Program Description
This minor is no longer being offered in 2024-2025 and interested students are encouraged to explore the Dyson Business Minor.
Offered collaboratively by: Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, School of Operations Research and Information Engineering
Eligibility
All Engineering undergraduates. Students pursuing the Independent Major should obtain approval for the proposed minor courses to avoid significant overlap with approved primary and secondary area programs.
Academic Standards
- At least C- in each course in the minor.
Minor Requirements
At least six (6) courses (minimum of 18 credits), chosen as follows:
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| ENGRG 2270 | Introduction to Entrepreneurship for Engineers | 3 |
| ENGRG 3600 | Ethical Issues in Engineering Practice | 3 |
| or INFO 4301 | Ethics in New Media, Technology, and Communication |
| HIST 2920 | Inventing an Information Society | 3 |
| or HIST 3022 | |
| HADM 4211 | | 3 |
| or ORIE 3150 | Financial and Managerial Accounting |
| 3 |
CHEME 4630 | | |
MAE 4340 | | |
| Interdisciplinary Design Concepts | |
| Design Thinking for Complex Systems | |
| BEE 4890 | | 0-3 |
| or ORIE 4152 | Entrepreneurship for Engineers |
Notes
- Experiential Learning: Students are encouraged to consider completing a summer internship or co-op placement with an entrepreneurial or venture capital company. Please contact the Cornell Engineering Career Center office, the Red Bear Angel Group, and the Entrepreneurship@Cornell office for assistance in finding such positions.
- Other courses may be approved by petition in advance.
Graduation Requirements for Engineering Minor Degree Programs
Requirements
Students may pursue minors in any department in any college that offers them, subject to limitations placed by the department offering the minor or by the students' major. Completed minors will appear on the student's transcript. Not all departments offer minors. Additional information on specific minors can be found above, in the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook, in the undergraduate major office of the department or school offering the minor, and in Engineering Advising.
An engineering minor recognizes formal study of a particular subject area in engineering normally outside the major. Students undertaking a minor are expected to complete the requirements during the time of their continuous undergraduate enrollment at Cornell. Completing the requirements for an engineering minor (along with a major) may require more than the traditional eight semesters at Cornell. However, courses that fulfill minor requirements may also satisfy other degree requirements (e.g., distribution courses, advisor-approved, or major-approved electives), and completion within eight semesters is possible.
An engineering minor requires:
- successful completion of all requirements for an undergraduate degree.
- enrollment in a major that approves participation in the minor.
- satisfactory completion of six courses (at least 18 credits) in a college-approved minor.
Students may apply for certification of a minor at any time after the required course work has been completed in accordance with published standards. An official notation of certification of a minor appears on the Cornell transcript following graduation.
Learning Outcomes
This minor focuses on giving engineering students the skills necessary to identify and evaluate opportunities and begin new business ventures. The coursework leads to an understanding and ability in intellectual property, competition, technology assessment, product development, finance, and accounting—the tools necessary to start a high technology business.
