Additional FAQs for students transferring from a Colorado Community College
Additional FAQs for students transferring from UCCS & UCD
Additional FAQs for students transferring from Metropolitan State College (Denver, CO)
Additional FAQs for students transferring from another major within the College of Engineering & Applied Science
Q. I have questions about transferring to your program. Who should I talk to?
A. Please contact the Office of Admissions because they handle the entire admissions process. They can be reached at 303-492-6301 or visit their website. They may have different course requirements than what we list below.
Q. What classes should I take in order to be eligible to take ASEN 2001 , 2002 & 2012 next fall?
A. Please take the following courses. Students should get grades of A's or B's in order to successfully transfer into the program.
1. Calculus 1 (4-5 credit hrs)
2. Calculus 2 (4-5 credit hrs)
3. General Chemistry 1 with lab (5 hrs)
4. Physics 1 (4- 5 credit hrs, must be calculus-based physics)
5. Programming 1 (4 credit hrs, should be C++, MATLAB or JAVA).
a. All students MUST be proficient in MATLAB prior to taking ASEN 2001 & 2002. To purchase a copy of MATLAB, please visit the Mathworks website for the Student Version. They have an excellent tutorial as well.
Q. Do I have to take a MATLAB programming course or can I take a programming course in a different programming language?
A. All students must complete a Programming 1 course as it is one of the required prerequisites for ASEN 2001 & 2002. All of the ASEN courses use MATLAB programming extensively however if your university/college does not offer MATLAB, we will accept a Programming 1 course in C, C++ or JAVA and then you will have to teach yourself how to program in MATLAB.
Q. Can you tell me what classes will transfer to your program? Can I send you my transcript and will you tell me what classes will transfer into the Aerospace Program?
A. No, sorry. The official Transfer Credit Policy at the University of Colorado at Boulder states that Transfer Credit Evaluation happens only after a student has applied, been admitted, has submitted their intent to enroll (and the enrollment deposit) and is present at Orientation. This is the official policy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Please visit this website for more information about the University of Colorado at Boulder's official Transfer Credit Policy and Guidelines.
This is what is listed at the Office of Admissions Transfer Credit Guidelines website(link above) :
"Once you've been admitted, the Office of Admissions will perform an initial evaluation of your transfer credit. The final determination of how your transfer credits are applied toward degree requirements will be made at orientation by the dean's office of the college or school to which you've been admitted."
A. However, there is now a great new website/online tool that allows students to get an idea of what courses will transfer. Please visit the website at www.transfer.org. Here's a flyer about this great new tool.
Q. What else can I do to prepare for your program?
A. Please make sure that you are as competitive as possible in math. Current Aerospace students report that the Applied Math (APPM) courses at CU-Boulder are more challenging than their high school or community college math courses. The best way to be prepared is to be as competitive as possible in the area of math. Here's what you should do:
1. Please take (i.e. sit down in a quiet room WITHOUT the solutions) the exams (midterms & finals) that are listed online for the following courses: APPM 1350 Calculus 1, APPM 1360 Calculus 2, APPM 2350 Calculus 3 & APPM 2360 Intro to Differential Equations with Linear Algebra. There will be a link to "archive of old exams" on the current course webpage.
The rules are that you only have 1.5 hours to complete the exam and you may NOT use a calculator. Then check the solutions that are posted online. The more problem sets that you do, the more successful you will be in math.
2. Also please check to see if your university/college has Oral Exams/Reviews. The Applied Math Department here has found Orals to be very helpful for students. Here's some information about Orals from the Applied Math website:
"Any student in an APPM calculus class may take an oral on the Monday and Tuesday before each of the three written midterm exams, after signing up in advance. These orals generally have 5 students and a facilitator. An oral takes 50 minutes. The facilitator asks students conceptual questions about the main topics that will be covered on the written exam. Students are expected to explain concepts verbally, draw graphs to support their reasoning, and negotiate understanding with the facilitator and with the other students in the group.
These oral reviews are optional and are not graded. They are meant to help students develop a deeper understanding of important concepts which in turn will help them be more effective in deciding what procedures and problem solving techniques are appropriate for given problems. Orals seem to be most helpful to students who have studied for the exam before taking the oral.
Since 2003 orals have been made available to APPM calculus classes. Analysis of data from previous years showed that in all categories of assessment exam scores, students who took orals did significantly better on the midterm exams than comparable students who did not take orals. The orals helped the students to clear up misunderstandings and to pinpoint areas where they needed to do further studying before the written exam. Students who attended orals averaged 6-10 points higher on each midterm exam than students with comparable assessment exam scores who did not use orals."
3. Make sure that the math classes that you have taken includes ALL of the content covered in APPM 1350, 1360, 2350 & 2360 at CU-Boulder. Here's a Table of Contents for Calculus 1-3 (APPM 1350, 1360, 2350). Please make sure that you have MASTERED all of the content in those classes as they map directly to the Aerospace Courses. Here's the Table of Contents for APPM 2360 Introduction to Differential Equations w/Linear Algebra. If your university/college teaches only Differential Equations, you will need to take a Linear Algebra course to get transfer credit for APPM 2360.
A. Another way to prepare yourself for our program is to improve your team skills. All of the ASEN courses have hands-on labs and you will be put on teams for those design & experimental labs.
A. All of the ASEN classes use MATLAB programming so students should master this program. Here's a link to their website. The Student Version is sufficient (i.e. students don't need all of the toolkits).
A. There are group advising sessions for prospective students for the Aerospace Program offered a few times each year. You may wish to attend one of these so that you can learn more about the program at CU-Boulder Aerospace as well as things to do to prepare for the program. These sessions are listed on the Google Calendar on the Undergraduate Announcements webpage.
Q. My community college said that I will have a greater chance of getting into your program if I finish my Associates Degree. Is that true?
A. No. Please talk to the Office of Admissions to see what you need to take in order to transfer here but an Associates Degree is not necessary for the aerospace program, not very many courses will transfer and you will still be in school for another 3 years to complete the aerospace engineering degree requirements.
Q. I was admitted into the University of Colorado at Boulder's College of Arts and Sciences. Should I transfer now to CU-Boulder even though I won't be in the College of Engineering or should I take more classes at my university/community college and transfer later? If I decide to come to CU-Boulder in the College of Arts & Sciences what classes should I take and how do I transfer into Engineering?
A.We encourage you to transfer to the University of Colorado at Boulder as soon as possible because you will be eligible to take the required prerequisite courses even if you have been admitted into the College of Arts & Sciences.
A. The required prerequisites are open to Arts & Sciences students. Since you are not an engineering student you will not be allowed to take Chemistry for Engineers. However, below is an accepted substitute if you are planning to transfer into the Aerospace program. The required prerequisite courses are listed below:
1. APPM 1350-4 Calculus 1
2. APPM 1360-4 Calculus 2
3. CHEM 1113-3 & 1114-2 General Chemistry 1 w/lab
4. PHYS 1110-4 Physics 1 (calculus-based physics)
5. CSCI 1300-4 Programming 1
One advantage to transferring into the College of Arts & Sciences immediately is that you can take the APPM courses and take advantage of the Orals which will help you be more successful in our program. Mastery of math is crucial for success in the aerospace program.
A. Current CU-Boulder students wishing to transfer into the College of Engineering from the College of Arts & Sciences or any of the other colleges & schools at the University of Colorado at Boulder must apply for an Intra-University Transfer. Please visit this website for more information. The Intra-University Transfer (IUT) is handled by the Engineering Deans Office so please contact them if you have questions about this process.
Q. I have coursework 10 years or older. Will these courses transfer into your program and count towards the degree?
A. No. Coursework 10 years or older cannot be applied towards degree requirements.
Q. I have questions about the admissions process and would like to meet with someone. Who can I meet with?
A. Please contact the Office of Admissions at 303-492-6301to schedule an appointment with an Admissions Counselor . They will be able to answer your questions about the admissions process because the Office of Admissions handles the ENTIRE admissions process and make admission decisions.
A. The Aerospace Undergraduate Advisor holds a group advising session for prospective transfer students a few times each year. Please view the Google Calendar on the Undergraduate Program Announcements site to see when the next session will be available. This group advising session will focus on an overview of the Aerospace program, opportunities, how to be successful in the program, etc. Transfer Credit Evaluation will not be covered in this session as that process does not happen until Orientation.
Q. I'm transferring from another engineering program. How many more years (typically) will it take for me to graduate and why? Can you tell me a little bit more about your program?
A. Typically transfer students are in school for another 2.5 - 3 more years because:
1. The ASEN classes are offered once a year and are prerequisites for each other.
2. The ASEN courses are very specific, unique and they all contain hands-on design & experimental labs in the context of a team environment. Some of the course content covered in the spring of the CU-Boulder Aerospace sophomore year include topics that aren't covered in most engineering programs across the nation until junior or senior year (and the ASEN sophomore courses are prerequisites for the ASEN junior courses).
One of the advantages of the CU-Boulder Undergraduate Aerospace Program is that all of aerospace engineering is covered in the 4 sophomore-level ASEN courses (ASEN 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004) at the sophmore level. These courses are taught from a systems perspective so students are exposed to systems engineering early on. In addition, all of these courses have hands-on experimental and design labs in the context of team environments. Students also do a lot of oral presentations (design reviews) and write lab reports to professional standards. As a result many CU-Boulder Aerospace students get competitive aerospace internships the summer after their sophomore year. Also the sophomore and junior courses prepare students for the extensive Senior Capstone Design Project. By the time a student starts their senior year, they will have completed 28 hands-on design & experimental labs and 30 presentations just in the sophomore and juniors years.
To learn more about Senior Projects please visit this website. A basic description of Senior Projects is stated below:
The 2-semester Senior Projects course concludes the Bachelor of Science program of the Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department. This sequence includes ASEN 4018 Senior Projects I: Design Synthesis and ASEN 4028 Senior Projects II: Design Practicum. The fundamental course objective of the AES Senior Projects sequence (ASEN 4018/4028) is to teach students how to ENGINEER a complex, inter/multidisciplinary design and implementation problem in a group environment. Senior Projects focuses on the synthesis and application of the basic science, mathematics, engineering theory and design skills taught in the sophomore and junior years. It also provides the students with the opportunity to exercise and apply the more advanced material taught in the senior year. The course teaches basic knowledge in component and systems engineering design and provides an introduction into project management, including financial responsibility.
The first semester, ASEN 4018 Senior Projects I (Design Synthesis), focuses on the synthesis of technical knowledge, the design process, and communications, within a team environment. A major goal is learning the sequence of steps that culminate in a critical design review. ASEN 4028 Senior Projects II (Design Practicum) focuses on the fabrication, integration, operation, verification and validation of the designs produced in ASEN 4018.
Q. I have questions about the College of Engineering, scholarships, financial aid, visits, applying, programs, orientation, etc. What are some resources?
A. Please visit this site to learn about all of these items and more.