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ME Program 2020-2021 Advising

Some questions you may have

Why is the curriculum changing?

This new modernized curriculum is intended to offer students greater flexibility and an opportunity for hands on experience applying the engineering curriculum to hands on design projects as early as the sophomore year.  This systems approach will increase students experience and better prepare them for the workforce.   Starting in fall 2020 students can earn with their selection of electives one of 10 certificates that will further endorse a students knowledge in a particular area.

Does changing curriculum affect me?

The short answer is … that depends.

Students that are graduating by Fall 2022 or before will primarily notice the changes in Fall 2020 to the following classes: ENGR 210, ENGR 220, ME 105, ME 271, ME 302, ME 330, ME 331, and ME 320. Students that have already completed these courses will complete the remaining coursework on their catalog, but will have the chance to earn a certificate with their electives.

Students that are graduating after Fall 2022 will need to make a decision on whether or not to change catalogs. Starting in Fall 2022, the Senior Design 1 and 2 classes will become 2 credit courses with two new courses ME 287 Design Lab 1 and ME 387 Design Lab 2 each 2 credits as pre reqs. Students that stay on their current catalog will need to have these courses completed in order to take senior design beginning in Fall 2022. Those students that decide to change catalogs will have additional courses required for their degree like ME 215 – Engineering Communication Lab with Inspire ME Seminar for 1 credit. Also the Admission requirements will be changing on the 2020-21 catalog. If you are unsure about whether changing catalogs would benefit you, speak with an advisor.

Are the Admission Requirements for Upper Division Changing?

For students on the 2019-20 and earlier catalogs – no. The ME Core GPA minimum of 2.4 and the maximum number of 2 ME Core repeats (D, F and W) in the 8 ME core classes is not changing for students on the 2019-20 and earlier catalogs. However, four of ME Core course numbers are changing as follows beginning in fall 2020:

  • ME 105 Mechanical Engineering Graphics is now ME 187 Graphical Communication
  • ENGR 210 Engineering Statics is  Engineering Mechanics 1now ME 201
  • ENGR 220 Engineering Dynamics is now ME 203 Engineering Mechanics 2
  • ME 302 Thermodynamics is now ME 321 Thermal/Fluids 1

For students on the 2020-21 and later catalogs – yes. The GPA minimum is increasing to 2.6 along with the maximum number of repeats to 3 (D, F and W) in what will now be 6 ME core classes.

  • MATH 170 Calculus 1
  • MATH 175 Calculus 2
  • PHYS 211 Mechanics, Waves and Heat
  • ME 201 Engineering Mechanics 1
  • ME 203 Engineering Mechanics 2
  • ME 273 (old ME 271) Introduction to Computation for Engineers

Will the new curriculum delay my graduation?

These changes should not delay students’ graduation.  While some prerequisites are changing, these changes will be phased in over 3 semesters and not be enforced until spring 2022.  Below is a list of the pre-req changes that will be phased in until full implementation in spring 2022:
  • MATH 333, ME 203 and ME 273 will be allowed as co reqs for ME 321
  • Other?

Do I need to take ENGR 180?

Only students remaining on the 2019 catalog, for now, will be required to take ENGR 180.  If ENGR 180 is accepted as a Foundations of Communication (FC) course in the future it could be added back to future catalogs.  No guarantees if you have already completed ENGR 180 that it will be accepted in the future as an FC, but a chance.

Do I need to take PHYS 212/L?

Students remaining on the 2019-20 and earlier catalogs will still need to take PHYS 212/L.  On the 2020-21 catalog PHYS 212 is being replaced with a Science/Math Elective.

What are the Science/Math Elective options on the 2020-21 catalog?

Science courses satisfying the science elective include chemistry, physics, life, earth, and space science and must meet a required level of rigor to satisfy the science elective. Pre-approved Science Courses must be non-degree requirements and include :
  • Any geography course with a course-prefix number equal to or greater than 100.
  • Any geosciences course with a course-prefix number equal to or greater than 100.
  • Any biology course with a course-prefix number equal to or greater than 100.
  • Any chemistry course with a course-prefix number equal to or greater than 111.
  • Any physics course with a course-prefix number greater than 200.
  • Any zoology course with a course-prefix number equal to or greater than 100.

Mathematics courses must be non-degree requirements and meet our required level of rigor to satisfy the science elective  Pre-approved Mathematics Courses include:

  • Any non degree required math course requiring a prerequisite of MATH 170 or higher; or
  • Any non degree required upper-division math course.

What about Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer?

As you may have heard, ME 302 Thermodynamics 1, ME 330 Fluid Mechanics 1, and its lab ME 331, as well as ME 320 Heat Transfer will last be offered in Spring 2020. Because of the restructuring of the Thermal/Fluids curriculum, students who need to take ME 302 and/or ME 330 will now take ME 321 Thermal/Fluids 1 and this course will be used for admission to Upper Division for students on 2019-20 and earlier catalogs.

Students that need to complete ME 320 will now instead take ME 323 Thermal/Fluids 2. These courses are replacements regardless of students’ catalog year. However, ME 302/ME 321 will not be used for admission to upper division on 2020-21 and later catalogs. Students that have completed ME 302 that decide to change to the 2020-21 catalog will be able to use ME 302 as an elective.

Watch the general orientation session

An orientation session was presented on February 28, 2020 for general information.

Watch the session video here

New curriculum implementation