GENERAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND ACADEMIC POLICIES

The requirements specified in this catalog are intended for all students who begin their college careers during or after the fall of 2010. Students who have begun their careers prior to fall 2010 may choose to complete the requirements outlined in this catalog, but if they do so they must complete all of the requirements listed herein. Students may not choose some requirements from this catalog and some from previous catalogs. If a student does not complete requirements for the undergraduate degree within a period of seven years from the date of admission, the College of Engineering will modify the student’s program to bring it into compliance with current degree requirements.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Each student is expected to select and register for the courses required to satisfy degree requirements; this includes satisfying all prerequisite and corequisite requirements.
   
2. Each student is expected to pursue successful completion of all courses for which he or she enrolls.
   
3. Each student is responsible for University and College policies appearing in official documents, including those on the University and College Web sites, that govern academic programs, curricula, courses, and completion of degrees.
   
4. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that all degree requirements have been met.
   
5. Each student is expected to maintain a current and accurate mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number with the UA Records Office and respond promptly to all communications from the University and the College.
   
6. Each student is expected to be familiar with the current academic calendar and meet deadlines for advising, registration, dropping or adding courses, withdrawing from school, etc.
   
7. Each student is expected to understand the requirements of the College of Engineering Core Curriculum and should consult the core curriculum course listing located on-line through myBama to determine whether a core curriculum designation is in effect at the time of enrollment in a course.

Application for Degree

Each candidate for graduation must submit an application for degree to Engineering Student Services (112 H. M. Comer Hall). Students who expect to complete degree requirements in May can submit their degree applications beginning on October 1 of the previous year. Those who expect to finish their requirements after the Interim term, summer session, or fall semester should submit their applications beginning the previous March. In all cases, an application for degree must be on file in Engineering Student Services no later than the time at which the degree candidate registers for his or her final semester in residence. Students who apply for their degrees after registration for the final semester will not receive their diplomas until the following term.

Auditing Courses

Students may register for courses as auditors with the approval of the departments offering the courses. The deadline for registering as a course auditor coincides with the deadline for adding courses at the beginning of each semester. The requirements that auditors are expected to meet in an audited course are left to the discretion of the instructor. Audited courses do not count toward degree requirements.

COMMON FRESHMAN YEAR

All students in the College of Engineering have a common freshman-year experience. As part of this experience, all students must complete five hours of fundamental engineering courses. These five hours consist of ENGR 111, ENGR 131, ENGR 141, ENGR 151 and a one-hour introduction to one of the majors in the College.

Course Substitution

Occasionally, a student may wish to substitute another course for a required course. All such requests should first be presented via written petition to the student’s advisor and department head, who will (1) weigh the merits of course substitution and determine if the content of the proposed course is appropriate as a substitute, and (2) make a recommendation to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. Decisions on course substitution recommendations will be made by the Associate Dean for Academic Programs.

Double/Second Majors

Students seeking a double major must complete the Double/Second Major form located in the Office of Engineering Student Services (112 H. M. Comer Hall). The same academic standards apply to a double/second major as to any other course sequence for a College of Engineering degree. The College of Engineering departmental advisor, as well as the advisor outside the College of Engineering, must approve all courses for the double/second major.

Engineering Alternative to the Statewide General Studies Curriculum

Act 94-202, enacted by the Alabama legislature in 1994, provided equivalency for first- and second-year courses taught by colleges in the state of Alabama. In 1995, engineering educators presented an engineering alternative to the general studies curriculum (GSC) that modified the Act to specific needs of engineering colleges statewide. The engineering alternative was unanimously approved by the statewide Articulation and General Studies Committee in December 1995 and was made a part of GSC. The details of the “College of Engineering Core Curriculum/General Education Requirements” are listed in the “Academic Records and General Academic Policies” section of this catalog.

Free Electives

Most college courses may be counted as free electives. An exceptions for College of Engineering students are the mathematics courses below MATH 125. ROTC credit may be applied with the approval of the student’s advisor and department head.

Graduation Standards

The following minimum standards of academic achievement must be met by each student who expects to earn a baccalaureate degree from the College of Engineering.

• (a) successfully complete all courses specified in the degree program;
• (b) complete on this campus at least one-half of the work required within the discipline;
• (c) earn at least a “C” average (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) for all work attempted;
• (d) earn at least a “C” average (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) for all work attempted on this campus;
• (e) earn at least a “C” average (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) for all work attempted in his or her professional courses;
• (f) earn at least a “C” average (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) for all work attempted in his or her professional courses on this campus; and
• (g) meet any additional academic requirements of the program offering the degree.

Mathematics

An entering student must enroll in the mathematics course determined by the student’s score on the mathematics placement test. A grade of “C-” or higher must be earned in each mathematics course that leads to another course in the sequence that prepares the student to enroll in calculus.

Minors in Engineering for Non-Engineering Majors

Two types of minors in the College of Engineering are available to students enrolled in other divisions of the University. The minors require a minimum of 18 hours in engineering courses. The Type 1 minor is a specialized program in any of the College’s engineering disciplines. Course requirements and advising are available from the appropriate department head, who will appoint an advisor for a student desiring this type of minor. The Type 2 minor is a general minor in engineering which requires a minimum of 18 hours in courses chosen from a list available from the Associate Dean for Academic Programs. The Associate Dean will appoint an advisor for a student pursuing a Type 2 minor.

Online Courses

College of Engineering students may enroll in online courses through the College of Continuing Studies. An online course with the same course number as a regularly scheduled on-campus course fulfills the same degree requirements as an on-campus course. Further information about online courses is available through the College of Continuing Studies.

Pass/Fail Option

The pass/fail option cannot be exercised for courses that are to be applied to the requirements of an engineering or computer science degree. For further information about the pass/fail option see the “Academic Records and General Academic Policies” section of this catalog.

Prerequisites

The College of Engineering requires a grade of “C-” or better be earned in each course that serves as a prerequisite to any course that will be applied toward a student’s degree requirements. If a grade of lower than “C-” is received in a course that is a prerequisite, the prerequisite course must be repeated and a grade of “C-” or higher must be earned before a enrolling in the subsequent course. In such cases, it is the student’s responsibility to make the necessary schedule changes through the drop/add process. These changes should be made prior to the beginning of the next term, and they must be made before the deadline for adding courses. Failure to make the changes on time will result in administrative withdrawal from the course whose prerequisite the student has not fulfilled with a grade of “C-” or higher. A student who is administratively withdrawn from a course after the deadline to add a course may not add a course to replace the course from which he or she was withdrawn.

Registration

Schedules for faculty advising and other registration information are posted throughout the College of Engineering just prior to and during the registration period for each semester or term. Additional information is available from the director of Engineering Student Services in 112 H.M. Comer Hall and from the departmental offices. All schedules and drop/add forms must be approved by the student’s advisor.

Repeating courses

The repetition of courses is governed by the following restrictions:

• In computing the GPA, a grade of “I” (Incomplete) is included as hours attempted with zero grade points earned. A student on probation must remove “I” grades within two weeks of the beginning of classes during his or her next term in residence. Students not on probation must remove “I” grades within four weeks of the beginning of classes during the next term. If the “I” grade was earned in a required course and is not removed, the course must be repeated.
• A record of original and repeat enrollments appears on the student’s transcript.
• Each enrollment in a course is included in the cumulative hours attempted and in the computation of grade point averages. However, only the final enrollment may count as credit toward the degree.
• Courses completed with grades of “A,” “B,” or “C” may not be repeated except on an audit basis.
• Enrollment for credit in a course that is at a lower level than a course the student has already completed for credit with a grade of “A,” “B,” or “C” is prohibited. For example, a student with credit for MATH 125 with a grade of “A,” “B,” or “C” may not enroll for credit in MATH 100, MATH 110, MATH 112, MATH 113, MATH 115, MATH 121, or similar courses. This policy also prohibits repeating a course for credit if equivalent transfer credit with a grade of “Pass” has already been awarded.
• Enrollment for credit in a course is not prohibited simply because credit was earned in a higher-numbered course. For example, a student with credit for GES 411 or GES 451 may enroll for credit in GES 255 or GES 257. If students have questions about the interpretation of this policy, they should consult the associate dean for academic programs or the director of Engineering Student Services prior to enrollment.
• Only two repeat attempts, for a total of three attempts, in any course are permitted, unless continuance is authorized by the associate dean for academic programs. Some departments may have more restrictive policies concerning the number of repeat attempts allowed.
  

Transfer credit, Advanced Placement, and credit by examinatation

The following policies apply to the transfer of credit by entering transfer students, the transfer of credit that was earned while concurrently enrolled at The University of Alabama, the transfer of credit earned as a transient student at another institution, and the transfer of credit from other divisions of The University of Alabama.

• In order for credit to be transferred, courses completed at other institutions must be equivalent as nearly as possible to courses taught at The University of Alabama.
• In the College of Engineering, grades of “D” will not be admissible
  if the grade was earned in a course that is a prerequisite to another course required for the student’s degree program.
• The maximum amount of credit transferable from two-year institutions is 64 semester hours.
  

Transfers from other University of Alabama divisions

Credit that another division of the University previously accepted for transfer from another institution will be reevaluated by the College of Engineering when a student transfers into the College from within the University.

Undergraduate students in graduate courses

Undergraduate students may be permitted to enroll in graduate courses if they have senior standing and “B” or higher averages for work attempted at The University of Alabama.