Engineering Communications Requirement

The Engineering Communications Requirement gives students focused instruction on developing strategies to "learn how to learn" communication skills. Because communication is always evolving, there's no single answer or final solution. Instead, these skills are developed, refined and applied throughout a lifetime.
Engineering Communications Program
ENGRC Waitlist Information
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Cornell Engineering offers several ways to fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement, each focusing on both written and oral communication in context. All undergraduates must meet this requirement.

Courses from other universities or previous work cannot be used to fulfill this requirement (see Category 6 in the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook).

Cornell Engineering expands communication skills beyond writing

Cornell Engineering emphasizes that effective communication in engineering involves much more than writing. It includes presenting, persuading, collaborating in teams, and designing complex messages through various methods. Engineers must also create visual materials, such as graphs, charts, data visualizations, sketches, and photos, to support and enhance their technical work.

General Policies for all ENGRC Courses

  • ENGRC Courses: Fulfilling Requirements

    All ENGRC courses, if passed, fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement for undergraduate graduation.

  • ENGRC Grading

    Cornell’s ENGRC courses are graded A-F, with no option for an A+ because extra credit is not available.

  • Code of Academic Integrity

    All students at Cornell are expected to follow the Code of Academic Integrity. Submitting work that isn’t your own is a violation, including work generated by ChatGPT or copied from another AI service, bot, or website. Doing so will lead to an Academic Integrity filing.

    The only exception is if your instructor assigns a ChatGPT-related task to explore how AI can be used in engineering, technical, scientific, business, or academic communication.

Choose from two paths to fulfill your Engineering Communications requirement

Category A: Via the Engineering Communications Program Courses and Opportunities

Courses in Category A will fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement for all majors.

  1. Take and pass an offered Engineering Communications course

  2. No longer offered:

    ENGRC 3024

  3. Enroll in and pass ENGRC 3023

    Enroll in and pass ENGRC 3023, a 1-credit attachment to a 3-credit engineering course that is not one of the officially designated W-I or C-I courses

    Cornell Engineering instructors may occasionally wish to extend communication competencies with added work inside their course for a given semester so that it will fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement

    With the approval of the CCGB’s Subcommittee on Engineering Communications, instructors may have students co-register in ENGRC 3023, which may be taken more than once with different courses by permission of the engineering instructors.

    As a 1-credit offering, this course does not fulfill a Liberal Studies requirement, even via petition.

    Please note that ENGRC 3023 can only be attached to 3-credit courses; all requests for ENGRC 3023s for 2-credit, 1-credit, or 0.5-credit courses will be denied, even in combination. This policy is to assure that there is enough course time and instructor contact not only for the work to be done with the “parent” engineering course, but also the extra 1-credit-worth of work for the Engineering Communications Requirement.

    To begin the application process, send an email to engrcomm_info@cornell.edu, requesting the full ENGRC 3023 information packet to begin. Please insert “3023 request” in the subject line.

    For questions or an appointment to discuss options, please send an email immediately requesting an appointment to engrcomm_info@cornell.edu.

    See Note 1 at the bottom of Category A for more information.

    The highest grade possible for ENGRC 3023 is an “A,” regardless of the grade in the associated course.

    • All 3023 paperwork MUST be submitted by the last Wednesday of January for consideration for Spring semester consideration.
    • All 3023 paperwork MUST be submitted by the last Wednesday of August for consideration for Fall semester consideration.
    • Students who are approved will enroll in a 1cr graded course using a PIN provided by the Engineering Communications Program Director.

  4. Complete and pass a 1-credit partner course

    Here are the current options, which require enrollment in both the departmental course (usually 3 credits) and the ENGRC course (1 credit).

    These courses do not count toward the Liberal Studies requirement, even with a petition. For more details, see Note 2.

    The highest grade possible in the ENGRC course is an “A,” regardless of the grade in the associated course. Because it’s a 1-credit course, it cannot be used to fulfill a Liberal Studies requirement, even by petition.

    • ENGRC 3120 (partnered with ORIE 3120)
    • ENGRC 3152 (partnered with CIS/INFO 3152)
    • ENGRC 3610 (partnered with CEE 3610)
    • ENGRC 4152 (partnered with CIS/INFO 4152)
      Note: Students cannot take CIS/INFO 5152 and ENGRC 4152 at the same time. Early admission to a Master’s program requires students to fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement as undergraduates in both the CIS/INFO course and the ENGRC course. Petitions to change this will not be granted.
    • ENGRC 4590 (partnered with BEE 4590)

  5. Apply for ENGRC 3341: Guided Fieldwork in Engineering Communications

    Formerly known as the ECR Petition.

    Sometimes, a student may be involved in a significant amount of engineering or technical communication elsewhere in Cornell Engineering. In these cases, it may be possible to petition the CCGB’s Subcommittee on Engineering Communications for permission to use this work for future projects (not past ones) to meet the Engineering Communications Requirement.

    Students and their mentoring Engineering faculty should plan ahead for this option. To request the information packet and form, email engrcomm_info@cornell.edu with “3341 request” in the subject line. For questions or to schedule an appointment, email the same address.

    Please note that this option does not fulfill the Liberal Studies requirement, even with a petition. For more information, see Note 2. The highest grade possible for ENGRC 3341 is an “A.” Because it is a 1-credit course, it cannot be used to meet a Liberal Studies requirement, even by petition.

    • All 3341 paperwork MUST be submitted by the last Wednesday of January for consideration for Spring semester consideration.
    • All 3341 paperwork MUST be submitted by the last Wednesday of August for consideration for Fall semester consideration.
    • Students who are approved will enroll in a 1cr graded course using a PIN provided by the ECP Director.

     

Note 1

The minimum grade required to meet the Engineering Communications Requirement (ECR) depends on your major and how you plan to apply the course toward your degree. For guidance, consult the Engineering Advising Office, your major department, and the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.

Note 2

Petitioning the ECR: You cannot petition to use a regular engineering course to fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement, even if the course includes writing and presenting. This is because some courses within each major are designated as “Communication-Intensive” or “Writing-Intensive” by the departments themselves (see Category B below). These designations are based on the specific program or the professor’s teaching approach.

Category B: Via Other Paths

  1. Take an officially designated Writing-Intensive (W-I) or Communication-Intensive (C-I) engineering course

    Note: This list is not complete, as engineering departments may offer Writing-Intensive (W-I) or Communication-Intensive (C-I) courses on an ad-hoc basis, and these offerings can change each semester. Students should check with their advisors each semester to confirm if a course will meet the Engineering Communications Requirement, as curriculum approvals are managed by each major through CCGB approval.

    W-I and C-I courses are part of a major’s regular offerings and are designed for that major’s students. These courses do not count toward the Liberal Studies requirement, even with a petition. For more information, see the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.

    These courses typically fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement only for their own majors. Students, advisors, and departments need to verify how these courses fit into each student’s major requirements for graduation. The Engineering Communications Program does not oversee or assess these courses.

    For questions or to schedule an appointment, email engrcomm_info@cornell.edu within the first two weeks of the semester or earlier.

    • BEE 4530 – Computer-Aided Engineering: Applications to Biological Processes
    • BEE 4730 – Watershed Engineering
    • BEE 4590 – Physical Design in Biological and Environmental Engineering
    • BME 4190 – Laboratory Techniques for Molecular, Cellular, and Systems Engineering
    • BME 4390 – Circuits, Signals, and Sensors: Instrumentation Laboratory
    • BME 4490 – Biomechanics Laboratory
    • CHEME 4320 – Chemical Engineering Laboratory
    • ECE 4920 – ECE Technical Writing (pre-reqs of both ECE 4760 or ECE 5760) Note: This course fulfills the Engineering Communications Requirement for both ECE students and CS students.
    • INFO 1200 – Information Ethics, Law, and Policy (fulfills the ECR for ISST majors only; after June 2024, this course will no longer fulfill the ECR for ISST students)
    • MSE 4030 – Senior Materials Laboratory I and MSE 4040 – Senior Materials Laboratory II (both)
    • MSE 4050 – Senior Experimental Thesis I and MSE 4060 – Senior Experimental Thesis II (both)
    • MAE 4272 – Fluids/Heat Transfer Laboratory
    • ORIE 4100 – Manufacturing Systems Design: A Consulting Boot Camp Note 1: ORIE 5100 does not fulfill the Engineering Communications Requirement. Note 2: This course fulfills the Engineering Communications Requirement for both ORIE students and CS students.

     

  2. Enroll in and complete COMM 3030 or COMM 3020, taught by the Department of Communication (in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences)

    The Engineering Communications Program does not control, monitor, or assess for these courses.  This option does not also fulfill the Liberal Studies requirement, even via petition.  See also the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.

  3. Enroll in and complete HADM 3670, taught through the Nolan School

    The Engineering Communications Program does not control, monitor, or assess for these courses.  This option does not also fulfill the Liberal Studies requirement, even via petition.  See also the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.

Note

The minimum course grade needed for the Engineering Communications Requirement will depend on your major and where you plan to use your engineering communications course towards your degree. Please seek guidance from the Engineering Advising Office or from your major department. See also the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.