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Title
Brown University
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general
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c4a921882f30472384c015a8289137bb
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https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/dese/
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https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/
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2026-03-16T05:00:28+00:00
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Brown University

Source: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/dese/ Parent: https://bulletin.brown.edu/the-college/concentrations/

Design Engineering (DE) teaches students to understand not just the how and what, but the why and why not behind the creation of technologically enabled products, services and systems. Methodologies, frameworks and analytical tools to evaluate strategic and systemic implications and consequences of these products, services and systems are considered. DE prepares students to (a) effectively apply engineering principles and quantitative analysis to make design decisions, (b) utilize complementary and conflicting principles from domains other than engineering in design decisions, (c) adeptly apply systemic principles to show interactions within and between systems, and (d) achieve fluency in human-centered and systems design processes and principles to analyze and synthesize responses to complex real-world problems.

Visit https://engineering.brown.edu/undergraduate/concentrations/design-engineering

The DE program has 19 required courses and a required narrative explaining why the student is choosing Design Engineering, their proposed pathway, and how their courses support that pathway. Course requirements include three courses in mathematics; one introductory engineering design course; one engineering gateway course; one natural science course; one computer science course; two engineering design courses (ENGN 0610 and ENGN 0620); three cognitive, psychological or social science courses (either from the list provided or with concentration advisor approval); and six upper-level courses curated by a student's chosen pathway focus, from which four must be engineering courses. The program culminates with a capstone, design or independent study experience. Brown's Design Engineering Bachelor of Science degree is non-ABET accredited.

Program Requirements

Introduction to Engineering
ENGN 0032 Introduction to Engineering: Design 1
or ENGN 0030 Introduction to Engineering
Engineering Gateway (courses selected should include those required for the student’s proposed pathway)
ENGN 0040 Engineering Statics and Dynamics 1
or ENGN 0410 Materials Science
or ENGN 0490 Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering
or ENGN 0500 Digital Computing Systems
or ENGN 1490 Biomaterials
Basic Physical/Life Science 1
BIOL 0200 The Foundation of Living Systems
CHEM 0330 Equilibrium, Rate, and Structure
NEUR 0010 The Brain: An Introduction to Neuroscience
Computer Science 1
CSCI 0111 Computing Foundations: Data
CSCI 0150 Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming and Computer Science
CSCI 0170 Computer Science: An Integrated Introduction
CSCI 0190 Accelerated Introduction to Computer Science
APMA 0160 Introduction to Scientific Computing
Mathematics: Calculus and Methods of Applied Mathematics and Statistics
MATH 0200 Multivariable Calculus (Physics/Engineering) 1
or MATH 0180 Multivariable Calculus
APMA 0350 Applied Ordinary Differential Equations 1
A third mathematics course from the following list: 1
MATH 0100 Single Variable Calculus, Part II
MATH 0190 Single Variable Calculus, Part II (Physics/Engineering)
APMA 0360 Applied Partial Differential Equations I
APMA 1650 Introduction to Probability and Statistics with Calculus
APMA 1655 Introduction to Probability and Statistics with Theory
CSCI 1450 Advanced Introduction to Probability for Computing and Data Science
MATH 0520 Linear Algebra
MATH 0540 Linear Algebra With Theory
Design Engineering Specific Requirements
ENGN 0610 Systems Thinking 1
ENGN 0620 Design Brief 1
Social Science Research, Decision Making and Societal Context
One course that covers Social Science Research Methods: 1
ANTH 1940 Ethnographic Research Methods
SOC 1117 Focus Groups for Market and Social Research
SOC 1118 Context Research for Innovation
POLS 0500 Foundations of Political Analysis
Or an equivalent course approved by the Concentration Advisor
One course on Decision Making and Design: 1
CPSY 0220 Making Decisions
CPSY 0010 Mind, Brain and Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Approach
CPSY 0700 Social Psychology
CPSY 1730 Psychology in Business and Economics
EDUC 0800 Introduction to Human Development and Education
PHIL 1610 Decision Theory: Foundations and Applications
Or an equivalent course approved by the Concentration Advisor
One course on Societal Context for Design: 1
AMST 1611S US Popular Culture
ANTH 0100 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 1236 Urban Life: Anthropology in and of the City
ARCH 0755 Engineering and Technology in the Ancient World
ECON 0110 Principles of Economics
ECON 1390 Inequality of Income, Wealth, and Health in the United States
HIAA 0140 Structural and Architectural Analysis
HIAA 1171 Cities, Landscapes, and Design in the Age of Pandemics
PHIL 0401 Ethics of Digital Technology
PHIL 0403 Ethics and Politics of Data
PHIL 1430 Moral Theories
TAPS 0220 Persuasive Communication
URBN 1870D Downtown Development
Or an equivalent course approved by the Concentration Advisor
Advanced Courses: Six engineering and/or engineering-related courses, at least four of which are ENGN courses, including two ENGN courses that are above the 1000-level (cannot be Entrepreneurship or Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship (PRIME) program courses). The fifth and the sixth courses can be non-introductory STEM courses. The pathway must be approved by the Concentration Advisor and constitute a coherent body of work. 1 6
One Capstone, Design or Independent Study 1
ENGN 1000 Projects in Engineering Design I
ENGN 1001 Projects in Engineering Design II
ENGN 1140 Chemical Process Design
ENGN 1150 Environmental Engineering Design
ENGN 1230 Instrumentation Design
ENGN 1620 Analysis and Design of Electronic Circuits
ENGN 1640 Design of Computing Systems
ENGN 1650 Embedded Microprocessor Design
ENGN 1740 Computer Aided Visualization and Design
ENGN 1760 Design of Space Systems
ENGN 1930L Biomedical Engineering Design and Innovation
ENGN 1930M Industrial Design
ENGN 1931D Design of Mechanical Assemblies
ENGN 1931L Biomedical Engineering Design and Innovation II
ENGN 1972 Independent Study in Engineering Design
ENGN 1973 Independent Study in Engineering Design
Total Credits 19

1 : The following courses do not qualify for this purpose: ENGN 0020, ENGN 0090ENGN 0130, ENGN 0350ENGN 0900ENGN 0930A, ENGN 1010, ENGN 1800ENGN 1931H, ENGN 1931J, ENGN 1931Q, ENGN 1931W, ENGN 1932D, ENGN 2000, ENGN 2040, ENGN 2060, ENGN 2095, ENGN 2110, ENGN 2120, ENGN 2125, ENGN 2130, ENGN 2140, ENGN 2150, ENGN 2160, ENGN 2172, ENGN 2173, ENGN 2180