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Curriculum

The ORFE Undergraduate program may be considered as the modern form of a liberal education: modern because it is based on science and technology, and liberal in the sense that it provides for broad intellectual development and can lead to many different types of careers. By choosing judiciously from courses in engineering, economics, public policy, and liberal arts, each student may design a program adapted to his or her particular interests.

All students start from a common academic core consisting of statistics, probability and stochastic processes, and optimization. Related courses focus on developing computer skills and exposing students to applications in areas such as finance, operations, transportation, and logistics. Students augment the core program with a coherent sequence of technical electives combined with supporting courses drawn from a long list of program electives.

Students may also design specialized programs which must be reviewed and approved by their academic adviser and the Director of Undergraduate Studies/Departmental Representative. Students often draw on courses from economics, computer science, applied mathematics, civil and environmental engineering, mechanical engineering, and the Woodrow Wilson School.

Requirements for study in the department follow the general requirements for the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the general requirements of Princeton University.

Planning Overview

The ORFE Academic Guide is an annually updated PDF document for your reference available for download. The document outlines the planning process in great detail, highlights some former thesis topics and spotlights what some of our current students are doing now. Please refer to this document for more information.

The student's program is planned in consultation with the Director of Undergraduate Studies/Departmental Representative and the student's adviser and requires a thesis or independent project. With departmental approval, the exceptional student who wishes to go beyond the science and engineering requirements may also select other courses to replace some of the required courses in order to add emphasis in another field of engineering or the sciences.

In addition to the engineering school requirements, there are three components to the curriculum, the Core Requirements, the Departmental Electives and the choice between a Senior Thesis or Independent Project. During the course of study, students in the department also participate in various Certificate Programs and might utilize a Research Facility.

Please see the ORFE Academic Guide for a full list of the current Core Requirements, Departmental Electives and Senior Thesis/Independent Project topics.

Certificate Programs and Research Facilities

Students in the department often participate in the following certificate programs and may also utilize research laboratories to further their study. Further details on the particular programs and research facilities may also be found in the ORFE Academic Guide as well.