Architectural Engineering Orientation

Catalog description

This course is a first-year seminar (FYS) designed for students interested in learning about architectural engineering as a major and careers in this field while also providing the skills for students to successfully navigate Penn State University. The course is broken into three major areas: (1) an overview of architectural engineering as a major and a profession; (2) professional and study skills for navigating a university environment; (3) resources available for coursework application across Penn State and within the College of Engineering; and (4) unique themed experiences related to architectural engineering topics. AE 124 introduces the field of architectural engineering and discusses the wide range of career paths that graduates can pursue. The course overviews the 5-year architectural engineering curriculum and presents the research, study-abroad, internship, and other extracurricular opportunities available for students in the major. Next, the course provides students with the necessary skills to be successful in their classes, including: how to schedule classes and plan out study habits while familiarizing themselves with campus and the resources available to engineering students. Students learn how to navigate professional settings such as the Architectural Engineering Career Fair and job interviews so they can maximize their opportunities for internships and fulltime careers in the building industry. Lastly, students take a deeper dive into a selected themed topic that explores innovative hands-on projects that reflect various aspects of the architectural engineering discipline. Themes for the hands-on projects may vary from section to section and year to year to remain relevant to the current needs of the profession. Students learn in an interactive environment that utilizes a combination of teaching styles including, but not limited to: construction site tours, behind the scenes campus building tours, field trips, active building and testing, individual and group projects, guest speakers, and more.