Engineering Science is an ABET-certified degree program with specified requirements and assessment criteria. ABET accredits engineering programs at 630+ higher ed institutions across the country and another ~200 internationally. There are more than 20 ABET-certified engineering specialties, e.g. mechanical, electrical, chemical, biomedical, civil, and others. Engineering science is a general field that has overlap with these other engineering specialties. Students with Engineering Science degrees will have fulfilled core engineering requirements, and can work in engineering careers upon graduation or pursue advanced degrees in specific engineering disciplines. Upper-division electives will allow students to explore concentration areas that build on Brandeis’s research strengths, for example, biomedical engineering, environmental engineering, computer engineering, and entrepreneurship and design.
A B.S. in engineering science at Brandeis will also prepare students for graduate programs in engineering specialities, including both professional degrees like Masters of Engineering and research doctoral degrees. We anticipate the most alignment to be with specialties related to Brandeis’s research strengths, listed above. The broad-based engineering science degree completed in close proximity to Brandeis’s strong natural sciences and in a liberal arts environment will make Brandeis engineering students distinctive and competitive for graduate admission.
Unfortunately, no. The first students eligible to major in Engineering at Brandeis will be admitted as first-years in the Fall of 2026. Current students can take engineering courses, and engage in other engineering-related opportunities on campus. While you won't be able to major in Engineering, these opportunities will allow you to explore your interests before the launch of the major. In fact, many Brandeis graduates have gone on to receive graduate degrees in engineering despite not having engineering undergraduate degrees. The most popular specialties for these graduate degrees have been operations research, biomedical engineering, and electrical engineering.
Per ABET requirements, the Brandeis Engineering Science major will require 12 engineering classes and eight math & science classes, in addition to the university core requirements. The 12 engineering classes include:
Math and science requirements include single and multi-variable calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, physics, biology, and chemistry.
A more-detailed description of the major curriculum and graduation requirements will be made available before the launch of the major in Fall 2026.
We hope that we will be able to support a minor in engineering in the future, but that will likely not occur until after our major program is accredited in 2030. Even without a minor, Brandeis students interested in getting exposed to engineering courses and problem-solving methods are encouraged to enroll in one or more of our introductory sequence courses (ENGR11a, ENGR12b, ENGR13a), which will remain open to all students, regardless of intended major.
We are working on example course schedules for double majors and minors that are likely to be frequently combined with engineering. These schedules will be available before the launch of the major. The Engineering Science degree will be extremely credit-intensive, however, so double majors will have to be planned very carefully with your academic advisors.
Study abroad is a valuable and desirable part of the Brandeis experience. For our future engineering students in particular, study abroad will also allow for exposure to engineering courses unavailable at Brandeis. We are working on example course schedules for students who want to study abroad. These schedules will be available before the launch of the major.
We feel strongly that engineering should be accessible to all who are interested, which often includes students who only discover this as a career path late in high school, and may come to university with less preparation than the stereotype of an engineering student might suggest. To succeed in our engineering program, students will need to be self-motivated and it will help if they are excited about solving problems using math, science, and design. Engineering sits at the intersection of strong analysis and critical thinking and open-ended creativity.
For students looking to enter in Fall 2026: the role of the inaugural class is unique and important. They will have a vital role in shaping the nature and culture of the program for students who come after them. We are lucky that we get to pilot most of our courses before engineering majors arrive, so the classes will be somewhat time-tested by the time the class of 2030 arrives. However, the first class will be true pioneers and we are looking for students excited to make change in the world around them, starting with their choice of major.
What we are doing with Brandeis Engineering is long overdue. We live in a technological world and engineering should have been considered among the liberal arts long ago instead of being siloed off in its own professional domain. Our approach is to try to cross boundaries between engineering, the sciences, and humanities, arts, and social sciences in meaningful ways, which should appeal to the students who choose to come to Brandeis.
Like all students interested in Brandeis, you would apply to the general Brandeis admissions that all undergraduate students apply to: https://www.brandeis.edu/admissions/
We would like you to let us know early that you intend to pursue an Engineering Major so that we can begin mapping your course plan ASAP. Once admitted to Brandeis as an undergraduate, please reach out to jskrones@brandeis.edu with your interest in engineering as soon as possible to schedule a meeting to discuss your course of study.
If you are a current student, the first step is to register your interest with us using this form. It signs you up to an email list through which you will hear about engineering-related updates and events, including new courses, guest speakers, alumni engagement, and other activities.
More broadly, the best way to learn more about the engineering program is to contact Professor Jonathan Krones at jskrones@brandeis.edu.