MEEM Undergraduate Advising

Author: Ryan Towles

Part-Time Student Status for the Final Undergraduate Semester

Published
By

If you plan to take less than 12 credits in the semester in which you will graduate, you should consult with Financial Aid about being a part-time student in that final semester. Generally speaking, most student need to be full-time status (12+ credits) each semester while pursuing an undergraduate degree. There are certainly exceptions to that statement though. For most students, if it is your last semester, part-time status is OK, but you may need to have at least half-time status (6-11.5 credits) to receive aid, be eligible for loans, etc. Financial Aid can answer your questions on this in regard to your individual specifics.

Also, students should consult with Financial Aid if the placement of credits into the graduate level via senior rule will drive their undergraduate credits below 12.

Continue Reading →

Am I ready to take Senior Capstone Design (SCD, MEEM4901/4911 or ENT4950/60)? How are MEEM 4901/4911 projects defined?

Published
By

To register for capstone project credits – MEEM 4901 (SCD 1) or ENT 4950 (Enterprise Senior Design 1) – for the BSME or BSME-Enterprise Concentration, students must meet the senior design prerequisites and, in the case of ENT 4950, have the project defined and approved.

ME-EM SCD is comprised of MEEM 4901 and MEEM 4911 which must be completed in consecutive semesters. MEEM 4901 is offered in the fall and spring semesters, so the sequence can be competed either fall-spring or spring-fall.

Enterprise Senior Design is comprised of ENT 4950 and ENT 4960 which should also be completed in consecutive semesters. ENT 4950 may be started in the fall or the spring semester.  Summer semester starts (4950) or finishes (4960) for an enterprise student are up to the enterprise team advisor.  BSME-Enterprise Concentration students must update their major to declare the Enterprise Concentration (EMEE) online.

Senior design readiness (senior design pre-reqs)

The following prerequisites must be met prior to a student registering for MEEM 4901 or ENT 4950. Courses denoted with a (C) are concurrent prerequisites and may be taken before or with MEEM 4901/ENT 4950.

For students on the 2014-15 BSME or later curricula (yellow, green, gold, or purple flowchart), the prerequisites for MEEM 4901 are:

  • MEEM 3911
  • MEEM 3201 (C)
  • MEEM 3750 (C)
  • MA 3710 (C) (MA 2710 or MA 2720 are OK also)

For students using the 2014-15 or later BSME-Enterprise curriculum (tan, pink, or blue flowchart), the prerequisites for ENT 4950 are:

  • ENT 3950 (same team)
  • ENT 3960 (same team)
  • MEEM 3911
  • MEEM 3201 (C)
  • MEEM 3750 (C)
  • MA 3710 (C) (MA 2710 or MA 2720 are OK also)
  • Good academic standing is required for some teams (i.e., not on academic probation)

SCD – MEEM 4901 project assignment process

  • Students that meet the required prerequisites may register for MEEM 4901 during the initial registration period.
  • There are no requirements to complete work for MEEM 4901 before classes commence.
  • Students should have an updated resume ready to submit during the first day of class.
  • Students will be presented with the available projects and will give their primary and alternate preferences.
  • Teams will be assigned based on student interest and appropriate skill sets, based on the student resumes.  This is similar to a hiring process for each team.

Enterprise -ENT 4950 project submission process

  • See FAQ #2 or click here for the required project verification form and instructions (page 2) on the approval and enrollment process for ENT 4950.
  • Project briefs attached to the approval form must follow the template.
  • Teams with multiple ME students should submit one brief with each individual’s form on top.  In other words, if there are 3 ME students on a team, there should be 3 forms on top of the brief in one packet turned into the academic advising office after being signed off by the enterprise advisor.
  • ME students may not be registered in ENT 4950 until their project definition is approved by the ME-EM department regardless of the Enterprise team or the department that houses the team.
  • There is a hard deadline for ME students of Friday of third week to submit their project in order to be registered in ENT 4950.  The project does not have to be approved by this deadline, but the submission with enterprise advisor approval must be received.  Project submission/registration before the beginning of the semester is ideal, but this may be delayed until the third week if required.
  • If enrollment in ENT 4950 is needed for full-time status (12 credits), this status is established on Wednesday of the second week of the semester.  Students in this situation should have their project verification form submitted to an ME academic advisor – with enterprise advisor approval already done – no later than the end of the first week of the semester.

For MEEM 4911 (SCD 2) or ENT 4960 (Enterprise Senior Design 2) for the BSME or BSME-Enterprise Concentration, students must meet the senior design prerequisites (MEEM 3201 and MEEM 3750 are non-concurrent pre-reqs, must be passed to progress to the second semester) and, in the case of ENT 4960, have the project defined and approved. Project approval for ENT 4960 is typically done as part of the project submission for ENT 4950, but can also be a separate submission if necessary.

For students on the 2014-15 or later BSME curricula (yellow, green, gold, or purple flowchart), the prerequisites for MEEM 4911 are:

  • MEEM 4901
  • MEEM 3201 (non-concurrent)
  • MEEM 3750 (non-concurrent)
  • MA 3710 (C) (MA 2710 or MA 2720 are OK also)

For students using the 2014-15 or later BSME-Enterprise curriculum (tan, pink, or blue flowchart), the prerequisites for ENT 4960 are:

  • ENT 4950 (same team)
  • MEEM 3201 (non-concurrent)
  • MEEM 3750 (non-concurrent)
  • MA 3710 (C) (MA 2710 or MA 2720 are OK also)
  • Good academic standing is required for some teams (i.e., not on academic probation)

Other possible capstone design options:

  • College of Engineering departments:  Any 2-semester Senior Capstone Design course sequence (4 total credits or more) in another College of Engineering department can be substituted for ME-EM 4901/4911 (e.g., BE 4901/4910, EE 4901/4910, and MSE 4130/4140). MEEM 4901 prerequisites must be met before registering for SCD in another department if your primary major is ME.
  • International Senior Design (iDesign) projects are offered through the Civil and Environmental Engineering department in a summer-fall sequence. These projects (CEE 4915/4916) could be substituted for MEEM 4901/4911; however, the project content requires pre-approval by the ME-EM Department. See an ME Academic Advisor for details after getting information on iDesign for the upcoming summer.  Project submission should follow the enterprise template above.
  • European Project Semester (EPS) is a study abroad program that could be substituted for MEEM 4901/4911, but also requires approval of the project content by the ME-EM Department. Contact the International Programs and Services Office for the availability of EPS experiences and credit breakdowns.  Then see an ME Academic Advisor to submit credit and project details for ME-EM department review and/or approval.  Project approval is required prior to study abroad departure when possible. See FAQ #11 for further information. Project submission should follow the enterprise template above.

Continue Reading →

Study Abroad

Published
By

If you are considering a study-abroad experience, the first thing you should do is contact Pavlis Honors College by going to their offices on the 7th floor of the M&M Building or attending one of their publicized information sessions.  Study abroad programs are available ranging from several weeks in the summer to a full semester to an entire year.

It is important that you clarify your goals for your study abroad experience according to these guidelines:

  • “I want to study abroad and I am not concerned about maintaining progress in my degree program(s) at Michigan Tech.”  No real limitations on the programs a student might choose.
  • “I want to study abroad and I want to complete some required credits, but will target general education (UN, CCT, SRER, HASS) or other common credits (math, chemistry, physics, free electives, co-curriculars).”  Most programs and international institutions will be able to support these kinds of course equivalencies.
  • “I want to study abroad and I want to complete required BSME core credits (ENG, MEEM, EC 3400, etc). I do not want the study abroad experience to extend the time to complete my degree at all.”  This will limit your choices of international institutions/locations to those that offer engineering, or specifically mechanical engineering curricula.  It will be very difficult to find any study abroad equivalents to a Mechanical Engineering Practice (MEP) course. This may mean you have to carefully plan pre-reqs if you plan to “make up” the semester missed by doubling up MEP II and III when you return from study abroad.

Once you have identified a specific experience/location with IPS, it is then critical that you have all your study-abroad equivalent courses pre-approved before leaving Michigan Tech.  Typically, study-abroad credits though sanctioned study-abroad programs are considered to be Michigan Tech credits and are normally graded as pass-fail according to minimum standards of grades that are earned while studying through those programs.  Pass-fail graded courses are not included in Michigan Tech GPA calculations.  Contact IPS for more information on the pre-departure process.  Courses will be evaluated and possibly approved as equivalent to Michigan Tech courses similar to the syllabus submission process detailed below.

Study abroad courses must be evaluated for equivalency to Michigan Tech courses by sending the below information to and/or getting it from Pavlis and/or the exchange programs like USAC or ISA.  A syllabus may be sent directly to an ME academic advisor for a MEEM course evaluation.

A short catalog description is not enough information to evaluate a course for possible Michigan Tech credit. You must provide a syllabus.  The below information should be included.

  1. University or college name and location (including country, city, etc).
  2. Course number, course title, and number of US semester-equivalent credits
  3. Textbook(s) used
  4. Detailed description of topics (not just outcomes) and grading system. At a minimum, the description of topics must include a week-by-week (class-by-class, etc) breakdown of the topics/chapters covered.
  5. If all this information is available online, you can submit files or link(s). Allow several weeks for the course evaluation process to be completed by the appropriate Michigan Tech academic department.
  6. Before submitting a course for evaluation, please make sure that the course is being offered and you intend and will be allowed to take it. Please bear in mind that you will be subject to any pre-requisites or restrictions in place at the abroad institution, as well as Michigan Tech pre-reqs, etc.
  • There is an online form that you will receive from Pavlis to facilitate the evaluation process.
  • Once you have approved course(s) identified, an academic advisor will sign off your Course Planning Sheet (part of the online form from Pavlis) to make sure you understand how your overall plan for the credits to be attempted applies to your flow chart (degree progress).
  • If a study abroad course you are taking is a pre-req for a course you plan to take in your next semester at Michigan Tech, you will notify Pavlis of your registration though your planning form and an in-session (IS) placeholder can be entered into Banner.  The IS will act as a pre-req to allow you to register for the next course you need here at Tech (similar to the transfer process).
  • When your study abroad is complete, request an official copy of your transcript be sent to Michigan Tech as soon as you have completed the course(s) and grades are posted.  This may not happen automatically.  You should make a transcript request from the institution where you have completed courses and/or through the study-abroad program.  Official transcripts are sealed and must be received by Michigan Tech  directly from other institutions. Do not request these transcripts to be sent to yourself, academic advisors, etc.  Earned study abroad credits are not included in any GPA calculations, but can impact your GPAs if the credit replaces a grade of ‘CD’, ‘D’. or ‘F’ from a previous attempt here at Tech.  Removal of these poor grades for these calculations may cause GPAs to improve once study abroad credits are entered.  MAKE SURE YOU REQUEST TRANSCRIPTS RIGHT AWAY AND FOLLOW UP ON THE STATUS OF YOUR REQUEST.  A DELAY IN RECEIVING THESE TRANSCRIPTS CAN CAUSE REGISTRATION AND/OR GRADUATION ISSUES, ETC.
  • Please keep in mind that there are other international opportunities besides traditional study abroad programs as well.  ME-EM senior capstone design has offered international projects in the past.  These projects would be pre-arranged to meet your degree requirements.  iDesign – a summer/fall program through the Civil and Environmental Engineering department – is a possibility as well, but will require pre-approval of the project content for ME students (see an academic advisor for details if you are interested in this and have attended an information session for iDesign).
  • Another study abroad option for senior design is a European Project Semester (EPS) that can possibly fulfill your senior design requirement, but again project pre-approval is required.  Contact Pavlis for the availability of these EPS experiences and an academic advisor for details of ME-EM department project approval.  You should not expect to earn any other BSME-applicable credits other than MEEM 4901/4911 with an approved EPS project.

Continue Reading →

I am feeling stressed. What can I do? (And Study Tips)

Published
By

Stressed? Many things happen during college life that can increase stress. Trying to balance everything – good academic performance, social life, family obligations, employment, activities, etc. – can be tough. First, understand and remember why you are here and keep reminding yourself of that (graduate, get into a desired career, self sufficient income, etc).  Second, remember you are here for yourself and not anyone else. Realizing that you choose to pursue this degree is an important factor in your success.  Your daily choices need to support that long-term choice.

Why have I chosen to be here? Your goal may be something like this: To earn a nationally accredited mechanical engineering degree at one of the nation’s top engineering universities. To obtain a position with a successful company. To be financially viable and independent in your career.  To go on to earn a graduate degree, etc.  To accomplish long-term goals, you must set supporting short term goals for yourself (exam/project performance, course grades, semester GPAs, Dean’s List, 3.0 cumulative GPA, etc) and effectively work towards them.

  • Establish personal priorities that will allow you to perform well academically and meet your goals.
    • How do the daily and weekly choices you make affect the short and long term goals you have set for yourself?
    • If your friends want you to hang out, but you’ve got homework or a test, hang out another day.
    • If you are working too many hours, evaluate your need to work or consider reduced course loads and/or additional financial aid options (loans, etc).
    • If you are involved in too many organizations (including enterprise) or a leadership position that takes away time and hurts your grades; cut involvement back, limit your hours, or postpone participation.
    • Are your expectations of the time commitments you expect from yourself realistic – especially also considering instructors’ expectations of you?
    • It is perfectly OK to graduate in 4.5 or 5 years.  How you perform and what you learn matters most, not how long it takes to earn your degree.  Employers typically don’t care how long it takes you to earn your degree.
  • Attend all your classes.
    • One of the most important factors for success in college is class attendance.
    • Don’t skip a class to catch up on sleep or to catch up in another class. This time is where you begin to learn what you need to know in order to be successful on quizzes, homework, and tests, and where you should be achieving a deeper understanding of the course material.  Feeling the “need” to skip class for these other considerations is an indication of overall poor time management or general overloading.
    • If you rely on just reading the textbook, you will miss out on important information or waste time on material that may not be included in the course.
    • However, pre-reading and previewing the assigned material before class times will make those class sessions more effective.  The text and class time go hand-in-hand to best facilitate your learning.
  • Get help when you need it.
    • If you are falling behind in any of your classes, see your instructor, a learning center coach (whenever available for appointments or walk-in), and your academic advisor.  Form study group(s), especially for upper level courses that may not have learning center assistance available.  Utilization of these resources from the very beginning of a semester can also help prevent falling behind in the first place.
    • If you are feeling undue pressure from many/all areas of your life, are overwhelmed in any one or more aspects, feeling depressed or homesick, or having difficulty coping with anything at all; see Counseling Services (see link below) right away and nip it in the bud. You have to watch out for yourself, have balance for a healthy lifestyle, and seek help if needed.
    • Also, for any difficulties with substance abuse – including alcohol – please contact Counseling Services.
    • If your grades or midterm marks are low (or if you feel they will be), see your academic advisor early and often (in your academic career, in a semester, etc).  Keep track of your estimated grades throughout each semester so you proactively realize when things are going well and when they are not, and to what degree.
  • Get your homework done (graded or ungraded), study for quizzes and exams, and work on project progress, etc as your main priority. There will be plenty of time for fun after that.  If you reverse this priority, your grades and your chance for success will suffer.  Your academics are your current full-time job and must be a top priority in your life in general in order for you to be successful.

Grades, probation, and suspension:
If you are earning/estimating low grades and/or unsatisfactory midterm marks (1st-year students), see your academic advisor early on. Once you become a student on academic probation, it can be a difficult process to get yourself back to good academic standing. If your grades do not improve and you have two bad semesters in a row (remaining an academic probation student), you may be placed on academic suspension (see FAQ #7 regarding probation and suspension).

If you feel that you are doing the best you can, approaching your academics very seriously, and utilizing resources in a systematic way, but still are unable to get good or acceptable grades, you may want to consider whether or not you are in the right major.

Resources

Career Services offers career advising.  This may be a very helpful process for you if you are considering a major change or are at least unsure of your current major.  The Career Services web site and staff also offer many other services that are helpful for job searches, being prepared for Career Fairs, Career Fair information for each semester, résumé and interview help, etc.

Counseling Services offers academic and personal counseling and can connect you to resources beyond their on-campus presence if needed. Call 906.487.2538 or go to their offices on the 3rd floor of the Administration Building to make an appointment.  Please contact them ASAP if you are feeling overwhelmed, unable to focus on homework and studying for exams, experience test anxiety, are depressed, have other anxiety, have substance abuse issues, etc. Learn new study skills, coping strategies, and how to focus on what is important to you in order to reach your personal goals.

The Wahtera Center for Student Success offers academic skills development and mentoring/coaching, especially for new students.  If you feel that you are capable of doing well and are feeling good about being at Michigan Tech, but mostly just need some direction on how to approach your studies correctly, the Center for Student Success has programs that can help.  They can also connect you with more experienced student mentors that can help you find your way here at Tech.

Student Disability Services is part of the Dean of Students (DOS) office.  If you have a diagnosed or possibly undiagnosed physical or mental condition or learning disability, please contact this office to see how to handle your specific situation according to university policies.  You should also always contact DOS if you have to document any excused absences from classes (illness/injury, death in the family, etc).

Academic Approach

When you are in tough class(es), which you are every semester – and especially if anything is not going well – do not just give up.  Seek help throughout the semester (starting right away in Week 1) and whenever you feel you need it.  See your instructors regularly and an academic advisor whenever necessary. Go to learning centers in a structured way.  Make regular weekly learning center appointments whenever possible. Even if you don’t feel you need this help, it can only improve your performance.

Homework prepares you to be successful on quizzes and exams but may not be collected and graded.  Whether it is collected and graded or not, you must do this work.  If you don’t understand how to do a problem, don’t accept that situation. See your instructor and/or a learning center coach. Do the problem over and over until you can do it yourself without error. Repetitive study – including homework – will help tremendously on exams.  As you move into the core ME curriculum, grading will become more and more based on exams, sometimes solely, so exam performance is critical to your long-term success. Take interest in your subjects. One class is a building block for another, so it is important to do well in each and strive to truly learn the material in addition to earning a good grade.

What is Repetitive Studying?  The reason that it takes a lot of time to be successful in your courses is that you need to practice and have repetition in the concepts you are learning. Just like you need to practice to improve in athletics, the same is true for academics.  By following the below steps to go through material over and over, by the time you get to the point of taking an exam, that material should be second-nature to you and easily recalled.

  • Preview material (before class, reading, any pre-quizzes, videos, Canvas, etc)
  • Attend every class and take good notes
  • Review notes and formulate questions (instructor’s office hours)
  • Complete homework/practice problems (learning center coach)
  • Work on projects/labs as applicable
  • Study for quizzes/exams

Instructors: Your instructors want you to succeed and robustly learn/retain the course material. They are not trying to trick you. Ask questions, learn how to learn and understand your contribution to the process. Explore the subject. Master the material. Instructors don’t ‘give’ grades, you earn grades. Our curriculum is challenging. Get help as soon as you need it (or before that with proactive use of resources, like learning center appointments). Know your instructor’s office hours and utilize them (or make alternate arrangements to meet with them).  If you have any difficulty in understanding any of your instructors, this is not an excuse to miss class or do poorly.  By seeing your instructor during office hours you should be able to communicate effectively one-on-one. Your instructors are experts in their fields and enjoy teaching those who want to learn.  Also, if you ever must miss class for a legitimate reason (university travel, illness/injury, death in the family, etc) please communicate this directly to your instructors; in advance whenever possible.  Also document these absences with the Dean of Students office.

Continue Reading →

How to change your major or add a major/minor and/or concentration:

Published
By

Change my major or add a major/minor and/or concentration: Meet with your new (or maybe your current) advisor. Advisors for each major and minor are listed online.  The advisor for the major you want to be in can answer how your credits already taken will apply, what your next semester’s registration should be, when courses are offered, possible time to graduation, etc.

  1. Find out the latest requirements for your proposed major/minor and/or concentration from the departmental advisor offering the curriculum. See Degree Audits / Minor Audits and/or go to the department website for flowcharts. Find out requirements for declaring a new major regarding GPA, probation status, etc.
  2. Some credits you’ve taken may be applied toward your new curriculum – see the new advisor to confirm your progress towards the new requirements and get any information on possible substitutions.
  3. The new curriculum advisor will handle all course enrollment issues for their curriculum and will register students and/or process waivers as appropriate.
  4. Use this link to see the process to request a change to your major, add/drop a major, add/drop a minor and/or add a concentration.  See the Registrar’s Office to drop a concentration.  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.  You may need registration waivers for the following semester if your request is after this date. Minor or concentration add or change requests will become effective for the current semester, regardless of when submitted.  Curriculum drops become effective immediately in the current semester. If you are interested in getting a dual degree you should first express your interest to the additional major’s advisor.  If Mechanical Engineering is your primary major, adding a major is almost never a double major.  You should request to add a dual degree.
  5. All add or change requests require advisor approval. Please feel free to contact the advisor of the major/minor/concentration you are adding PRIOR TO using the request system.
  6. A minor requires a minimum of 18 credit hours of course work, but the actual number of credits required varies. Of the minimum 18 credits required, at least 9 credits of the 3000-level or higher courses must be taken at Michigan Tech (not transfer or external placement credits). Students interested in adding a minor to their degree program must consult an academic advisor for their major as well as the minor advisor. It is a good idea to provide a copy of the minor audit, showing the planned completion of that curriculum, to the major advisor. The major advisor can help identify courses that double-count and thereby the number of any additional credits that may be necessary for that major/minor combination.
  7. Credits may count towards both your major and minor. Some minor courses are also ME technical electives and some minor courses are HASS General Education distribution courses, depending on which minor is being considered. Some minor courses may even be specific requirements for your major as well as the minor.
  8. For ME students, the ME-EM department minors (Aerospace Engineering, Manufacturing, and Naval Systems Engineering) can be earned for no additional credits.  The credits for these minors will completely double-count for ME majors if the right technical electives are chosen.
  9. Minors have no minimum additional credit requirements. However, you may need to plan for extra credits if pursuing a minor outside of the ME-EM Dept (e.g. electrical engineering).
  10. Credits may not be shared between 2 minors.
  11. Declared minors must be completed in order to award the degree associated with a minor. An incomplete minor will delay the awarding of the degree and processing of the diploma (i.e. a degree and associated minor(s) must be completed concurrently). A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for courses completed as part of the minor must be earned in order to award the minor. Minors may be dropped by students to allow the graduation process to proceed if desired.
  12. You must declare a minor to receive it, even if all the courses are already completed. The minor must be declared prior to graduation.
  13. Mechanical Engineering-Enterprise students must declare the Enterprise Concentration through this process.  If you need to drop this concentration, that must be done through the Registrar’s Office.  Concentrations cannot be dropped online.
  14. Dropping a double major, dual degree, minor or concentration does not require advisor approval.
Continue Reading →

Co-op Credits

Published
By

If you have accepted an offer to go on co-op for a fall or spring semester, you should follow the below steps to get that set up with the university or choose to withdraw for the semester.  Relevant summer jobs are typically internships (no credits enrolled for the job experience) and relevant fall or spring jobs often are co-op employment (enrolled in UN3002, UN3003, etc co-op credits for job assignment), however a student may decide to take credits in the summer and not take credits in fall/spring.  Taking credits through the university for the job is what makes it a co-op versus an internship.

  • First, until you have a 100% accepted and confirmed offer agreed to, you should maintain any course registration you have for the semester in question.  Likewise, don’t skip registration for a semester unless your job is confirmed already.
  • Once you are accepting employment, consult with Financial Aid and your health insurance carrier to determine if you need to maintain part-time student status, full-time student status, or if no student status is acceptable for you during the semester you will be away from campus.  Also discuss how your co-op compensation (salary) may affect your FAFSA status.
    • 2 credits of co-op is considered full-time status (equivalent to 12 or more credits on campus).
    • 1 credit of co-op is considered part-time (half-time) status (equivalent to 6 or more, but less than 12 credits on campus).
    • 1 credit of co-op, plus any other registered Michigan Tech credit (online course or on campus) is considered full-time status.  Please see an academic advisor if you are considering an online course so we can discuss options.
    • If you do not need to have student status for any reason, then you can just choose to take no credits for that semester (internship, not co-op).
    • International Students: must take 2 co-op credits in the fall/spring semester and 1 credit in the summer.  Also make sure to consult with IPS regarding maximum limits working in the U.S. while on a student visa.
  • Once you know what you need to do for co-op credits see Career Services (2nd floor Admin Bldg) to drop any course registration and add applicable credits. Part of this process includes meeting with an academic advisor to go over current progress through the curriculum, estimate graduation timing, discuss if there is a academic need for online/transfer coursework while on co-op, registration for the return semester, etc.
  • If you are choosing not to take any co-op credits, instead of going to Career Services, go to the Registrar’s Office (1st floor Admin) to withdraw for the upcoming semester. Make sure you are activated for the next semester’s registration by completing the Undergraduate Application for Readmission.  You can submit the re-admit app anytime after your co-op semester starts and you should do so before registration for the semester you plan to return occurs.
  • For the BSME, co-op credits are usable as free electives only.
  • For the BSME-Enterprise, co-op credits are usable as free electives or up to 2 credits of enterprise modules.
  • Co-op credits are graded based on reports/reflections and supervisor/student evaluations that are submitted during and after the job assignment.  Reports are submitted to Career Services and that office determines due dates, grades, etc.
  • If you plan to try and complete any transfer coursework while you are working your job assignment, please reference FAQ #5 on the ME Undergraduate Advising web page for the transfer process, and consult with an ME academic advisor regarding course options to progress towards your BSME completion.

Continue Reading →

When and how can I add/drop classes? What is a ‘W’ grade?

Published
By

There are deadlines each semester regarding University policy for adding and dropping courses. These deadlines represent changes in grading policies and methods for adding and dropping courses.

Adding full-semester courses (fall or spring semesters)

Courses may be added on BanWeb during the initial registration period until 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the first week of the semester. Registration closes for a short period after initial registration and then reopens and stays open until the end of the 1st week of classes.

  • After Friday of the 1st week of a semester, students must see an academic advisor for a late-add form which must be approved by the section instructor. MEEM course control/waiting list policies are still in effect for late-adds or section changes of MEEM courses.

Dropping full-semester courses (fall or spring semesters)

  • Courses may be dropped on BanWeb until 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday of second week of a semester.
  • After Wednesday of the 2nd week, all drops must be done in person at the Registrar’s Office (first floor Administration Building).
  • If a drop will put a student below 12 credits, the deadline to get a refund for that drop is at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday of the 2nd week, otherwise plateau tuition is in effect for 12-18 credits. Specific course fees may lead to billing balance changes. No refunds of any kind will be granted after Wednesday of the 2nd week unless the entire semester’s registration is withdrawn.  Contact the Registrar’s Office for the percentage refund schedule in the case of complete withdrawal.
  • First year students must get an advisor’s signature on an orange first-year add/drop slip for any drops after the 1st week of the semester.
  • Courses may be dropped at the Registrar’s Office until 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the 3rd week with no grade. Courses dropped by this deadline will not appear on the student’s transcripts.
  • First year students must obtain their advisor’s and instructor’s signatures on the orange first-year add/drop slip for any drops after the 3rd week.
  • Courses dropped after 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the 3rd week through 5:00 p.m. on Friday of the 10th week will earn a ‘W’ grade.  After the 10th week, courses may not be dropped without extenuating circumstances. Late drops will not be granted just to avoid poor grades.
    • Courses dropped during the 4th week through the 10th week will earn a ‘W’ grade (withdrawn). A ‘W’ appears on the student’s transcript which indicates that the student dropped the course. ‘W’ marks do not affect GPA calculations, but the credits dropped are included in attempted credit hours for financial aid purposes (satisfactory academic progress).

 

Dropping summer half-semester courses (Track A or B)

  • For summer half-semester courses (Track A/Track B), please see the Important Dates posted to the ME Advising page or the Registrar’s Office page/academic calendar for drop deadlines. See an advisor with questions.
  • Plateau tuition is not in place for summer semester so any drops before the refund deadline (4:00 p.m. on Thursday of the 1st week of the track) may be refunded.

For half-semester courses during fall or spring semesters, please see an advisor with questions.

Continue Reading →