Does anyone know how many students will be admitted to the new engineering program, Human Centered Engineering (HCE)? How competitive is the program expected to be? Has anyone applied?
Thanks- interested junior considering adding program to list.
For anyone interested, I learned the HCE program will admit 25 students for 2021. It’s possible to apply for both HCE and another program as a backup.
My daughter applied to HCE ( with Computer Science as a backup major) and was accepted ED II. While she is one of 25 students accepted this upcoming year (Fall 2021), next year (Fall 2022) will be expanded to 50 new admits. She has a 4.16 GPA and has taken 10 AP classes (including Physics, Calculus and Psychology) and did submit her SAT scores as well (1550).
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Congratulations to your daughter! Entry into a program of 25 is a huge accomplishment! I would love to hear how it goes this year if you have time for an update.
My son may apply (36 ACT, 4.6W, 3.85UW). We’ll visit next month informally. The newness of the program makes HCE both intriguing and uncertain.
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Thanks. Your son has phenomenal qualifications! I am hopeful that because it’s a new program, BC will both mentor and monitor the HCE students closely to ensure the program’s continued success. I definitely will keep you updated in the future.
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I think it’s wonderful and so very exciting for your daughter to be part of the inaugural cohort. There’s something to be said for student and program to grow up together 
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Hello! My daughter will also be a HCE student in the fall. Very excited about this program and the opportunity.
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Congrats to your daughter also!
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@begoodtoyourself Congratulations! How exciting to be part of BC’s new program! We’ll be in Chestnut Hill for the next couple days and plan to check out the Schiller building in progress. I would love to hear how your daughter likes the program this fall
Thank you, she is very excited. I’m looking forward to seeing the building as well. Webinar this week said it should be complete before the end of the first semester!
Any tips from those of you who were accepted to this program? Besides your amazing test scores! (Congrats!) What types of extracurriculars, etc. did you do that you feel may have tipped the scales for you? Thank you in advance!
My daughter’s extracurriculars included Girl Scouts, STEM camps and competitions, Math League, varsity field hockey, NHS, lifeguarding (summer job) and volunteering with special needs students , animal shelters, and service activities through the church.
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@Tessa65 What an accomplished student! No wonder BC scooped her up It’s always interesting to hear more about kids’ ECs, especially in terms of admissions for a new program. Thank you for sharing!
I would love to hear more about your daughters experience. My son is admitted to the Fall 2022 HCE program and he is currently deciding between BC HCE, UC Berkeley Aerospace Engineering, and Haverford Physics with 3+2 at Cal Tech or 4+1 and Penn. Do you have any words of wisdom to share? Feel really overwhelmed and slightly concerned about the delay (understandable as it is) in BC HCE being able to get ABET certification.
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We are in the same boat- my son is deciding between Northeastern Engineering and BC HCE. We went to admitted student day last weekend - the program sounds great, but not sure what the graduate outcomes will be or how important not having the ABET certification right out of school will affect him. He loves the idea of being part of something new and loved BC.
Not an engineer, but hoping those who are ABET knowledgeable will weigh in.
On a recent college visit, we were told that ABET matters mostly to those industries that have to sign off on safety (ie civil) and accreditation matters less in other fields, such as a physics major working in aero. This may be a question worth exploring?
Yes, civil engineers commonly go for PE licensing for this reason (signing off on designs of things used by the general public), and PE licensing requires or is greatly helped by having an ABET-accredited degree. Sometimes, other engineers get PE licensing if their line of work needs it. In addition, an ABET-accredited degree is helpful with the patent exam prerequisites.
Otherwise, ABET accreditation is typically expected in more traditional engineering areas (e.g. chemical, electrical, industrial, materials, mechanical, nuclear) as an indicator of quality for programs at schools that do not themselves have top-end reputations in the fields. Hence, new programs in those areas will typically seek ABET accreditation. However, new programs in less traditional fields are less likely to do so, although BC seems to be interested in seeking it (however, ABET accreditation cannot occur before some students in the program graduate, although if it is granted, it is retroactive to those students).
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I would post in the engineering forum for more specific recommendations. I would also ask and talk to the students that just finished the program and their outcomes. Outcomes speak for themselves.
If you are interested in generic engineering with liberal arts emphasis, BC HCE could be a good option. But there is a huge difference in size and depth.
- Northeastern’s College of Engineering offers 26 different majors vs. 1 major at BC.
- 200 tenured/tenure-track faculty members at Northeastern vs. 7 at BC’s engineering department.
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Found this very old thread and wondering if your daughter is having a positive experience at BC? My daughter was just accepted into the newest cohort of 50 students for human centered engineering. The attention to these cohorts is amazing but concerned that established research or job opportunities aren’t there yet. From my experience, companies often return to the same colleges for recruiting and with BC’s program being so new and unknown, will it be more difficult to find employment after graduation. She is excited for an upcoming accepted students day and I am sure we will get lots of our questions answered but it is always great to reach out to parents of current students.