College of Engineering

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Academic Policies

Admission to the College

Preparation for Freshmen and Sophomores

The beginning engineering student should have a good understanding of the basic physical sciences, a demonstrated ability in mathematics and the competence to read rapidly with comprehension.

Minimum high school preparation should include the basics outlined below. Students who need additional foundation courses can complete appropriate math and chemistry courses before proceeding with the regular engineering curriculum.

Refer to freshman admission for complete information.

Essentials	Years
Intermediate and advanced algebra	1
Plane geometry	1
Trigonometry	1/2
Chemistry	1
Physics	1
Calculus	1

General Education

Students must complete 36 credits of general education and prescribed foundation coursework in mathematics and the physical and biological sciences before pursuing junior/senior-level courses in the college. Engineering students must complete 15 credits of humanities and social/behavioral sciences, with at least 6 credits in each area. The remaining 3 credits can be chosen from humanities or social/behavioral sciences.

Composition	3 credits
Mathematical sciences	6 credits
Humanities	6-9 credits
Social and behavioral sciences	6-9 credits
Physical and biological sciences	12 credits
TOTAL	36 credits

All courses used to satisfy general education requirements must be taken for a letter grade and a minimum grade of C is required.  Requirements of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) in general education are satisfied by the university’s general education requirements.

Transfer from Florida State Colleges

Florida state college students who have completed the Associate of Arts degree and the required technical foundation courses in calculus, differential equations, chemistry and physics with calculus are eligible to apply for transfer directly into the College of Engineering. Admission to the college is selective and is based on the total record. Students with excessive withdrawals from coursework may not be eligible.

In particular, transfer students must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Earn an Associate of Arts degree from a Florida public state college with a minimum GPA of 2.00.
• Satisfy the general education requirements of the state college and comply with the general education requirements of UF and the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
• Complete two sequential courses of foreign language in secondary school or 8-10 semester credits at the postsecondary level or document an equivalent level of proficiency.
• Satisfy critical-tracking criteria in accordance with specific program requirements and overall grade point average.
• Complete critical-tracking courses in calculus, differential equations, chemistry and physics with calculus with minimum grades of C in each course and a minimum GPA of 2.5 (as computed on the last of a maximum of two attempts allowed for each course, including withdrawals). For certain majors, a higher grade is required in each course.

Upper Division Transfer from a Non-Florida State College

All students who transfer from four-year institutions must meet the general admission requirements of the university. In addition, students must meet the college’s admission requirements to transfer directly into an engineering program. Students with 60 or more credits earned but less than 90 credits will be considered on a space-available basis.

Students with more than 90 credits earned and applying from a non-Florida state/community college are generally not considered for admission.

All students transferring to UF must complete a minimum of 60 credits of acceptable 3000/4000-level coursework at UF to receive a degree from this college.

Unless previous arrangements have been made for course certification by faculty of the College of Engineering, only engineering courses taken in programs accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology will be considered for transfer to this college. 

Postbaccalaureate Admission

A student who has received a baccalaureate degree who wants to meet specific requirements for admission to graduate school may be admitted as a postbaccalaureate student. Space is limited for postbaccalaureate study and only where space is available will admissions be made for postbaccalaureate studies.

Overseas Studies

A number of student-exchange agreements have been established with overseas institutions. Information about international programs and study abroad is available from the International Programs Office.

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Academic Regulations

Credit for Special Work

• With department chair approval, a student can receive practical industry work experience under supervision. With a previously approved outline, a student can receive up to three college credits by submitting a satisfactory report and by passing an examination.
• Exceptional students can receive up to six credits of individual study in their chosen field by registering for department course number 4905.
• Students can receive credit for research work by registering for EGN4912. See your academic advisor for details.
• A student cannot apply more than eight credits of individual study, including high honors projects, co-op work experience, practical work experience and special problems or special topics, for credit toward a degree program.

Dean’s List

Drop Policy

Students are allowed two drops in the first 60 credits of UF coursework and two drops in upper division (60 or more credits completed at UF).

A student with an initial course load of 15 credits or more will be permitted an extra drop if the drop is completed by the end of the seventh week of class and if the total credits remaining are 12 or more.

Petitions to drop courses beyond the allotted number will be approved only when circumstances beyond the student’s control prevented the satisfactory completion of a course. All such petitions must be submitted to Engineering Undergraduate Student Affairs, along with a written recommendation from the student's department advisor.

English Requirement

Each student in the college is required to complete ENC 1101 or ENC1102. All students must also complete an appropriate course in professional communication with a minimum grade of C.

Any instructor in the college may require a student with a deficiency in English to complete additional coursework beyond the curriculum requirements for the degree, with approval of the department chair.

Flexible Learning

An enrolled engineering student will not be permitted to register for flexible learning courses unless the associate dean for student affairs and the registrar grant special permission. A student on probation must have permission of the associate dean to register for flexible learning courses when not enrolled in the college. A student who has been dismissed cannot take flexible learning courses for credit until the suspension is removed. A minimum grade of C is required for credit in a flexible learning course.

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Grievance Procedures

The college supports the university’s Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity program. Anyone who believes that he or she has been discriminated against should contact the associate dean for student affairs.

If a student feels that his or her performance in a course has not been evaluated accurately, the situation should be discussed with the instructor. If the disagreement is not resolved, the student can pursue the matter with the instructor’s department chair, the associate dean for student affairs and the university ombudsman.

Honors and Accelerated Courses

Honors and accelerated courses can be taken in place of their regular tracking counterparts. A prerequisite for any college course can be met by an honors or accelerated equivalent. Accelerated physics and honors chemistry courses are not restricted to students in the honors program, but honors calculus courses are controlled by the university honors program. Currently approved substitutions include:

• MAC 3472 instead of MAC 2311
• MAC 3473 instead of MAC 2312
• MAC 3474 instead of MAC 2313
• PHY 2060 instead of PHY 2048
• PHY 2061 instead of PHY 2049

Independent Study

Under certain circumstances, credit toward graduation may be obtained through independent study by registering for a course carrying a department prefix. A student cannot apply more than eight credits of independent study toward a degree program, including magna cum laude or summa cum laude honors projects, co-op work experience, practical work experience and special problems or special topics. Registration for one to four credits of variable credit in a semester requires department approval.

Probation Policy and Dismissal

An undergraduate student who is off-track or whose upper-division, university or department grade point average falls below 2.00 will be placed on academic probation. The student will be allowed two semesters to attain good academic standing. Students may not be on academic probation for more than two semesters during their undergraduate program. A student who fails to meet the conditions of probation must petition his or her department to be allowed to continue in the major. Approval of this petition is at the discretion of the student’s department.

As a condition of probation, students must see an advisor at designated intervals to review progress toward meeting the conditions of probation. Failure to keep such appointments without valid reason will be considered a violation of probation and may result in dismissal from the program.

Students dismissed from the College of Engineering should seek admission to another program.

Students should acquaint themselves with their department’s probation and exclusion procedures and guidelines.

ROTC

Engineering students can enroll in the advanced ROTC programs offered by the Army, Navy and Air Force. Graduates will be commissioned as second lieutenants or ensigns. Advanced courses in military science are not normally acceptable credit as technical or nontechnical electives toward an engineering degree.

S-U Grade Option

All courses taken at the university to satisfy engineering degree requirements, general education and writing requirements must be taken for letter grade, unless the course is offered only on a satisfactory-unsatisfactory (S-U) basis. Nontechnical electives in the junior and senior years can be taken S-U.

Physical education courses taken when an engineering student has reached junior status must be taken S-U.

Students should check with their departments to determine policy.

Student Responsibility

It is the student’s responsibility to review and consider all pertinent information about the university and the college. Special attention must be paid to required documentation and deadlines.

Summer Attendance

Students who have completed a summer study abroad program, co-op, internship, research experience or other engineering-related work can petition to waive this requirement. All petitions must be submitted to the university petitions committee with all appropriate documentation.

Transient Students

This category includes students who are admitted to the college who wish to pursue studies temporarily at another two- or four-year institution. Students who wish to transfer credits for coursework completed at other institutions must first obtain department and college approvals.

A transient student who is a degree-seeking candidate at another institution who wishes to transfer credit from the University of Florida must file a non-degree application with the Office of the University Registrar in Criser Hall.

Withdrawal from the University

Any undergraduate who withdraws from the university a second time will be placed on college probation automatically until graduation. Any student on college probation who withdraws from the university a third time may be, at the discretion of the associate dean for undergraduate student affairs, ineligible for further registration in the college.

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