Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advising

Author: Katie Torrey

Can I have less than 12 credits in my last semester?

Published
By

That depends.  As an undergraduate student you must have at least 12 credit to be considered full-time.  Does your health insurance require you to be a full-time student?  Are you paying for school using scholarships or loans that require you to be a full-time student?  Are you an international student that needs to be a full-time student for your visa?

It used to be common for health insurance rules to require you to be a full-time student, however that is not always the case anymore.  You will need to check with your health care provider to see what are your current requirements.

Just about everyone’s financial aid (this includes both scholarships and loans) is different.  Some student have told me that their financial aid was able to be prorated, but that will depend on which scholarships and loans you have.  Some students who are paying with loans and already have a job offered lined up have chosen to use their 6-month grace period during their last semester. It is important to set up an appointment with the Financial Aid Office to figure out what is best for you.

If you are an international student there is a form that you can fill out that allows you to have less than 12 credits in your final semester and still meet your visa requirements.  For more information contact the International Programs and Services Office.

Continue Reading →

I am a freshman. Can I join an Enterprise team?

Published
By

Freshman may join an enterprise, however we generally do not recommend it.

During the spring semester you may enroll in ENT 1960. Be aware that this class does *not* count towards your technical electives like the other enterprise project-work classes do.  ENT 1960 only counts as a free elective. Our chemical engineering degree requires only three credits of free electives and many students will have their free elective requirement met with other classes or a minor.

We do not recommend that you join an Enterprise team in your first year since most students usually have a pretty heavy credit load and are still adjusting to college life. Also involvement in an Enterprise team can take up a lot of time.  We want you to have a good start to your college career so that you have the ability to participate in things like Enterprise or AIChE later on.

If you are interested in a particular Enterprise team, ask if you may attend their weekly team meetings.  That will give you an opportunity to learn more about the Enterprise team, how it functions and about their current projects.  You may then join the Enterprise and begin participating during your second year by signing up for ENT 2950 in the fall.  Unlike ENT 1960, ENT 2950 will count towards your technical electives.  ENT 2950 is on the engineering list.

Continue Reading →

Are any of the chemical engineering classes offered online?

Published
By

Yes!  During Summer 2015 both CM 2110 Fundamentals of ChE I and CM 2120 Fundamentals of ChE II will be offered online.  Be sure to enroll in the online sections (1OL, time TBA).  CM2110 is a mass and energy balance course, and usually uses the text by Felder and Rousseau.  CM2120 is a first course in separations, and uses Wankat.  These courses must be completed before you can take the fall semester junior chemical engineering classes.

On occasion other CM classes are offered online.  Please check the Registrar’s website for an up-to-date listing.

Continue Reading →

Which math lab section do I enroll in?

Published
By

The calculus math classes, MA 1160 and MA 1161 (calc I), MA 2160 (calc II), and MA 3160 (multivariable calc), require that you enroll in corresponding recitation and lab sections.  For example, if you are enrolling in R01 then you also will need to enroll in L01.  R02 enrolls in L02, R03 enrolls in L03, etc.  If you do not enroll in the corresponding recitation/lab sections then you will get a registration link error.

Continue Reading →

Which linear algebra and differential equations classes should I take?

Published
By

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.

Continue Reading →

Why can’t I register for Linear Algebra/Differential Equations? I keep getting a registration error.

Published
By

Make sure that you are enrolling in the correct course.

There are two courses named “Elementary Linear Algebra”:

  • MA 2320 Elementary Linear Algebra (2 cr – 14 week semester long course)
  • MA 2321 Elementary Linear Algebra (2 cr – 7 week accelerated course, track A)

There are also two courses named “Elementary Differential Equations”:

  • MA 3520 Elementary Differential Equations (2 cr – 14 week semester long course)
  • MA 3521 Elementary Differential Equations (2 cr – 7 week accelerated course, track B)

If you plan to take both linear algebra and differential equations in the same semester, then you must enroll in MA 2321 and MA 3521.  These courses are co-requisites.

If you only want or need to take one of these classes, then you must enroll in the semester long version of the class, either MA 2320 or MA 3520.

Continue Reading →

Do I need to bring anything to my appointment?

Published
By

Yes.  Please be prepared.  Before your appointment, take a look at your transcript on Banweb.  It is important that you know exactly what classes are on it.

Bring the following with you to your appointment:

  1. The flowchart with classes crossed off that you’ve already completed and are currently taking.
  2. A list of any classes on your transcript that you don’t know where they belong on the flowchart.
  3. A list of classes that you plan to take next semester and beyond, even if it is a rough draft.  The semester planning worksheet will help with this.
  4. Anything we worked on during previous appointments.
  5. The folder containing advising handouts that you got during orientation or when you changed majors.

Copies of the advising handouts are also available on the department’s Advising Handouts webpage.  Appointments with an advisor may be made using the University email system.

Continue Reading →

A class that I planned to take is full. Can I still get into it?

Published
By

Maybe.

If the course is a Chemical Engineering course, then email cmadvise@mtu.edu with your request.  We will increase capacity of almost any CM class, with only a few exceptions.  Lab sections cannot be expanded.

If the course is in another department, please contact the department or the instructor of the class with your request.

If you still are not able to get into the class then you should periodically check the enrollment until the semester starts.  If another student decides to drop the class then a seat will open up.  Remember that you can add/drop classes on Banweb from when registration opens through the first week of classes of that semester.

Continue Reading →