Engineering Fundamentals News

Category: Academic

Repeating Courses

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If your earn a grade of CD or below in a course, the course may be repeated. By repeating a course, you have the opportunity to learn the material better, which will help you in future courses as well as improve your GPA. Below is a list of how it works:

  • You may repeat courses with a grade of CD or lower.
  • The most recent grade is used in your GPA calculation, even if it is lower than the previous grade.
  • Your official transcripts will indicate NR (no grade– repeated) for any earlier attempt(s) at the course.
  • You may repeat a course no more than two times (i.e., take a course three times).
  • Special permission from the Dean of Students (170 Administration Building, deanofstudents@mtu.edu, 906-487-2212), Financial Aid, and your academic advisor is required to repeat a course a second and final time.

If you have questions regarding which classes to re-take you should contact your academic advisor.

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How To Calculate Grade Point Average (GPA)

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To calculate a grade point average (GPA), the following equation is used:

GPA = Σ(Credits × Grade) ÷ ΣCredits

where the letter grade in a class is first translated to points earned (A = 4 points, AB = 3.5 points, etc.).

When a course is transferred from another institution to Michigan Tech, the grade is not transferred. Therefore, the credits and the grade for the transferred class are not used in the Michigan Tech GPA calculation.

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Final Exam Preparation

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Fall 2013 final exams are December 16th through 29th. All exams are two hours in duration. Click for a list of each course, section, exam start time, building, and room. Or, students can view their personal final exam schedule by logging into Banweb, selecting Student Services, selecting Registration, and selecting Student Final Exam Schedule.

Please check your final exam schedule. If you have a time conflict or MORE than three exams on one day, the Registrar’s Office (Student Service Center) will be e-mailing one of your professors to have an exam moved. They will also cc you on that e-mail so you know what is happening. In addition, some larger courses have more than one room for the final exam, please check for your course section number and last name to determine where to go for your final exam.

To help you prepare for final exams, below are exam preparation tips from Engineering Fundamentals faculty.

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Do you need to drop a class?

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After the last day to drop a class (Friday, Week 10), students who have extenuating circumstances must appeal to the Student Affairs office for a Late Drop.
Late drops are NOT given because:
1. You forgot to drop the course, or you were not aware of the policy;
2. You spent too much time on University extracurricular activities;
3. You wish to avoid a poor grade;
4. You are changing your major or transferring to another school; or
5. You do not need the course to graduate.
The instructions for requesting a Late Drop can be found at: www.admin.mtu.edu/dos/latedrop.htm.

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Fall Waiver Forms and Required Signatures

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It is best to check course pre-reqs, co-reqs, and restrictions before registration opens. This will allow you time to get appropriate signatures or make other plans for your schedule. You can check the course pre-reqs, co-reqs, and restrictions in the course descriptions listing by clicking the CRN (Course Registration Number) in the Schedule of Classes or by looking at the undergraduate course descriptions.

When registering, if you get an error, read the error. Many times the error is due to a time conflict or lack of a co-requisite course (i.e. MA2160 has a required Recitation and Lab). You can easily correct these errors by selecting a class at another time or adding the co-requisite course. If you still are unable to register, check the course pre-reqs, co-reqs, and restrictions to see if you may need a waiver.

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Last Day To Drop With a “W” (Withdrawal) November 8, 2013, 5pm

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The last day to drop a class with a withdrawal (W) grade is Friday of Week 10 (November 8, 2013, 5pm). All first-year students must meet with their academic advisor and instructor to drop a class. This allows the student to discuss the ramifications before dropping a class. All students must go to the Student Service Center to drop classes through the Friday of 10th Week.

After the last day to drop, students who have extenuating circumstances must appeal to the Student Affairs office for a Late Drop. The instructions for requesting a Late Drop can be found at: www.admin.mtu.edu/dos/latedrop.htm.

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Mid-Term Grades

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All first-year students will receive mid-term grades for their classes; mid-term grades are viewable on Banweb at 5pm, October 21, 2013. The purpose of mid-term grades is to help first-year students see how they are performing in their classes. If a student has questions regarding a mid-term grade for a class, they should meet with the instructor. Mid-term grades are defined as satisfactory (SA), unsatisfactory (UN), not applicable (NA), and missing (M). NA is used for courses where credit is not earned. M is used when an instructor does not submit a grade. Mid-term grades are temporary grades and will be replaced when the student has earned the final grade for the class. Therefore, no permanent record of the mid-term grade is kept.

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Need help in a class?

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As you are getting into your classes, you may find that you need extra help on a topic. If you have questions, go see your professor during office hours, or e-mail your professor to set up an appointment. Learning Centers are another resource on campus:

  • Chemistry: 208 Chem Sciences and Eng Building
  • Computer Science: 114 Rekhi Hall
  • Engineering Fundamentals: 208 Dillman Hall, Sunday- Thursday, 7pm-9pm
  • Mathematics: 234 Fisher Hall
  • Multiliteracies Center (formerly the Writing Center): 107 Walker Arts and Humanities Center
  • Physics: 128 Fisher Hall
  • Visit the link for all Michigan Tech Learning Centers
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First-Year Advising Meetings

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During fall semester, all academic advisors meet with first-year students to go over the requirements for the department, scheduling, and degree options. Students who are undecided (General Engineering) about which engineering discipline they want to pursue should attend the meeting with Engineering Fundamentals (General/Undecided & Bachelor of Science, 10/09/2013, 6pm, U115 M&M). These students are also welcome to attend any department meeting (see list below).

  • Biomedical: 10/14/2013, 6pm, 641 DOW
  • Chemical: 10/16/2013, 5:30pm, 102 Chem Sci
  • Civil: during CE1000, 10/7/2013, 2:05pm, G002 Forestry
  • Electrical & Computer: ECE will schedule your appointment and notify students via e-mail, 131 EERC (non-majors e-mail eceadvise@mtu.edu)
  • Environmental: during ENVE1501, other students by appointment, e-mail Ms. Ross (jzross@mtu.edu)
  • General/Undecided & Bachelor of Science: 10/09/2013, 6pm, U115 M&M
  • Geological: during GE1100, other students by appointment, e-mail Dr. Gierke (jsgierke@mtu.edu)
  • Materials: please schedule an appointment with Ms. Kramer (mseadvise@mtu.edu)
  • Mechanical: 10/14/2013, 3pm, 111 MEEM
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Last Day to Drop Without a “W” (Withdrawal) is September 20, 2013 (Friday, Week 3)

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All first-year students must meet with their academic advisor to drop a class after orientation. All students must go to the Student Service Center to drop classes after 1st week.

When a student drops a full semester class between 1st and 3rd weeks, nothing appears on their transcripts. When a student drops a class between 4th and 10th weeks, a withdrawal grade (W) appears on their transcripts. This indicates that the student took the class for a significant amount of time (more than 3 weeks) and then decided to drop the class. One W on a transcript is not a big deal (check with Financial Aid to see a W grade will affect your financial aid, scholarships, or loans). More than a couple of Ws will start to indicate to a potential employer that a student cannot complete what they set out to do.

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