Tips for Freshmen & Sophomores

Although formal assignment to major does not take place until the spring of the sophomore semester, it is never too early to plan ahead. To ensure that you are advancing properly towards your major follow these tips:

• Finish your math courses (Math 140, 141, 230 and 251) by the end of the third semester. If you fall behind in the Math sequence, make every effort to catch up during the summer. ChE 210 and ChE 220, normally scheduled in the spring of the sophomore year have prerequisites in Math 230 or Math 251, and many subsequent classes make use of this material. Therefore, it is very important that you finish these classes before you take the first chemical engineering classes.


• You should satisfy the requirements for entry to major by the end of the fourth semester. Under special circumstances, an extension may be granted to complete a remaining requirement during the summer of the sophomore year. To obtain such extension you must first meet with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator.


• Plan to take ChE 210 and ChE 220 in the fourth semester (spring of sophomore year). These are introductory classes and are prerequisites for many of the other ChE courses. They are offered only in the spring so if you do not have the proper prerequisites to take them you will be delayed by a full year.


• Most Chemical Engineering classes are offered only once a year. Stick with the published course plan and do not make changes in the schedule without checking with a chemical engineering adviser.


• Check course prerequisites. It is your responsibility to make sure that you know the prerequisite requirements for the various courses in your major and to make sure that you take the classes in the proper sequence. Please take note that advisers have no authority to waive prerequisites! Only the course instructor can, and even then, only for a very good reason. Even though the computer allows registration without proper prerequisites, the department will dis-enroll all students who have not completed the prerequisite requirements satisfactorily. You can find out about the prerequisites of all courses in the Blue Book.

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