Design Engineering

Experiential Major Menu

BS, Design Engineering

WHERE DESIGN ENGINEERING STUDENTS GO

Students pursuits one-year post-graduation:

  • Employed: 50%
  • Further Education: 17%
  • Seeking: 25%
  • Volunteer: 8%

*Data from 2023 graduates

Industries of employment for students one-year out:

  • High Tech/Information Technology
  • Finance/Financial Services/Insurance
  • Consulting
  • Civil/Construction & Building Trades
  • Aerospace/Defense/Aviation

Job titles of our graduates one-year out:

  • Server Systems Admin
  • Project Coordinator
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Takeoff Engineer
  • Associate Construction Project Engineer

This menu is a tool for you to use to explore opportunities at Mines outside of the classroom. These are not requirements, but rather recommendations to help you leverage what Mines has to offer. Just like at a restaurant, choose what looks best to you and start from there! This menu can help you create your own pathway and customize your experience during your time at Mines.

The activities are placed in specific years below based off staff and faculty recommendations, but you can participate in most of them at any time. There is never a wrong time to get involved if you’re looking, and no pressure to do any of these things!

Get to know Design Engineering

Design Engineering educates the next generation of engineering innovators, design thinkers, and impact makers who will be leaders in responding to the world’s most important challenges. This is a program for students who have a passion to make a positive impact on society and the environment – at the local, national, or global scale.

The Design Engineering curriculum has flexibility that allows students to apply their design expertise to areas of personal interest like product design, sustainable energy, robotics, community development or a wide range of other career possibilities. In addition to traditional engineering or design careers in technology and product-based industries, DE graduates are ideal candidates for roles in NGOs, start- ups and government agencies, and they are uniquely suited to contribute technical design expertise to the fields of healthcare, policy, law and finance.

Academic options in Design Engineering

Explore the options below to see how to expand upon a Design Engineering degree and what to expect from the course load.

Frequently Pursued Minors

Common 4+1 Programs

  • Humanitarian Engineering
  • Engineering and Technology Management

Academic Catalog

Tracks

Addressing World-Wide Challenges
Finding Innovative Solutions
Individualized Focus Area

Get Involved

Attend Celebration of Mines in August to get to know campus organizations and academic departments, sample food, and play games. Below are some departments that offer many great opportunities to enhance your experience here at Mines.

My favorite part of the Design Engineering program is its creative, unconventional approach to engineering. As someone who has been socially and environmentally active in my community, the focus on ethics, lifecycle assessment, and community engagement is what drew me into the program.

Annie Welch

Contact Us: 

1318 Maple St. Bld #4., Golden, CO 80401       https://eds.mines.edu 

Experiential Major Menu Opportunities

DOWNLOAD PDF of EMM
Browse the different opportunities within each year and themed Ore Cart to find ways to get involved. All activities are general campus opportunities unless they are in bold and have Departmental listed afterwards, then they are degree specific ways to get involved.

The online Experiential Major Menus are designed for accessibility. A PDF with the same content is available to download or print but may not be fully accessible for all users. If you experience barriers to accessing this content or need an alternate format, please contact trail@mines.edu.

First Year

Leadership & Innovation

  • Explore opportunities to get involved with the Undergraduate Student Government
  • Explore options to get involved with CLSA and Community Councils
  • Apply for the Environmental Leadership Lab trip and Scholars Program. Check the Daily Blast for more information in April.

Professional Development

Research, Creative & Scholarly Achievement

  • Explore the option of a summer with SURF
  • Pick up copies of The Oredigger to see what is going on at Mines and maybe contribute a written piece.
  • Explore how to get involved with research through different opportunities on campus

Inclusive & Impactful Civic Engagement

  • Apply to work at College View Middle School in Denver as a tutor
  • Join Society of Women Engineers as a mentee
  • Attend the Study Abroad Fair this Fall to start exploring your options. Additional scholarships may be available.
  • Attend the annual Celebration of DI&A at Mines

Health & Wellness

Academic Success

Second Year

Leadership & Innovation

Professional Development

Research, Creative & Scholarly Achievement

  • Develop the framework for your portfolio in Intro to Design Engineering (EDNS 200) (departmental)
  • Attend the Emerging Scholars Seminar Series to learn about various research topics
  • Find a faculty member you are interested in working with and apply for MURF

Inclusive & Impactful Civic Engagement

Health & Wellness

Academic Success

  • Check out CASA for academic advising to talk about focus areas and pre-req mapping
  • Explore Group advising sessions through DE Mandatory Advising (departmental)
  • Explore Bounce Back if you are needing to retake a course, on academic probation or returning from academic suspension

Third Year

Leadership & Innovation

  • Become an officer in your student organization
  • Apply to be an Undergraduate Writing Fellow, a peer tutor in the Writing Center. Check the Daily Blast for information in early October. 
  • Participate in the Leadership Workshop Series

Professional Development

  • Write an article for the DE Digest, email csalinas@mines.edu for
    more information (Departmental)
  • Attend Career Day for summer internship positions
  • Consider opportunities for graduate schools
  • Be a tutor or lead core review with CASA 

Research, Creative & Scholarly Achievement

  • Update your DE design portfolio (departmental)
  • Show your research outcomes in Reuleaux
  • Explore options to join a musical group on campus or Mines Little Theater
  • Co-author a paper with a fellow student or faculty member
  • Manage departmental or student organization’s web and/or social media presence

Inclusive & Impactful Civic Engagement

  • Assist with design in summer programs like SUMMET and
    Challenge
  • Tutoring at local high schools
  • Explore DI&A workshops along with trainings from SHAPE
  • Join the departmental DI&A Council
  • Serve as a panelist at Making The Connection or other recruitment events
  • Coordinate an S2S community service event 

Health & Wellness

Academic Success

  • Consider submitting a student-led Capstone Design project
    proposal (Departmental)
  • Participate in DE Advising (Departmental)
  • Start to request letters of recommendation

Fourth Year

Leadership & Innovation

  • Expand your leadership in your organization
  • Take CSM 350: Special Studies in Leadership & Small Group Dynamics

Professional Development

  • Explore opportunities to TA for Design Studio classes (Departmental)
  • Look for full time employment at Career Day and on DiggerNet.
  • Take advantage of the Career Center’s Offer Letter Review

Research, Creative & Scholarly Achievement

Inclusive & Impactful Civic Engagement

  • Tutor at a local high school
  • Volunteer as a mentor for K-14 student with Rocky Mountain MESA
  • Take Art & Environmentalism in Italy
  • Apply for a Mines DI&A community grant to help promote an inclusive campus
  • Facilitate a workshop at Celebration of DI&A at Mines. Watch the Daily Blast for calls for proposals.

Health & Wellness

  • Show your loved ones everything you love about Mines at Family & Friends weekend
  • Participate in the Imposter Syndrome Peer Education workshop before heading out into the workforce or graduate school
  • Help manage your stress with a Stress Less Box
  • Take a Self-Check at YOU@Mines
  • Do a QPR refresh 

Academic Success

  • Submit job Applications
  • Consider graduate school options and review application
    deadlines