The Engineering Program is the newest program offered at IWU and is now approved by the Higher Learning Commission.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) program will launch this fall (2022) with five specializations:
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Design Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Frequently Asked Questions
Indiana Wesleyan University’s development of an Engineering program began with a desire to produce graduates who are diverse and widely recognized for their motivation and faith-inspired call to service, outstanding technical proficiency, broad development from a Christian liberal arts perspective, and mature relational and leadership skills. There was a desire to graduate engineering professionals who could take their Christian witness and newly acquired skills into the marketplace in the United States as well as abroad – becoming world-changers and examples of God’s command to develop natural resources for human use and to be good stewards of these resources.
Engineering has been on the radar for many years at IWU. The academic planning that resulted in the acquisition of the space where the Engineering facilities will be located began in 2015.
The Engineering program, in particular the specialization on Design Engineering, is built around design thinking and has an intentional partnership with IWU’s Art + Design division. Design thinking is an integral part of the curriculum and overall engineering education with some courses taught by Art + Design faculty. IWU is the only Christian college or university offering Design Engineering as a specialization. There is an emphasis on environmental ethics and the stewardship of creation.
Class sizes are small and focused on hands-on learning from day one. With the addition of an engineering program, IWU now offers a complete STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education package.
IWU offers one four-year Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree with five specializations for students to choose from. IWU also offers an Engineering minor.
No, students are not required to declare a specialization upon entering the program, but will have opportunities to explore the different engineering disciplines in their freshman year classes. Students will then be required to declare a specialization toward the end of their sophomore year.
- The university has committed $5.88M to the building out of 15,000 square feet of new and state-of-the-art engineering building on campus.
- The new building includes offices and dual use classrooms, engineering shops, computer labs, robotics and automation lab, circuits and instrumentation lab, civil engineering lab, materials lab, thermo-fluid lab, and senior design and collaborative space.
Engineering Facility Floorplan
- Dr. David Che
- M.S. from Ohio State University and Ph.D. from University of Michigan
- Worked for General Motors Corporation in Detroit as a senior research and project engineer (8 years)
- Missionary work in China (3 years)
- Christian Higher Education (14 years)
- Experience starting and accrediting engineering programs at Christian colleges (Geneva College, Mount Vernon Nazarene University, Bryan College, Anderson University)
Four currently: Dr. David Che, Dr. Yang Zhao, Dr. Melvin Royer, and Dr. Andre Fonteles. At least 3 more engineering faculty to be hired in the next 3-4 years.
The BSE Program received approval from the Higher Learning Commission in April 2022.
IWU’s engineering program is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. We will also apply for ABET accreditation in 2025; ABET requires the first class of engineering students to graduate before a new program can be considered for accreditation. Dr. Che has experience with ABET and has designed the program to meet all ABET requirements. Once the program receives ABET accreditation, the accreditation will be retroactively applied to all earlier graduates of the program.
Yes, students can minor in engineering as a complement to another degree.
Students need to have a good grasp of basic algebra, geometry, trigonometry, physics and chemistry in order to succeed in the program.
Remedial classes are offered at IWU for those who need improvement in those areas.
No, but engineering students need to maintain a grade of at least "C" in major courses.
- The engineering job market continues to be strong for all specializations in engineering.
- The expected placement rate within 3 months of graduation is 100%.
- The expected starting salary for new graduates is $65,000-$70,000.
- This is a four-year program.
- A total of 135-136 credit hours are required for graduation.
- There are approximately 17 credit hours per semester.
- There are many engineering firms within a one-hour driving radius of IWU that are hiring engineering interns/co-ops and engineers each year.
- There are strong interests from local companies to hire IWU graduates (GM in Marion and Fort Wayne, Chrysler in Kokomo, biomedical companies near Warsaw, IN, etc.).
- Currently, there are senior design projects being sponsored by Crandall Engineering in Gas City, IN.
Faculty Spotlight
Dr. David Che
Dr. David Che is the Engineering Program Director and Professor of Mechanical Engineering. He earned a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, where he also did postdoctoral research. Dr. Che has extensive experience in both academia and industry. He has developed engineering programs at schools similar to IWU and has 14 years of teaching experience. Dr. Che was a senior project and research engineer for General Motors Corporation for eight years where he designed the interior trim and suspension systems for SUVs and trucks. His expertise in engineering and in higher education makes him invaluable to engineering students at IWU.
Dr. André Fonteles
Dr. André Fonteles is Assistant Professor of Computer Science and joined Indiana Wesleyan University in 2018. Dr. Fonteles spent 5 years in France where he obtained his doctoral degree in Computer Science from Université Grenoble-Alpes. He also worked as a full-time lecturer and researcher for one year at the university and spent another six months as a post-doctoral researcher at Université de Pau et Pays de l'Adour. His technical and research interests include recommender systems, context-sensitiveness, software adaption, mobile computing and app development. His experience in Computer Science focuses on crowdsourcing systems, mobile and context-aware applications and recommender systems.
Dr. Melvin Royer
Dr. Melvin Royer is a Professor in the Division of Mathematics, Engineering and Computer Science. Dr. Royer has bachelor's and master's degrees in Electrical Engineering and a doctorate in Mathematics - all from Purdue University. Along with several other faculty in the division, Dr. Royer teaches background math, computer science, and physics courses required for the engineering program. Dr. Royer has done digital circuit design as an intern for IBM Corporation.
Dr. Yang Zhao
Dr. Yang Zhao recently joined Indiana Wesleyan University (IWU) as an Assistant Professor in the Division of Math, Engineering, and Computer Sciences. He has been teaching engineering for several years in Christian higher education after earning his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering at Cleveland State University. Dr. Yang Zhao completed the B.S. program in electrical engineering at Shenyang University of Technology, Liaoning, China. His research interest is the automatic control of electric machines, power systems, and surface vehicles.
Career Paths
Engineers work in a broad range of functions including research and development, product process, design, testing, construction, manufacturing, production and operations, consulting, and project management. While the IWU Engineering program prepares students to work in any branch of engineering, the course content is primarily geared toward preparing students for careers in:
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Design Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
Other possible career areas include:
- Architectural Engineering
- Aeronautical Engineering
- Agricultural Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Engineering Management
- Environmental Engineering
- Industrial Engineering
- Manufacturing Engineering
- Materials Engineering
- Robotics
- Software Engineering
- Technical Sales
Courses
One of the best ways to discover a degree program is to check out the course listings. Preview the courses for Computer Science at Indiana Wesleyan University using the course catalog.
