Pre-Engineering

Degree program at Bay College

Engineer Planning Project With CNC Machinery In Background

Why Pre-Engineering?

The word “engineer” is synonymous with inventor, designer, and researcher. Engineers are builders, innovators, and critical thinkers. They are responsible for building bridges and roads, developing fuel-cell technology for our vehicles, researching cures for cancer, and everything in between. Engineering is a high demand field with many specializations including Aerospace, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Material, Mechanical, and more.

A degree in Engineering opens the door to numerous career possibilities. O*NET Online shows around 350 related occupations for engineers, including jobs like robotics engineer, automotive engineer, full-cell engineer, and software developer. Michigan’s Hot 50 Jobs List, which provides insight into high-demand, high-wage careers for the next several years, ranked Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil Engineering in their top 50, with an average hourly wage beyond $40 per hour. In 2018, CareerCast identified the three most financially lucrative fields of study for bachelor's degree graduates ages 25-29 to be Electrical Engineering ($74,790), Mechanical Engineering ($71,860), and other Engineering disciplines ($65,480). Employment prospects and pay are appealing, but so are the positive impacts engineers make on communities, the environment, and even the planet. 

Engineering vs. Engineering Technology

While a degree in engineering may be appealing, the theoretical nature of the math and science courses required for an engineering degree can be intimidating to some students. If so, consider a degree in engineering technology.  An engineering technologist is a specialist dedicated to implementation. Engineers typically use theoretical knowledge to innovate, design, research, and plan. Engineering technologists then apply the innovation, design, research, or plan to build machines or do the hands-on work to create the product.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

PROGRAM SHEET

Why Bay College?

The Pre-Engineering program at Bay College provides a solid foundation for a degree in Engineering or Engineering Technology. Students can take courses:  Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, Differential Equations, and Linear Algebra math courses, and in some cases Statistics, required for their engineering degree at Bay College. Depending on one’s engineering specialty (for example Chemical or Mechanical Engineering), students can take their General Chemistry I and II, Organic Chemistry I and II, Elements of Physics I and II or Engineering Physics I and II, Statics, Dynamics, Mechanics of Materials, Biology I and II, and/or Anatomy and Physiology I and II courses at Bay. Students can also take required General Education (English, Humanities, and Social Sciences) courses at Bay College. Instead of being in a classroom lecture with 100 or 200 students, as is typical at most universities, students get much more one-on-one attention with class sizes averaging 15-25 students. Courses transfer with ease, and Bay instructors are passionate about teaching.

Students have the opportunity to join Bay College’s STEM Club during their enrollment at Bay College. As a member of the STEM Club, students can attend field trips to local businesses that employ engineers, take tours of universities that offer engineering programs, and join a community of Bay College student learners that are excited about STEM and STEM careers.

Degree Options
Certificate/DegreeCompletion CreditsContact Hours
Engineering (Pre)63.00
Engineering Technology60.00

Beyond Bay College

Students interested in transferring to a four-year institution to obtain a bachelor's degree or higher may find opportunities in the following areas of study:

  • Civil Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Nuclear Engineering
  • And many more!

Engineering students planning to transfer beyond Bay will benefit from pursuing an Associate in Science in Pre-Engineering. Students will spend 2 years at Bay College taking math, science, and other general education courses, gaining a strong foundation for successfully transferring to a university of choice to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering. Students will experience a significant cost savings by taking the same courses at Bay that they would take at a university during their first two years of college. 

Bay College has transfer agreements with LSSU in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Engineering, plus Electrical Engineering Technology and Manufactoring Engineering Technology. Both Bay College and LSSU have small class sizes, giving students individualized, personal attention and hands on experiences.

LSSU ENGINEERING PROGRAM

Other areas of engineering and engineering technology may include Agriculture, Mining and Geology,  Marine, Nuclear, Pulp and Paper, and Surveying.

TRANSFER INFORMATION

Job Market Outlook

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