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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 
Q: What is  Engineering Fundamentals? 
A:
The Engineering Fundamentals Department has twin roles in the College of Engineering: 
  • To deliver foundational engineering courses for students throughout the College
  • To provide an academic home for College of Engineering, Engineering Undecided, and BSE students.
 
Q: Who has their "home" in Engineering Fundamentals?
A: Students enrolled in Engineering Fundamentals fall primarily into one of three categories: 
  • College of Engineering students who do not yet meet the requirements for admittance into the engineering program of their choice.
  • Engineering Undecided students who met the entrance requirements for the engineering programs but who are unsure of the specific program in which they wish to enroll. 
  • Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) program. For details regarding the BSE program, see http://www.doe.mtu.edu/bacheng.htm
Q: What does the curriculum look like?
A: The courses in which you enroll during your first 2-3 semesters at Michigan Tech will depend largely upon your initial math placement, and somewhat upon your intended major. If you start out in Calculus I or Calculus I+, your approximate schedule for your first two semesters will be:
  FALL SPRING

 Calculus I/I+
Chemistry I
Engineering I
Perspectives
Physics Lab I
Calculus II
Physics I
Engineering II
World Cultures
One additional class by major 
  If you start out in Data, Functions, and Graphs (Pre-calculus), your approximate schedule for your first three semesters will be:  
 FALL SPRING FALL
 Data, Functions & Graphs

Prep Chem or Chemistry I

General Education

Perspectives

Calculus I

Physics Lab I

Engineering I

World Cultures Revisions or Institutions Chemistry I or Gen Ed 

Calculus II

Physics I

Engineering II

One additional class by major

 
Q: Does starting out in pre-calculus mean that I am a semester behind schedule?
A: Possibly, but not always. If you take the Chemistry Readiness test during orientation week and can go into Chemistry in your first fall semester, then all of the credits you take that semester will count towards graduation (Pre-calculus can count as free electives in any engineering program). If you start out in Preparatory Chemistry, then those credits will not count towards graduation. If you take one or two summer courses either at Tech or at a community college near your home, you should be able to "catch up" and still graduate in four years' time.
 
Q: What engineering degree programs are offered at Michigan Tech?
A:  The College of Engineering at Michigan Tech offers the following degrees:
  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Chemical Engineering 
  • Civil Engineering
  • Computer Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering 
  • Geological Engineering 
  • Materials Science and Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics 
  • Metallurgical and Materials Engineering 
  • Industrial Engineering as part of the BSE program (see link below)

In addition, the BSE is offered for students who wish to customize their engineering program. (http://www.doe.mtu.edu/bacheng.htm)

Q: How do I transfer from the Engineering Fundamentals Department to a different department in the College of Engineering? 
A: If you are an Engineering Undecided student, see the academic advisor in the department you are transferring into before the end of your first year.

If you are a College of Engineering student, you must:

 a) complete the courses in the Common Engineering Core, and
 b) achieve the minimum ENGPA for the department you wish to transfer into 

(Note: some departments may be willing to accept you if you are close to their ENGPA, but "not quite there")

Q: What courses constitute the Common Engineering Core?
A: The courses in the Common Engineering Core are:
  • Calculus I (or I+) & II
  • Physics Lab I
  • Chemistry I
  • Physics I
  • Engineering I & II
  • Perspectives
  • World Cultures
 
Q: How is my ENGPA calculated?
A: Your ENGPA is calculated based only on the courses in the Common Engineering Core. If you have taken additional courses outside the core, these will be factored out of your overall GPA to compute your ENGPA.
For more information email John Henkel (jchenkel@mtu.edu) 
Q: What are the ENGPA transfer requirements for College of Engineering Students?
A: This depends on the requirements in place when you first enrolled at Michigan Tech. For students who were first-time freshmen in the fall of 2001, ENGPA requirements are:
  • 3.00 to transfer into either Biomedical or Chemical Engineering 
  • 2.25 to transfer into any other engineering program
For students who were first-time freshmen in the fall of 2002, ENGPA requirements are: 
  • 3.00 to transfer into Biomedical, Chemical, Computer, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering
  •  2.25 to transfer into any other engineering program





Q: If I am a College of Engineering student who has met the transfer requirements and would like to change majors, what do I do?
A: Contact the Engineering Advisor to begin the transfer process. (email engadvisor@mtu.edu or phone 487-2005 to set up an appointment)
Q: If I am a College of Engineering student who has completed the courses in the Common Engineering Core but my ENGPA does not meet the minimum set by the department I wish to go into, what do I do?
A: You have a number of options available to you at this time:

1) Consider selecting a different engineering major whose ENGPA requirements you do meet.


2) Contact the academic advisor in the department you wish to go into to see if they are accepting students below their stated minimum ENGPA. 

3) Contact the Engineering Advisor to discuss your options (email engadvisor@mtu.edu or phone 487-2005 to set up an appointment)  

4) Consider enrolling in programs outside of the College of Engineering at Michigan Tech. If you like hands-on technical work, programs in the School of Technology may be for you. Otherwise, check out programs in the School of Business, the School of Forestry, or the College of Sciences and Arts.


Department of Engineering Fundamentals
 Dillman Hall, 1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI-49931-1295
Phone : 906-487-3057
Fax :  906-487-1620
Email : Tina at cmsarazi@mtu.edu

A division of the Michigan Technological University College of Engineering.
Last updated on: January 3, 2008
Webmaster: ehgroth@mtu.edu

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Michigan Technological University
is an equal opportunity educational institution / equal opportunity employer