Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advising

How does a virtual advising meeting work?

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Schedule a meeting with me using your Google calendar.

At your designated time, open your Google Calendar in a browser window.

  • Click on the meeting/appointment.
  • Click on Join Hangouts Meet.
  • Allow access to your microphone and camera. These are typically built into a laptop.
  • Click on Join Now.
  • If you do not have a computer or a microphone on your computer then you will need to email me your phone number.

I will join the meeting as soon as I am done with my previous meeting. If you have difficulty send me an email.

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Can I transfer in the UN classes?

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Yes, you can transfer in the UN (University Wide) general education classes. However, it is extremely important to have the course evaluated prior to enrolling to ensure equivalency. The transfer guidelines for these courses are below.

UN 1015 Compositions – This course is a college writing course, and needs to incorporate the following elements: information literacy, citing secondary sources, and a research-based paper.

UN 1025 Global Issues – This course is a tougher course to transfer. It is similar to a world history, comparative religion, or Western civilization course, but it must meet the following criteria in order to be considered for transfer as UN 1025:

  • The course must focus on the study of globalization.
  • At a minimum, the course must cover at least three of following themes: culture, economics, politics, development, population dynamics, the environment, and sustainability.
  • The course must not be equivalent to another Michigan Tech course.

Classes that have already been evaluated for transfer can be found on the Transfer Services webpage. Go to the Registrar’s Office webpage and click on Transfer Services. Courses that have not yet been evaluated may be requested to be evaluated by contacting Transfer Services.

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What do you think of double majoring?

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There was an opinion piece in the New York Times in October 2018 that expresses one view of double majoring.

Opinion Today

David Leonhardt
Op-Ed Columnist for the New York Times

24 October 2018

(an excerpt)

When I visit a college campus and ask the students what they’re studying, the response often starts with: “I’m double-majoring in … ” And then my heart sinks just a little bit.

I understand why many students are temped to double-major. They have more than one academic interest. When I was in college, I briefly thought about double-majoring in my two favorite subjects, math and history. (Instead, I spent much of my time at the college newspaper and barely completed one major — applied math.)

But the reality is that many students who double-major aren’t doing it out of intellectual curiosity. The number of double majors has soared in recent years mostly because students see it as a way to add one more credential to their résumé. What’s even better than one major? Two majors!

Except that it’s not. Most students would learn more by creatively mastering a single major — and leaving themselves time to take classes in multiple other fields. “Double majoring,” as Jacqueline Sanchez, a Wellesley College student, wrote in a recent op-ed for her campus paper, “ultimately prevents students from exploring many different disciplines.”

Unfortunately, double majoring is just one part of a credentials arms race among teenagers and college students. This arms race exacerbates inequality, because it can make upper-middle-class students seem more accomplished than working-class and poor students. And the arms race is also unpleasant and counterproductive for many of the well-off students. They’re loading up on extracurricular activities, Advanced Placement courses and college majors, rather than exploring, going deep into one or two areas and learning what they really enjoy.  (see link for more)

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How can I give the University feedback or register a complaint?

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Michigan Tech has a web form for giving feedback or registering a complaint.  From the website:

The Dean of Students Office at Michigan Tech is committed to fostering a supportive environment where students are listened to, understood, and appreciated. When students have a complaint or concern about their campus experience, whether it is in or out of the classroom, the Dean of Students Office provides help and guidance in resolving the issue.

For more information, go to the Student Concerns and Complaints website.  Working together, we can continuously improve Michigan Tech and the Michigan Tech experience.

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How important are co-ops to getting a job? (and other career questions)

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Steve Patchin, Michigan Tech Director of Career Services, is very knowledgeable on this subject.  He recently co-wrote a posting for NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers in which he cites the data.  Here are the questions (and answers) they address:

  • Company conversion rate co-op/intern to full-time employee: 61 percent (median – 80 percent )
  • Will your company be increasing the number of internships it offers?  77 percent – YES!
  • What does co-op/internship experience mean to companies? (read the posting)
  • What do students see as their value? (read the posting)
  • What do recruiters value most? Co-op or GPA?  Co-op/Internship Experience – 51 percent | GPA – 13 percent | Both – 36 percent
  • Will you make room for top talent? 88 percent – YES!

Check out the article!

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What do I do now that CM 3410 Tech Comm is no longer offered?

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The faculty have decided to merge the tech comm topics into transport lab to better help you with the communication of engineering topics.

Effective Fall 2018, CM 3410 Tech Comm will no longer be offered and CM 3215 Transport Lab will be changed to a 3 credit course.  Because of this change you must now have UN 1015 Compositions done before taking CM 3215 Transport Lab, and you need to have CM 3215 Transport Lab done before taking CM 4110 Unit Operations Lab and CM 4855 ChE Design I.

If you have taken both CM 3410 and CM 3215 then you are unaffected by this change.

If you have taken CM 3410 and you take the 3-credit version of CM 3215 then you can use the additional credit towards your technical electives or free electives, if needed.  Send an email to cmadvise@mtu.edu to have this change made to your degree audit.

For students who started at Michigan Tech prior to Fall 2018, if you have not taken CM 3410 then you have a choice.  You can either take a technical elective or HU 3120, the Humanities tech comm course, as a substitute for CM 3410.  Send an email to cmadvise@mtu.edu to have this change made to your degree audit.  If you choose to take HU 3120 as a substitute for CM 3410 then it cannot be used towards your general education HASS requirements.

For students who start at Michigan Tech during Fall 2018 or later, you will be on the new curriculum that no longer requires CM 3410.

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How do I add a minor?

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You can add a minor through MyMichiganTech.  For instructions on how to do this, go to the Registrar’s Office (Google “registrar mtu”), select the Students menu, then Degree Services. The Change your Major/Minor/Concentration page is the top link.

The Chemical Engineering Department administers four minors:  Polymer Science and Engineering, Mineral Processing, Bioprocess Engineering, and Alternative Energy Technology.  For these minors all students will be granted permission to add the minor.  You should come see the CM advisor to discuss how to fit the minor into your graduation plans.  All of the minors administered by the CM Department  include courses that run alternate years and that have prerequisites.

If you seek to add a minor administered by another department, you should email the advisor of that department to see what permission you need in order to add the minor.

Major add or change requests must be made by 5:00 pm on Wednesday of Week 2 to be effective that semester. Requests made after Wednesday of Week 2 will be effective the following semester.  Major or minor drops become effective immediately in the current semester.   Courses may be double counted between the major and the minor but may not be double counted between minors or between minors and graduate certificates.

 

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