Design Engineering
Bachelor’s Degree
Design your future today
Design Engineering is an interdisciplinary engineering degree program that focuses on the creation of innovative solutions to the challenging problems facing people, societies, and the environment. Through a sequence of Integrated Design Studios that bridge first-year Cornerstone Design and senior-year Capstone Design, Design Engineering students become experts in design methods that deploy engineering principles to address human problems in real-world contexts. Design Engineering provides the flexibility for students to create specialized degree plans that suit their individual career and personal interests, and it ensures they gain practical skills applying sociotechnical perspectives to maximize impact in their chosen future endeavors.
As students progress in their time at Mines, they complete fundamental engineering courses across the breadth of traditional engineering disciplines and pursue advanced disciplinary studies through additional engineering electives. This curricular structure emphasizes engineering’s breadth as well as commonalities among different engineering disciplinary approaches. Integrated with these traditional technical engineering requirements, students also learn about the human dimensions of engineering problem-solving by drawing on perspectives from the social sciences, humanities, and design. Students will explore creative, social, cultural, political (including policy), economic, and business components of real-world problem solving, all of which is critical for responding to the big challenges facing society and the environment today.
Learn more about our innovative program here: Design engineering website
Experiential major menus
Uniquely tailored to your undergraduate major of choice, these menus offer a wide array of extra-curricular activities that complement and enrich the traditional classroom experience.
Explore the extra-curricular activities that complement your degree.
Design Engineering at a glance
Coursework centered on hands-on application
Received high marks in ABET accreditation
Engage in a unique approach to engineering applications
Work and learn alongside a premier faculty
The Bachelor of Science in Design Engineering curriculum is a rigorous, flexible, interdisciplinary program of study that integrates:
- The strength of a Mines’ technical degree with coursework in the fundamentals of mathematics, science and engineering
- A challenging and integrated education in design, innovation, humanities and social sciences
- A focus area that allows students to pursue depth of study in an area of personal interest, emerging technologies and/or career interests as part of the core engineering degree
These three components are tied together via a set of unique education experiences built into six integrative design studios, culminating in the Capstone Senior Design Studio.
Engineering, Design and Society Curriculum
Career suggestions for Design Engineering majors:
- Design Innovation
- Product Design
- Energy Consulting
- Sustainable Building Design
- Urban Planning
- User Experience Design
Faculty Spotlight
Aubrey Wigner
With a background spanning traditional engineering, international political economy, STS, entrepreneurship and more, Aubrey is well-versed in thinking outside the box. His specialty is sociotechnical systems thinking. Aubrey engages enthusiastically with his students to get them to consider the big picture where technology, culture, human needs, and government regulation all exist. It is at this intersection that he challenges students to find opportunities to make the world a better place.
Making Mines more affordable
Mines’ financial assistance program awards more than $60 million per year, and over 82 percent of the student body receives some form of financial aid.
Why study design engineering at Mines?
By studying design engineering at Colorado School of Mines, you’ll have an opportunity to join a world-class faculty and some of the nation’s brightest students.
With world-class research facilities, dedicated faculty and a truly unique student experience, there’s so many reasons to study design engineering here at Mines.
Why do so many students choose Mines?
- Opportunities for undergraduate research
- Learn from faculty with real-world experience
- Hands-on learning via new courses in our Labriola innovation hub
- Take part in Mines’ rich student traditions, such as the M climb and Engineering Days
Career Outcomes
Graduating with an undergraduate degree in design engineering can open up a world of possibilities. Upon graduation from our uniquely “designed” program, many of our students find themselves in roles that function upstream in the overall design process. They emerge from our program as extremely good communicators and translators of technical information to find solutions for a variety of stakeholders.
Where do our design engineering graduates find themselves professionally? Some have gone on to consulting work in sustainable housing development, others at small firms building prosthetics, while others even work for the Peace Corp. Additionally, many of our graduates continue their educations by seeking master’s degrees or doctorates in fields such as additive manufacturing, business and more.
Emily Robinson
Because of our smaller student body and the fact that all students here are STEM-focused, the community is incredibly friendly and collaborative rather than highly competitive. Everyone wants to see their classmates succeed as well as themselves. This makes coursework not only easier but so much more fun when you get to work with other people.
Emily Robinson
Design Engineering student with a focus on community development