Catalog

All students are advised by faculty and staff from their respective major department or program. Students are encouraged to meet with an advisor at least once a semester.

Advising information is available at the administrative offices of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, ECAD 100, telephone 303-492-5071, directly through the major departments, or at engineering.colorado.edu/students/advising.htm.

Advisors are readily available to assist students with academic, vocational, or personal concerns. Students are assigned departmental advisors for academic planning and should consult with the departmental chair or designated faculty or staff representative if there is uncertainty over who is the student’s advisor or if the student wants a change in advisor.

The College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder is committed to providing an undergraduate educational experience among the best offered by any comprehensive research university in the country.

The College of Engineering and Applied Science offers 12 bachelor of science degree programs, each of which may be completed within eight full-time semesters. Many students elect to extend their studies at the University of Colorado beyond eight semesters to take advantage of research and employment opportunities, add minor programs, complete double-degree programs, and/or to pursue specialized plans of study.

For new freshmen who do not wish to extend their studies beyond eight semesters, the University of Colorado extends a guarantee that required or essential courses, or acceptable alternative courses, will be available so each student can complete all course work required for a bachelor of science degree from the College of Engineering and Applied Science no later than the end of the eighth consecutive semester of enrollment, when the student follows the degree plan recommended by the major department. In the event the University of Colorado is not successful in meeting the terms of this guarantee, the university will reimburse the student all tuition and course fees for those courses remaining to successfully complete the previously designated bachelor of science degree.

Full details regarding the guarantee and qualifications may be found at engineering.colorado.edu/students/advising.htm (Four Year Guarantee).

1. The BS degree requires that no fewer than 128 semester hours in an acceptable curriculum be completed to the satisfaction of the major department.
  The last 45 hours must be earned after admission and matriculation as an undergraduate engineering degree student at the University of Colorado at Boulder campus. Some students will need to present more than the minimum number of credit hours because they may have enrolled in courses that do not apply toward degree requirements.
  A student is awarded a degree by the recommendation of the faculty of the College of Engineering and Applied Science after the student’s major academic department determines that all degree requirements have been successfully completed.

  The diploma indicates the University of Colorado campus from which the department recommending the student for the degree is located. Consideration will generally be given to designating the campus where the majority of the course work was completed. However, the final decision on the campus designation is made by the designated faculty representative from the student’s major academic department.
2. The cumulative GPA of an engineering student includes all academic courses attempted at the University of Colorado (unless the Course Repetition Program has been utilized). A cumulative GPA of 2.000 is required in courses used to fulfill degree requirements. In addition, a separately computed GPA of 2.000 must be attained in those courses taken from the student’s major department. For students in the engineering physics program, the major department is the physics department.

3. Humanities and social sciences degree requirements may be found at engineering.colorado.edu/homer. All electives should be selected with the approval of a faculty advisor and from the lists of approved courses.

  Qualified students may take appropriate honors courses for humanities and social sciences credit.
4. Students who graduated from high school in the spring of 1988 and thereafter must complete any minimum academic preparation standards (MAPS) deficiencies prior to graduation. Students should refer to engineering.colorado.edu/students/advising.htm (Advanced Placement and MAPS) and consult with a faculty advisor or the dean’s office (ECAD 100) to determine any MAPS deficiencies and how to satisfy these deficiencies.
5. Some majors require successful completion of an educational outcome measurement prior to graduation. Students should contact their major department to determine whether an outcome measurement is required and when it must be taken.

It is the student’s responsibility to be certain that all degree requirements are fulfilled, to notify the major department upon completion of 100 semester hours applicable to BS degree requirements, to fill out the Application for Diploma form at the beginning of the next-to-last semester before graduation, and to keep the departmental advisor and the dean’s office informed of any change in graduation plans.

All incompletes must be completed and all Independent Learning course grades must be officially received no later than three weeks prior to the graduation ceremony. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the appropriate instructor concerning the removal of incomplete grades. Graduation periods are in December, May, and August.

A student in the College of Engineering and Applied Science may be able to obtain bachelor’s degrees in two engineering disciplines or one degree in engineering and one in another field, such as business, music, or one of the arts and sciences disciplines. Interested students should come to the dean’s office (ECAD 100) for additional information.

Double Degrees from Engineering and Another College +

Double Degrees within the College of Engineering and Applied Science +

The college offers minors in applied mathematics, computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, signals and systems, and electrical renewable systems.

More information is available at engineering.colorado.edu/students/advising.htm (Minor Programs).

Several engineering departments have an option by which a student may meet all requirements for entry into medical or other health professions schools while earning a degree in engineering. Engineering departments with this option will approve inclusion of appropriate biological and bioengineering courses in the student’s program of technical electives. The courses listed below are usually prescribed by medical and dental schools and must be completed with superior grades.

Students can typically meet these requirements by carefully substituting electives in their engineering curriculum. Interested students should consult with the prehealth advisor on the Boulder campus early in their undergraduate career in order to accomplish the other elements of preparation for applying to a health professional school. Assistance with requirements for clinical experience and specialized letters of recommendation can be obtained from this office.

Undergraduates in engineering who intend to pursue graduate study in business may be able to complete some of the business background requirements as electives in their undergraduate programs. Seniors in engineering who have such intentions and appear likely to qualify for admission to graduate study in business may be permitted to register for graduate fundamentals courses designed to provide qualified students with needed background preparation in business. (See Graduate School information in the Leeds School of Business section.)

In order to take advantage of CU-Boulder’s location in one of the country’s leading entrepreneurial areas, the Leeds School of Business administers the Deming Center for Entrepreneurship. Both undergraduate and graduate courses are offered, along with an internship program. For information on this joint program, visit eship.colorado.edu.

Students with strong academic records who plan to continue in the Graduate School usually find it advantageous to apply for admission to the concurrent BS/MS degree program. Excellent students plan a graduate program beginning in their junior year. The plan provides a small tuition discount for the MS degree and, in many departments, may allow up to 6 credit hours of graduate course work to be applied to the BS degree. This program also provides opportunities to work with faculty on independent study or research projects.

Application is made to the Graduate School through the appropriate academic department. Application and admission may occur during the junior year; consult individual departments for their exact timing. The college requires a minimum GPA of 3.250 for admission to this program; some departments may have higher requirements. Requirements for the two degrees are the same as those for two degrees taken separately: 128 credit hours for the BS degree and 24–30 hours including thesis (Plan I) or 30 credit hours (Plan II) for the MS degree. Up to 6 credit hours of graduate course work may be double counted (i.e., applied toward the BS degree as well as applied toward the MS degree).

All students choose or are assigned a faculty advisor to help them develop a program of study best suited to their interests. Students in each program are encouraged to pursue independent study on research programs or in areas of specialization beyond those offered in formal courses. Students are allowed to structure their senior and graduate years in an order that is optimal for their program, as long as all requirements for both the BS and MS degrees are completed by the end of the concurrent BS/MS program. The BS and MS degrees must be awarded concurrently at the completion of both degree programs.

A minimum GPA of 3.000 must be maintained for continuation in the program; if the GPA falls below 3.000, all hours completed with a passing grade while in the program count only towards fulfillment of the BS degree.

Tuition rates for resident students in this program are usually at the undergraduate rate until requirements for the BS and MS degrees are completed. For additional details on this program, contact the appropriate engineering academic department or the Graduate School.

The concurrent BS/MS program in engineering physics enables well-qualified and motivated students to experience graduate-level course work earlier in their education and to obtain an MS degree in a reduced time period. Engineering physics majors may apply for this program during their junior year. Applicants should have a minimum GPA of 3.000 at the time of application. The application should be accompanied by recommendation letters from two professors with whom the applicant has taken upper-division physics courses. The applicant should also produce a letter of acceptance from a faculty sponsor/advisor willing to supervise at least 6 credit hours of research. Students interested in this program are encouraged to consult with an engineering physics faculty advisor early in their undergraduate career. Details on course requirements may be found at www.colorado.edu/physics.