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Engineering Department

Dr. Denise McCollim
Dean of Arts and Sciences

THE PURPOSE OF THIS DIVISION is to provide a traditional liberal arts education that prepares students to function as Christian professionals in a variety of career settings in their chosen field of study.

This division comprises the engineering, humanities, natural sciences, and nursing departments of Pensacola Christian College, each of which offers undergraduate degrees. The nursing department also offers a graduate degree.

Dr. Joel Porcher, Chair

The engineering department is dedicated to teaching fundamental laws of God’s creation, manifest through science and mathematics, as building blocks of a solid engineering education. Understanding the forces at work within nature enables man to control and direct these forces to achieve human goals. While a firm theoretical foundation is laid, a strong emphasis is placed on practicality and application of principles for solving design problems and doing work.

High School Preparation

Modern engineering education demands much specific high school preparation. Ideally, the beginning engineering student should have a good understanding of basic physical sciences, a highly developed ability in mathematics, and competence to read rapidly with comprehension. Minimum adequate preparation includes 2 units of algebra and 1 unit each of plane geometry, advanced mathematics (trigonometry and analytical geometry or precalculus), chemistry, and physics. While prior computer knowledge is helpful, it is not required.

Students not prepared to enter directly into the engineering curriculum will be able to make up certain deficiencies. In this case, time required to complete an engineering degree could be expected to increase.

Residence Requirements

Engineering students that are nonresidence hall students are required to pay a Nonresidence Fee of $1,700 per semester, in addition to tuition and other applicable fees. All single, undergraduate students under 25 years of age not living with their parents are required to reside in the residence hall. Engineering town students must pay the Nonresidence Fee. PCC does not provide residence hall living space for married students or their families; therefore, all married engineering students are classified as town students and must pay the Nonresidence Fee.

Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Science Degree

Engineering Major

The purpose of the engineering major is to develop Christian engineers who are prepared academically to be viable professionals in either the mechanical or electrical engineering fields.

Program Educational Objectives: Within the first five years after graduation, our engineering alumni are expected to make measurable conributions in the following spiritual and professional objectives:

  • Entry-Level Employment—apply engineering knowledge, professional ethics, and Christian principles in the workplace
  • Christian Ministry—support a local church and other Christian ministries
  • Leadership—demonstrate Christian leadership through career, church, or community opportunities
  • Lifelong Learning—advance intellectualy through activities such as continuing education or industry certification

Learning Outcomes: Graduates of the engineering program will be able to:

  • solve technical problems by applying God's laws of the pysical creation to determinate situations modeled by calculus, differential equations, chemistry, physics, and the engineering sciences;
  • investigate hypotheses empirically by laboratory experiments or computer simulations involving data collection and evaluation and open-ended design;
  • develop an engineering solution that meets requirements and is safe, economical, sustainable, and practical for a component, assembly, process, or system;
  • integrate individual responsibility, biblical values, and collaborative synthesis in laboratory team scenarios and in multidisciplinary project teams;
  • solve engineering problems by modeling systems, computing results, and validating solutions;
  • assess engineering rules of professional and ethical reoponsibility in light of the Golden Rule of Jesus Christ and other biblical principles;
  • communicate effectively through engineering critiques, reports, and oral presentations in technical courses;
  • assess the nontechnical impacts of historic or contemporary engineering solutions from spiritual, social, economic, national, global, and environmental perspectives;
  • plan personal goals for continuing engineering education and lifelong learning, such as application for professioal membership, technical certification, advanced education, or licensing;
  • judge benefits and needs by examining spiritual, social, political, and business aspects of contemporary issues; and
  • apply viable modern solution techniques, laboratory equipment, online resources, and computatioal tools available to engineering practitioners.

Concentrations

  • Electrical

    The purpose of the electrical engineering concentration is to promote the cause of Christ by providing engineering education in a Christian and traditional, liberal-arts setting to develop undergraduates who are biblical in their philosophical worldview, Christlike in their character, and exemplary in their practice of electrical engineering.

    Additional Learning Outcomes: Graduates of the electrical engineering concentration will also be able to

    • analyze circuit, communication, control, electrical-power distribution, electromagnetic, electronic, digital, microprocessor and linear systems by means of physical principles and mathematical tools from calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables, and discrete mathematics;
    • perform detailed design of communication, controls, electrical-power distribution, electromagnetic, signal processing, digital, microprocessor, and analog-electronic systems that would be expected at the entry level for electrical engineers, including software, and systems containing both hardware and software, not only as individual subsystems but integrated into complex electrical and electronic components and devices; and
    • apply probability and statistics to determine spectral and temporal characteristics of stochastic signals and determine the spectral and temporal characteristics of stochastic signals processed by linear and memoryless nonlinear systems.

  • Mechanical

    The purpose of the mechanical engineering concentration is to promote the cause of Christ by providing engineering education in a Christian and traditional, liberal-arts setting to develop undergraduates who are biblical in their philosophical worldview, Christlike in their character, and exemplary in their practice of mechanical engineering.

    Additional Learning Outcomes: Graduates of the mechanical engineering concentration will also be able to

    • apply calculus and differential equations, basic science, and engineering principles to modeling, analysis, design, and realization of mechanical engineering components, systems, or processes; and
    • solve open-ended design problems in the mechanical engineering disciplines of HVAC and Refrigeration, Mechanical Systems and Materials, and Thermal and Fluids Systems.