Engineering, Jacobs School of

Warren Mall
7310 Jacobs Hall (Engineering Building Unit I)
http://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

The Irwin and Joan Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego comprises the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering (BE), Aiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering (CNE), Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), and Structural Engineering (SE). The Jacobs School is directed by the dean of engineering. The departments offer a broad range of undergraduate programs and a wide selection of graduate degree programs. For links to engineering undergraduate and graduate programs, please visit https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/prospective-students. Students interested in engineering should consult the website and the individual department listings that follow this section of the catalog.

UC San Diego’s undergraduate colleges differ in their general-education requirements. Prospective students should review the general-education requirements and take them into account when planning their college curriculum.

Acceptance to Departmental Majors in the Jacobs School of Engineering

Student demand exceeds program capacity in most undergraduate engineering majors. As a result, all programs are designated as selective or screened majors.

Selective majors receive more applications than available spaces. Due to limited teaching, laboratory, and space resources, not all qualified applicants can be admitted. Admission to these majors is highly competitive and based on demonstrated academic excellence. Students are encouraged to list an alternative nonselective major when applying.
Screened majors experience significant enrollment pressure and rapid growth. Any student who meets the published screening criteria will be permitted to declare the major.

Admission to selective and screened majors is granted to the maximum number of students consistent with maintaining program quality and in compliance with admissions procedures and criteria approved by the Academic Senate’s Educational Policy Committee.

For the latest information about selective and screened majors, please visit https://undergrad.ucsd.edu/academics/selective-major-process.

For the latest information regarding admissions, majors, and changing majors after admission, please visit https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/prospective-students/undergraduate-majors.

First-year Students

Due to high demand, all engineering majors are either selective or screened. First-year student applicants must indicate an engineering major as their first choice on their UC application in order to be considered for acceptance to the major by the UC San Diego Office of Admissions.

It is strongly suggested that all students accepted into engineering programs consult their department’s academic adviser at an early stage to plan their lower-division engineering courses, and that they consult with a college academic counselor to arrange general-education courses around the required screening courses. Students admitted in fall quarter should attend the engineering department’s orientation meetings during Welcome Week.

Transfers

Following California’s Master Plan for Higher Education, UC San Diego gives high priority to students transferring from California community colleges.

All engineering majors are either selective or screened for transfer admissions. Since acceptance to engineering majors is quite competitive for first-year and transfer applicants alike, academic standards are high. Acceptance to engineering majors may be limited to the best transfer applicants, e.g., those who have been admitted to UC San Diego with the most complete lower-division preparation and the highest college grade point averages. Since acceptance is restricted to these majors, transfer students are encouraged to apply to more than one major degree program and to include one open major in their selection.

Transfer students who choose selective engineering major programs as their first-choice major on their UC application are required to complete the minimum lower-division major preparation courses prior to transferring. Many of the following courses are required to be taken for a letter grade for all engineering transfer students in their major:

Linear Algebra (MATH 18)
Calculus I—for Science and Engineering (MATH 20A)
Calculus II—for Science and Engineering (MATH 20B)
Calculus and Analytic Geometry (MATH 20C)
Differential Equations (MATH 20D)
Complete calculus-based physics series with lab experience (PHYS 2A-B-C)
CHEM 6A (except computer science and computer engineering majors)
Note: A total of ten quarter-units of general chemistry (including laboratory) will be recommended for students applying to all majors offered by the Department of Bioengineering.
Highest level of introductory computer programming language course offerings at the community college*

*Refer to the UC San Diego General Catalog to select major prerequisite recommendations for computer language courses.

Please note that exact transfer admission requirements may vary by major and department. For exact eligibility criteria, please reference the respective department’s catalog listing or the California community college articulation agreement listed on https://assist.org.

Continuing UC San Diego Students

Due to high demand, all engineering majors are either selective or screened, which means additional evaluation procedures are in place for current engineering and non-engineering students wishing to change into an engineering or computer science major.

Beginning in summer 2025, selective majors allow students to apply to switch in once per year. Selection will be based on a point system that considers academic performance and other factors: California residency, first-generation status, and Pell eligibility. Only students who have completed the required screening courses and have a minimum 2.0 UC GPA are eligible to apply. For information about selective major guidance for continuing students, please see the UC San Diego Selective Majors Guidance for Continuing Students page.

Double Majors and Minors

It is the policy of the UC San Diego Academic Senate not to approve double majors within engineering, nor to allow students to both major and minor in engineering. The Jacobs School of Engineering offers various engineering-related minors, open to non-engineering majors, to provide foundational engineering knowledge. Students interested in engineering minors should consult the website and the individual department listings that follow this section of the catalog. Students who qualify for admission to graduate school and who have flexibility in their academic plan are encouraged to consider integrated five-year bachelor’s/master’s programs. For more information, please visit https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/academics/bs-ms.

Integrative Engineering Education

California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS): COSMOS is a four-week residential pre-college academic enrichment experience in math, science, technology, and engineering for talented high school students. For more information, please visit http://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/cosmos.

EnVision: The Arts and Engineering Maker Studio: Our 6,000-square-foot maker studio at UC San Diego provides engineering and visual arts students with a wide range of design, fabrication, and prototyping tools. It’s a creative, experiential space where students are empowered to design, tinker, and make. Over twenty UC San Diego faculty have created innovative, hands-on courses that take advantage of the studio’s 3-D printers, laser cutter, electronics, and much more. The class projects that students work on are rooted in theory and are scaffolded across four years, making use of progressively advanced equipment and tools. For more information, please visit https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/envision.

IDEA Engineering Student Center: The IDEA Engineering Student Center promotes equity, community, and success for all Jacobs School of Engineering students at UC San Diego from admission through graduation. The IDEA Center offers a variety of programs, events, and services, including summer programs, undergraduate retention programs, academic enrichment, mentorship, student organization support, and leadership, personal, professional, and technical development workshops. For more information, visit the office in Jacobs Hall, Room 1400, email the staff at idea@ucsd.edu, or visit http://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/idea/.

Institute for the Global Entrepreneur: The Institute for the Global Entrepreneur (IGE) is a formal collaboration between the Jacobs School of Engineering and the Rady School of Management, providing entrepreneurial education and services to UC San Diego students, faculty, alumni, staff, and affiliates, through innovative programs and partnerships. IGE assists start-up teams by providing access to best-in-class resources, including entrepreneurial education and knowledge development to help translate ideas from concept to market, mentorship from subject matter experts and fellow start-up founders, and start-up business services to help founders further develop their ideas, prototypes, designs, and businesses. Programs include Technology and Business Accelerators, vertically-oriented acceleration programs in MedTech, and the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program focusing on customer discovery and product-market fit. IGE serves start-ups and partners from across the UC San Diego campus, including the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the School of Medicine, plus global university and economic development partners in Japan, Korea, Honduras, and Chile. For details, please visit http://ige.ucsd.edu.

Global TIES: Global TIES is an award-winning program in design, social innovation, and sustainable development. Teams of undergraduate students cocreate solutions to some of the world’s most vexing problems in collaboration with nonprofit partners and the communities with which they work. Faculty-advised, student-directed projects result in affordable, sustainable, and life-changing solutions benefiting underserved communities in San Diego, Tijuana, and in developing countries around the world. Students may take the Global TIES courses for up to six quarters, giving them a rare start-to-finish “real world” design experience. For details, visit http://globalties.ucsd.edu.

Team Internship Program (TIP): Under the direction of the Corporate Affiliates Program, this corporate-sponsored program gives students the opportunity to develop their engineering skills in a multidisciplinary team environment that provides real-world engineering experience in preparation for entering the workforce. In these full-time, competitive summer paid internships, students work for industry and government partners as a systems-oriented solution team focused on a clearly defined and significant project. For details, please visit https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/cap/tip .

Research Centers and Institutes

The Jacobs School’s affiliated research centers and institutes are on the leading edge of tomorrow’s technological revolutions. Our institutes place a high priority on relevant research, collaboration with industry partners, technology transfer, and educational opportunities that prepare our graduates to meet the engineering needs of the nation. For details, please visit https://jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/research/centers-institutes.