United States, a program that continues to put engineering
students to work on real technical projects today.
Included in the Lyle School of Engineering curricula are programs in civil
engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering,
environmental engineering, environmental science, mechanical engineering and
management science. In 2000 the Lyle School of Engineering introduced Engineering
and Beyond, a variety of programs designed to provide a generous mix of a
traditional engineering curriculum and selected leadership coursework. This
leadership coursework is designed to train engineering students for futures in
management, entrepreneurship and beyond.
Corporate support for the engineering school has generated a remarkable array
of equipment and laboratories. Recent additions include the AT&T Mixed Signals
Lab, the Texas Instruments Digital Signal Processing Lab, the Procter and Gamble
Biomedical Research Lab and the Nokia Wireless Communication Lab. Other
laboratories include the Laser Micromachining Lab, the Nanoscale Electro-thermal
Science Lab and the Enterprise Systems Design Laboratory. In addition SMU
Engineering is the home of the Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing
(RCAM) and the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center for Lasers
and Plasmas for Advanced Manufacturing (CLAM). RCAM provides the intellectual
foundation for industry to collaborate with faculty and students to resolve
generic, long-range challenges, thereby producing the knowledge base for steady
advances in technology and their speedy transition to the marketplace. CLAM
addresses a number of research and development issues related to laser/plasmaaided
manufacturing processes. The Dallas area’s national prominence in high
technology and research has been beneficial to the Lyle School of Engineering and
its students.
All senior-year engineering students are encouraged to take the first part of the
examination for professional engineering licensure in the state of Texas. This is
known as the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination and is administered on
campus once annually in early April. The Lyle School of Engineering provides a
review course to prepare students for the exam. Application forms for the examination
may be obtained from the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
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All programs of education and research in engineering are conducted through the
Lyle School of Engineering. The school is organized into the following departments:
- Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)
- Electrical Engineering (EE)
- Engineering Management, Information and Systems (EMIS)
- Environmental and Civil Engineering (ENCE)
- Mechanical Engineering (ME)
The Lyle School of Engineering offers curricula leading to the Bachelor’s degree
in the following programs (the department responsible for each program is indicated
in parentheses):
- Civil Engineering (ENCE)
- Computer Engineering (CSE)
- Computer Science (CSE)
- Electrical Engineering (EE)
- Environmental Engineering (ENCE)
- Environmental Science (ENCE)
- Management Science (EMIS)
- Mechanical Engineering (ME)
Each curriculum is under the jurisdiction of the faculty of the department in
which the program is offered.
The Lyle School of Engineering also offers graduate programs toward the degrees
of Master of Science, Doctor of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy.
The departments are the Lyle School of Engineering’s basic operating and
budgetary units. Each department is responsible for the development and operation
of its laboratories at all levels of activity and for all purposes; for the content,
teaching and scheduling of its academic courses; and for the conduct of research
programs. The chief administrative officer of each department is the department
chair, who reports directly to the dean.
Every effort has been made to include in this publication information that, at
the time of preparation for printing, most accurately represents SMU within the
context in which it was offered. The provisions of this publication are not, however,
to be regarded as an irrevocable contract between the student and SMU. The University
reserves the right to change or terminate, at any time and without prior
notice, any provision or requirement including, but not limited to policies, procedures,
charges, academic programs and distance-education courses.
More information on the Lyle School of Engineering and its programs is available
at www.engr.smu.edu.
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This program is intended to allow students who enroll as full-time students to
include a minimum of three terms of professional work experience during the
course of their study. Students must have obtained junior level class status prior to
participating in work experience. Students cannot simultaneously enroll in a fulltime
load of course work and participate in a full-time work experience. A “fulltime”
course of study is defined as 12 or more credit hours per term and a “full-time”
work experience is defined as a minimum of 37.5 hours worked per week. In order
to maintain satisfactory academic achievement, students enrolled in a full-time
course load shall not work more than a maximum of 20 hours a week. Students
who are actively participating in a full-time work experience shall not enroll in
more than nine credit hours per term. Zero hours of credit will be awarded for each
term of internship. Participation in this program will not jeopardize the full-time
status of international students.
Students who wish to participate in this program will need to:
- Receive an internship job offer relating to their major.
- Provide a job description to the Office of Undergraduate Professional Experience
Programs.
- Complete the “Undergraduate Engineering Internship Program Agreement”
form.
- Obtain the following approvals: faculty adviser, department chair, Director of
Undergraduate Professional Experience Programs, International Student Office
(for all international students).
Once the necessary approvals are obtained, the student must register for the
Undergraduate Internship Program course that is designated by the student’s
department (CSE 5050, EE 5050, EMIS 5050, ENCE 5050, ME 5050).
Upon conclusion of the work assignment, the student must submit a report outlining
the activities and duties of the internship within two weeks of the end of the
term or at the end of the internship, whichever comes first. The student will submit
a copy of the report to the faculty adviser, the International Office (if applicable),
and the Director of Undergraduate Professional Experience Programs of the Lyle
School of Engineering. The Director of Undergraduate Professional Experience
Programs, in consultation with the student’s adviser, will assess the report and
recommend a grade of satisfactory “S” or unsatisfactory “U” to the Associate Dean
for Academic Affairs within two weeks of receiving the report. The student’s work
experience will be validated and recognized on the permanent transcript.
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