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Home Get Your Degree First-Year Freshmen Open Option

Open Option

New first-time, first-year students may enter the college as Open Option if they are not yet sure what they'd like to major in. Students should select a specific engineering degree program by the eighth week of their second semester (contact your academic advisor for more information). The Open Option Engineering program provides students with a holistic First Year Exploratory Experience that prioritizes major exploration and community building, partnered with proactive and developmental academic advising, to support students’ success during their first year in CEAS.

Welcome to Open Option!

 

Flexible First-Year Curriculum

Many Open Option students follow the Flexible First Year Curriculum during their first two semesters of enrollment: 

 
Fall Semester: 13-15 Credits

Calculus 1 (4-5 credits)


Appropriate Science course  (3-5 credits)


Engineering Projects (3 credits)


Humanities/ Social Science or Writing course (3 credits)


Engineering Major Intro Class (1 credit)* 

 
Spring Semester: 13-16 Credits

Calculus 2  (4-5 credits)


Appropriate Science course (3-5 credits)


Computing and/or Disciplinary course (3-4 credits)


Humanities/Social Science or Writing course (3 credits)


Open Option students may not have the same level of access to engineering department courses as are available to students already rostered in that major department/program.  The Open Option Advisor assists students in developing full-time semester course schedules; some substitution or rotation of courses may be necessary to provide the student with a complete schedule. For example, the engineering projects courses may be taken either in the fall or spring semester.  The actual course schedule may vary depending upon the student having Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or prior college credit.

The Flexible First-Year Curriculum provides assurance that all credits can be used to meet the requirements of all College of Engineering and Applied Science undergraduate degree programs. However, because this curriculum only specifies 26-31 credit hours, students desiring to graduate in four years may need to take additional credits to satisfactorily complete 32 credit hours in their first two semesters (or complete these additional credit hours in future spring/summer/fall terms).  All baccalaureate programs in the college require 128 applicable credit hours for graduation (except the 120 credit hour Computer Science BA). See the Four-Year Graduation Guarantee.

If the student has other courses required for a special program, such as the Engineering Honors Program, President's Leadership Class, or Reserve Officers Training Program, these courses may be inserted in the curriculum in place of the humanities/social science courses. The substitution of these courses does not assure the student that these courses will meet degree requirements; this will be determined by the student’s major department/program once a specific engineering degree program has been selected.

Major/Career Exploration

During the first year, Open Option students are given various opportunities to explore which engineering discipline is right for them:

  • GEEN 1400: Engineering Projects, or any of the other first-year projects courses in the college such as ASEN 1400, ASEN 1403, ECEN 1400, or CHEN 1400, offers an excellent way to explore the application of different engineering disciplines as you work in teams to design, plan, and create real-world projects.
  • Students are encouraged to meet with an Engineering Career Services counselor to learn about their interests and strengths, and to discover the connections between majors and careers. Explore TryEngineering.org and the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.
  • To learn more about the different majors in CEAS, view the 8-Semester Degree Plan for each academic program.
  • Check out the Major Exploration Notebook here! Must be signed in with your CU Boulder credentials.
  • Here is a little bit of information about every major in Engineering (scroll until you see Information on Majors)

Exploration Graphic

Degree Planning and Class Registration Info

  • Class Catalog
  • Recomended first semester courses by Major
  • Adding classes to your shopping cart prior to Registration
  • CU Boulder Academic Calendar
  • Running a Degree Audit
  • First Year Student FAQs
  • Humanities, Social Science, and Writing Requirements

 

Have a question? Email us at xxen-advising@colorado.edu

  • First-Year Freshmen
    • Registration Information
    • Four-Year Graduation Guarantee
    • Engineering Launch
    • FAQs
    • Open Option Majors
    • Engineering Buff Families
  • Transfer Students
  • Degree Requirements
  • FE Exam
  • Graduation
  • Academic Expectations & Policies
Alex Voorhees Head Shot
Alex Voorhees
Undergraduate Academic Advisor • Open Option Engineering Students
Interdisciplinary Neighborhood

Major Exploration and Community Events Calendar

Open Option FAQs & Resources

Registration Information for First-Year Students

Student Support & Advising Services

engineering.advising@colorado.edu

College of Engineering & Applied Science

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