My son has been admitted to engineering at several schools so we’re trying to see the differences in the programs in order to help with our decision. We love the university and Ann Arbor but don’t know much about the engineering program itself. Some schools offer living/learning programs for engineers but it doesn’t look like that is the case at U of MI. I also see differences in the freshman engineering courses - the Michigan course seems to be more of a survey course whereas other schools have a design course.
I also remember from the engineering tour that engineering students aren’t required to take the same English courses as the other students. Is that the case? Other schools require their engineering students to take the same core courses as the other students at the school. Is this beneficial?
Would you please comment on any special programs or support for students in the engineering school? Also, please let us know about any other reasons why my son should choose Michigan. (costs are about the same for us so not a factor)
Thanks!
My daughter is a freshman this year in the engineering college and absolutely loves it. She had options at several other schools with strong engineering programs but could not be happier with her choice. To her, Michigan is the perfect combination of superior academics and amazing college experience. There are few schools with engineering programs as highly ranked as Michigan’s that can offer the same breadth and depth of experiences.
As for your specific questions, I am not sure what you mean by “survey courses.” Most of the freshmen engineering students are getting the basic pre req courses done in physics, calculus and chemistry. In addition they take engineering 100 which is a design course and engineering 101 which is computer programming. They also are required to take "intellectual breadth classes in the humanities. You are correct though that engineers do not have to fulfill the freshman writing requirement. I think the issue is that is very hard to complete an engineering degree in 4 years and if you add on too many distribution requirements, it becomes virtually impossible. You can read more about the core requirements for engineering here: http://www.engin.umich.edu/college/academics/bulletin/ug-ed/reqs.
There is a living/learning community for engineers and other science majors, but unfortunately it is only for girls. There are numerous engineering clubs and project teams however. My daughter is in one and is traveling to Guatemala this summer to help install solar panels that will bring electricity to a remote village for the first time. Pretty cool for a freshman!
The support systems are numerous if you look for them. There are tutors and study groups available to everyone. And my daughter made plenty of use of her professors office hours. She has made a terrific group of friends that are all engineers and they study together daily. I couldn’t imagine a better or more supportive environment.
Hope that helps.
Thank you! That helps a lot!!
My D is also a freshman. The freshman engineering design course (E100), I believe, has a significant writing component so fulfills the writing requirements. COE students can still use the Sweetland Writing Center. Other resources include the Engineering Learning Center (free tutoring, review sessions, etc.), advisors, profs and graduate student instructors (GSIs). As the prior poster noted, there are lots of resources but the students have to seek them.
In addition to the women science/engineering learning community, there is one for living arts that integrates engineering and arts students and there is one for students participating in UROP (undergrad research). You can read more about these and how you apply at http://housing.umich.edu/reshalls/learning-communities.
Alot of the engin 100 sections are complete design sections, and alot of them are really really tedious to complete (cuz it’s a design course and a complete time sink). The tech com in the class makes it basically just writing/design class.
Thank you! Are there particular sections of Eng 100 that students particularly enjoy or try to stay away from?
I really appreciate all of the responses from students/parents in the know; I was wondering about the writing requirements and the overall curriculum for engineering majors as well. I just got accepted to UM Engineering and I’m really excited to hear about the opportunities for women in science/engineering!
Just FYI, after the core requirements are met, the curriculum for each of the engineering majors will obviously be very different. You can see what the curriculum is for each major online. Here are a couple of examples:
Electrical engineering - http://www.eecs.umich.edu/eecs/undergraduate/ugee/EE_Program_Guide.pdf
Civil engineering - http://cee.umich.edu/sites/default/files/Civil%20Engineering%20Sample%20Schedule%20%26%20Prerequisite%20Table%2C%20Matriculation%20Fall%202011%20and%20later%20-%20updated_0.pdf
And imthereal, if you want to learn more about opportunities for women in science and engineering I highly recommend the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) residential program. My daughter is in it and it’s great.
@momofabby well it’s more strategic than anything. If you’re not good/hate programming and you take microprocessors and toys, you’re likely to be destroyed and hate the class. If you hate renewable energy/have no interest in it and you take the wind turbine section, the sams thing is gonna happen. Etc
Also - I saw there was a peer mentoring program for engineers. Do you have any experience/knowledge? Thanks!
The survey course is Engr110 and is not required. The design course is Engr100 and is required.
There is a lot of writing in Engr100 and most or all majors require an additional writing course.
I took most of the freshman engineering courses 5 years ago so my information on those is probably outdated. But if you have specific questions about either Computer Science or Industrial Engineering programs let me know.
@imthereal I agree with HSM1417 about the WISE residential program. It requires minimal effort and do provide you a little bit more peer support. My D also signed up for a peer mentor in engineering too. You know, it is always good to have additional options when you need help.
Thank you so much; WISE sounds great! I don’t think I would’ve heard about it without this thread. I’ll also look into peer mentoring. I’m sure it’ll help a lot with the transition from high school to college, especially in a tough major like engineering!
I have a question about the chemistry courses required for engineering. My daughter, who is a biology major, did not take AP Chem but did take a chem placement exam and did well enough to place out of her chemistry requirement. Is this the same chemistry class that is required by the engineering dept? Are engineering students able to place out of chemistry via a placement exam or are they required to have a 4 or 5 on the AP Chem exam to place out of chemistry? My son will probably be a mechanical engineering major so would love to avoid more chemistry! Thanks!
I think engineering does not give credit for math or chemistry based on the placement exams. See the “note” under placement exams at http://www.engin.umich.edu/college/academics/bulletin/admissions/first-year.