Department of Engineering and Physics

Faculty

Duke Bulanon (Department Chair), Joshua Griffin, Dan Lawrence, Stephen Parke, Benjamin Pearson, Autumn Pratt

Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years after graduation, NNU engineering alumni will be:

  1. Practicing engineering (or a related field) with professionalism, integrity, and Christian principles.
  2. Advancing in their career through continuous learning, leadership, and teamwork.
  3. Serving their profession, the community, and God's creation.

Student Learning Outcomes

By the time of graduation, NNU engineering students will demonstrate:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. An ability to practice engineering and/or physics with professionalism, ethics, and Christian principles, and to make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Degrees and Certificates

Courses

ENGR1010: Introduction to Engineering

Credits 3

An introduction to the engineering profession, the engineering disciplines, and the engineering design process. Principles of professionalism, ethics, teamwork, and problem solving. Team-oriented, hands-on design project. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR1050: Engineering CAD and Prototyping

Credits 3

An introduction to engineering computer-aided design and rapid prototyping. Use of design tools, such as AutoCAD and SolidWorks, along with 3D printing, and CNC milling to fabricate rapid prototype designs. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR1100: Engineering Software Skills

Credits 3

Fundamental programming in the C language for solving physics and engineering problems. Translation of engineering problems into computational models. Introduction to engineering software tools such as MATLAB, Python, etc. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR2110: Engineering Dynamics

Credits 3

Kinematics and kinetics of three-dimensional motion of particles, systems of particles, and rigid bodies; translating and rotating reference frames, space mechanics; work-energy, impulse-momentum, and impact problems; introduction to vibrations MATLAB applications and dynamic system modeling and design. Motion converters, mobility equations; Geometric synthesis of linkages; gear teeth; analysis and synthesis of gear trains and planetary gear differentials; computer-aided design. 

Prerequisites

ENGR2200: Digital Systems

Credits 3

Analysis and design of basic combinatorial and sequential logic, Boolean algebra, Karnaugh maps, counters, adders, shift registers, multiplexers, and latches. ADC and DAC data conversion, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Fee: Additional fee required.

Corequisites

ENGR2200L: Digital Systems Laboratory

Credits 1

Prototyping and testing of simple combinatorial and sequential digital circuits using gates, flip-flops, multiplexers, decoders. Introduction to FPGAs and Verilog/VHDL. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR2210: Electrical Circuits

Credits 3

Fundamental principles of electrical circuits, DC and AC circuit analysis, single and three-phase electric power systems, electric motors. Introduction to circuit components, Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws, superposition, Thevenin and Norton theorems, operational amplifiers, RL and RC transients, circuit simulation with SPICE. Sinusoidal steady-state analysis, transformers, frequency response, Bode plots, resonance and filters, and Laplace transforms. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisites

ENGR2210L: Electrical Circuits Laboratory

Credits 1

Prototyping and testing of simple DC, AC, and RLC transient circuits, operational amplifiers, transformers, power supplies, filters. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR2310: Instrumentation and Measurements Laboratory

Credits 1

Principles and error analysis of measurements will be explored by performing experiments using test equipment and sensors such as oscilloscopes, function generators, multimeters, thermocouples, strain gauges, and photodiodes. Data acquisition and instrument/actuator control will also be covered using LabVIEW programming and instruments and sensor interfaces. Fee: Additional fee required.

Corequisite Courses

ENGR3094: Special Topics in Engineering

Credits 1 4

An approved concentrated study in a field of engineering not covered in other courses. May be repeated for credit. 

Prerequisites

Instructor's approval

ENGR3095: Engineering Internship

Credits 1 4

An approved practical engineering field experience, usually in industry, supervised by an engineer and formally reported by the student. May be repeated for credit.

Prerequisites

Instructor's approval

ENGR3110: Engineering Thermodynamics

Credits 3

Introduction to classical thermodynamics through the second law; system and control volume analysis of thermodynamic processes; irreversibility and availability. Energy and the first law. Entropy and the second law. Conventional power and refrigeration cycles. Equations of state, ideal-gas mixtures, properties of gaseous mixtures, combustion and chemical equilibrium. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisites

ENGR3400: Control Systems

Credits 3

Introduction to the operation of dynamic systems, elements of modeling, equilibrium and linearization, Laplace transformation techniques, system response via the transfer function, block diagrams and computer simulation, matrix operations, system response via state variables, and stability. Modeling and simulation of lumped parameter mechanical, electrical, thermal, fluid, and mixed systems, control algorithms, stability, transient response and frequency response. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisites

ENGR3400L: Control Systems Laboratory

Credits 1

Experiments and simulations of mechanical, electrical, thermal, fluid, and mixed systems, control algorithms, stability, transient response and frequency response. Demonstration of control system design techniques using LabVIEW controlled hardware experiments. Introduction to PLC and automation programming. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR3410: Engineering Economics and Ethics

Credits 3

Concepts and techniques useful in the economic evaluation of engineering alternatives. Application of economic and financial principles to capital investment. Analysis by present worth, annual cash flow, rate of return, benefit-cost, and replacement considerations. Depreciation, taxes, inflation, probability and risk, and evaluation of optimum use of resources. In-depth coverage of ethics and professionalism. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4100: Fluid Mechanics

Credits 3

Fluid properties; fluid statics, continuity, momentum, and energy principles, laminar and turbulent flow, boundary layers, dimensional analysis and similarity, closed conduit flow, open channel flow, and turbomachinery. One-dimensional open channel flow; compressible flow. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4110: Machine Design

Credits 3

Study of the kinematics and kinetics of machines and machine components. Introduction to design specification and procedures for machine components, including linkages, gears, cams, bearings, clutches, shafts, and brakes. Finite element analysis shaft design of joints (threaded fasteners, welds, springs, keys, etc.); design of gear trains; lubrication and bearing design. Application of the principles of statics and mechanics of materials to the design of machine elements. Failure criteria in yielding, fatigue and buckling, statistical considerations. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4130: Mechatronics

Credits 3

Mechanical automation integrated with electronics and microcontroller technology; A/D and D/A conversion; parallel I/O; programmable timer operation; interfacing sensors and actuators. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4130L: Mechatronics Laboratory

Credits 1

Practical laboratory experience in mechatronics. A major design team project to implement a mechatronic robot system. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR4140: Vibrations

Credits 3

Free and forced vibration of discrete and continuous systems. Lagrange's equation, Fourier series, Laplace transforms; matrix and computational methods. Linear vibration of machine elements, lumped parameter single and multi-degree of freedom systems solutions; computer-aided solutions of linear and nonlinear systems; simple laboratory vibration measurement and comparative vibration analysis. Natural and forced motions, and dynamic loading; vibration of elastic bodies. 

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4150: Heat Transfer

Credits 3

Fundamentals of heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation. Applications to heat exchanges, tubes, surfaces, phase changes, and mass transfer. Numerical methods for solving heat transfer problems. Design of equipment involving heat-transfer processes. Steady-state and transient heat conduction; role of convection for internal and external forced flows and in buoyancy-driven flow; thermal radiation processes and properties. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4170: Agricultural Automation

Credits 3

Principles and application of engineering technologies supporting agricultural production. Agricultural vehicle robots, agricultural infotronics, precision agricultural systems, field crop production automation, orchard and vineyard automation, pesticide application control, automated irrigation management, food processing automation, and mechanization, sensing, and control of biological systems. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4210: Microelectronics

Credits 3

A study of diodes, BJT and MOS transistors, and other semiconductor devices. Transistors in basic amplifier circuits. AC equivalent circuit models, frequency response, single and multi-state amplifiers. Differential, power and feedback amplifiers, oscillators and analog building blocks. CMOS circuits including filters, oscillators, and phase-locked loops. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4210L: Microelectronics Laboratory

Credits 1

Prototyping and testing of electronic components, circuits and analog systems containing diodes, BJTs, FETs, and Op Amps. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR4220: Signals and Systems

Credits 3

Time-domain and frequency-domain analysis of signals and systems, applications of Fourier series, Fourier transform, and Laplace transform in circuits and systems, Analog filters. Signal sampling and reconstruction. Difference equations, Z-transforms, and the discrete Fourier transform. Fundamentals of digital filters. Discrete-time signals and systems, A/D and D/A conversion, filter design, using MATLAB and Simulink. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4250: Electromagnetics

Credits 3

A vector calculus based study of the laws of Gauss, Biot-Savart, Ampere and Faraday; application of the equations of Laplace and Poisson to boundary value problems. Development of Maxwell's equations for electric and magnetic fields. Electromagnetic properties of materials. Wave equation, plane waves and Lorentz force law. Polarization, Poynting's vector, transmission lines, waveguides, and antenna radiation. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisites

ENGR4260: Communication Systems

Credits 3

This course covers fundamental concepts in communication systems with an emphasis on digital communications and applied electromagnetics. The goal is to give students an introduction to both the hardware and theory of modern communication systems. Topics include the following: probability, random variables and random processes, deterministic and stochastic signals, noise, baseband and passband digital signal modulation, transmission line theory, introduction to antennas, radio link budgets, M-ary signaling, and selected topics in analog modulation (e.g., amplitude and frequency modulation). Fee: Additional fee required.

Corequisites

ENGR4270: Advanced Circuits

Credits 3

Application of the laws and techniques of circuits analysis to ac circuits. Complex numbers and algebra with an emphasis on phasor representation of circuits. Calculation of the frequency response of circuits. Single and three-phase power distribution, motors and generators. Analysis of AC steady-state circuits, complex power, power factor correction, magnetically coupled circuits. Laplace and Fourier transforms. Representation of circuits by two-port models. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

ENGR4300: Semiconductor Devices

Credits 3

Theory, models, properties, and concepts associated with semiconductor devices. Provides detailed insight into the internal workings of the "building-block" device structures such as the pn-junction diode, Schottky diode, BJT, and MOSFET. Including solar cells, LEDs, HBTs, and modern field-effect devices. Systematically develops the analytical tools needed to solve practical device problems. 

Prerequisite Courses
Corequisite Courses

ENGR4300L: Semiconductor Devices Lab

Credits 1

Modern device characterization techniques to determine semiconductor material and device parameters and model extraction.  On-wafer probing and electrical and optical measurements.

Prerequisite Courses
Corequisite Courses

ENGR4971: Senior Design Project I/Capstone

Credits 2

The first in a sequence of two senior capstone design project courses. Student teams will complete a system design project under the supervision of an industry or mission client. Teamwork, project planning and management, specification, budgeting, design review, prototyping, testing, weekly reporting, project reports, and oral presentations. The deliverables are Project Proposal, Conceptual Design Review, and Preliminary Design Review. Fulfills a General Education Cultural Competency (CC) requirement. Fee: Additional fee required.

ENGR4972: Senior Design Project II/Capstone

Credits 2

The second in a sequence of two senior capstone design project courses. Student teams will complete a system design project under the supervision of an industry or mission client. Teamwork, project planning and management, specification, budgeting, design review, prototyping, testing, weekly reporting, project reports, and oral presentations. The deliverables are Critical Design Review, Final Implementation Review and Design Report for the client. Fee: Additional fee required.

Prerequisite Courses

PHYS1010: Introduction to Physical Science

Credits 3

An interdisciplinary physical science course that covers the main educational topics in chemistry, physics, and earth science. This course is designed for elementary education majors but may be taken by any student to fulfill a natural science elective general education requirement. No prior knowledge of science is assumed.

Corequisite Courses

PHYS1010L: Introduction to Physical Science Laboratory

Credits 1

An interdisciplinary physical science lab that provides hands-on experimentations in the main educational topics of chemistry, physics, and earth science. This lab is designed for elementary education majors, but may be taken by any student to fulfill general education requirements. No prior knowledge of science is assumed. 

Corequisite Courses

PHYS1060: Descriptive Astronomy

Credits 3

A descriptive study of modern astronomy for the general student with an emphasis on the structure and dynamics of stars, galaxies and the universe. The sun, planets and other objects in our local solar system will also be considered.

Corequisite Courses

PHYS1110: College Physics I

Credits 3

A comprehensive non-calculus-based approach to the fields of physics. Designed for students whose career goals are architecture, business, physical therapy, science education, and pre-medicine. Emphasis is placed on problem solving. Topics covered include mechanics, heat, thermodynamics and sound.

Prerequisites

MATH1300 College Algebra, MATH1400 Trigonometry or MATH2510 Calculus I.

Corequisite Courses

PHYS1120: College Physics II

Credits 3

A comprehensive non-calculus-based approach to the fields of physics. Designed for students whose career goals are architecture, business, physical therapy, science education, and pre-medicine. Emphasis is placed on problem solving. Topics covered include electricity and magnetism, light and optics and modern physics.

Prerequisite Courses
Corequisite Courses

PHYS2094: Topics in Physics

Credits 1 3
A study in the field of physics not covered in other courses such as weather balloon launching, or conceptual physics. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites
Instructor's approval

PHYS2110: Physics for Science and Engineering I

Credits 3

A comprehensive calculus-based examination of the fields of physics. Designed for science students whose career goals are in engineering, physics, chemistry, medicine, and veterinary science. Topics covered include mechanics, thermodynamics, wave phenomena and fluid mechanics.

Corequisite Courses

PHYS2120: Physics for Science and Engineering II

Credits 3

A comprehensive calculus-based examination of the fields of physics. Designed for science students whose career goals are in engineering, physics, chemistry, medicine and veterinary science. Topics covered include electricity and magnetism, light and optics.

Prerequisite Courses
Corequisite Courses

PHYS2120L: Physics for Science and Engineering II Laboratory

Credits 1

A comprehensive calculus-based examination of the fields of physics. Designed for science students whose career goals are in engineering, physics, chemistry, medicine and veterinary science. Topics covered include electricity and magnetism, light and optics. Fee: Additional fee required.

Corequisite Courses

PHYS3094: Special Topics in Physics

Credits 1 3
A concentrated study in a field of physics not covered in other courses such as low temperature physics, Mossbauer spectroscopy, elementary particles, relativity, and cosmology. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite Courses

PHYS3130: Modern Physics

Credits 3

Basic ideas of quantum theory which led to the Rutherford-Bohr model of the atom, elementary quantum mechanics using Schrodinger's equation with applications to atoms, molecules, nuclei and elementary particles will be studied. Topics include: atomic and molecular spectra; ionic and covalent bonds; theory of alpha, beta and gamma decay, and quantum statistics of Bose and Fermi particles.

Prerequisite Courses
Corequisite Courses

PHYS3130L: Modern Physics Laboratory

Credits 1

This course is designed to provide students with experience in experimental research techniques used in modern physics. Emphasis is placed on experimental methods and procedures and the relationship among various observable quantities and data analysis. Experiments performed will include determining electron charge to mass ratio, lattice spacing determination using low-energy electron diffraction, nuclear decay rate measurements, spectroscopy, and others pertaining to topics covered in class. Fee: Additional fee required.

Corequisite Courses

PHYS3410: Analytic Mechanics

Credits 3
Application of Newtonian mechanics to physical systems. Topics covered include central force problems, equations of motion of Lagrange and Hamilton, normal modes resulting from small vibrations, and rotating frames of reference.
Prerequisite Courses

PHYS3500: Statistical Analysis for Physics and Engineering

Credits 3
This course covers the topic and applications of statistics to physics and engineering. Probability, discrete random variables and probability distributions, continuous random variables and random sampling and data description, point estimation of parameters, statistical intervals for a single sample, and tests of hypotheses for a single sample. Experimental Data Analysis.
Prerequisite Courses

PHYS4610: Electromagnetics

Credits 3

A vector calculus-based study of the laws of Gauss, Biot-Savart, Ampere and Faraday; application of the equations of Laplace and Poisson to boundary valued problems. Development of Maxwell's equations for electric and magnetic fields. Electromagnetic properties of materials. Wave equation, plane waves and Lorentz force law. Polarization, Poynting's vector, transmission lines, waveguides, and antenna radiation.

Prerequisite Courses

PHYS4710: Optics

Credits 3
Physical optics with emphasis on the application of the principles of interference, diffraction, and polarization; the study of lasers. Photometry and interferometry.
Prerequisites

PHYS4720: Solid State Physics

Credits 3

An introduction to the physics of the solid state of matter. Topics include crystal structure, lattice vibrations and electronic band structure of crystals, electrical, optical, and thermal properties of solids, transport and other non-equilibrium phenomena in uniform and non-uniform solids.

Prerequisite Courses

PHYS4810: Fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics

Credits 3

A beginning course in quantum mechanics which starts with the postulates and derives Schrodinger's equation from physical optics principles. Several simple systems are studied and the properties of eigenfunctions are used to introduce matrix methods and operator theory. Emphasis is placed on mathematical formalism with applications to atomic systems.

Prerequisite Courses

PHYS4970: Research

Credits 1
Participation with a faculty member in an individual investigative project or literature review. Required of all physics majors. May be repeated for credit.