# Engineering Classes: What a Bachelor’s in Engineering Curriculum Actually Looks Like
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**Featured Image:**
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**Author:** Educating Engineers Editorial Team
**Published:** September 29, 2026
**Updated:** September 29, 2026
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A bachelor’s degree in engineering combines mathematics, science, computing, and technical coursework with labs and design projects. But the engineering classes you take depend substantially on your major. Civil, mechanical, electrical, computer, and chemical engineering each have distinct course requirements, even where their foundations overlap.
Your choice of major shapes the problems you learn to solve and the systems you learn to design. A concentration within that major can further shape your coursework. Understanding those differences helps you look beyond a degree’s name and get a clearer picture of what you would actually study.
## **Which Engineering Classes Do Different Majors Share?**
Across engineering disciplines, several subject areas provide the tools students need for more specialized work. The exact courses vary, but common foundations include:
- **Mathematics:** Calculus helps students describe change, such as how an object’s velocity varies over time. Depending on the program, additional requirements may include differential equations for modeling changing systems, linear algebra for working with interconnected equations, and probability or statistics for analyzing uncertainty.
- **Basic sciences:** Physics develops an understanding of forces, motion, energy, and electricity. Chemistry examines matter and its behavior. The balance of these subjects—and whether students take additional sciences—depends on the engineering discipline.
- **Computing and introductory engineering:** Students may learn programming, use software to analyze problems, and complete early design assignments. Required tools and programming languages differ among programs.
- **General education and communication:** Writing, humanities, and social science courses complement technical study. Communication skills also carry into engineering assignments, where students explain calculations, document experiments, and justify design decisions.
For programs accredited by [ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission] (https://www.abet.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026-2027_EAC_Criteria.pdf) , curriculum requirements cover mathematics and basic sciences, engineering topics, broad education, and a culminating design experience. ABET specifies these areas without prescribing an identical course list, leaving room for programs to build distinct curricula.
## **How Your Engineering Major and Concentration Change the Curriculum**
Your major establishes your engineering discipline; a concentration gives you a narrower focus within it. Both can influence your required courses.
### **Engineering Majors Have Different Required Courses**
Civil, mechanical, electrical, and other [types of engineering degrees] (https://educatingengineers.com/blog/types-of-engineering-degrees/) have distinct technical requirements, including laboratory and design coursework.
Those differences can begin in the first year, with introductory courses tailored to the discipline. Students should not assume that every engineering major starts with two identical years of foundational classes.
### **Concentrations Shape Your Focus Within a Major**
A concentration, track, or focus area organizes study around a particular part of a discipline, such as structural engineering within civil engineering. Depending on the program, it may guide a few electives or shape a substantial portion of advanced coursework.
Some programs require students to select a focus; others offer optional concentrations or let students pursue their interests through electives. Check which courses each option requires and how much room remains to explore other subjects.
## **Sample Engineering Classes by Major**
These examples show the subjects you may encounter in five engineering majors. They are representative selections, not complete degree plans; whether a subject is required or elective depends on the program.
### **Civil Engineering**
Civil engineering coursework examines infrastructure and the forces, materials, and environmental conditions that affect it.
- **Statics and solid mechanics:** How forces act on structures and how materials deform under loads.
- **Structural and geotechnical engineering:** How buildings and bridges carry loads, and how soil conditions affect foundations.
- **Transportation engineering:** How roads and transportation systems are designed and operated.
- **Water resources engineering:** How water moves through rivers, drainage networks, and other systems.
Advanced choices can deepen your study of particular infrastructure problems, such as designing a foundation or managing stormwater.
### **Mechanical Engineering**
Mechanical engineering connects motion, energy, and materials with the design of machines and physical systems.
- **Statics and dynamics:** How forces affect stationary and moving objects.
- **Thermodynamics and heat transfer:** How energy changes form and heat moves between objects or environments.
- **Fluid mechanics:** How liquids and gases behave at rest and in motion.
- **Mechanical design and manufacturing:** How components are designed, made, and assembled.
These subjects support applications such as selecting parts for a moving mechanism or evaluating how a cooling system removes heat.
### **Electrical Engineering**
Electrical engineering explores electrical devices and the systems used to transfer energy and information.
- **Circuits and electronics:** How electrical components behave and work together.
- **Signals and systems:** How information is represented, processed, and transmitted.
- **Electromagnetics:** How electric and magnetic fields behave.
- **Advanced options:** Subjects such as communications, control systems, power electronics, or semiconductor devices.
Depending on their course choices, students might apply these concepts to filtering noise from a signal, controlling an electric motor, or analyzing a communication system.
### **Computer Engineering**
Computer engineering connects hardware and software, overlapping with electrical engineering and computer science.
- **Digital logic and circuits:** How electronic systems represent information and perform logical operations.
- **Programming, data structures, and algorithms:** How software organizes information and solves problems.
- **Computer architecture and systems:** How processors, memory, and other components work together.
- **Advanced options:** Embedded systems, computer networks, security, or other computing specialties.
An embedded systems course, for example, might involve programming a computer built into a larger device to read sensors and control its operation.
### **Chemical Engineering**
Chemical engineering combines chemistry with the analysis and design of processes that transform materials.
- **Material and energy balances:** How to track substances and energy entering, leaving, or accumulating in a system.
- **Thermodynamics and transport processes:** How energy, fluids, heat, and chemical substances behave and move.
- **Reaction engineering:** How reaction rates and operating conditions affect chemical processes.
- **Process design and control:** How equipment and operating decisions work together to produce consistent results.
These subjects can be applied to problems such as separating a mixture while controlling energy use and maintaining product quality.
## **A Real Engineering Curriculum: Civil Engineering at the University of Illinois**
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign’s Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering requires 128 credits under its [2026–2027 catalog] (https://catalog.illinois.edu/undergraduate/engineering/civil-engineering-bs/) . The table summarizes selected courses and requirements from its published four-year plan.
| **Year** | **Selected courses from the published plan** | **Other degree requirements** |
| First | Calculus I–II; chemistry and labs; mechanics physics; introductory computing; civil engineering project course; engineering graphics and design | Composition; engineering orientation |
| Second | Calculus III; linear algebra; statics; dynamics; solid mechanics; additional physics; engineering economics and risk | Introductory economics; free elective |
| Third | Fluid mechanics; differential equations; civil engineering core choices; Behavior of Materials or Energy and Global Environment | Science elective; general education |
| Fourth | Advanced technical courses in primary and secondary fields (or a general civil option); Professional Practice. | General education; free elective; language requirement |
This is one program’s sample sequence, not a complete requirements list or a universal engineering schedule. Field choices determine many advanced courses.
Prerequisites make sequencing important: completing an earlier requirement can determine when you can take a later class. Transfer credit, mathematics placement, course availability, and part-time attendance can change the schedule, so students should develop an individual plan with an advisor.
## **What the Coursework Actually Involves**
An engineering semester can combine individual calculations, computer-based assignments, laboratory experiments, and team projects. Each asks you to use your knowledge in a different way.
### **Problem Sets, Programming, and Modeling**
Problem sets often require several connected steps: identify what is known, choose an appropriate method, perform calculations, and check whether the answer makes sense. Explaining your assumptions and reasoning can be as important as reaching a numerical result.
Programming and modeling assignments apply that process through software. For example, an assignment might ask you to calculate how a component’s temperature changes over time, then explore how different materials affect the result.
### **Labs and Technical Reports**
Laboratory work involves collecting measurements, analyzing data, and comparing observations with predictions. When results differ from expectations, you may need to consider measurement uncertainty, equipment limitations, or assumptions in your calculations.
The scheduled lab session is only part of the work. Preparation, data analysis, and technical reports also take time. A report explains what you did, what the evidence shows, and how confidently you can draw conclusions.
### **Design Projects and the Capstone**
Design assignments ask you to develop and evaluate a solution under constraints such as cost, safety, performance, or available materials. Several approaches may be defensible, so you need to explain your choices and the trade-offs involved.
A capstone brings earlier learning together in a substantial final project. Depending on the program, the result might be a prototype, a system design, or a computational solution. Team projects also require coordination: dividing tasks, documenting decisions, and allowing time to test and revise the work. These curricular projects are distinct from internships or co-ops.
## **Can You Complete Engineering Classes Online?**
Engineering classes can be offered online, but the practical question is how you will complete labs, examinations, and design projects alongside the coursework. When comparing [online engineering bachelor's degrees] (https://educatingengineers.com/bachelors-degree/online-programs) , review the requirements for the entire degree.
Ask each program:
- **How are labs completed?** Check whether they involve equipment shipped to your home, remote access to laboratory equipment, simulations, or in-person sessions.
- **Is campus attendance required?** Look for laboratory intensives, orientations, examinations, or project presentations that require travel.
- **What must happen at scheduled times?** Live classes and team meetings can affect flexibility, even when participation is remote.
- **What equipment will you need?** Confirm computer specifications, software access, and any workspace or equipment requirements.
An online label alone does not answer these questions. Before enrolling, make sure the program’s practical requirements fit your location and schedule.
## **How to Read an Engineering Degree Plan Before You Apply**
When reviewing a program’s catalog, distinguish required courses from electives, then read the descriptions of the technical subjects that interest you. Check whether those electives are offered regularly and whether their prerequisites fit your planned schedule. An advisor can also clarify how previous coursework would apply.
If you are comparing [Bachelor of Engineering vs Bachelor of Science] (https://educatingengineers.com/bachelors-degree/bachelor-of-engineering-vs-bachelor-of-science/) options, look beyond the title. The required subjects, specialization choices, and design experiences provide a clearer basis for deciding whether a program matches what you want to learn.