Undergraduate Programme | Faculty of Engineering

Undergraduate Programmes

The Faculty of Engineering offers a four-year full-time programme leading to the Degree of Bachelor of the Science of Engineering (BScEng).

The programme comprises the General Programme during the first year and Specialization Programme in the remaining three years. Following 6 fields of specializations are available at the Faculty of Engineering.

Chemical & Process Engineering (25)
Civil Engineering (150)
Computer Engineering (60)
Electrical & Electronic Engineering (100)
Mechanical Engineering (40)
Production Engineering (40)

Maximum numbers of students enrolled to each of the specialization programme in each academic year are given in parenthesis against the programmes. Streaming into fields of specializations is based on student preference as well as performance in the General Programme in Engineering.

The programme structure of the undergraduate degree programme at the Faculty of Engineering is illustrated below:

Visit General Programme in Engineering Syllabus Here

Each academic semester is normally made up of 15 weeks of teaching, a recess week and a week-long end-of-semester examinations. The evaluation of performance of a student in each course is carried out through continuous assessments and end-of-semester examinations. The medium of instruction at the Faculty of Engineering is English.

The programme is administered according to the Rules and Regulations relating to the Degree of Bachelor of the Science of Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Peradeniya. Summary of the programme is given in the undergraduate program Brochure, The Faculty Handbook issued in every year provides full details of the programme in the respective year.

Assessment Scheme

The assessment of student performance is based on a range of criteria adopted by the faculty. Assessment includes participation in class activities, continuous assessment through assignments and quizzes, and a mid-term and final examination. The lecturer may design a suitable scheme for computing her/his course grade using a combination of some or all of the above criteria. The detailed scheme of assessment and the syllabus, approved by the department and the faculty will be made available to the students at the beginning of the course.

There are no repeat-courses given to those who fail a course, but the same course or an alternative may be taken in the following semester if this is possible. Students who fail in a course/courses in their last year in the university are required to complete the relevant course/s and fulfill all other requirements in order There are no repeat-courses given to those who fail a course, but the same course should be taken the next time it is offered. Alternatively, a substitute course may be taken in the following semester or later, with the approval of the relevant department. Students who fail a course/courses in their last year in the university are also required to complete the relevant course/courses and fulfil all other requirements in order to qualify for the degree. Such students must request an extension of time from the Dean.

Other Relevant Information

Students are allowed a period of two weeks at the beginning of each semester to change courses in consultation with Course Instructors. Foundation English credits are not considered in calculating the GPA, but these grades will be listed in the transcript.

Students need to fulfil a minimum attendance requirement of 80% of contact hours in order to complete a course. 5% of the total marks given in a course may be allocated for attendance and class participation.

The Instructor will sign the student's Record Book on the last day of the course authorizing him/her to take the examination. The Instructor can refuse to sign the Student Record Book if the student has failed to attend 80% of the course.

Course units use a three-letter prefix indicating the discipline, and three numbers following the prefix to identify the course. The prefix for the Foundation Courses is FND. The following number convention is used in number identification of a course unit.

First year courses 100-199
Second year courses 200-299
Third year courses 300-399
Fourth year courses 400-499

Students should note that there is a minimum and maximum number of students for a course. This is normally determined by the department taking into consideration the nature of the course, departmental needs and facilities, requirements for the course, and the views of the Instructor. Popular courses are usually repeated every semester.

A course in Introduction to Computers is offered as an optional course in the first year. Owing to the limited resources available in the faculty, this is not taught as a compulsory course at present. It is hoped to make this a compulsory course when facilities in the faculty improve.

Preparatory Programme for New Students

New entrants to the undergraduate programme will follow a general preparatory course consisting of several general studies subjects called Foundation Studies, as well as a course in Foundation English in the first semester. The successful completion of this component is compulsory for all students.

Foundation Courses
All students are required to follow selected Foundation Courses. Foundation Courses include mathematics, writing skills, and cross-disciplinary courses. Foundation Courses have no formal departmental affiliation, and are coordinated by a faculty-appointed coordinator. Inquiries about these courses should be directed either to the Course Coordinators or to the Faculty Office. The following Foundation Courses are currently offered by the faculty.

FND 101: Mathematics
This course is designed as a compulsory foundation-level course in basic mathematics (focused on Algebra). Each section of the course will include the application of mathematical concepts to the social sciences.

FND 102: Logic
The course aims at introducing students to methods of testing for validity of arguments in prepositional calculus and class logic. It deals with symbolization of arguments in prepositional calculus, methods of derivation, truth table methods, symbolization, and the testing for validity of arguments in class logic using Venn diagrams.

FND 103: Writing Skills (Sinhala)
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FND 104: Society, Culture and Environment I
There are four modules in this course: The human mind; World religions; Law and ethics; and Art and art appreciation.

FND 105: Society, Culture and Environment II
There are four modules in this course: The natural environment; Society and culture; International relations; and The history of science.

CMP 100: Computer Literacy
The objective of this course is to provide basic knowledge in computers to first year students of the Faculty of Arts. This is an optional course. The main topics taught in this course are: Computer literacy; Ms-Word, Ms-Excel, Ms-Power Point and their applications; and Computer languages and introduction to Internet.

MTH 101: Introduction to Calculus
This course is targeted to students who require competence in mathematics beyond the basic FND 101 level. This course will provide students with the basic knowledge of calculus necessary to follow 200 level courses in some disciplines. The Department of Economics strongly recommends that all students planning to follow 200 level Economics courses (whether in Special/General Degree or as a subject outside the discipline) follow this course. (Optional NC)
Topics in this course include: Functions; The concept of a function; Domain and range; Graphing functions; Exponential and logarithmic functions; Limits and continuity of a function; The limits concept; Left hand and right hand limits; Theorems in relation to limits; Continuity; The derivative; Rules of differentiation; Average and instantaneous rate of change; Higher order derivatives; Introduction to partial derivatives; Applications of differentiation; Marginal analysis; Concavity and inflection points; Relative maxima and minima; Integral calculus; The antiderivative concept; Basic rules of integration; Definite and indefinite integrals; and Applications of integration.

The Foundation English Program

This English Programme is conducted by the ELTU. All new entrants including those who expect to follow courses in the English medium will sit for a placement test in English on arrival. Students are grouped as follows based on their performance in this test.

Course and Credit Requirements for Special and General Degree Programs

Course Code	Grading
ESL 101	Lower Intermediate
ESL 103	Intermediate
ESL 105	Upper Intermediate
ESL 107	Advanced

Students doing ESL 107 will be exempted from the Intensive English Course for new students, but have the option of following it. Students doing ESL 101 103 & 105 are required to follow the Intensive Course in English, and pass the End of Course Test (ECT).

Students enrolling in English as a subject must take ENG 101 and ENG 102, which will be cross listed with ESL 101 and ESL 102 in the first year. Non English-medium students who perform exceptionally well in the ECT can select ENG 101 and ENG 102, provided they obtain prior approval from the English Department. Students will be evaluated at the end of both semesters, and must receive a pass mark. A student who fails in ESL 103 but obtains marks between 30-39 (grade point 1.5�1.95), will be considered as having obtained a passing grade in ESL 101, which grade will be determined on the basis of a Table of Reference. Such candidates can take only ESL 102 in the next semester. The Transcripts of these candidates will record that they have taken ESL 101. This provision does not apply in the case of the second semester examination, i.e., ESL 104.

A student who obtains a mark of 70 (Grade Point 3.5) in ESL 101 (Group B) in the first semester can opt for ESL 104 (Group A) in the second semester. Similarly, a student taking ESL 103 (Group A) in the first semester can opt for ESL 102 in the second semester. Students must obtain a pass (i.e., 40 marks or a 2.0 grade point) in all required English courses to receive the degree. Those who fail to obtain the pass mark the first time will have to take the relevant course the next time it is given (except in the case of ESL 103 as explained above and of students obtaining less than 30 marks or grades point 1.95 in ESL 103 who can opt to take either ESL 101 or ESL 103 again).

In the second year of study all students are required to take two compulsory English courses (each worth three credits). These are:
ESL 201 and ESL 202: Intermediate Level English Courses I and II
ESL 203 and ESL 204: Upper Intermediate Level English Courses III and IV

Students who take ESL 101 and ESL 102 in the first year are advised to take ESL 201 and ESL 202 in the second year.

Students following a Special Degree Program must take two 300 level English courses, namely: ESL 301�English for Academic Purposes I, and ESL 302�English for Academic Purposes II

Medium of Instruction

The Faculty of Arts provides instruction in Sinhala, Tamil and English for its under graduate students. Although the number of students who follow undergraduate programmes in English is small, most departments make an effort to conduct classes in English to those who wish to follow courses in that language. Some departments teach certain courses only in English with the aim of familiarizing students with English.