About Engineering
Engineers understand and solve a broad range of technological problems
faced by society. Engineers are responsible for such projects as converting
raw materials and power sources into useful products, developing scientific
equipment, and designing and planning the construction of buildings,
highways, and rapid transit systems. As society becomes more technologically
complex, so do the ever-emerging branches of engineering.
To better respond to the needs of our students and our community, Las
Positas College presents its Engineering Transfer Program. This accredited
and articulated program will provide lower division engineering, mathematics,
and science courses to prepare students to transfer to a four-year institution
to pursue an engineering degree. The engineering field is at once challenging,
rewarding, and dynamic. Engineering as a profession, continues to go
through a period of rapid change and growth, impacting virtually every
aspect of our lives. Opportunities for students in this career field
are endless.
A career in engineering offers many options. Aeronautical, Agricultural,
Architectural, Environmental, Computer, Industrial, Nuclear, Transportation,
and Water Resources are among the many engineering specialties offered
by the California State University or the University of California.
Some are described below. For additional information, visit the Career/Transfer
Center or see your counselor.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING is concerned with the application of the
principles of chemistry and engineering to the production of useful
products such as antibiotics, zirconium, petroleum, plutonium, agricultural
chemicals, foods, and synthetic plastics. Chemical engineers are increasingly
concerned with the environment, food production, and medicine.
CIVIL ENGINEERING is the planning, analysis, design, and construction
of structures such as buildings, bridges, and dams and systems such
as transportation, water supply, and waste management.
ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER SCIENCE ENGINEERING encompasses many
areas that have a direct bearing on our everyday lives. Industrial end
products such as computers, communication systems, and consumer electronics
are visible evidence of the vitality and importance of these disciplines.
INFORMATION ENGINEERING focuses on the generation, manipulation,
and transformation of information needed for enterprise domains like
manufacturing, education, and entertainment. The primary areas of Information
Engineering include virtual reality, multimedia, client/server, networking,
object-oriented design, software systems engineering, database design,
and information security.
MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING is concerned with materials
required for the operation of modern engineering systems, such as computers,
high-performance engines, nuclear reactors, and coal conversion units.
These systems require new and better materials than have previously
been available. For geological or political reasons, the natural resources
from which these and other materials are created are less available
today than in the past. These two factors create a need for education
and research concerned with the selection and design of materials, their
production from mineral resources, and the discovery of these mineral
resources in the earth's crust.
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING is the art and science of the design
of mechanical components and mechanical systems. The activity of mechanical
engineers extends from investigation of phenomena governing the behavior
of our surroundings and of technical and societal processes to the manufacture
and evaluation of products.
NUCLEAR ENGINEERING is concerned with the applied science and
technology of nuclear processes. Fission reactors for the production
of electric power are the most visible product of this technology.
