Category: Graduation

How do I sign up to take the FE exam?

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is maintained by the NCEES, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Go to the NCEES webpage to register for the exam. Once you have paid the fee you will be able to choose your testing site. The Michigan Tech testing center will be one option. If none of the Michigan Tech testing center dates work for you then contact the testing center directly and ask if other dates can be made available.

The Chemical Engineering department will help you pay for a portion of the test if you request the reimbursement prior to graduating. Drop off or email your receipt to the department office to request reimbursement.

Should I take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam?

Yes, you should take the FE exam because working towards getting your professional engineering license is a multi-year process and the best time to start it is when you are finishing your bachelors degree. 

The licensure requirements vary from state to state, but they usually involve the following steps:
1.  Earn an engineering degree from an accredited program.  Our program is ABET accredited. 
2.  Pass the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam
3.  Obtain professional work experience
4.  Pass the Professional Engineering (PE) exam

You are already working on step one.  The next step is to pass the FE exam.  You may take the FE exam when you are close to finishing your degree.  The department will also help pay for a portion of the exam if you choose to schedule it during your last year at Michigan Tech.  

Not everyone will end up getting or needing a professional engineering license but whether you will need or want it is difficult to know early in your career.  Taking the FE exam now requires less preparation because the information covered on the test is fresh in your mind.  Your FE exam results do not expire.

See also: How do I sign up to take the FE exam? and What should I do to prepare for the FE exam?

What is the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS)?

One of the frustrating things about registering is the uncertainty:  what classed do I need?  Does this class I’m looking at count as tech elective?  as gen ed?

One resource you have to sorting this out (besides seeing Katie) is the DARS tool in Banweb (Degree Audit Reporting System).  This tool checks your records (according to Michigan Tech) against the requirements for your degree.  If you’ve met the requirements, it goes GREEN.  If the requirements are not met, it stays RED.  See our advising video on this subject.  Degree services also have their own tutorial video (March 2018).

I would like to suggest that everyone try it out.

To get to DARS you log onto your Banweb account and under Student in the middle column look for “Degree Audit”.  Click there and run the current year audit.  Sometimes you have to wait – look for the circle above to see if it’s thinking.  It always has to generate the report to get the most current version.

When the DARS opens, you will see some graphics and a long column of red or green “buckets” of courses or requirements.  They are:

1.  Two buckets that check your GPA for both the department and for overall.  Both must be over 2.0 for you to graduate.
2.  Major requirements:  This is all your core math, physics, chemistry, and chem eng courses.
3.  Chemistry option:  here whether you take Organic 1 or Hydro Pyro you chose a different audit path.  In this section you will see the technical electives and the various categories of the electives.  Take a close look to see what classes you may choose from in each category.
4.  Six gen ed buckets that check if you meet all the gen ed requirements.  It checks if you have the freshmen courses, the sophomore courses, the HASS, etc.  It checks that at least 6 credits of HASS are at the 3000 level.
5.  Co curricular bucket – your phys ed courses.

The DARS system is what actually checks you out for graduation.  If it says you graduate, you do.  We have worked long and hard with the programmers in the Admin Building to get this system to accurately check you out for graduation – please use the DARS tool to guide you as you plan for registration.

There are some things that the DARS system will not do right until Katie “touches” your audit and makes an adjustment.  If something you chose or transfered puts you into this situation, you do need to come see Katie.  She’ll be happy to look at DARS adjustments after registration is over.

Hope this eases your registration experience!

What is the Order of the Engineer?

From Tech Today, May 1, 2014:

The Department of Chemical Engineering conducted its first Order of the Engineer Ring Ceremony on Thursday, April 17, 2014. Fifty-four students and faculty were inducted and took a solemn obligation to themselves to “uphold devotion to the standards and dignity of the engineering profession.” The inductees were presented with a stainless steel ring worn on the fifth finger of the working hand to remind themselves of this obligation. KRC Director Jay Meldrum was the keynote speaker and talked about examples of unethical decisions or acts he observed during different stages of his career and the decisions he made.

For more on the Order of the Engineer, see their website.

I am planning to graduate next semester. What do I need to do?

Congratulations!!  All of your hard work is about to pay off.

The semester before your final semester you need to do the following three things:

  1. Review your online degree audit on Banweb.  It is important to realize that while the online degree audit is very convenient to use, you should not just blindly trust everything that it does.  That is because it does not always place your classes in the best spot on your audit.  If you find any problems or have questions about your online degree audit then schedule an appointment with the ChE academic advisor.
  2. Apply for graduation.  This application is online on the Registrar’s Office webpage.  Under Students, click on Graduation.  The link to the Application for Graduation is on this page.
  3. Once you have registered for classes for your final semester complete a final review of your online degree audit.  At this point all of the areas on your audit should be green, meaning complete, with RGIP (registered in-progress) classes.  The only areas that should be red are the last two sections on your audit:  Repeated Courses: and Courses not used to complete degree requirements:, which are always red.  If you find any problems with your audit then schedule an appointment with the ChE academic advisor.

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

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.