About the Engineering Fundamentals Division

The UT College of Engineering is home to the Engineering Fundamentals Division (EFD) -- one of the nation’s most innovative approaches to freshman engineering education. In this success-oriented environment, students learn by interacting with others to create solutions to engineering problems. EFD provides an excellent foundation for all undergraduate engineering degree programs, which are fully accredited by the ABET Engineering Accreditation Program.

Project Orientation

The EFD curriculum is designed to allow students to gain practical experience by working on team projects involving physics, computer tools and engineering design.

These topics are integrated into two four-hour courses that focus on “design, build and test” projects. These activities provide realistic, mind-engaging problems that introduce students to the engineering design process and allow them to develop decision-making skills vital to practicing engineers.

Teamwork

With the increased complexity of modern engineering tasks, the teamwork has become more important than ever. Learning to be an effective team member can sometimes be as difficult as learning the physical laws and computational tools of engineering. Each EFD coursework module emphasizes the team process and encourages communication of ideas through a variety of challenging activities. Even the dedicated professors and graduate student assistants use a team approach to teaching these unique classes.

History

As part of his vision for achieving excellence in engineering education, former UT College of Engineering Dean Dr. Jerry Stoneking was dedicated to developing an innovative freshman engineering program to prepare students for 21st century careers. Stoneking worked closely with the college's Board of Advisors and faculty as they studied ways to improve the freshman experience and increase student retention rates.

In 2001, Stoneking's efforts culminated with the introduction of the Engineering Fundamentals Division. The program was an immediate success winning national renown, including recognition by the National Science Foundation as one of the best and most innovative engineering education programs in the nation.

Contact Information

Engineering Fundamentals Division
103 Estabrook Hall
Knoxville, TN 37996-2353
Phone: (865) 974-9810
Fax: (865) 974-6162
E-mail: efdinfo@utk.edu