Engineering
In addition to world-class facilities and personal interaction between faculty and students, our hands-on curriculum develops the skills you need for the future of engineering.
This major is coordinated by the Engineering program, which is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Explore Engineering at RWU
Undergraduate Research | Faculty Experts |
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NASA-Funded Undergraduate Research
Two undergraduate Engineering students spent the summer working on cutting-edge lasers research, funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Senior Santiago Armas and junior Hunter Phillips, both Engineering majors with Electrical specializations and minors in Mathematics, received prestigious summer research scholarships from the NASA Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium. Assistant Professor of Engineering Ahmet Akosman, whose areas of expertise include lasers and fiber optics, served as their advisor. This valuable hands-on research experience will set the students apart when applying for jobs or graduate school after Roger.
Success By The Numbers
Placement of 2022 Grads
Our 2022 graduates found success in employment or in graduate school within 6 months of graduation.
First Job, Dream Job
Percentage of 2022 SECCM graduates who landed their first job in a targeted industry, including: Engineering, defense, construction, manufacturing, technology or consulting.
Average Starting Salary
of 2022 SECCM graduates.
Degree Requirements
Custom Specialization
In consultation with an academic advisor, students may design a Custom Specialization to prepare for emerging fields not immediately definable with traditional specializations.
Cooking Up a Pizza Robot
The Senior Design Project is a fundamental element of senior year. Much like the cross-discipline work that will be in their future careers, the design of our students’ senior projects integrates math, science, computer science, and engineering principles into a comprehensive, client-based engineering design project. Student teams work with faculty advisors to design and fabricate solutions to open-ended problems and present their projects at professional conferences and competitions.
Past Senior Design Projects have included:
• Arthroscopic surgery suturing device
• Bike path bridge and foundation design
• Human powered vehicle competition
• Wearable blood oxygen meter
• Stormwater modeling and retention design
Seniors Innovate Medical Device
Engineering State-of-the-Art Facilities
The newest building on the Bristol campus, the Richard L. Bready Applied Learning Laboratories is designed to foster collaboration and innovation while offering high-tech resources for experiential learning. The three-floor, 27,325-square-foot building features seven cutting-edge laboratories, senior design project rooms and open spaces dedicated to hands-on education.
Train for the Future of Engineering
Our program is unique: by providing a broad Engineering education, students are well-versed in a variety of areas, allowing them to work with engineers from all backgrounds and fields. This is the future of the Engineering industry.
Learn more from Dean Robert Griffin:
Tailor Your Expertise with a Specialization
Once you have a broad background in Engineering practices, beginning in your third year, you will have the flexibility to tailor your education to your own Engineering interests by selecting a specialization. Students may choose from Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, or Mechanical, or can consult with their faculty advisor to create a custom specialization.
Civil Specialization
From the roads, highways and bridges we drive on to the clean water we drink and the buildings we see in the skyline, Civil Engineering makes modern life possible.
Computer Specialization
The rapid advances in today’s computer technology are largely the result of the research, development, and design efforts of computer engineers.
Electrical Specialization
In a world where technology is constantly growing and evolving, Electrical Engineering is becoming more essential, from lighting and wiring in buildings to electric motors for automobiles.
Environmental Specialization
Environmental engineers work on solutions to water and air pollution, design water supply and wastewater treatment systems, and study the effects that acid rain, global warming, and automobile emission have on our everyday lives.
Mechanical Specialization
From power-producing machines like wind turbines, hydroelectric generators, and internal combustion engines to power-using machines like cars, planes, robots, and medical devices, mechanical engineers are constantly designing and developing life-changing mechanisms.
Custom Specialization
Students interested in more than one type of Engineering, or those who want to prepare for an emerging field not defined by a traditional specialization, can work with their faculty advisor to design a custom specialization perfectly tailored to their interests.
Receive Professional Recognition
Our students are encouraged and supported to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and become an Engineer In Training (EIT), a professional designation from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) and a key step toward licensure as a Professional Engineer.
Learn from Faculty Experts
Janet Baldwin, Ph.D., P.E.
Professor of Engineering
Janet Baldwin has more than 30 years’ experience in environmental and civil engineering. She has applied her skills to solving water-related problems in Rhode Island as well as internationally. These projects include stormwater and drinking water projects in Bristol, R.I., as well as in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador, and have all been completed with student collaboration. Through these projects, students have traveled internationally as well as within the U.S., and many have won awards at professional conferences. Dr. Baldwin’s love of water extends to her teaching as well as to making full use of the waterfront kayaking on campus.
“I love the location of the Roger Williams campus. Being right on the water gives us a huge laboratory right in our backyard,” she said. “We take field trips walking around campus to take samples and test the water quality. It’s great to learn by actually applying the concepts learned in class.”
Alumni Share Their Experiences
“By the time I was in advanced classes there were only 10-12 students in each class. We were all really close with our professors. I remember one professor who would stay late after class helping students with projects, working on robotics, having fun and always being there for support. You could tell he really cared."
Jared Ramos '18
Major: Civil Engineering
Project Engineer at Gilbane Building Company in Providence, R.I.
"The Electrical Engineering courses I took gave me a very good basis to build off, and I like that I was able to get an interdisciplinary engineering experience. I won't be working on a project that's strictly electrical. There will be mechanical components, and having that background of knowing how things work is really helpful. That's one of the reasons I chose Roger."
Daniella Giannotti '22
Major: Electrical Engineering
Integration and Test Engineer at L3Harris Technologies in North Amityville, N.Y.
"All my Engineering professors were attentive, supportive, and genuinely cared about whether we were learning the material. Dr. Maija Benitz has always been an inspiration for me as a woman in Engineering. She really cares about her students and is very approachable and accessible. She gave me the push and encouragement I needed to pursue my Ph.D."
Hannah Darling '22
Major: Environmental Engineering
Ph.D. candidate in UMass Amherst's Mechanical Engineering program
Ways to Get Involved
Society of Women Engineers
RWU's chapter of the Society of Women Engineers provides opportunities for women students to build community and connect with faculty mentors and industry professionals to advance women in engineering. Students travel to the Society of Women Engineers Conference, making industry connections that lead to success after graduation.
Each year, SWE brings scores of fourth-grade girls to campus for a hands-on engineering lesson that helps them earn a Girl Scouts badge.
- In Fall 2020, women students accounted for 49% of all students in STEM majors, which includes the sciences, math, engineering, and computer science
- 41% of tenured and tenure-track Natural Science, Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics professors are women, ahead of the national average of 36%
Engineers Without Borders
RWU's Engineers Without Borders chapter focuses on community based projects by providing an engineering solution. Throughout the school year, students and faculty collaborate to plan, design, and prototype for upcoming projects. They also take part in various local engineering projects. In recent years, EWB has traveled with The Foundation of the International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC); their first trip was in 2016 to Dajabon, Dominican Republic.
American Society of Civil Engineers
RWU's chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers competes in the American Institute of Steel Construction's Steel Bridge Competition in which students will plan, design, construct, and compete with various schools to see how fast they can assemble their bridge and how much load it can withstand.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The mission of RWU's chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers is to inspire the application of engineering techniques, assist with the development of curious minds, and embrace the diverse benefits of calling one's self a mechanical engineer. ASME membership offers students a variety of benefits to help build their careers.
Electrical and Computer Engineering Club
As part of RWU's Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers, members participate in professional development, social outings, basic electronic activities, and discussions about technology. IEEE is the world’s largest professional association dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity, and its members are engineers, scientists, and allied professionals whose technical interests are rooted in electrical and computer sciences, engineering, and related disciplines.
Robotics Innovation
The goal of the Robotics Innovation club is to gather passion-driven students of all academic years who wish to innovate and gain hands-on experience in the fundamentals of building robots with kits and previous pre-existing projects. Students can participate in robotics/innovation competitions, conferences, and more. Robotics Innovation encourages both engineers and technology-interested non-engineers to share the passion for robotics and innovation.
Multicultural STEM Alliance
The Multicultural STEM Alliance aims to strengthen the sense of community among students of color in STEM majors at RWU by offering activities, mentorship, and networking opportunities at and outside of the university.
Praise from Employers
“We couldn’t have a better partner in developing the most talented professionals for our industry than Roger Williams University, with its outstanding and nationally-ranked programs in construction management and engineering.”
Les Hiscoe
CEO of Shawmut Design and Construction