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The undergraduate minor in architectural engineering (AREN) serves ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder students who are interested in building science, engineering, and system designs. The minor is intended to expose students to basic building science knowledge, engineering and system concepts, and calculation and design skills.

Admission

A cumulative GPA of 2.750 or higher is required to be admitted to the minor.
The minor is not open to AREN majors, or IDEN/GEEN majors with an AREN emphasis.

The following prerequisite courses are required, with a grade of C- or higher in each. A student may be accepted into the minor with no more than two of these courses as deficiencies. All deficiencies must be completed before the minor is awarded.

• Calculus 1 (APPM 1350 or MATH 1300)
• Calculus 2 (APPM 1360 or MATH 2300)
• Calculus 3 (APPM 2350 or MATH 2400)
• Differential Equations and Linear Algebra (APPM 2360 or MATH 2130 + 3430)
• Two semesters of calculus-based physics (PHYS 1110 and PHYS 1120)
• Statics (CVEN 2121, ASEN 2001, GEEN 2851, or MCEN 2023)

Grade Requirements

A cumulative GPA of at least 2.000 (prior to December 2021, this threshold was 2.250) is required in the courses used to satisfy the minor requirements, with no individual grade lower than C-.

Residency

18 credits are required for the minor, at least 9 of which must be AREN/CVEN courses completed at the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder campus.

Course Requirements – 3 credits each

Required Core Courses:

• AREN 2050 Building Materials and Systems – fall only; prereq: sophomore standing
• CVEN 3246 Introduction to Construction – fall and spring; prereq: 36+ credits
• CVEN 3161 Mechanics of Materials 1 – fall and spring; prereq: CVEN 2121 (Statics) or equivalent; coreq: APPM 2360 (Differential Equations) or equivalent
  • Substitute: MCEN 2063

Two Courses from One of the Following Tracks:

Mechanical Systems Track

• AREN 3010 Mechanical Systems for Buildings – fall only; prereqs: AREN 2050, AREN 2110 (Thermodynamics) or equivalent, AREN 2120 (Fluid Mechanics) or equivalent
• AREN 4110 HVAC System Design – spring only; prereq: AREN 3010

Structural Systems Track

This track is not open to CVEN majors, or IDEN/GEEN majors with a CVEN emphasis.

• CVEN 3525 Structural Analysis – fall and spring; prereq: CVEN 3161 (Mechanics of Materials) or equivalent
• Choose one:
  • CVEN 4545 Steel Design – spring only; prereq: CVEN 3525
  • CVEN 4555 Reinforced Concrete Design – fall only; prereq: CVEN 3525
  • CVEN 4565 Design of Wood Structures - spring only; prereq: CVEN 3525

Electrical Systems Track

• AREN 3040 Circuits for Architectural Engineers – spring only; prereqs: APPM 2360 (Differential Equations) and PHYS 1120 (General Physics 2)
  • Substitutes: ECEN 2250, ECEN 3010, GEEN 3010
• AREN 4570 Electrical Systems – fall only; prereq: AREN 3040 or equivalent

Lighting Track

• AREN 3540 Illumination 1 – spring only; prereqs: APPM 2350 (Calculus 3) or equivalent, CHEN 1310 (Computing) or equivalent
• AREN 4550 Illumination 2 – fall only; prereq: AREN 3540

Construction Engineering & Management Track

This track is not open to CVEN majors, or IDEN/GEEN majors with a CVEN emphasis.

• AREN 4506 Project Management 1 – fall and spring; prereq: CVEN 3246
• AREN 4606 Project Management 2 – spring only; prereq: AREN 4506

One Elective (from the Following Approved Courses):

​Note that not all of these courses are offered every year.  Most of these courses have prerequisite requirements – see the course catalog or the AREN undergraduate academic advisor for more information.