Graduate Bulletin
2017-2018 Academic Year
Click here to download a PDF version of the 2017-2018 Engineering Graduate Bulletin.
Letter from the Dean
On behalf of the School of Engineering faculty and staff, I welcome you to a new year in your graduate school journey. If you are newly embarking on the next step in your academic journey, or if you are continuing along a path that we hope you have already found stimulating and fulfilling at Santa Clara, we are here to help you. Some of you are continuing your engineering education along the path that you started as an undergraduate. Others of you might be seeking to change the trajectory of your engineering career. Still others of you might be boldly changing the very field in which you seek to contribute your talents. We here at Santa Clara University are ready to help you on your graduate journey, wherever it started and wherever it will take you. Santa Clara University is committed to providing you a graduate education that combines rigorous instruction in fundamentals with the art of engineering practice. A Santa Clara graduate education will advance not only your technical knowledge and skills, but will provide you the tools and skills to be a life-long learner, skills that are critical in today’s rapidly changing and competitive workplaces that drive engineering innovation. Your graduate education will empower you to truly use your intellect and creativity as an engineer to its fullest expression.
The Santa Clara graduate engineering program aims to produce not only outstanding engineers, but also engineering leaders of uncompromising dedication, integrity and conscience who are able lead in an increasingly complex global environment. As the Jesuit University in Silicon Valley, Santa Clara University is proud to be a vital and unique part of the limitless innovative force that is the heart of the Valley. Silicon Valley pioneers were driven to explore, to innovate, and to improve society through advances in engineering. That quest continues today not only in the Valley but truly in the minds of every engineer who wants to make a difference. At Santa Clara University, you will find a community of teachers and scholars that will stimulate your imagination, expand your knowledge, and nurture your conscience and compassion so that you can be part of a profession that can and will create a more just, humane, prosperous, and sustainable world.
For over 100 years, the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University has helped students turn their dreams to reality. We stand ready in our second century of engineering excellence to help you in your journey. Welcome to Santa Clara University.
Sincerely,
Alfonso Ortega, Ph.D.
John M. Sobrato Professor of Engineering
Dean, School of Engineering
Academic Calendar 2017-2018
All dates are inclusive.
Registration dates are subject to change.
Registration holds must be cleared with the appropriate office by 5 p.m. on Friday when an e-campus deadline to add or drop a class falls on a Sunday.
Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer Quarter refund polices: www.scu.edu/bursar
July 17-21 | Monday-Friday | Fall 2017 registration period |
July 24 | Monday | Open enrollment Period Begins |
August 21 | Monday | Tuition and fee payment due |
September 4 | Monday | Labor Day; administrative holiday. Consult instructor. |
September 11 | Monday | Drop/Swap begins; $50 per course |
September 11 | Monday | Late registration; $100 fee if no previous enrollment |
September 18 | Monday | Classes begin |
September 20 | Wednesday | New Student Orientation |
September 22 | Friday | Last day to petition for graduate degrees to be conferred in December 2017 |
September 24 | Sunday | Last day to change registration or withdraw from classes with a 100 percent refund (Clear registration holds by 5 p.m., Friday) |
September 27 | Wednesday |
Mass of the Holy Spirit, 12 p.m. at the Mission Church. Classes will not meet from11:45-1:15pm. Classes scheduled to begin at 1 pm will begin instead at 1:15pm (some classes may meet, consult with instructor) |
October 1 | Sunday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a 50 percent refund |
October 6 | Friday | Last day to submit incomplete work to faculty for spring and summer 2017 |
October 8 | Sunday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a 25 percent refund |
October 13 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes and not receive a W (no tuition refund) |
October 13 | Friday | Last day for faculty to remove Spring 2017 and Summer Session 2017 incompletes |
October 16-20 | Monday-Friday | Winter 2018 registration period |
November 3 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a W grade |
November 20-24 | Monday-Friday | Thanksgiving recess; academic holiday (consult instructor) |
November 23-24 | Thursday-Friday | Thanksgiving recess; administrative holiday |
December 1 |
Friday | Classes end |
December 4-8 | Monday-Friday | Fall quarter final examinations |
December 13 | Wednesday | Fall quarter grades due |
December 21 | Thursday | Tuition and fee payment deadline |
December 25-26 | Monday-Tuesday | Christmas recess; administrative holiday |
December 29-January 1 | Friday-Monday | New Year’s recess; administrative holiday |
October 16-20 | Monday-Friday | Winter 2018 registration period |
October 23 | Monday | Open enrollment period begins |
December 21 | Thursday | Tuition and fee payment due |
January 1 | Monday | Drop/Swap begins; $50 per course |
January 1 | Monday | Late registration begins; $100 fee if no previous enrollment |
January 8 | Monday | Classes begin |
January 10 | Wednesday | New Student Orientation |
January 12 | Friday | Last Day to petition for graduate degrees to be conferred in March 2018 |
January 14 | Sunday | Last day to change registration or withdraw from classes with a 100 percent refund (Clear registration holds by 5 p.m., Friday) |
January 15 | Monday | Martin Luther King Day; administrative holiday. Consult instructor. |
January 21 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a 50 percent refund |
January 26 | Friday | Last day to submit incomplete fall quarter 2017 work to faculty |
January 28 | Sunday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a 25 percent refund |
February 2 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes and not receive a W grade (no tuition refund) |
February 3 | Friday | Last day for faculty to remove Fall 2017 incompletes |
February 12-16 | Monday-Friday | Spring 2018 registration period |
February 19 | Monday | Presidents’ Day; administrative holiday. Consult instructor. |
February 23 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a W grade |
February 23 | Friday | Last day to petition for graduate degrees to be conferred in June 2018 |
March 16 | Friday | Classes end |
March 19-23 | Monday-Friday | Winter quarter final examinations |
March 21 | Wednesday | Tuition and fee payment deadline |
March 28 | Wednesday | Winter quarter grades due |
February 12-16 | Monday-Friday | Spring 2018 registration period |
February 19 | Monday | Open enrollment period begins |
February 23 | Friday | Last day to petition for graduate degrees to be conferred in June 2018 |
March 21 | Wednesday | Tuition and fee payment due |
March 26 | Monday | Drop/Swap begins; $50 per course |
March 26 | Monday | Late registration begins; $100 fee if no previous enrollment |
March 30 | Friday | Good Friday, administrative holiday |
April 2 | Monday | Easter Holiday; academic holiday |
April 3 | Tuesday | Classes begin |
April 4 | Wednesday | New Student Orientation |
April 9 | Monday | Last day to change registration or withdraw from classes with a 100 percent refund (Clear registration holds by Friday 4/7 5:00 p.m.) |
April 9-13 | Monday-Friday | Summer 2018 registration period for current students for all three sessions |
April 15 | Sunday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a 50 percent refund |
April 20 | Friday | Last day to submit incomplete work to faculty for Winter 2018 |
April 22 | Sunday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a 25 percent refund |
April 27 | Friday | Last day for faculty to remove Winter 2018 incompletes) |
April 27 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes and not receive a W grade (no tuition refund) |
May 18 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes with a W grade |
May 21 | Monday | Tuition and fee payment deadline |
May 28 | Monday | Memorial Day; academic and administrative holiday. (consult instructor) |
June 8 | Friday | Classes end |
June 11-15 | Monday-Friday | Spring quarter final examinations |
June 15 | Friday | Graduate Commencement |
June 20 | Wednesday | Spring quarter grades due |
April 9-13 | Monday-Friday | Registration period for current students for all three sessions |
April 16 | Monday | Open enrollment period begins |
May 21 | Monday | Tuition and fee payment deadline |
June 18 | Monday | Late registration; $100 fee if no previous enrollment |
June 18 | Monday | Drop/Swap begins; $50 per course |
June 25 | Monday | Classes begin for Summer Sessions I and II |
June 29 | Sunday | Last day to register for all three sessions |
July 4 | Wednesday | Independence Day observed; administrative holiday. Classes will meet |
July 6 | Friday | Last day to petition for graduate degrees to be conferred in September 2018 |
July 27 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes for Session II only (no tuition refund) |
July 27 | Friday | Classes end for Session II only |
July 30-31 | Monday, Tuesday | Summer Session II final examinations |
August 6 | Monday | Classes begin for Summer Session III |
August 30 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes for Session I only (no tuition refund) |
August 30 |
Friday | Classes end for Session I only |
September 3-7 | Monday-Friday | Summer Session I final examinations |
September 3 | Monday | Labor day observed; administrative holiday: classes will meet |
September 7 | Friday | Last day to withdraw from classes for Session III only |
September 7 | Friday | Classes end for Session III only |
September 10-11 | Monday, Tuesday | Summer Session III final examinations |
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a comprehensive Jesuit, Catholic university located in the heart of Silicon Valley with approximately 8,500 students. Founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus, California’s oldest operating higher education institution offers a rigorous undergraduate curriculum in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, plus nationally recognized graduate and professional programs in business, education, engineering, counseling psychology, law, and pastoral ministries. The University boasts a diverse community of scholars characterized by small classes and a values-oriented curriculum. The traditions of Jesuit education—educating the whole person for a life of service—run deep in all of its curricular and co-curricular programs.
Santa Clara University has adopted three directional statements to describe the kind of university that it aspires to become (Strategic Vision), its core purpose and the constituencies it serves (University Mission), and the beliefs that guide its actions (Fundamental Values).
Strategic Vision
Santa Clara University will educate citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion and cultivate knowledge and faith to build a more humane, just, and sustainable world.
University Mission
The University pursues its vision by creating an academic community that educates the whole person within the Jesuit, Catholic tradition — making student learning our central focus, continuously improving our curriculum and co-curriculum, strengthening our scholarship and creative work, and serving the communities of which we are a part in Silicon Valley and around the world.
As an academic community, we expand the boundaries of knowledge and insight through teaching, research, artistic expression, and other forms of scholarship. Primarily through discovering, communicating, and applying knowledge, we exercise our institutional responsibility as a voice of reason and conscience in society.
We offer challenging academic programs and demonstrate a commitment to the
development of:
- Undergraduate students who seek an education with a strong humanistic orientation in a primarily residential setting.
- Graduate students, many of them working professionals in Silicon Valley, who seek advanced degree programs that prepare them to make significant contributions to their fields.
In addition to these core programs, we also provide a variety of continuing education and professional development opportunities for nonmatriculated students.
Fundamental Values
We hold ourselves responsible for living out these core values, which are critical for carrying out our mission in pursuit of our vision:
Academic Excellence. We seek an uncompromising standard of excellence in teaching, learning, creativity, and scholarship within and across disciplines.
Search for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. We prize scholarship and creative work that advance human understanding, improve teaching and learning, and add to the betterment of society by illuminating the most significant problems of the day and exploring the enduring mysteries of life. In this search, our commitment to academic freedom is unwavering.
Engaged Learning. We strive to integrate academic reflection and direct experience in the classroom and the community, especially to understand and improve the lives of those with the least education, power, and wealth.
Commitment to Students. As teachers and scholars, mentors and facilitators, we endeavor to educate the whole person. We nurture and challenge students—intellectually, spiritually, aesthetically, morally, socially, and physically—preparing them for leadership and service to the common good in their professional, civic, and personal lives.
Service to Others. We promote throughout the University a culture of service—service not only to those who study and work at Santa Clara but also to society in general and its most disadvantaged members as we work with and for others to build a more humane, just, faith-filled, and sustainable world.
Community and Diversity. We cherish our diverse and inclusive community of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni, a community that is enriched by people of different backgrounds, respectful of the dignity of all its members, enlivened by open communication, and caring and just toward others.
Jesuit Distinctiveness. We treasure our Jesuit heritage and tradition, which incorporates all of these core values. This tradition gives expression to our Jesuit educational mission and Catholic identity while also welcoming and respecting other religious and philosophical traditions, promoting the dialogue between faith and culture, and valuing opportunities to deepen religious beliefs.
Santa Clara University offers undergraduate degrees leading to the bachelor of arts (B.A.), bachelor of science (B.S.), and bachelor of science in commerce. The College of Arts and Sciences offers the B.A. degree and the B.S. degree in 37 subject areas and includes the graduate program in pastoral ministries, through which it offers the master of arts (M.A.) degree in catechetics, pastoral liturgy, spirituality, and liturgical music. The Leavey School of Business offers the B.S. degree in commerce with majors in seven subject areas. The School of Engineering offers a B.S. degree with majors in seven subject areas. A variety of interdisciplinary minors and discipline-based minors are also offered in the undergraduate program.
The School of Law offers programs leading to the degrees of juris doctor (J.D.) and master of laws (LL.M.). J.D. students may earn certificates of specialization in high technology and intellectual property law, international law, and public interest and social justice law. A broad curriculum also includes business and commercial law, taxation, criminal law and trial advocacy, environmental law, estate planning, labor law, health law, legal writing and research, as well as opportunities for externships, clinical work, and professional skill development. The Leavey School of Business offers graduate programs leading to the master of business administration (MBA) degree with coursework in accounting, economics, finance, management, marketing, and operations management and information systems. The business school also offers a graduate program leading to the master of science (M.S.) in information systems, entrepreneurship, supply chain management, or finance. In conjunction with the law school, the business school also offers joint degree programs leading to a J.D./MBA and J.D./MSIS.
The School of Engineering offers graduate programs leading to the master of science (M.S.) degree in applied mathematics, bioengineering, civil engineering, computer science and engineering, electrical engineering, engineering management, mechanical engineering, software engineering, and sustainable energy; and the engineer’s degree in computer science and engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering. The engineering school also offers the doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in computer science and engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering.
The two departments in the School of Education and Counseling Psychology offer credential and graduate programs. The Department of Education focuses on preparing teachers and administrators for public and Catholic schools. It offers programs in teacher preparation leading to credentials (i.e., California preliminary multiple-subject and single-subject teaching credentials, and California Clear credential) and the master of arts in teaching (MAT) degree. Its programs in educational administration prepare public K–12 administrators (i.e., the Preliminary California Administrative Services credential and the California Clear Administrative Services credential), and Catholic school leaders through the certificate program in Catholic School Leadership. The department also offers an M.A. program in interdisciplinary education—with emphases in curriculum and instruction; science, technology, environmental education, and mathematics (STEEM)—and educational administration. The departments of Education and Counseling Psychology jointly offer the certificate program in Alternative and Correctional Education. The Department of Counseling Psychology offers two degree programs: M.A. in counseling psychology and M.A. in counseling. The M.A. in counseling psychology can lead to state licensure for marriage and family therapists and/or licensed professional clinical counselors. The department includes emphasis programs in health, correctional, and Latino counseling.
The Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University is one of only two Jesuit theological centers in the United States operated by the Society of Jesus, as the order of Catholic priests is known. Moreover, it is one of only two Jesuit theological centers in the country that offer three ecclesiastical degrees certified by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education. JST also offers four other advanced theological degrees, as well as sabbatical and certificate programs for clergy, religious, and lay people.
Santa Clara University has three Centers of Distinction that serve as major points of interaction between the University and society. Each center’s theme is central to Santa Clara’s distinctive mission as a Jesuit university offering an educational environment that integrates rigorous inquiry and scholarship, creative imagination, reflective engagement with society, and a commitment to fashioning a more humane and just world. Each center, home to faculty and students from multiple disciplines, engages experts and community leaders through speaking events, conferences, workshops, and experiential learning opportunities.
Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship
The mission of Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship—formerly the Center for Science, Technology, and Society before being renamed in 2015—is to accelerate global, innovation-based entrepreneurship in service to humanity. Through an array of programs including its signature Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI), Miller Center unites an international network of business, investment capital, and technical resources to build the capacity of social enterprises around the world. Its programs inspire faculty and students with real-world case studies, distinctive curricula, and unique research opportunities, advancing the University’s vision of creating a more just, humane, and sustainable world. Learn more at www.scu.edu/millercenter.
Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education
The Ignatian Center for Jesuit Education promotes and enhances the distinctively Jesuit, Catholic tradition of education at Santa Clara University, with a view toward serving students, faculty, staff, and through them the larger community, both local and globa
- Thriving Neighbors Initiative actively promotes strategic ties between SCU and the Greater Washington Community of San Jose to advance prosperity and education of both SCU Students and neighborhood students as whole persons in whole communities.
- Bannan Institutes provide yearlong thematic programs including academic events and scholarly activities that further the Jesuit, Catholic character of the University.
- Community-based learning places more than 1,200 students each year with community partners, frequently in connection with an academic course.
- Immersion programs offer students, during academic breaks, the opportunity to experience local, domestic, and international communities with little access to wealth, power, and privilege.
- Ignatian Tradition Offerings provide opportunities for members of the community to encounter the spiritual sources of the Jesuit tradition.
Through these five programs, the Ignatian Center aspires to be recognized throughout Silicon Valley and beyond as providing leadership for the integration of faith, justice, and the intellectual life. Learn more at www.scu.edu/ignatiancenter.
Markkula Center for Applied Ethics
The Markkula Center for Applied Ethics is one of the preeminent centers for research and dialogue on ethical issues in critical areas. The center works with faculty, staff, students, community leaders, and the public to address ethical issues more effectively in teaching, research, and action. The center’s focus areas are business, health care and biotechnology, character education, government, global leadership, technology, and emerging issues in ethics. Articles, cases, briefings, and dialogue in all fields of applied ethics are available through the center. Learn more at www.scu.edu/ethics.
Santa Clara University’s emphasis on a community of scholars and integrated education attracts faculty members who are as committed to students’ intellectual and moral development as they are to pursuing their own scholarship. The University’s 500-plus full-time faculty members include Fulbright professors, nationally recognized authors and poets, groundbreaking scientists, and distinguished economic theorists.
Santa Clara University has a student population of more than 8,400, with about 5,450 undergraduate students and nearly 3,000 graduate students. The undergraduate population has a male-to-female ratio of 47 percent to 53 percent, and about 51 percent of undergraduate students identify themselves as persons of color. Close to 60 percent of undergraduates are from California, with the others coming from throughout the United States and 21 foreign countries. Approximately 80 percent of undergraduate students receive some kind of financial aid—scholarships, grants, or loans.
Half of the undergraduate population lives in University housing, with 95 percent of first-year students living on campus. Students experience an average class size of 21, The student-to-faculty ratio is 11 to 1.
The University’s commitment to learning is demonstrated by the fact that 95 percent of first-year students advance to the sophomore year, and the percentage of Santa Clara students who graduate is among the highest in the country. The four-year graduation rate for entering freshmen is about 84 percent, and the six-year graduation rate is 89 percent. Santa Clara has one of the nation’s highest freshman retention rates, at 96 percent.
Santa Clara University has approximately 97,000 alumni living in all 50 states and more than 113 foreign countries. About 48 percent of alumni live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where many of them are leaders in business, law, engineering, academia, and public service.
Santa Clara University supports a broad intercollegiate athletic program and is a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and a founding member of the West Coast Conference (WCC). With 20 intercollegiate sports, the Broncos field teams in men’s and women’s basketball, crew, cross-country, golf, soccer, tennis, track, and water polo, along with men’s baseball, women’s softball, and women’s volleyball and sand volleyball. The men’s and women’s soccer teams are perennially among the nation’s elite programs, both having won national championships. Men’s tennis has also emerged in recent years as one of the nation’s top programs. Santa Clara is one of the WCC’s top broad-based programs, having won the WCC Commissioner’s Cup in 2005 and 2007—an all-sports award presented to the league’s top performing school in conference competition.
Informal recreation opportunities include drop-in use of the weight and cardiovascular equipment and gymnasium in the 9,500-square-foot weight training and cardiovascular exercise room in the Pat Malley Fitness and Recreation Center, lap swimming in the Sullivan Aquatic Center, and playing tennis at the Degheri Tennis Center, which features nine lighted championship courts. Noncredit lifetime recreation fitness classes are also provided for a nominal quarterly fee to all members. Available classes include yoga, Pilates, kickboxing, cycling, step aerobics, and more.
The University’s intercollegiate athletic teams compete in the Leavey Center, which has a roof surrounded by spectacular 23-foot glass walls, and a high-definition video board; the Stephen Schott Baseball Stadium, equipped with state-of the-art facilities and seating for 1,500 people; the soccer complex of Stevens Stadium; and the Degheri Tennis Center. Rounding out the other athletic facilities are 12 acres of intramural athletic fields.
The University is located on a 106-acre campus in the city of Santa Clara near the southern end of the San Francisco Bay in one of the world’s great cultural centers and in the heart of Silicon Valley. At the campus center is the Mission Church, restored in 1928 and surrounded by the roses and palm and olive trees of the historic Mission Gardens. The adjacent Adobe Lodge is the oldest building on campus, having been restored in 1981 to its 1822 decor. There are more than 50 buildings on campus, housing 15 student residences, a main library and a law library, a student center, the de Saisset Museum, the Center of Performing Arts, extensive athletic facilities, and a recreation and fitness center. With a game-changing gift of $100 million in early 2017, John A. and Susan Sobrato established the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation—a 300,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility to enhance STEM education and promote cross-disciplinary exploration. Computer and telecommunications technology is an integral part of life and learning at Santa Clara University. All residence hall rooms and most classrooms are connected to high-speed Internet access and campus email, and most of the campus is covered by a wireless network.
Engineering at Santa Clara
The undergraduate programs leading to the Bachelor of Science degree in Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering were first offered at Santa Clara University in 1912; the programs were accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology in 1937. Since that time, the following degree programs have been added: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and Engineering and in Engineering; Master of Science in Applied Mathematics, Bioengineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Management and Leadership, Mechanical Engineering, Software Engineering and Sustainable Energy; Engineer’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering; and Doctor of Philosophy in Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. In addition, the School of Engineering offers a variety of certificate programs, as well as an Open University program.
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of Santa Clara University’s School of Engineering is to prepare diverse students for professional excellence, responsible citizenship, and service to society. The engineering school does this through:
- Distinctive academic programs that are designed to produce engineers who approach
their profession with competence, conscience, and compassion - Broadly educated faculty, who model and encourage the notion of lifelong learning
- Scholarly activities that create new knowledge and advance the state of the art of technology
- Interactions with professional societies and companies in Silicon Valley and beyond
- Service activities that benefit our diverse constituencies and humanity in general
SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING VISION
The School of Engineering will be known and treasured, in Silicon Valley and beyond, for the impact of its graduates and faculty on improving the human condition through engineering education, practice, and scholarship.
Contact Us
Engineering Graduate Programs
Santa Clara University
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, CA 95053
Guadalupe Hall, Bldg. 455, Suite 330
408-554-4313
408-554-4323 fax