The course largely follows a curriculum developed by “Project Lead the Way,” a nationally acclaimed non-profit group that works with high schools and colleges to determine what incoming college freshmen in engineering should know and to help them be successful in their first semester. The program offers a brief overview of computerized drawing and design, general principles of applied engineering topics, digital electronics, machinery, architecture, some programming, and statics (a study of forces acting in rigid bodies). This diversity of subjects helps students to decide on a field of interest.

Hands-on work, such as building robots and computer-controlled machinery, is included but there is also extensive use of high level software programs especially in drawing, architecture and electronics. In college students will be faced with applied and higher level math so this course requires a significant amount of applied mathematics utilizing trigonometry and algebra.

Students considering this class need to be proficient in math and science and expect to attend college in science, math, engineering or technology. Graduates have enrolled in accredited programs at Rutgers, Rowan, University of Delaware, Rensselaer, Columbia, Texas Tech, NJIT, Drexel, the United States Coast Guard Academy, Merchant Marine Academy, Widener, Florida State and Virginia Tech. Most pre-engineering students from have continued in engineering although others have majored in architecture, mathematics or one of the sciences.