Syllabus: MAE 400: The Engineering Profession

Spring 2015
1. Course: MAE 400 The Engineering Profession: Spring 2015
2. LEC 11814 Monday and Wednesdays 3:00 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.
Tempe Farmer Ed Building 320
3. Instructor: William Gest P.E.
a. Telephone: 602-618-1304
b. E-mail: William.Gest@asu.edu
TA: Julia Dyer
E-mail Julia.Dyer@asu.edu
Grader: Chad Hardgrove
E-mail: Chad.Hardgrove@asu.edu
4. Available by appointment before or after class
5. Designation: Required for MAE Students
6. Description Summary: The skills, abilities, challenges and responsibilities of being an
engineering professional are explored. Topics covered include communications,
teamwork, ethics, project management, systems engineering, the design process,
business acumen, lean engineering, problem solving, quality, profession engineer and
life-long learning.
7. Description: This course serves as a bridge between academic courses and industrial
practice. It covers the soft skills in demand by todays employers. When coupled
with the analytical and design skills provided in the other MAE courses, the
graduating senior should be ready to enter the engineering profession. The course is
built around an integrated approach to solving complex engineering problems that
includes innovative design, systems engineering, project management, and business
acumen. Other topics covered include communications, life-long learning,
professional ethics, problem solving. Methods of learning include guest speakers,
team presentations, papers, group discussions, and homework problems.
8. Prerequisites:

Aerospace Engineering or Mechanical Engineering MAE 322 or MAE 325

completed with a C or better

9. Textbooks:
None required. Download the lectures from Blackboard for your future reference.

10. Course Outcomes

Table 1. Course Outcomes
Course Outcome.
Students will discuss expected ethical and professional
standards of behavior and the consequences of
deviations from these standards.
Students will demonstrate an ability to plan and
develop a technical program (with its business case)
through clear and concise written and oral
communication.
Students will demonstrate teamwork skills in resolving
technical and business issues.
Students will be able to describe Engineerings critical
contributions to, and interactions with, other key groups
in an industrial enterprise and a global society.
Students will discuss some significant potential societal
challenges in the next 25 years and their impact on the
practice of engineering.

Mastery Level1
Application

Analysis
Application
Comprehension
Application

11. Class Schedule: 75 minutes of lecture/class activity two times a week

12. Grading:
Homework
Quizzes
Paper 0: Resume
Paper 1: Life Long Learning Plan
Paper 2: Role of Engineering
Paper 3: Ethics Case Study
Paper 4: Final Team Proposal
Team Proposal Presentation

130
40
35
100
120
120
125
100

Mid Term Exam

Final Exam
Total Points

100
130
1000

Grade Ranges:
1000 to 921 points A
920 to 900 points
A899 to 880 points
B+
879 to 821 points
B
820 to 800 points
B799 to 700 points
C
699 to 600 points
D
You are responsible for assuring that all of your assignment grades have been
posted correctly.

13. Written Assignments:

Homework, laboratory reports, design reports and all other written work will be neat,
organized, and easy to read. Homework problems must show all work and the
answers must be boxed. (In industry, showing how you arrived at the answer is as
important as the answer. There is no answer at the back of the book, so the reviewer
must determine if your logic and calculations have yielded the right answer.)
14. Course Elements
Course Sessions
Attendance is required. There will be lectures, group discussions, guest speakers, and
team presentations. There will be a quiz most weeks on information covered in class
and in the readings and homework.
Case Studies
Case studies will be used throughout the semester to illustrate how the course topics
presented have been actually used in industry. In addition, the class will apply the
course material to develop their own project proposal.
Papers and Presentations
There will be numerous papers prepared during the semester. Each will be graded for
grammar, style, and content. There will also be team presentations. The culminating
activity for the semester will be an internal proposal to the board of directors. It will
be prepared as a team. It will require a working knowledge of most of the topics
covered during the semester. Unless stated otherwise, papers are due at the beginning
of the stated session. Late papers will drop 10% for each day they are late.
Exams
There will be a mid term and final exam. Successful students will benefit from good
note taking. Note: Midterm and Final exam will be online.
Quizzes
There will be several quizzes. It will be over information presented in the lectures,
and homework. The format will be short answer and problems.
Homework
There will be some problems assigned during the semester. These will be graded.

15. Schedule
The class schedule is provided in a separate Excel spreadsheet format. It is subject to
change based on course needs.
16. All assignments are to be uploaded in PDF format on Blackboard on their respective
due dates.
17. Attendance Policy although copies of the lectures are on line, it is expected that
students will attend classes as additional material is presented verbally. Excused
absences related to religious observances/practices that are in accord with ACD 30404 Accommodation for Religious Practices and excused absences related to
university sanctioned events/activities that are in accord with ACD 304-02, Missed
Classes Due to University-Sanctioned Activities
18. Classroom behavior You are expected to behave in a professional business matter
which includes not using cell phones and pagers during class. Reading of books and
surfing with your computer during class will result in you being asked to leave. You
are to provide respect for your instructor as well as your classmates
19. Participation -You are encouraged to ask questions and participant in discussions.
Please ensure that you are adding and not distracting from the course
20. Honor Policy
The Student Academic Integrity Policy of Arizona State University requires
each student to act with honesty and integrity and to respect the rights of others in
carrying out all academic assignments (see:
http://www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/studentlife/judicial/).
Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, cheating, fabrication,
tampering, plagiarism and/or facilitating such activities. A discussion of professional
ethics that is especially relevant to FSE students can be found at
http://www.fulton.asu.edu/fulton/departments/acad_affairs/integrity.php.
21. Threatening behavior per Student Services Manual, SSM 104-02, handling
Disruptive, Threatening, or Violent Individuals on Campus
22. Reminder to students when requesting accommodation for a disability that they must
be registered with the Disability Resource Center (DRC) and submit appropriate
documentation from the DRC.
Note: Information in the syllabus, other than grade and absence polices, may be subject to
change with reasonable advance notice.