Explore Engineering
Engineers are fascinated by questions of how and why things work. They use their training in mathematics, physics, and chemistry to understand the physical world and develop creative solutions to society's complex needs. Engineering is highly collaborative and demands strong communication skills.
What Do Engineers Do?
"Scientists discover the world that exists; engineers create the world that never was."
—Theodore Von Karman, Aerospace Engineer
For engineers, everything begins with a real problem—an actual need. With a design direction identified, engineers create ideas for solutions. Once ideas have been evaluated, a design is selected, and the team moves forward with implementation—building a working prototype that can be tested in a real situation. Those tests produce feedback that may change the design. The refined design will eventually be produced as a “final” product. But of course, any engineer will acknowledge that there will always be room for improvement.
Discover Engineering: Introductory Seminars
Several courses and seminars are available each year that allow student to find out more about engineering and about specific majors within the College of Engineering. Many of these options are one or two credits and are seminars which do not require homework or exams, so they can easily be taken in addition to a regular full-time course load.
| Course ID | Credits | Course/Seminar name | Quarter |
| ENGR 100 | 5, I&S | Intro to Engineering Design | aut win spr |
| CSE 190a | 1 | Women in Computing Seminar | aut win spr |
| GEN ST 197a | 1 | CSE: Power to Change the World | aut |
| GEN ST 197f | 1 | Engineering as a Humanitarian Pursuit | aut |
| AA 101 | 5 | Air and Space Vehicles | TBD |
| BIOEN 299 | 1 | Intro to Bioengineering | aut spr |
| IND E 101 | 1 | Intro to Industrial Engineering | aut |
| PSE 201 | 3 | Intro to Pulp, Paper, and Bioproducts | aut |
| EE 135 | 4 | Digital World of Multimedia | aut |
| GEN ST 197 | 1 | Intro to Technical Communication | win |
| AA 496 | 1 | Undergraduate Seminar | win |
| CEE 100 | 1 | Intro to Civil Engineering | win |
| MSE 298 | 1 | Intro to Materials Science & Engineering | spr |
| MSE 498 | 1-5 | Molecular Engineering of Interfaces & Surfaces | aut win spr su |
| PSE 450 | 1 | Paper Science & Engineering Seminar | spr |
| GEN ST 391D | 1 | Research Exposed! Lecture Series | aut |
Learn More about UW Engineering
Engineering advisors, degrees and majors offered, planning your course schedule, and succeeding as an engineering student.
Admission requirements and statistics, engineering application, writing your personal statement.
How and when to apply for engineering scholarships.
Opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research at the College of Engineering.
Internships and the Engineering Co-op, which links students to employers for paid positions and tremendous learning experiences.
Programs and associations to promote and support a diverse student population within the College of Engineering.
Contact Engineering Advising
Engineering Advising & Diversity Center
301 Loew Hall
(206) 543-1770
eadc@u.washington.edu
