Engineering

Holy Cross offers a cooperative, five-year program for students who are interested in combining the liberal arts and sciences with engineering. Students enrolled in this program spend their first three years as full-time students at Holy Cross and the following two years as full-time students at the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science at Columbia University in New York City. At the conclusion of this program, students receive both a Bachelor of Arts degree from Holy Cross and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Columbia University.

Students interested in the 3-2 Engineering Program should take the following courses in the first semester, and take Montserrat courses that fulfill a common area requirement other than Math or Natural Science.

PHYS 115 Introductory Physics 1: Mechanics, Fluids and Waves

MATH 135 (or 133) Calculus 1 or MATH 136 Calculus 2 as appropriate. Please see the listing under Mathematics for further guidance.

If you have any questions, please contact the 3-2 Engineering advisor at 508-793-2503 or tnarita@holycross.edu to set up an appointment.



PHYS 115
Introductory Physics 1: Mechanics, Fluids and Waves
Common Area: Natural Science

What are the underlying rules of the universe? How can we apply these rules to understand the motions of planets, cars, oceans, etc.? These are the guiding questions for this foundational course on Newtonian mechanics and quantitative problem solving. Topics include motion in one and two dimensions, vectors, Newton’s laws of motion, work and energy, linear momentum and collisions, rotational motion, static equilibrium, oscillatory motion, gravitation, fluid mechanics, and mechanical waves. Co- or prerequisite: Calculus 1 or equivalent.


MATH 135
Calculus 1
Common Area: Mathematical Science

This is the standard version of Calculus 1 chosen by most students. It is designed for those who need calculus to support their interest in the health professions or a major in economics, mathematics, or the sciences. It is intended for students who did not study calculus in high school. This course considers the calculus of real-valued functions of one variable for students who are planning further course work in mathematics. Emphasis is placed on conceptual understanding and presenting material from symbolic, numerical and graphical points of view. The course investigates a variety of applications to the sciences. The concepts of limit, continuity, and derivative are developed and applied to algebraic, logarithmic, exponential and trigonometric functions. Although this class carries a common area designation in the mathematical sciences, students who do not specifically need calculus for their studies are advised to take MATH 110, MATH 120, or CSCI 110 . This course meets three hours per week. It is offered in both fall and spring, with many more sections available in the fall.


MATH 133
Calculus 1 with Fundamentals    
Common Area: Mathematical Science

This version of Calculus 1 is designed for students who require more class time to make the transition to college-level mathematics. Students who studied calculus in high school should not take this course. It is only for students who are concerned about their algebra and pre-calculus background. It is for those who aspire toward the health professions or who have an interest in pursuing a major in economics, mathematics, or the sciences. See the description of MATH 135 for the course content. This course meets five hours per week and also has a review session one evening per week.  It is only offered in the fall. You must consult with your class dean or the chair of Mathematics and Computer Science (Prof. G. Roberts, groberts@holycross.edu) for approval to enter this course.


MATH 136
Calculus 2
Common Area: Mathematical Science

This course considers the calculus of real-valued functions of one variable. It is appropriate for students who are already comfortable with derivatives from an earlier calculus class. After a brief review of derivatives, this course includes the theory, techniques, and applications of integration. It also studies ordinary differential equations and sequences and series, including Taylor polynomials and Taylor series. This course is the prerequisite for Mathematics 241. This course meets four hours per week. It is offered fall and spring. Math 136 is the first course that counts toward the minimum required for the major in mathematics. We recommend students try MATH 136 if they had a solid year of calculus in high school; we will let you drop back to MATH 135 if you determine that Calculus 1 is a better placement (even if it is a bit past the Add/Drop deadline).
 


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