Undergraduates: Academic Planning

Academic Advising

Lower Division (Freshmen/Sophomores)

Upper Division (Juniors/Seniors)

Advising Requirement: Every spring (starting in March) you will meet with your departmental and faculty advisors. Find your departmental and faculty advisors in SRS.

Departmental Advisor	Faculty Advisor
Reviews your 1-year plan submitted annually (see below).	Provides guidance in career and professional goals: internships and co-ops, minors, tech electives, etc. Any other issues you want to discuss

The Advising Process

You will receive reminders each spring to complete the following steps:

Submit a one-year plan on SRS.
Meet with your faculty adviser.
Once your one-year plan has been approved and you have met with your faculty adviser, your DS hold will be removed and you will be able to register for classes.

Submitting the One-Year Plan

The one-year plan is a list of classes that you will take in the following academic year. You submit the one-year plan on the SRS. In filling out your one-year plan, you should consult the course planning guides in the Undergraduate Handbook.

Meeting with your Academic Advisor

Schedule your advising appointment using Google Calendar. Come prepared to discuss your one-year plan and any questions or concerns you may have.

The College of Science and Engineering and AEM regularly send news and important information to you via email, so make sure to check your inbox regularly.

Registration

How to Register

To check your unique registration date and time visit: MyU under the academics tab.

You will not be able to register until the advising (DS) hold on your record has been removed by getting your plans for next year approved. You will receive an email regarding advising for next year and when plans for next year are being accepted.

You will receive an email about the process and here are a few things that might help:

You can find your registration time on MyU, the general timetable is here: Onestop Registration Time Table
How to Guides for registration and other processes are here: http://onestop.umn.edu/how-guides including how to add yourself to a wait list.
http://onestop.umn.edu/how-guides including how to add yourself to a wait list.
Our TwoStop site has quick Class Schedules and a Liberal Education Class Search tool.
Best practice is to put a class in your cart and then immediately check out.
Permission numbers are requested for AEM courses only through the SRS.

What To Do When a Class is Full

We set our class sizes smaller than the room sizes to control enrollments. If an AEM section or class is full, request a permission number through the SRS and we can probably get you in. If you can fit another section that is still open into your schedule, we will not give you a permission number for a closed section.

Holds & Permission Numbers

Each spring an advising hold is placed on your records. To remove this hold you must complete the BAEM advising process. The process starts with you submitting your plans for the next year using the on-line SRS (Student Records System). As part of this process you may request an appointment with your adviser. Once you have submitted your plans and your adviser has approved them, the hold will be removed from your records and you can register for fall classes.

Duplicate Holds	Graduating Seniors	AP or Transfer Credits
If there are multiple DS holds on your record, they will all be removed when your plans for next year are approved.	This advising hold will not affect your graduation.	If you have AP or transfer credit for any prerequisites to AEM courses you will need to request a permission number via the SRS as the registration system does not know about these courses. Select the reason for the permission number as that your APAS report shows the requirements are not met.

The AEM Department issues Course Permission Numbers through our SRS on-line system. If you believe you have an advising hold on your records erroneously, please contact the Undergraduate Program Assistant in 107 Akerman or contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

BAEM New Majors Welcome Event

The BAEM Welcome Event is usually held in February in the Akerman Hall Hangar. There will be a short presentation followed by refreshments, and faculty members will be present to introduce themselves. All students admitted to the Major in January or May will be invited to attend via email. If you cannot make it to this event, please send an email to [email protected] and they will make arrangements for you to receive the necessary department and advising process information.

One-Year Plan (Upper Division BAEM Students)

One Year Plans are submitted online each Spring. The following only applies to Upper Division BAEM students.

In order to register for Fall semester, students must fill out a one year plan online and have it approved by their faculty adviser. You will receive an email letting you know when one-year plans for the coming year may be entered. Once your one-year plan has been approved, the hold will be removed from your records so you may register. You may also request a meeting with your adviser if you would like to create a plan with more support and guidance.

Spring & Fall Plans	Summer Plans
Plans are entered electronically by term and you must enter plans for both the Fall and Spring terms. If you are graduating after the Fall term, you need only enter a plan for that term.	Plans for Summer terms only need to be entered if you plan on taking courses in the Summer term.

One-year plans are now part of the Department Student Records System (SRS). Your advisor will review your plans online. You will receive an email when your advisor either approves your plans or enters comments about your plans. The plans summary page will also show the advisers' comments and if your plans have been approved.

Accessibility: One year plans can be filed in alternative formats by people with disabilities. Direct requests to the Director of Undergraduate Studies or your advisor.

One-Year Plan Form Entry Information

Add Required Class
- These boxes let you choose from the courses required for your degree that are being offered this term.
Add Technical Elective Class
- These boxes let you choose from the Department courses that fulfill the technical elective requirements. NOTE: These do not include out of Department classes that may be counted as technical electives. Enter these classes using the Other Technical Elective Classes and Comment fields.
Other Technical Elective Classes
- Use this to indicate technical electives from other departments. Please indicate in the comments what these classes are.
Liberal Education Classes
- Enter the number of liberal education classes you will be taking this term. It is up to you to make sure you meet the liberal education requirements.
Comments to your Advisor
- Anything you think your advisor should know. For example: if you plan to be away from the University doing an internship or study abroad.
Expected Graduation
- Enter the term and year that you plan to be your last before you get your degree. This needs only be your best guess and is not binding.
Request an Appointment with Your Advisor
- If for any reason you want to directly talk to your advisor you may set this option to yes and your adviser will contact you about setting up an appointment. You may also always contact your advisor separately for an appointment at any time. Each time you submit a plan with this option changed to 'yes' from 'no' an e-mail is sent to your advisor, so please only select it for one term.
Modify
- Check this box before you click the submit button to confirm you want to submit your term plan.
  You may go back and modify your plans at any time by clicking on the term-year (fall 2005, for example) link on the plans summary page. If you modify an already approved plan, it will need to be approved again. Even if you plan to be away from the University, on an internship or study abroad, please enter this in the comments field and submit a plan for each term you will be away.

BAEM Students taking Graduate Level Classes

If you plan to apply to the AEM Masters or PhD programs and would like to take Graduate level courses as an UMN Undergrad, you are able to do so. Please review the UMN Policy on Earning Graduate Credits and speak with an advisor before registering.

APAS Reports

These are used to clear you for graduation. When your report shows all green (OK) then you can graduate. You should check that your APAS report shows all green (OK or IP) after you register for your last semester before you graduate. This will confirm that you will have all the courses needed to graduate once you complete your last semester. Any minors or second degrees should have their own APAS reports.

If your APAS report does not show your technical electives in the correct section or has other problems, contact the AEM Director of Undergraduate Studies who can fill out an APAS correction form for you.

University Academic Policies

Repeating a Course

See repeating a course on OneStop for additional information. Exemptions are only granted by petition (they are not under the control of the instructor or the department), see your college adviser in 105 Lind Hall for information on submitting one.

Required Grades

A grade of C- or better is required in the major. This also means that you may not take any degree requirements S-N.

This requirement makes it necessary for you to receive a C- or better in any course required by the Department for a BAEM degree. This requirement covers all technical courses. Thus the only course in which a D or D+ is still a passing grades are the CLE elective courses, which include freshman writing and biology. D or D+ grades are still acceptable for prerequisite purposes, unless stated otherwise in the course prerequisites.

Credit and Grade Point Requirements for an Undergraduate (Baccalaureate) Degree

This policy limits S-N credits to 25% of those required for the degree (30+ for the BAEM)-- but see the policy if you are a transfer student. A student who is admitted to a degree program or major and who completes all requirements of the degree, with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.000 in University of Minnesota coursework, will be allowed to earn a degree. The cumulative GPA is based on only University of Minnesota course work.

Max Credit Amount

The maximum number of semester credits you can register for without additional approval is 20. To add a course beyond this limit you will need to fill out the Academic Policy Petition (OneStop forms).

If you plan to be gone from the University for a semester (other than summer), you need to file a leave of absence plan or you will have to apply for readmission when you return.

Academic Probation

There is now only one level of probation before suspension. Students who have a term or cumulative GPA less than 2.00 are put on Probationary Status. Students with term or cumulative GPA's between 1.75 and 1.99 will be allowed to register on time if they submit letters from their instructors indicating satisfactory progress. Students with less than a 1.75 GPA will have to wait for grades to be posted before they can register for next semester. All students on Probationary Status must fill out an E100 form. This form requires a signature of the AEM Director of Undergraduate Studeis. The E100 form and instructor letters should be turned into the office of Student Affairs in 105 Lind Hall.

Students on Probationary Status whose cumulative GPA falls below 2.0 may have to wait a year before they can enroll in classes at the University again. This is called Academic Suspension. If you are on academic suspension you will no longer be able to get around the suspension by taking extension courses. If you want to take courses, attend a local community or junior college.

Transferring Credits

You must take 15 of your last 30 credits here and then you can transfer, at most, half of your upper division credits. See Campus-Specific Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Major, Minors, and Certificates.

Internships and Full Time Student Status for International Students

If you need to maintain full time student status while doing an internship, you may take the course AEM 4796 Professional Experience. The goal of the course is to add an academic component to your internship experience by incorporating regular reflection on your assigned tasks and how they relate to academic principles, as well as engaging with relevant literature. This course does not count as a technical elective.

If you are doing an internship but not taking any classes during a fall or spring semester, you will need to fill out the Undergraduate Leave of Absence Form and submit it to the CSE Advising office in 105 Lind Hall to keep your status active with the University.

Additional questions on the internship program can also be directed to the AEM Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Opportunities Abroad

Experience with other cultures and countries can count as part of your degree requirements for the BAEM. Or you may be interested in an international internship that pays you to work in another country. There are many opportunities to broaden your horizons and below is some information to get you started.

The main resource at the University is the U of M Learning Abroad Center, which keeps lists of international courses that can be directly used for technical or liberal education credit. See their AEM Program Study Abroad Major Advising page for details on courses that can be used for technical credit. The Students page has information on how to get started finding a program that is right for you. CSE has support for study abroad and has a Global Seminars Page for short courses that take you abroad.

Aside from getting course credit there are also opportunities to work, intern, or volunteer internationally. For these type of opportunities see International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience where you can apply for an international internship. Work, intern, or volunteer by searching the U of M Abroad's database. Engineers without Borders is a non-profit organization established in 2000 to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. There is now a U of M Chapter.

College in many EU countries is free and in English, see 7 countries where Americans can study at universities, in English, for free (or almost free).

Continuing in Graduate School

If you are considering continuing your education in graduate school, this page attempts to give you some background on graduate school in engineering. There are two levels of degrees in engineering at the graduate level: Master's and Ph.D. Most students who get a Ph.D. degree get a Master's degree first, but it is not required.

Master of Science

At the U of M, a Master of Science degree usually takes a year and a half to complete. The summer is used for research that makes up your project or thesis work, and most schools are similar. The Master's requirements are mainly course work that adds advanced and more specialized knowledge beyond your BAEM. Depending on the school there may be a required project or thesis. Most employers that hire students with BAEM degrees also hire students with Master's degrees. A Master of Science degree can be useful for later career advancement, but if your career takes you along the management track, you may find an MBA degree more useful. Pick a school to attend for your Master's Degree based on their offered courses and research in an area (fluids, solids, propulsion, controls, etc.) of interest to you.

Ph.D.

A Doctor of Philosophy or Ph.D. degree is the highest degree awarded in engineering. To receive this degree a student must do original research which is reported in a thesis. Most Ph.D. programs require about two years of additional course work (beyond a B.S.) and then another two or three years working on your thesis research in close collaboration with your faculty adviser. The faculty adviser plays a very large role in a Ph.D. program and you should pick a school for your Ph.D. work based on the research being done by specific faculty members. Once you choose an area of interest for your Ph.D. degree, you will find that even at the largest schools, there are only a small number of faculty working in that area, and so you must make sure that at least one of these faculty members would be an acceptable adviser for you.

A Ph.D. degree is required if you hope to be a faculty member at a college or university, but in industry only the very largest companies hire students with Ph.D. degrees. Thus getting a Ph.D. reduces the number of possible employers and may make other considerations, such as a geographic preference, more difficult to achieve. Spouses who both have Ph.D.'s (the so-called "two body problem") may find it challenging to find suitable employment for both persons in one location.

Financial Support

In engineering* almost all students attending graduate school are supported by either a teaching assistantship (TA) or a research assistantship (RA). A few top students may be offered fellowships. The best fellowships may provide support for several years. When you apply to a graduate school getting support is of much more importance than getting admitted (you won't get support without getting admitted). All of these forms of support, TA, RA, and fellowship, cover tuition and provide a stipend that is adequate for a student to live on.

Most students that get support will be promised a TA or RA for the first year and support for subsequent years is contingent on finding a faculty adviser with funding support for you. If you get offered an RA, it will be with a specific faculty member and by accepting this support you are agreeing to work with that faculty member on the research project providing the funding. A TA offer will usually entail either grading or teaching lab or recitation sections of a course taught by a faculty member, but this does not involve a commitment to have this faculty member be your research adviser.

There are also fellowships, such as the NSF Graduate Fellowship, that will allow you to attend any graduate school. You can apply for many of these fellowships during your first year of graduate school. Having a fellowship is very desirable as it lets you choose to work with any faculty member regardless of whether that faculty member has funding for research in the topic that interests you.

*This is not the case in the sciences and mathematics.

GPA Requirement

Continuing on in graduate school is for students who have done well as undergraduates. While the formal entrance requirement for graduate school at the University of Minnesota is a 3.0 GPA, we prefer to see students have at least a 3.3 GPA to enter our program.

Finding a Graduate School

GradSchools.com allows you to search for graduate schools in your field of interest. You can also ask your adviser or other AEM faculty about which schools might be right for you. You can get ranking information from the US News & World Report, although for a Ph.D. the reputation of your research adviser is at least as important as the ranking of the program as a whole.

Staying in AEM

Details on our graduate programs can be found on the AEM Graduate Program Pages. We generally advise our BAEM graduates wanting to get a Ph.D. to attend another school. This provides a much broader educational experience. However, we regularly have several students stay to pursue Master's degrees and if a faculty member has a research project that fits you perfectly, it may also make sense to stay for your Ph.D. You can complete the last few credits of your BAEM degree while at the same time starting graduate school. Contact the AEM Director of Graduate Studies for more information.

Back to the Top

Finding a Job

Finding a job may be one of the hardest and most stressful things you will have to do. Unlike applying to schools, finding a job requires much more initiative on your part, if only because of the large number of opportunities and choices involved. But the process is the same for everyone and it's mainly a matter of perseverance. If you plan ahead and take advantage of internship, research, and other opportunities, you will be in a better position to convince employers you have what they need. The fact that everyone needs to do this, usually several times, means there is an enormous range of help available, from job search web sites to career counselors.

The College of Science and Engineering provides a Career Center for Science and Engineering, which has information on the job search process and arranges interviews with employers that visit campus. The University offers help on resumes and other career tips on their website.

Handshake is the U of M's online database to help connect students and alumni with employers, volunteer organizations, and internships across the country. There is additional information including search site links and job listings on the U’s career information page for engineering.

Additional Links

Most University information is available on the OneStop site.

Safety	In case of emergency, dial 911 for police and ambulance assistance. After the police have been notified, please inform the Administrative Director or DGS in the department office. If you have other safety concerns or need to complete Safety Training, you can contact Yohannes Ketema ([email protected]; 612-626-7259), the AEM Safety Officer. See the AEM Safety Page for more information.
AEM SRS	The Student Records System (SRS) allows you to: Check your AEM course grades as soon as they are posted Check assignment grades (if your instructor allows) Download lab files Determine who is your adviser Allows you to submit you one-year plans online Sign up to attend Commencement in May Add a second major or change your major
Courses	Quick AEM Course Catalog List of General Course Syllabi- Detailed description and outline of course prerequisites, objectives, expected outcomes, weekly topics, and grading Quick Class Schedules and Course Descriptions (TwoStop)- Consult this resource for a list of all CSE schedules and course descriptions, searchable by subject and term
Forms	BAEM Advising Worksheet.pdf One Stop Forms Academic Policy Petition University Forms CSE Forms BAEM Advising Worksheet

General Links List

On-line APAS Reports show you your progress towards your degree & Class Schedules for future semesters

Application to Graduate

Courses

List of Current Courses

OneStop Campus Dates and Deadlines

English as a Second Language supports international undergraduate students

Undergraduate Program in AEM

Student Conflict Resolution Center helps with dealing with professors, roommates, and other survivals skills

Disability Services Learning

University Counseling Services to help you succeed mentally and academically

Student Mental Health offers online self-assessment for depression, generalized anxiety, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders, and alcohol