Program Description
Providing affordable energy to meet the demands of both developed and developing nations without further damaging the natural environment and the Earth's climate system is a grand challenge for the 21st century. Our quality of life and the stability of nations ultimately depend on having accessible energy resources and an equitable and sustainable energy supply and distribution system. Achievement of these goals requires the participation, ingenuity, and hard work of people with a range of specialized backgrounds, working collaboratively. The minor is intended to emphasize the importance of viewing the challenge of meeting the world's energy needs as a system of interacting themes. The requirements of the minor are designed to provide breadth across a range of energy resource types and conversion, transmission and storage technologies along with coverage of the environmental, economic, political, and social consequences of various options.
Individual faculty members in most units in the College of Engineering are involved in research and education intended to move society toward more sustainable solutions to our energy needs and are sources of guidance to students interested in the Energy minor. Many of these faculty members are in the College of Engineering. The minor is open to all undergraduate students.
Academic Standards
- At least C– in each course or, for S–U only courses, S.
Minor Requirements
- Six courses and a minimum of 18 credits; at least 2 credits in each category, category 2 requires 3 credits
- At least two courses (together totaling no less than 3 credits) in category 2: Energy Sources and Technologies for a Transition to Sustainability
- At most two courses may be specific requirements in the student's major; not a course decided on, like an elective, this restriction applies when everyone in the major must complete the course
- At least one course from each of the breadth categories
Breadth Categories
Courses satisfying each of the breadth categories:
Energy Systems Analysis
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| CEE 4210 | Renewable Energy Systems | 3 |
| CHEME 6660 | Analysis of Sustainable Energy Systems | 2 |
| MAE 5010 | Future Energy Systems | 3 |
Energy Sources and Technologies for a Transition to Sustainability
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| AEP 5500 | Applied Solid State: Physics of Renewable Energy | 3 |
| BEE 2510 | Engineering Processes for Environmental Sustainability (crosslisted) | 3 |
| or ENGRD 2510 | Engineering Processes for Environmental Sustainability |
| BEE 4880 | Applied Modeling and Simulation for Renewable Energy Systems (crosslisted) | 3 |
| CEE 3410 | Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering | 4 |
| CEE 5420 | Energy Technologies and Subsurface Resources | 3 |
| CEE 6200 | Managing Water Resources in a Changing World | 3 |
| CHEME 6661 | Bioenergy and Biofuels Module | 1 |
| CHEME 6662 | Solar Energy Module | 1 |
| CHEME 6663 | Geothermal Energy Module | 1 |
| CHEME 6664 | Hydrokinetic and Aerodynamic Energy Module (crosslisted) | 1 |
| or CEE 6364 | Hydrokinetic and Aerodynamic Energy Module |
| CHEME 6667 | Transportation Energy Systems Module (crosslisted) | 1 |
| or CEE 6667 | Transportation Energy Systems Module |
| CHEME 6670 | Fossil Fuels Module | 1 |
| CHEME 6671 | Nuclear Energy Module | 1 |
| CHEME 6679 | Energy Storage Module | 1 |
| CHEME 6681 | Energy Analysis Project | 1 |
| EAS 4010 | Fundamentals of Energy and Mineral Resources | 3 |
| EAS 3450 | Environmental Geophysics | 3 |
| EAS 4370 | Field Geophysics | 3 |
| ECE 4130 | Introduction to Nuclear Science and Engineering (crosslisted) | 3 |
| or AEP 4130 | Introduction to Nuclear Science and Engineering |
| or CHEME 4130 | Introduction to Nuclear Science and Engineering |
| or MAE 4580 | Introduction to Nuclear Science and Engineering |
| ECE 4840 | Introduction to Controlled Fusion: Principles and Technology (crosslisted) | 3 |
| or MAE 4590 | Introduction to Controlled Fusion: Principles and Technology |
| ECE 4510 | Electric Power Systems I | 3 |
| ECE 4520 | Power Systems and Market Operations | 3 |
| 1 |
| ECE 5870 | Energy Seminar I (crosslisted) | 1 |
| or CHEME 5870 | Energy Seminar I |
| or MAE 5459 | Energy Seminar I |
| ECE 5880 | Energy Seminar II (crosslisted) | 1 |
| or BEE 5469 | Energy Seminar II |
| or CHEME 5880 | Energy Seminar II |
| or MAE 5469 | Energy Seminar II |
| MAE 4020 | Wind Power | 3 |
| MAE 4120 | (crosslisted) | 3 |
| or EAS 4120 | |
| MAE 5430 | Combustion Processes | 3 |
| MAE 6350 | Wave Interactions with Offshore Systems | 4 |
| SYSEN 5100 | Model Based Systems Engineering (crosslisted) | 4 |
| SYSEN 5200 | Systems Analysis Behavior and Optimization | 3 |
| or CEE 5252 | Systems Analysis Behavior and Optimization |
| or ECE 5130 | Systems Analysis Behavior and Optimization |
| or MAE 5920 | Systems Analysis Behavior and Optimization |
| or ORIE 5142 | Systems Analysis Behavior and Optimization |
Natural Systems Impacted by Energy Production and Use
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| BEE 3710 | Physical Hydrology for Ecosystems | 3 |
| BEE 4800 | Atmospheric Chemistry: From Air Pollution to Global Change (crosslisted) | 3 |
| BEE 6740 | Ecohydrology | 3 |
| BIOEE/NTRES 4560 | Stream Ecology | 4 |
| CEE 1165 | Climate Change and You, the Engineer | 3 |
| EAS 2250 | The Earth System (crosslisted) | 4 |
| EAS/NTRES 3030 | Introduction to Biogeochemistry | 4 |
| EAS 3050 | Climate Dynamics | 3 |
| EAS 3530 | Physical Oceanography | 3 |
| EAS 3880 | Global Geophysics | 3 |
| EAS 4443 | Global Climate Change Science and Policy (crosslisted) | 3 |
| EAS 4570 | Atmospheric Air Pollution | 3 |
| EAS 6480 | (crosslisted) | 3 |
| MAE 6480 | (crosslisted) | 3 |
| PLSCI 2400 | Green World, Blue Planet | 3 |
Policy/Economics/Business/History/Ethics/Risk Analysis
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| AEM 2770 | Excursions in Computational Sustainability (crosslisted) | 3 |
| AEM 4510 | Environmental Economics (crosslisted) | 3 |
| AEM 4515 | (crosslisted) | 3 |
| BEE 2510 | Engineering Processes for Environmental Sustainability (crosslisted) | 3 |
| BEE 3299 | Sustainable Development | 3 |
| BSOC 2061 | Ethics and the Environment (crosslisted) | 4 |
| BSOC 3181 | Living in an Uncertain World: Science, Technology, and Risk (crosslisted) | 4 |
| CEE 3230 | Engineering Economics and Management (crosslisted) | 3 |
| CEE 5970 | Risk Analysis and Management (crosslisted) | 3 |
| CHEME 6667 | Transportation Energy Systems Module (crosslisted) | 1 |
| CHEME 6676 | Energy Markets and Regulations Module | 1 |
| GDEV 3240 | Environmental Sociology (crosslisted) | 3 |
| EAS 4443 | Global Climate Change Science and Policy (crosslisted) | 3 |
| ENGRG 3600 | Ethical Issues in Engineering Practice (crosslisted) | 3 |
| NTRES 2320 | | 3 |
| SYSEN 5170 | Energy Policies for Systems Transition | 3 |
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.
