MAE 4300

Engineers and Society

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

This course aims to give students a broad grasp of the roles and responsibilities of engineers in contributing to societal well-being by integrating perspectives from sociocultural and humanistic studies with science and technology. The course will explore how the process of applying engineering principles can impact society, including environmental sustainability, diversity and equity, and ethics. Students will be familiarized with concepts related to engineering standards and regulations, sustainable development goals, sustainability reporting, community engagement, and the ethics and the governance of artificial intelligence. These concepts will then be used to explore the larger context of how social factors interact with engineering science and technology.

Prerequisites Prerequisite or corequisite: M.E. Senior Design.

Enrollment Priority Enrollment limited to: seniors in MAE.

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025FA, 2024FA, 2023FA, 2022FA

Learning Outcomes

• Students will identify how engineering principles and practices are interwoven with societal impact.
• Students will identify ways to foster scientific innovation that enhance positive social outcomes.
• Students will demonstrate competency in the fundamentals of community-engaged engineering and ethical reasoning.

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