Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering

The Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering provides opportunities for engineering study outside the constraints of traditional engineering curricula. Students may engage with the department in a variety of ways including four-year engineering degrees, masters and doctoral degrees, combination degree programs that award multiple degrees in a shortened timeframe, certificates, courses, and a range of engaging programs such as Engineering Entrepreneurship and Subsea Engineering.

The mission of the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering is to:

1. Utilize the strength of the College of Engineering’s core discipline departments to ensure graduates have strong technical skills appropriate to engineering practice,
2. Provide a vehicle for innovation in both engineering curriculum design and pedagogy, including active classroom techniques, laboratories, and other experiential learning activities such as fabrication, research, internship, and co-op,
3. Offer customizable opportunities for regional and/or underserved populations,
4. Enable means for students to have unique interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary educational experiences, which may include non-engineering disciplines,
5. Support access for students to develop knowledge and skills in emerging and even not-yet-existing fields, and
6. Prepare leaders and engineers who exhibit a dedication to life-long learning, professional and ethical behaviors, sensitivity to global and cultural awareness and impact, and being agents of positive change.

In addition to activities at the College Station campus, the department maintains strong presences at the Galveston and McAllen campuses and through distance education worldwide. The department in an active innovator in engineering education through the creation and delivery of programs as well as granting students the ability to create new fields of study through the interdisciplinary engineering degree programs.

Interdisciplinary Engineering
Multidisciplinary Engineering
Subsea Engineering

Interdisciplinary Engineering

ITDE 610 Introduction to Engineering Innovation in Medicine

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Overview of concepts and topics at the intersection of engineering, medicine, and design for innovation including the design of medical technologies, rapid prototyping tools and techniques; discussion of intellectual property protection, and commercialization strategies, engineering design processes, design in a regulated environment (FDA Quality System Regulation), ideation and concept development methods, prototype development technologies, pre-clinical testing, path-to-market strategies, and entrepreneurship. Prerequisite: Admission to the EnMed program; approval of instructor.

ITDE 611 Engineering Foundations in Medicine I

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of the intersection of engineering, medicine and design which reinforces and practices the first portion of the biodesign curriculum “Identify,” which involves finding and exploring important unmet health needs; exposure to problems and opportunities from clinicians, faculty and professionals, as well as cutting edge research, and a wide breadth of past, present and future medical technologies related to College of Medicine coursework. Prerequisite: ITDE 610 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 612 Engineering Foundations in Medicine II

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of the intersection of engineering, medicine, and design which reinforces and practices the second portion of the biodesign curriculum “Invent,” which involves brainstorming potential solutions, as well as organization and comparison against key criteria for satisfying identified needs; exposure to problems and opportunities from clinicians, faculty and professionals, as well as cutting edge research, and a wide breadth of past, present, and future medical technologies related to their College of Medicine coursework. Prerequisite: ITDE 611 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 613 Engineering Foundations in Medicine III

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of the intersection of engineering, medicine and design which reinforces and practices the third and final portion of the biodesign curriculum “implement,” which involves taking the next steps in commercializing a new technology; exposure to problems and opportunities from clinicians, faculty and professionals, as well as cutting edge research, and a wide breadth of past, present and future medical technologies related to their College of Medicine coursework. Prerequisite: ITDE 612 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 614 Journal Club for Engineering Innovation in Medicine

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Exploration of contemporary medical and engineering literature; identifying needs and opportunities for innovation in the standard and quality of patient care; includes weekly seminars. Prerequisites: ITDE 610 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 624 Engineering Analysis of Clinical Processes I

Credit 1. 0 Lecture Hours. 1 Other Hour. Introduction and overview of the exploration of the intersection of engineering, medicine and design by development of an understanding of the bio-design practice during clerkship; overview of experiences in medical clerkships and electives; recording of experiences to initiate the habit of regular reflection; development of a personal library of identified clinical needs. Prerequisite: ITDE 613 or approval of Instructor.

ITDE 625 Engineering Analysis of Clinical Processes II

Credit 1. 1 Other Hour. Foundational analysis I of the exploration of the intersection of engineering, medicine and design by actively practicing the bio-design practice during clerkship; reflection on experiences in medical clerkships and electives; recording of experiences to build the habit of regular reflection; development of the foundation of a personal library of identified clinical needs. Prerequisite: ITDE 624 or approval by instructor.

ITDE 626 Engineering Analysis of Clinical Processes III

Credit 1. 0 Lecture Hours. 1 Other Hour. Foundational analysis II of the exploration of the intersection of engineering, medicine and design by active practice of the bio-design practice during clerkship; reflection on experiences in medical clerkships and electives; recording of experiences to continue building the habit of regular reflection; continuation of the formation of a personal library of identified clinical needs. Prerequisite: ITDE 625 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 627 Engineering Analysis of Clinical Processes IV

Credit 1. 1 Other Hour. Advanced analysis I of innovation of the bio-design process in engineering and medicine during clerkship; assessment of experiences in medical clerkships and electives; recording of experiences to continue building on regular reflection; evidence of a personal library of identified clinical needs. Prerequisite: ITDE 626 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 628 Engineering Analysis of Clinical Processes V

Credit 1. 0 Lecture Hours. 1 Other Hour. Advanced analysis II of innovation of the bio-design process in engineering and medicine during clerkship; assessment of experiences in medical clerkships and electives; recording of experiences to continue building on regular reflection; demonstration of a personal library of identified clinical needs. Prerequisite: ITDE 627 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 640 Innovation Immersion in Engineering Design I

Credits 4. 1 Lecture Hour. 6 Lab Hours. Exploration of design thinking and the entrepreneurial mindset in innovation; use of a non-linear, iterative process to reframe identified clinical needs; creation of innovative solutions using the ideation, prototyping and testing process; foundation in translation of clinical needs into measurable technical outcomes. Prerequisite: Admission to the EnMed program; approval of instructor.

ITDE 641 Innovation Immersion in Engineering Design II

Credits 4. 1 Lecture Hour. 6 Lab Hours. Exploration of design thinking and the entrepreneurial mindset in innovation; use of a non-linear, iterative process to reframe identified clinical needs; creation of innovative solutions using the ideation, prototyping and testing process; continuation of translation of clinical needs into measurable technical outcomes. Prerequisite: ITDE 640 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 642 Innovation Immersion in Engineering Design III

Credits 4. 1 Lecture Hour. 6 Lab Hours. Advanced exploration of design thinking and the entrepreneurial mindset in innovation; use of a non-linear, iterative process to reframe identified clinical needs; creation of innovative solutions using the ideation, prototyping and testing process; culmination in translation of clinical needs into measurable technical outcomes. Prerequisite: ITDE 641 or approval of instructor.

ITDE 684 Professional Internship

Credits 1 to 10. 1 to 10 Other Hours. Supervised work in an area closely related to the student's specialized field of study. May be repeated for credit. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisites: Graduate classification in interdisciplinary engineering; approval of instructor.

ITDE 685 Directed Studies

Credits 1 to 12. 1 to 12 Other Hours. Directed individual study of selected interdisciplinary topics in engineering, study focused on established knowledge.

ITDE 689 Special Topics In...

Credits 1 to 4. 1 to 4 Lecture Hours. Selected topics in an identified area of interdisciplinary engineering. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Approval of instructor.

ITDE 691 Research

Credits 1 to 23. 1 to 23 Other Hours. Research for thesis or dissertation.

ITDE 702 Engineering Education Research Design and Methods

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Survey of engineering education research methodologies, design and methods; research epistemologies, theories and conceptual frameworks; methods for qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods research; synthesis of literature using formal procedures; use of quality frameworks in engineering education research. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

Multidisciplinary Engineering

MTDE 609 Patent Law for Engineers

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of how proprietary interests in technology are protected by patent law, with a focus on issues of patent validity, patent-eligible subject matter and the enforcement of patent rights.

MTDE 611 Enterprise Basics for Technical Entrepreneurs

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Aspects of entrepreneurship for a technical enterprise; elements of a business including idea generation, startup financing, staffing, product design and production, marketing and selling a product; focus on the front end of the venture: product design and development, financing, identifying and attracting key personnel, and actually starting up company.

MTDE 612 Sales, Operations, and Manufacturing for Technology Companies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Challenges faced in a start-up entity with respect to product manufacturing, operations and supply chain management, product pricing strategies, and sales and marketing; focus on small start-up to young mid-size enterprises.

MTDE 613 Engineer to Chief Executive Officer

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of fundamental skills, experience, and training necessary to one day serve in the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) role; study of what it means to be the CEO and to take on those responsibilities along with the personal and professional commitments associated with this important position; critical area of communications and effective ways to interface with the key stakeholder groups represented by shareholders, board of directors, executive management team, employees, customers, the media and communities where the company does business. Prerequisite: Completion of two summer internships, one summer internship and a co-op, or have been employed full-time.

MTDE 621 Technology Company Management, Leadership, and Corporate Culture

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Strategic challenges associated with enterprise management and leadership; establishing and maintaining a sustainable brand; developing an effective corporate culture; dealing with global competition; case studies in strategic thinking.

MTDE 630 Fundamentals of Subsea Engineering

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Orientation to subsea engineering fundamentals; includes SURF (Subsea, Umbilicals/Controls, Risers, Flowlines) equipment and configurations; exposure to practical, industry focused problems; subsea equipment components; design considerations and design drivers; subsea production operations; integrity critical maintenance activities. Prerequisites: Graduate classification, enrollment in the College of Engineering or approval of instructor.

MTDE 632 Subsea Project Implementation

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Overview of the realization of a subsea development project; includes all stages from discovery to pre-commissioning of the subsea infrastructure. Prerequisite: SSEN 630 or concurrent enrollment.

MTDE 633 Project Management for Engineers

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Basic project management for engineering; project development and economic justification; estimating; scheduling; network methods; critical path analysis; earned value management; project organizational structures; project risk assessment; resource allocation; ethics; characteristics of project managers.

MTDE 651 Product Lean Launch for Engineers

Credits 3. 2 Lecture Hours. 2 Lab Hours. Exercises in the creation of an engineering-centric business using lean startup principles; incorporation of the engineering design process; customer and market validation; value proposition creation; product development process; customer value chain discovery; communication skill training; development of a business model canvas for a student-developed engineering product business idea.

MTDE 652 Engineering Entrepreneurship Hour

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Engagement with successful technology entrepreneurs from technical sectors across engineering and the nation; exploration of challenges faced by and characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and their strategies in launching and sustaining businesses on technology innovation; practice in networking with highly successful entrepreneurs and developing relations valuable to professional careers; development of speaking and presentation skills; practice in networking with industry professionals in support of entrepreneurship.

MTDE 660 Leadership for Transportation Professionals

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Overview of theories and best practices of leadership at all levels of an organization; five core practices of exemplary leadership - model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act and encourage the heart; adoption of an outward mindset to improve performance, spark collaboration and accelerate innovation. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 661 Transportation Organizational Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Current practice and practical tools for leaders and aspirational leaders of transportation organizations; practices and processes for mission critical areas; managing flow of work products and projects; decision making processes; interdisciplinary interaction with planners, property owners, developers and government agencies; project development and execution; organizational performance metrics and transportation system performance. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 662 Transportation and the Economy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Relationship between transportation modes and local, regional, national and international economic systems; history of the relationship between economic growth and development and the transportation system; role of different modes and intermodal facilities and transportation development; vulnerabilities in transportation and economic systems; trends in financing transportation systems; application of block chain and other technologies to the movement of goods. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 663 Communication for Transportation Professionals

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Exploration of effective communication fundamentals; the concepts of strategic thinking and storytelling; use of verbal, printed and electronic media in communicating transportation information; the set of modern professional behavior for excelling in the workforce among peers and clients. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 664 Selection and Adoption of New Transportation Technologies

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Innovative transportation solutions and societal impacts; connected and automated vehicles; demise of the internal combustion engine and rise of electrification; communications with travelers and vehicles; intelligent roadway infrastructure; smart sensor data fusion with artificial intelligence; cybersecurity and communications spectrum; tools for public agencies building transportation’s future. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 665 Sustainable Transportation and the Environment

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Sustainable transportation as the nexus of transportation and the environment; human environment and socioeconomic issues relevant to transportation and the natural environment of ecological issues relevant to transportation; environmental legislation affecting the transportation infrastructure development process; emerging environmental topics such as resilience and public health. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 666 Transportation Policy

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Fundamentals of policy tools in transportation; strategic policy development; transportation governance, laws and regulation; transportation policy in relation to economics, funding, finance and modal usage; linkages between urban development, transportation systems and policy levers; policy issues associated with the relationship between transportation and global drivers of change; role of the transportation leader in strategic policy development. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 667 Regulatory and Legal Topics in Transportation

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Legal and regulatory matters relevant to planning, developing, constructing and maintaining transportation facilities; local, state and federal transportation laws and regulations; legal matters, types of unforeseen questions and dispute resolution options arising in the life cycle of a transportation project; role of counsel and effective interactions with counsel. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 668 Innovation in Transportation Funding and Finance

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Transportation funding and finance at the federal and state levels for all modes of transportation; funding process, financing strategies, innovative funding options and associated risks; role of funding in project planning and prioritization; measuring return on transportation investment; role of various governmental agencies in the funding process; shifting policies and issues that impact funding. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 669 Transportation Capstone I

Credits 2. 1 Lecture Hour. 2 Lab Hours. Project selection and development of problem statement; review of literature relevant to problem; proposal to address problem including analysis methodology and date collection plan; mid-project presentation at end of semester; first semester course in two semester capstone project sequence. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.

MTDE 670 Transportation Capstone II

Credit 1. 0 Lecture Hours. 2 Lab Hours. Continuation of project started in first semester; project scoping; data analysis; development of options, recommendations and implementation approaches; formal presentation of final results to stakeholder audience at end of semester; second semester course in two semester capstone project sequence. Prerequisite: MTDE 669.

Subsea Engineering

SSEN 630 Fundamentals of Subsea Engineering

SSEN 632 Subsea Project Implementation

SSEN 633 Transition from Fossil Fuels

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Current status of energy supplies; overview of energy source trends and forecast of what will be seen in the future; examine renewable energy sources, their technology, what the challenges are and how will these be overcome; appraisal of how the transition will be founded on what we are doing now.

SSEN 640 Subsea Hardware Design

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Basic elements (bolting, seals, flanges & hubs, valves, fittings, connections, and actuators) that make up subsea hardware assemblies; understanding of how these elements work together in a system. Prerequisites: SSEN 630 or concurrent enrollment or approval of instructor.

SSEN 641 Subsea Umbilical and Control System Design

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. A practical view of subsea umbilical and controls system project realization from concept selection through installation and offshore acceptance testing. Prerequisite: SSEN 630, or concurrent enrollment.

SSEN 642 Subsea Pipeline Design

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. A practical view of pipeline project realization from concept selection through installation and offshore acceptance testing. Prerequisites: SSEN 630, or concurrent enrollment, or approval of instructor.

SSEN 643 Subsea Riser Design

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. A practical view of riser project realization from concept selection through installation and offshore acceptance testing. Prerequisites: SSEN 630, or concurrent enrollment, or approval of instructor.

SSEN 646 Applied Reliability Engineering for Subsea Systems

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Overview of the application of reliability engineering to subsea system and all stages from discovery to pre-commissioning of the subsea infrastructure; exposure to practical, industry focused problems; risks and mitigation steps to reduce possibility of an accident or hazard; FMEACA, root cause analysis, TRLs, Risk Based Inspection (RBI) and Risk Based Integrity Management concepts, asset integrity and ALARP concepts, fault tree analysis, Principles of Safety Integrity Level (SIL). Prerequisite: SSEN 630 or concurrent enrollment, or approval of instructor.

SSEN 650 Flow Assurance and Operability of Subsea Systems

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Hydrocarbon production and transport from offshore fields to the host facilities, including prevention and remediation of phenomena that hinder fluid flow in production systems; subsea architecture, hydrodynamic and thermal considerations, reservoir fluid characterization and analysis, solids management, thermal hydraulics and production chemistry. Prerequisites: SSEN 630 or concurrent enrollment, or approval of instructor.

SSEN 651 Subsea Production Operations

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Multiphase hydrocarbon production and transport from offshore fields to host facilities under both steady-state and transient conditions; includes reservoir and SURF system management through chemical gas and water injection, surface and subsea processing, testing and maintenance through all phases of a subsea development. Prerequisites: SSEN 630 or concurrent enrollment, or approval of instructor.

SSEN 681 Professional Development Seminar-Subsea Engineering

Credit 1. 0 Lecture Hours. 1 Other Hour. . Professional seminar introducing students to the latest topics in subsea engineering. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: SSEN 630 or current enrollment, or approval of instructor.

SSEN 684 Professional Internship

Credits 1 to 10. 0 Lecture Hours. 1 to 10 Other Hours. Supervised experience of one academic year in industry where students can learn to apply their textbook-based skills to problems in the real-world environment. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: SSEN 630 or approval of instructor.

SSEN 685 Directed Studies

Credits 1 to 6. 1 to 6 Other Hours. Design or research problems related to subsea engineering. Prerequisite: Graduate classification; approval of program director or designate.

SSEN 691 Research

Credits 1 to 23. 1 to 23 Other Hours. Research in the area of subsea engineering. Must be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. Prerequisite: Graduate classification; approval of program director or designate.

Anwar, Saira, Assistant Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Purdue University, 2020

Arshad, Muzammil, Instructional Associate Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Florida Institute of Technology, 2018

Boehm, Rodney, Associate Professor of the Practice
Multidisciplinary Engineering
MS, Texas A&M University, 1979

Brumbelow, James, Associate Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2001

Conkey, Andrew, Instructional Associate Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2007

Criscione, John, Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
MD, The Johns Hopkins University, 1999
PHD, The Johns Hopkins University, 1999

Diaz Rodriguez, Ivan, Instructional Assistant Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2017

Donnell, James, Professor of the Practice
Multidisciplinary Engineering
BS, Texas A&M University, 1982

Jacobs, Timothy, Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, University of Michigan, 2005

Ledbetter, William, Professor of the Practice
Multidisciplinary Engineering
BS, Texas A&M University, 1975

Ligler, George, Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, University of Oxford, 1975

Lunney, Joseph, University Distinguished Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
JD, Stanford University, 1990
PHD, TULANE UNIVERSITY, 2006

Medina, Mario, Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M Univesity, 1992

Moreno, Michael, Associate Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2009

Munoz Vazquez, Aldo, Instructional Assistant Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Centro de Investigacion y de Estudios Avanzados, 2017

Porter, Jay, Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M University, 1993

Robbins, Andrew, Research Assistant Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2018

Sears, Nicholas, Instructional Assistant Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2017

Shaw, Surupa, Assistant Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, University of New Hampshire, 2015

Shryock, Kristi, Associate Professor
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2011

Shukla, Keshawa, Professor of the Practice
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Banaras Hindu University, 1979

Wolf, Charles, Professor of the Practice
Multidisciplinary Engineering
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2001