Interdisciplinary Research Methods in Engineering

Catalog description

ENGR 503 is a practical course that teaches students how to conduct interdisciplinary research in engineering. It equips students with the skills and tools they need to undertake research projects of their own in anticipation of the dissertation. Specifically, the course teaches students how to ask a research question, develop a methodology that can answer it, engage in ethical research, locate and cite sources, and report findings using an appropriate language and format. The course is also designed to aid students in their professional development. Towards this end, it explains the role of grant seeking, academic conferences, and scholarly journals in engineering. In sum, students may enter ENGR 503 unsure of both how to produce scholarship on their own and how to share it with the academic community. They will exit the course ready to launch their own research projects with faculty guidance and communicate their findings at conferences and through publications.