Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advising

Category: Degree Requirements

What are the general education (Gen Ed; HASS) requirements for the chem eng degree?

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The General Education requirements for all degrees at Michigan Tech are the same, and they are most accurately explained on the Registrar’s General Education web page.  Please go there or attend an advising meeting to have the details of the General Education requirements explained.  We recently made a video guiding you through the General Education process for Chemical Engineers.  The ECE deparment’s advisor Judy Donahue also has a General Education video on YouTube you may find helpful (she shows a bit how Gen Ed looks on DARS (Degree Audit Reporting System, in Banweb)).

There a few aspects of Gen Ed that you should keep in mind:

1.  The rules can and do change; you must follow the rules that apply to you.  Your rules are the ones that are associated with your catalog year, that is, the year you started at Michigan Tech.  Your catalog year is listed on your Banner DARS page.

2.  Not all Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences courses count as HASS electives.  You must choose your HASS electives from the supplied lists and follow the prescriptions associated with the list.

3.  Not all physical education classes count as co-curriculars.

4.  Six credits of your HASS credits must be at the upper division level (3000+).

4.  Failure to follow the General Education rules will prevent you from being awarded your degree.  Please think ahead and choose your courses to comply with the University’s Gen Ed requirements.

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How do prerequisite classes affect my degree planning?

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Success in prerequisite classes leads to success in your chemical engineering classes. The table in the Chemical Engineering Prerequisite Map handout shows which engineering, science, and mathematics courses are required prerequisites to each required chemical engineering class.  Use this handy table to plan your graduation schedule.  All prerequisite requirements are listed as well on the Registrar’s page in the course listings there.

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Which linear algebra and differential equations classes should I take?

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You have three options for linear algebra:  MA 2320, MA 2321, and MA 2330.

You have four options for differential equations:  MA 3520, MA 3521, MA 3530, and MA 3560.

If you plan to take linear algebra and differential equations in the same semester, then you must take the accelerated (7 week) versions of these classes:  MA 2321 (2 cr) and MA 3521 (2 cr).  MA 2321 is offered track A and MA 3521 is offered track B during the fall and spring semesters.  The advantage with the accelerated classes is that they allow you to complete both classes in one semester.  This is important if you plan to start junior CM classes in the next semester, as you must be done with all of your math to start taking junior CM classes.  The disadvantage with the accelerated classes is that the course material comes very quickly, and for this reason we do not recommend the accelerated classes to students who have struggled with math classes in the past or who feel they need more time to grasp math concepts.

If you plan to take linear algebra and differential equations in different semesters, then you can take either MA 2320 (2 cr) or MA 2330 (3 cr) in the first semester and then either MA 3520 (2 cr) or MA 3530 (3 cr, fall semester) or MA 3560 (3 cr, spring semester) in the second semester. There is additional course material in the three credit versions.  You may read the course descriptions by clicking on the CRN when doing a class search in Banweb or searching for course descriptions on the Registrar’s Office webpage.

If you have struggled in your previous math classes then we recommend the semester long, two credit classes (MA 2320 and MA 3520).

If you are interested in a math minor and/or pursuing an engineering graduate degree then we recommend the semester long, three credit classes (MA 2330 and MA 3530/3560).  The extra credits from the three credit math classes can be used towards your technical electives or free electives.  See the ChE advisor for more information on applying these additional credit towards either of these areas of your degree audit.

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How do I apply for the new BS/MS in ChemE?

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To apply for the BS/MS program you follow this procedure:

1.  Go to the Grad School website and go to the Admissions section and follow all instructions.
2.  In your “areas of interest” on the form, put “accelerated masters”.  This will signal that you’re applying for the BS/MS

All other application requirements for the BS/MS program are the same as for the MS program in general.  For more on the BS/MS in Chemical Engineering, go to the Advising website FAQ page.

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Is there a standard course plan for a transfer student?

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It is possible to transfer to Michigan Tech Chemical Engineering from a community college or from another university.  A standard path for this would be to take two years of college work at that other institution followed by a summer at Michigan Tech and then the usual junior and senior years of chemical engineering at Michigan Tech.  The two summer classes that must be taken are:

  • CM2110 Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering I
  • CM2120 Fundamentals of Chemical Engieering II

These two classes are prerequisites to junior classes in chemical engineering and they must be completed before you may begin your junior year in chemical engineering.  It is not possible to take these two classes at the same time as junior classes.  For this reason, students who wish to graduate with two years of transfer credit must plan on either three years at Michigan Tech or they must take these two courses the summer before they start Michigan Tech junior classes in chemical engineering.

The standard transfer plan, as discussed above, is available on our handouts page.

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