Author: Katie Torrey

How do I make an appointment with a chemical engineering advisor?

If you need help with schedule planning, minors, co-ops, study abroad, changing majors, or degree audits then you will need to schedule a meeting with Katie Torrey using your Michigan Tech Google calendar.  Advising meetings are usually 30 minutes long and will be held over Zoom.  Katie will provide a Zoom link for the meeting when she receives your meeting request or you can set up your own Zoom link.

Appointments will not be available during busy times because there will be virtual walk-in advising hours instead.  Walk-in advising times and Zoom links are posted on Katie’s Google calendar.  No appointments are needed for walk-in hours.  Just stop by.

Please come prepared to your appointment.

Directions for using your Google calendar to find an available time and scheduling a meeting are below:

What are Katie’s office hours?

If you are looking for the flowchart or other advising handouts, these are available on the Degree Requirements and Advising Documents webpages.

If you are having problems registering for courses that are not chemical engineering courses, contact the Registrar’s Office.

Also check out our FAQ’s for answers to many common questions.

Fall and Spring Semesters

During fall and spring semesters I am usually available for meetings during walk-in advising times or by appointment.

Walk-in advising is open during busy times, which are at the beginning of the semester and registration weeks.  During walk-in advising you just stop by.  You do not need an appointment.    Walk-in times, along with the Zoom links are posted on my Google calendar.

During all other times of the semester you may meet with me by requesting a meeting using your Google calendar.

Summer Semester

During summer semester priority is given to emergency issues in need of immediate attention because of limited work hours.  If you have an issue during the summer, email cmadvise@mtu.edu;  your patience is appreciated!  Regular advising hours resume two weeks before fall semester starts.

What are the new technical elective rules that are starting Fall 2021?

Beginning Fall 2021, the following changes will be made to our technical elective rules:

  • The organic chemistry II or substitute requirement will be changed to any technical elective from the list.
  • Pchem lab will no longer be required and will be changed to any technical elective from the list.  Pchem lecture will still be required.
  • The core engineering elective requirement will be changed to any technical elective from the list.

Under these new rules there will be one technical list and you will need to take a total of 18 credits from the list.  Pchem lab will be on the technical elective list.  The reason for this change was to make the elective rules easier to understand and to give you greater flexibility in pursing your interests.  This will also help you be able more easily earn a minor in a math, science, or engineering area, if you desire.

Students who started at Michigan Tech before Fall 2021 will have the option to move to these new rules.  Students who start in Fall 2021 or later will be required to follow the new rules.

I’m enrolled in UN 1010 Creating Your Success for Themed Communities. Why am I in this class? Do I have to take it?

You are enrolled in the class because you chose to lived in a themed housing community in the residence halls. Yes, you are required to take the class as part of being in a themed community. This class can count towards your free electives, if needed. Go to the Residence Hall Themed Communities page for more information.

What is the spatial visualization placement test and what happens if I don’t do well on it?

The spacial visualization placement test measures your ability to mentally visualize a 3-D object from different perspectives. New first-year students will take this test during Orientation. These skills are important because engineers must often represent things in the physical world using diagrams and drawings when communicating information and ideas to others. As a chemical engineering student you will use these skills when studying stereochemistry in organic chemistry and when working in the unit operations lab.

If you’ve already spent a lot of time working with your hands, such as playing with Legos or working on your bike or car, then you’ve probably already developed these skills and will do fine on the test. If you don’t do well on the test, then you’re in luck because these skills are learnable! To help you build these skills you will be enrolled in a one credit course, ENG 1002 Introduction to Spatial Visualization.

I have completed UN 1015 Composition and UN 1025 Global Issues. Which general education class should I take next?

Once you have completed both UN 1015 Composition and UN 1025 Global Issues (or a 3000-level modern language course) then you can take the remaining general education core and HASS courses in any order.

Before choosing your next general education class, review the general education requirements and figure out where classes you’ve already taken are counting. General education requirements are described on the department’s degree requirements page and the Registrar’s Office general education page. Then run your online degree audit on Banweb to see if your classes are being used where expected. If a class isn’t going where expected then contact your academic advisor to figure out why. For new students, online degree audits are available 30 days before the start of the semester.

Is it ok to take UN 1025 Global Issues before UN 1015 Composition?

Yes. You may take these classes in either order.

These two classes should be among the first general education classes that you complete. It’s important to get both UN 1015 Composition and UN 1025 Global Issues (or a 3000-level modern language course) completed early because they are prerequisites for later general education HASS electives. Also, UN 1015 Composition is a prerequisite for the junior chemical engineering laboratory CM 3215 Transport Lab because it is a writing intensive course.