<p>What are some of the specific courses that everyone seems to recgonize as a "weeder" in engineering, especially civil engineering?</p>
<p>Systems and Signals Engineering (Stems) usually does it for many people at my school. The combination of extensive math (fourier), complicated electrical and mechanical systems, and complex frequency response functions can do the trick.</p>
<p>While the electrical aspect of this class could be neglected for a civil engineer, the theory behind mechanical and electrical response functions makes this a joyous class for all. If you get through "Baby Stems", you still have two more terms of "Big Stems". Oiy...</p>
<p>here they just use physics and cal2 :P</p>
<p>dunno anything specific to CE</p>
<p>Who cares, Civil is "easy," anyway. lol.</p>
<p>It's physics.</p>
<p>Thermodynamics for mechanical and chemical engineering majors, and Statics for all engineering majors. In my thermo lecture last year, the curve was so generous that a 45 out of 100 points was a C, but many people had to retake the class during the summer because they weren't as fortunate as those who got grades in the 40s. As for Statics, many people get tripped up because its deceptively difficult. People think that calculating the forces on objects at equilibrium is simple, but it's not.</p>
<p>Oh, many people don't even make it to Statics and thermo because they switched out of the major after they couldn't hack it in Calculus II. I, myself found the class to be te easiest one I had that semester. (Of course I was taking cell biology as an elective at the same time, which is the hardest class any freshman can take period.) Oddly enough Calculus III is even easier than Calculus II.</p>
<p>Here, Thermo and Mechanics II seem to be the big weeder courses.</p>
<p>Calc II, Statics (I don't know why), Dynamics.</p>
<p>Yeah, I got an A in Cal I, although I hear Cal II is the hardest because of Sequences and Series, etc. But I also hear that Cal III is easy and Diff Eq isn't too bad.</p>
<p>I took Calc II this semester (first) and it wasnt too bad...got a B in the class, our class average was a 76 i think (C). However, across the E-college, the average for Calc II hovers around 70 im pretty sure, and a lot of people end up retaking it. I'm in multivariable next semester (what the heck do we learn in this class??) and linear alegbra.</p>
<p>Our weeders are chem and physics (in chem, a 64% was a C, 73% was a B, 84% was an A), and Calc II and this other math class called Vector Geometry (covers polar equations, vectors, ect...its a math class based on physics)...in upper levels, thermodynamics, Ochem, and some EE classes seem to be weeders</p>
<p>they all tend to be weeders. upper-level classes seem less so b/c the ppl have already been weeded out</p>
<p>Yeah I just found that out. Differential equations was a huge weeder (just got my mark back). It was curved to a 2.1 (essentially a C). This is a second year course. I ended up with an A-, thought for sure I'd get an A or A+. Oh well.</p>
<p>our weeders are bio (for bme's), orgo, calc 1, 2, physics (big time) and chem 1.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Who cares, Civil is "easy," anyway. lol.
[/quote]
In civil engineering, there is less concern about "weeding out" students than in other engineering disciplines. This is because civils have to undergo a second "weeding out" process after graduation.</p>
<p>If you want to practice civil engineering in the real world, you need a PE license, which typically involves 4 years of satisfactory work experience and 16 hours of rigorous examination. Sometimes it's more; California requires 21 hours of testing for a basic civil license, or 29 hours of testing for a geotechnical engineering license, or 37 hours of testing for a structural engineering license. </p>
<p>Most other engineers do not take PE exams, or face any other comparable "weeding" process, after they leave college. Other disciplines may be more aggressive about "weeding" students in college, because there is no other opportunity to do it.</p>
<p>Corbett,</p>
<p>Yes, I know. I was making a joke since Industrial and Civil are considered the "easiest" branches. I plan on taking the PE after I have a Master's under my belt.</p>
<p>"Most other engineers do not take PE exams, or face any other comparable "weeding" process, after they leave college. Other disciplines may be more aggressive about "weeding" students in college, because there is no other opportunity to do it."</p>
<p>In Canada, every engineer needs to get their P. Eng. I didn't realize the USA was like that...</p>
<p>It's actually against the law in Alberta (Canada) to call yourself an engineer, if you don't have a P. Eng.</p>
<p>What do they call engineers before they get their P. Eng in Canada?</p>
<p>"What do they call engineers before they get their P. Eng in Canada?"</p>
<p>Ummm... they aren't engineers until they get a P. Eng. So they aren't called anything until then. When they are in University, they are an engineering student. When they graduate with their degree, they are a person with a degree in engineering. When they get their P. Eng., they're an engineer.</p>
<p>Now that I think about it, isn't the name for an engineer in the U.S. before they get a PE technically an EIT (engineer in training) or EI (engineering intern) assuming they pass the FE exam? Not everybody is required to pass the PE but if they don't they are not allowed to sign off on drawings.</p>