Lyle School of Engineering

General Information

The Lyle School of Engineering, named in 2008 in honor of Dallas entrepreneur and industry leader Bobby B. Lyle, traces its roots to 1925, when the Technical Club of Dallas, a professional organization of practicing engineers, petitioned SMU to fulfill the need for an engineering school in the Southwest. In response to the club’s request, the school began one of the first cooperative education programs in the United States, a program that continues today to put engineering students to work on real technical projects.

Included in the Lyle School of Engineering curricula are programs in civil engineering, computer engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, environmental engineering, mechanical engineering and management science. In 2000, a variety of programs were introduced to provide the combination of a traditional engineering curriculum and selected leadership coursework designed to train engineering students for futures in management, entrepreneurship and beyond.

The Dallas area’s national prominence in high technology and research has been beneficial to the Lyle School of Engineering and its students. Corporate support for the Lyle School has generated a remarkable array of equipment and laboratories. Recent additions include the AT&T Mixed Signals Lab, the Texas Instruments Digital Signal Processing Lab, the Procter and Gamble Biomedical Research Lab, and the Nokia Wireless Communication Lab. Other laboratories include the Laser Micro-machining Laboratory, the Nanoscale Electro-Thermal Sciences Laboratory and the Enterprise Systems Design Laboratory. In addition, the Lyle School is the home of the following facilities:

Research Center for Advanced Manufacturing. RCAM provides the intellectual foundation for industry to collaborate with faculty and students to resolve generic, long-range challenges, thereby producing the knowledge base for steady advances in technology and their speedy transition to the marketplace.

Center for Laser Aided Manufacturing. CLAM addresses a number of research and development issues related to laser-aided intelligent manufacturing processes.

Center for Lasers and Plasmas for Advanced Manufacturing. The center conducts research of interest to the industry and SMU as part of a multiple university team and with support from the Industry and University Cooperative Research Centers Program of the National Science Foundation.

National Science Foundation Industrial/University Cooperation Research Center for Net-Centric Software and Systems. The Center for Net-Centric Software and Systems addresses fundamental software and systems research for the modeling, analysis, design, implementation, testing, deployment and evolution of net-centric and embedded systems.

Darwin Deason Institute for Cyber Security. The institute advances the science, policy, application and education of cyber security through basic and problem-driven, interdisciplinary research, and conducts broad programs of research that

• Apply an interdisciplinary approach to challenging problems and incorporate elements from disciplines not traditionally associated with cyber security, such as law, business and the social sciences.
• Create a science of cyber security and address priorities in the national arena.
• Help close the skills gap in cyber security by tapping into the innovation capabilities of students to meet the demand for trained cyber professionals.

Caruth Institute for Engineering Education. The institute develops programs that increase the number and diversity of students who graduate from U.S. high schools with both the enthusiasm and knowledge to pursue the engineering careers necessary for the U.S. to compete in a global economy.

Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity. More than 1 billion people around the world live on less than $1 per day; of those, 70 percent are women. The institute strives to change the standard of living for the world’s poorest populations (including those in the U.S.), trains a new generation of engineers in modern engineering applications and provides a deep exposure to global economics, cultural awareness, collaborative leadership and principles of sustainability.

Hart Center for Engineering Leadership. The center was created in 2008 with the belief that the leadership and professional development of engineering students should not wait until after graduation. In fact, the Lyle School maintains that this development should coincide with students’ technical training as they become aware of what it means to be ethical and credible professional engineers.

HCEL designs programs around the Lyle School’s engineering leadership framework, which engages students in developing their personal, relational, positional and contextual leadership awareness and skills. HCEL training gives students the tools to grow personally and professionally their entire lives and includes the following curricula, programs and events:

Leadership Development

• Leadership assessment tools identify students’ understanding of leadership attributes, leadership strengths and areas of interest.
• Leadership instruction developed in collaboration with Lyle faculty is embedded in relational and experiential components of the Lyle School’s engineering design courses.
• HCEL engineering ethics modules are infused in specific engineering classes.
• Leadership coaching is offered in group settings and is also available for individuals in some cases.
• The Student Engineering Joint Council holds retreats, events and leadership training.
• Lyle Engineering in the City offers community engagement and service learning activities.
• Partners in Leadership Mentoring pairs students with mid- to senior-level professionals.

Career Development

• Career coaching helps students research and prepare for interviews with engineering companies.
• Handshake allows students to register for interviews and submit résumés online.
• Engineering Mock Interview Day acclimates students to the interviewing process in a riskless environment.
• The Lyle Engineering Connections career fair attracts globally recognized companies seeking to hire engineers for internship, co-op and full-time positions.
• Internships and co-ops integral to the Lyle School are directed by HCEL staff.

Professional Engineering Licensure

All senior-year engineering students are encouraged to take the first part of the examination for professional engineering licensure in the state of Texas. Information on the exam, testing locations, fees, materials and other exam-related information is available at www.ncees.org/exams/fe-exam.

Department Information

All programs of education and research in engineering are conducted through the Lyle School of Engineering. The school is organized into the following departments:

Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE)
Computer Science and Engineering (CSE)
Electrical Engineering (EE)
Engineering Management, Information and Systems (EMIS)
Mechanical Engineering (ME)

Each curriculum is under the jurisdiction of the faculty of the department in which the program is offered.

The Lyle School of Engineering also offers graduate programs toward the degrees of Master of Science, Doctor of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy.

The departments are the Lyle School of Engineering’s basic operating and budgetary units. Each department is responsible for the development and operation of its laboratories at all levels of activity and for all purposes; for the content, teaching and scheduling of its academic courses; and for the conduct of research programs. The chief administrative officer of each department is the department chair, who reports directly to the dean. More information on the Lyle School of Engineering and its programs is available at www.smu.edu/lyle.

Cooperative Education

The Lyle School of Engineering has a history of demonstrated commitment to the concept of cooperative education. The school was established in 1925 with a close relationship with the Technical Club of Dallas. Members of this group owned factories and engineering consulting firms and wanted to participate in the training and development of their incoming employees. The Technical Club asked SMU to include the Cooperative Education Program in the original design of the school.

SMU was one of the first universities in the Southwest to adopt this concept of practical education. From 1925 to 1965, all engineering undergraduate students participated in the SMU Co-op Program. Since 1965, the program has been optional.

The SMU Co-op Program is designed so each student can enhance his or her education and career by receiving professional training while alternating terms of classroom instruction. Participation in the program allows students to

• Confirm that they like working in their major.
• Discover the kind of work they like within their major.
• Establish a professional reputation.
• Earn the cumulative equivalent of one year of a new graduate’s starting salary before graduation.
• Gain invaluable work experience when competing for full-time jobs upon graduation.

How the Cooperative Program Operates

Entry into the SMU Co-op Program is typically offered in the summer term after the sophomore year or the fall term of the junior year during the student’s academic progression. Two sample terms of entry are shown below:

Students who want to participate in the SMU Co-op Program should begin the application process during their first year to allow for career preparation. The application process includes attending Co-op Orientation, receiving interview skills training, résumé review, learning the job search process, and completing the Co-op Program application. The program director guides students through each step of the process.

Each applicant receives advising from the program’s director and a direct result of advising is that the student gains a better understanding of individual options and a strategy for pursuing those options. 

Who May Apply?

Any Lyle School of Engineering undergraduate student in good standing who has enough time remaining before graduation to alternate at least three times between terms of full-time work and terms of full-time school may apply for the Co-op Program. Transfer students must be admitted and accepted to SMU before applying.

When to Apply

Many students choose to begin the application process during the first term of their first year. This early start is especially beneficial for students planning to participate in fraternity/sorority recruitment during the second term of their first year. Students should apply two or more terms before the work term begins. The first of these terms is for preparation; the second is for applying and interviewing with companies.

Policies of the Cooperative Engineering Education Program

Since 1925, the school has created and maintained numerous corporate relationships. Many factors contribute to these relationships, including the quality of SMU’s academics and research, the achievements of alumni, and SMU’s close proximity to high-tech corporations. Each SMU Co-op Program student directly benefits from the program’s strong corporate relationships and bears an obligation to preserve these relationships by following the Co-op Program Undergraduate Student Agreement. The agreement balances the student’s individual needs with the long-term goal of maintaining the program’s corporate relationships for future SMU students. The terms of the program include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Students must maintain good standing with SMU and their employer at all times.
• All training jobs must be approved in advance by the SMU Co-op Program director.
• Before each work term begins, undergraduate students in the program must enroll in the appropriate program course for the term when they work, including summer.
• SMU charges no fees or tuition for these courses. Each course is graded on a pass/fail basis by the program’s director. The courses do not count toward graduation. The course numbers for each work term are, respectively, ENGR 1099 , ENGR 2099 , ENGR 3099 , ENGR 4099 , ENGR 5099 .
• Students enroll at SMU each term, including summers, once they begin the program’s rotation between work and school.
• Co-op students take full-time class loads at SMU during alternating school terms.
• Co-op students do not work part-time for the employer during school terms.
• Co-op students complete all work terms with the same company unless decided otherwise.
• Once a student accepts a Co-op Program position, the student may switch positions within the sponsoring company with the approval of the company.
• Each student in the program completes his or her originally planned number and sequence of alternating work terms. The term of graduation must be a term of full-time study at SMU.
• Each student in the program accepts responsibility for knowing and following all SMU Co-op Program regulations and those of the participating employer.
• Students agree to complete all of their University required paperwork even while participating in the Co-op Program (e.g., FAFSA, CSS Profile, enrolling for classes, enrolling for housing, applying for graduation in their last senior term.

Co-op Certificate

SMU Co-op Program students who complete at least three of their originally planned and scheduled Co-op Program work terms in good standing with the University and the SMU Co-op Program Office receive a noncredit Cooperative Education Program Certificate to coincide with graduation. For additional information, students should contact the director of the SMU Co-op Program: phone 214-768-1845; email coop@lyle.smu.edu.

Undergraduate Engineering Internship Program

The internship program allows full-time students to include a minimum of three terms of professional work experience during their study. Students must have obtained junior-level class status prior to participating in the internship program. Students cannot simultaneously enroll in a full-time load of coursework and participate in a full-time work experience. A full-time course of study is defined as 12 or more credit hours per term, and a full-time work experience is defined as a minimum of 37.5 hours worked per week. In order to maintain satisfactory academic achievement, students enrolled in a full-time course load shall not work more than a maximum of 20 hours a week. Students who are actively participating in a full-time work experience shall not enroll in more than nine credit hours per term. Zero hours of credit will be awarded for each term of internship. Participation in this program will not jeopardize the full-time status of international students. Students who wish to participate in this program need to

• Receive an internship job offer relating to their major.
• Provide a job description to the Hart Center for Engineering Leadership.
• Complete the Undergraduate Engineering Internship Program Agreement form.
• Obtain the following approvals: faculty adviser, department chair, director of Undergraduate Professional Experience Programs in the Hart Center and the International Student Office (for all international students).

Once the necessary approvals are obtained, the student must register for the Undergraduate Internship Program course that is designated by the student’s department (CEE 5050 , CSE 5050 , EE 5050 , EMIS 5050 , ME 5050 ).

Within two weeks of the end of the term or at the end of the internship, whichever comes first, the student must submit a report outlining the activities and duties of the internship. The student will submit a copy of the report to the faculty adviser, the International Office (if applicable) and the director of Undergraduate Professional Experience Programs of the Lyle School of Engineering. The director of Undergraduate Professional Experience Programs, in consultation with the student’s adviser, will assess the report and recommend a grade of S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory) to the associate dean for the Office of Academic Affairs within two weeks of receiving the report. The student’s work experience will be validated and recognized on the permanent transcript.

Admission

Note: Detailed information regarding SMU’s admission requirements, regulations and procedures is found in the Admission to the University section of this catalog.

Prospective students interested in undergraduate degrees in engineering apply for undergraduate admission to SMU as first-year or transfer students through the Office of Admissions, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750181, Dallas TX 75275-0181. All first-year applicants admitted to SMU initially enter Dedman College. For students interested in majoring in engineering, a personal interview with Lyle School of Engineering’s Undergraduate Enrollment Office is highly recommended. The Lyle School of Engineering Office of Undergraduate Student Experience and Enrollment Management can be reached at 214-768-3041.

High School Preparation

Because of the high standards of the Lyle School of Engineering and the rigorous character of its curricula, it is essential that the entering student be well prepared in basic academic subjects in high school. To be successful in SMU engineering programs, the student should have the following academic strengths:

1. Academic success in an appropriate program of study in high school.
2. Strong evidence of aptitude for math and science demonstrated through the high school curriculum.
3. A minimum SAT math sectional score of 600 or a minimum ACT math of 27.

While these guidelines do not guarantee admission to SMU, they should assist students interested in studying engineering at SMU.

Admission to Advanced Standing

Admission From Dedman College and Other Schools Within SMU

After completion of the engineering subset, students are admitted to the Lyle School of Engineering through an interschool transfer. These transfers are approved by the appropriate department chair and the associate dean of the Lyle School of Engineering. For admission, a student must have completed 24 credit hours, attained a 2.000 or higher cumulative GPA and completed the subset requirements as listed below. 

With the exception of courses repeated using the First-Year Repeat Policy, all attempts of subset courses are used in computing the civil engineering, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering and mechanical engineering subset GPA. For the management science subset GPA, only the first graded attempt is included in the subset GPA except for courses repeated using the First Year Repeat Policy. The subset GPA for students who have Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit is based upon the remaining graded subset courses. Current University grading policy, as summarized under Academic Forgiveness in the Grade Policies section of this catalog, permits forgiveness of academic work taken 10 or more years prior to the term of admission. Academic work forgiven under this policy will not be included in the subset GPA.

Admission by Transfer From Another Institution

Prospective transfer students interested in undergraduate degrees in engineering apply for undergraduate admission to SMU through the Office of Admissions, Southern Methodist University, PO Box 750181, Dallas TX 75275-0181. An undergraduate at a junior college, college or university may apply for transfer admission to SMU and the Lyle School of Engineering. Admission will be granted provided the prior academic records and reasons for transfer are acceptable to the Lyle School of Engineering. Transfer credit will be awarded in courses that have identifiable counterparts in curricula of the Lyle School of Engineering, provided they carry grades of C- or better. Transfer students will be expected to meet requirements equivalent to students admitted from Dedman College and other schools within SMU.

Transfer credit is awarded only for work completed at institutions that have regional or comparable accreditation. Because of the 60 credit hour SMU requirement for a bachelor’s degree, there is a limit on the total amount of credit that may be applied toward a Lyle School of Engineering degree.

Academic Regulations

Graduation Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees

Graduation from the Lyle School of Engineering with a bachelor’s degree requires the following standards of academic performance:

1. A passing grade must be received in every course in the prescribed curriculum.
2. An overall GPA of 2.000 or better must be attained in all college and university courses.
3. An overall GPA of 2.000 or better must be attained in all coursework attempted for the degree through enrollment at SMU.
4. An overall GPA of 2.000 or better must be attained in all coursework attempted for the degree in the major field of study.
5. A minimum of 122 credit hours must be completed, including the University-wide requirements and the requirements met for a major in engineering or applied science.

SMU and Lyle Credit Requirements

For graduation from the Lyle School of Engineering, 60 credit hours must be earned as SMU credit, including 30 credit hours in the major department or interdisciplinary program. Of the last 60 credit hours earned toward a degree, 45 must be completed through enrollment in courses offered by the faculty of the Lyle School of Engineering. Exceptions to this requirement will be made only under unusual circumstances at the discretion of the Lyle School of Engineering faculty.

The Major

A candidate for a degree must complete the requirements for a major in one of the departments of the Lyle School of Engineering. The applicable requirements of the major are those in effect during the academic year of matriculation, or those of a subsequent academic year. Coursework counting toward a major may not be taken pass/fail. Majors must be officially declared (or changed) through the Lyle Office of Undergraduate Studies.

Departmental Distinction Program

Students will be awarded departmental distinction by their major department upon successful completion of a special program of study, independent of their eligibility for Latin graduation honors or for graduation honors in the liberal arts. The special program of study leading to departmental distinction, undertaken in both the junior and senior years, requires independent reading and research beyond the regular departmental requirements for a degree. This award is conferred by the major department on the basis of criteria prescribed by the department, but all programs include the following requirements:

• A major GPA of 3.500 or higher.
• Successful completion of three hours of senior thesis approved by the academic adviser.
• Formation of a supervisory committee consisting of three members, with the chair being a resident tenured or tenure-track faculty member of the department, and a minimum of two full-time Lyle faculty members.
• Successful defense of the senior thesis, which consists of the presentation of the senior thesis in a public forum and subsequent oral examination by the supervisory committee to satisfy itself that the student performed the independent reading and conducted the research.

Currently, the Computer Science and Engineering Department and the Electrical Engineering Department offer departmental distinction programs.

University-wide Requirements

All SMU undergraduate students share a common program of study designed to assure them of a broad liberal education regardless of their major. This requirement is designed to help each student learn to reason and think for oneself, become skilled in communicating and understanding, understand both the social and the natural worlds and one’s own place and responsibilities in these environments, and understand and appreciate human culture and history in various forms, including religion, philosophy and the arts. Students should see the University-wide Requirements section of this catalog for more information.

Dual Degree Programs

The Lyle School of Engineering offers concurrent dual degree programs with other SMU schools. Students may design and pursue a second major or minor degree program in consultation with their academic adviser.

Accelerated Pathways Master’s Degree Program (*updated* 10/16/2018)

The Accelerated Pathways program permits undergraduate Lyle Engineering students to take some graduate courses while an undergraduate, which will count both toward B.A./B.S. and M.A./M.S. degrees. Up to nine (9) SCH of graduate course work may be permitted to be taken as an undergraduate and be applied toward fulfilling the undergraduate degree requirements. In such cases, students may fulfill both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree requirements in as few as 21 SCH beyond the B.A./B.S. coursework.

Furthermore, because the graduate work is spread over two or more academic years, students have a greater selection of courses in both their undergraduate and graduate studies and are able to complete a thesis, should they so desire. The student must work closely with his or her academic adviser to ensure that the requirements of the Accelerated Pathways program, the B.A./B.S. degree, and the M.A./M.S. degree all are met.

Requirements

For students admitted to the Accelerated Pathways program, up to nine (9) SCH of graduate courses (7000-level and above) may be applied toward fulfilling the student’s undergraduate program requirements.  The student must complete a minimum of 21 term-credit hours of graduate course work at SMU beyond the undergraduate residency requirement to satisfy the graduate residency requirement.  In addition, the Accelerated Pathways student is permitted to take additional graduate courses while an undergraduate, up to their eighth semester, that can be marked for graduate credit only.  No graduate course work for graduate-only credit will be permitted after the eighth semester, although the students will be permitted to take dual-credit graduate courses (up to 9 hours) even beyond the eighth semester.  Furthermore, the student must take at least one of the courses for the graduate degree while holding graduate status, i.e., after the student graduates with the undergraduate degree.

Note: Undergraduate students may take graduate courses only after they have reached senior status (90 or more earned credit hours).

Admission Requirements

For admission to the Accelerated Pathways program, the student must:

1. Be enrolled in an undergraduate program in the Lyle School of Engineering,
2. Have achieved junior-level status,
3. Apply no later than the semester before they finish their undergraduate studies,
4. Have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher,
5. Upon request, provide three letters of recommendation, one from the student’s academic adviser and two from other faculty members in the School of Engineering, and
6. Be accepted into the desired M.A./M.S. program.

Bachelor’s Degree Requirements

All undergraduate degree requirements must be satisfied, with up to 9 SCH of graduate course work (7000 and above) applying toward the satisfaction of those requirements. It is important to note that the graduate courses must be taken at the 7000 level from the beginning, as no conversion from 5000 to 7000 will be permitted after the add/drop deadline in the semester the course is taken.  The undergraduate adviser should be consulted on the appropriateness of the 7000 dual-counting courses for the undergraduate degree.

Master’s Degree Requirements

To receive a Master’s degree under the Accelerated Pathways program, the student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in the M.S. degree course work (including the graduate course work applied towards the undergraduate degree requirements), and satisfy all requirements for the Master’s degree.  The Master’s degree requirements will be completed after the semester the student graduates with the Bachelor’s degree.  The designated graduate adviser should be consulted when registering to any graduate courses, to make sure that these courses satisfy requirements of the Master’s degree pursued.

Programs of Study

The Lyle School of Engineering offers the following degrees:

Bachelor of Science With a Major in Civil Engineering  

Bachelor of Science With a Major in Computer Engineering  

Bachelor of Science With a Major in Electrical Engineering  

Bachelor of Science With a Major in Environmental Engineering  

Bachelor of Science With a Major in Mechanical Engineering  

Bachelor of Science With a Major in Computer Science  

Bachelor of Science With a Major in Management Science  

Bachelor of Arts With a Major in Computer Science  

Engineering work can be classified by function, regardless of the branch, as follows: research, development, design, production, testing, planning, sales, service, construction, operation, teaching, consulting and management. The function fulfilled by an engineer results in large measure from personal characteristics and motivations, and only partially from his or her curriculum of study. Nonetheless, while engineering curricula may be relatively uniform, the modes of presentation tend to point a student toward a particular large class of functions. Engineering curricula at SMU focus generally on engineering functions that include research, development, design, management and teaching – functions ordinarily associated with additional education beyond the bachelor’s degree.

The Lyle School of Engineering undergraduate programs in civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, environmental engineering and mechanical engineering are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org. The undergraduate computer science program that awards the degree Bachelor of Science is accredited by the Computing Accreditation Commission of ABET. The undergraduate computer science program that awards the degree Bachelor of Arts is not accredited by a Commission of ABET. ABET does not provide accreditation for the discipline of management science.

Description of Courses

Courses offered in the Lyle School of Engineering are identified by a two-, three- or four-letter prefix code designating the general subject area of the course, followed by a four-digit number. The first digit specifies the approximate level of the course as follows: 1 – first year, 2 – sophomore, 3 – junior, 4 – senior and 5 – senior. The second digit denotes the credit hours associated with the course. The last two digits specify the course numbers. Thus, CSE 4381  denotes a course offered by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the senior (4) level, having three credit hours, and with the course number 81. The prefix codes are as follows: