According to Christopher J. Lombardo, assistant director for undergraduate studies in engineering sciences, many students expressed interest in focused tracks in engineering like those frequently found at peer institutions.

“It’s just a nice option to have,” said Tonatiuh M. Lievano Beltran ’13, a mechanical engineering concentrator. “People who want to go into industry will think of it as a big plus.”

SEAS has also introduced a new mechanical engineering course and a new electrical engineering laboratory course. While electrical engineering allows for more electives, Lombardo said, mechanical engineering boasts a more “traditional” list of required courses.

Lombardo said that he expects future expansion for Harvard’s engineering program.

“I think it’s going to continue growing. There’s a bigger visibility of SEAS on campus,” he said, adding that Harvard has yet to add a civil engineering program, another common offering at other colleges.

The creation of a focused electrical engineering concentration “was something that [SEAS] had to do,” said Scott E. Crouch ’13, who switched to the electrical engineering concentration this fall.

Crouch said that the option of a specialized electrical engineering degree “makes [him] feel like more of a legitimate engineer,” and that the new concentrations mark a movement for engineering at Harvard in a “really positive direction.”

—Staff writer Nikita Kansra can be reached at nkansra01@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Sabrina A. Mohamed can be reached at smohamed@college.harvard.edu.