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  1. Home
  2. Academics
  3. Bachelor's Degrees
  4. Rail Transportation Engineering

RTE ABET Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Rail Transportation Engineering at Penn State Altoona is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria with no applicable program criteria.

ABET EAC

Additional information is available on the Accreditation page of the ABET site.


Enrollment and Graduation Information

Rail Transportation Engineering Enrollment
Year 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Enrollment 14 14 15 15 17 18
Rail Transportation Engineering Graduates
Year 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Graduates 4 6 5 5 9 7

Program Educational Objectives

Specific educational objectives of the program, which are measurable goals three to five years after graduation:

  1. Be employed by industry or government in the fields such as design, development, operation, control, troubleshooting and maintenance of elements of the railroad system and infrastructure.
  2. Assume an increasing level of responsibility and leadership within their respective organizations
  3. Communicate effectively and work collaboratively in multidisciplinary and multicultural work environments
  4. Recognize and understand global, environmental, social, and ethical contexts of their work
  5. Progress to an advanced degree, certificate programs, and professional engineering licensure, and be committed to lifelong learning to enhance their careers and provide flexibility in responding to changing social and technical environments.

Student Outcomes

Graduates of the Rail Transportation Engineering program shall be able to:

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze, and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Student Outcomes Mapped to Program Courses

Missing content item.

An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics

  • CE 310
  • RTE 305
  • CE 335
  • CE 360
  • RTE 402
  • RTE 302
  • CE 340
  • RTE 403

An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors

  • RTE 402
  • RTE 302
  • CE 333W
  • CE 332
  • RTE 406

An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences

  • CE 310
  • RTE 303
  • CE 337
  • CE 333W
  • RTE 404
  • RTE 406

An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts

  • RTE 301
  • RTE 303
  • RTE 402
  • CE 333W
  • CE 332

An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives

  • RTE 303
  • CE 337
  • CE 332
  • RTE 404
  • RTE 406

An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze, and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions

  • CE 310
  • CE 336
  • CE 337
  • CE 332
  • RTE 403
  • RTE 404

An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies

  • CE 310
  • RTE 303
  • RTE 302
  • CE 333W
  • CE 332
  • RTE 403
  • RTE 404

Rail Transportation Engineering

  • RTE Scholarships
  • Hands-on Education
    • Field Trips
    • Senior Projects
    • Undergraduate Research in RTE
    • AREMA Student Chapter
  • RTE ABET Accreditation
  • RTE Research
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  • RTE Advisory Board

Suggested Academic Plan

Suggested Academic Plans (SAPs) are sample semester-by-semester guides you can use to meet degree requirements.

Rail Transportation Engineering SAP for Prospective Students

View the SAP for the B.S. in Rail Transportation Engineering.

Rail Transportation Engineering SAP for Current Students

To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition.

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Opportunities in RTE

WOMEN IN ENGINEERING DESIGN COMPETITION
This three-part competitive program is available to first- and second-year engineering students enrolled at any Penn State campus.

TRACKS TO THE FUTURE
An engineering summer camp for rising ninth- through twelfth-graders summer experience for high school students.

RTE JOB BOARD

Student Success Center

Located in room 125 on the lower level of the Eiche Library, the Student Success Center supports two main functions:

  • To GET HELP for those students who need academic and non-academic assistance, and
  • To GET AHEAD for those students ready to take the next steps in their education.
Learn more about the Student Success Center

Out-of-Class Learning

Out-of-classroom academic experiences that complement in-class learning, including:

  • Study Away Programs
  • Academic Internships
  • Undergraduate Research and Creative Inquiry
Learn more about Out-of-class Learning

See Also

  • Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology
  • Mechanical Engineering
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Penn State Altoona

A full-service, four-year, residential campus located less than 45 miles from the research campus at University Park. Offering 21 four-year degrees and the first two years of over 275 Penn State majors.
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  • This is Penn State Altoona
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