Undergraduate Registration

All Division of Engineering undergraduate students are required to meet with their Engineering advisor a minimum of once per academic year in order to discuss their academic progress and curriculum. It is strongly recommended that these meetings take place before each semester’s registration. Special attention should be paid to course pre- and co-requisites as well as College grade requirements in prerequisites. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that all pre-requisite and co-requisite requirements are satisfied. Students will be removed from courses entered without satisfying these requirements.  Students wishing to receive a waiver of pre- or co-requisite requirements must submit an Academic Petition prior to registering for the affected course.

Some courses may be offered only once a year; others may have multiple sections running every semester. The University Schedule of Classes, published prior to each semester, shows when and where the classes will meet and outlines registration procedures and times.

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance in classes is necessary for success in college work. Excessive unexcused absences may result in a student failing a course. The student should arrange with the course instructor in advance for all predictable absences. Absences due to illness or conditions beyond the student's control should be reported as soon as possible via phone or e-mail to the instructor, and substantiating documentation provided upon the student's return to class.

Dean’s List of Honor Students

A student who achieves a term grade point average of 3.75 or more, based on a program of twelve credits or more, is cited by the Dean for distinguished scholarship and is included on the Dean’s List of Honor Students.

AGRADE Program (Accelerated Graduate Enrollment)

Accelerated Graduate Enrollment: The College of Engineering enables academically superior undergraduate seniors to enroll simultaneously in undergraduate and graduate programs and apply a maximum of sixteen credits toward both an undergraduate and graduate degree in the student’s major field. Students who elect the ‘AGRADE’ Program may expect to complete the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in one additional year of full-time study.

To be eligible, applicants must have completed a minimum of ninety credits of course work applied towards the engineering degree and be accepted in the professional program of their major. The minimum grade point averages for acceptance into the program are a 3.3 g.p.a. overall and a 3.45 g.p.a. for courses in their department of specialization, as computed by the rules of the Division of Engineering. See the departmental academic advisor for further details.

Student Conduct

Each student is subject to official regulations governing student activities and student behavior. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of each student to adhere to the principles of academic integrity. Thus, a student should not falsely claim the work of another as his/her own, or misrepresent him/herself so that the measures of his/her academic performance do not reflect his/her own work or personal knowledge.

If there are reasonable grounds to believe that a student has violated the regulations or student responsibilities, he or she may be disciplined. Such discipline may include failure in the course, suspension or dismissal from the program. A description of the University’s Student Due Process Policy and a discussion of academic integrity can be found at the Dean of Students Office.

Engineering Division Rules for Calculating Grade Point Average

The Division of Engineering computes Departmental and College grade point averages using rules that differ from those used to compute the cumulative grade point average on the official University transcript: the College g.p.a. is calculated based on all engineering and technical courses, as well as required English courses (Students should consult their academic advisors for details). The Departmental g.p.a. includes all courses taken within the major department. The College g.p.a. includes all engineering courses and those courses that are prerequisite to an engineering course. The preprofessional g.p.a. is calculated to determine eligibility for admission to the professional program. Preprofessional requirements that have been satisfied through transfer credit will be included in the assessment of the pre-professional g.p.a.; however, they will not be included in the official University g.p.a. or final calculation of the College or Department g.p.a. 

Substandard Academic Performance

If a grade below 'C-minus' is received in any course to be applied towards the degree, the student will be required to repeat that course in the next semester in which it is available. The course must be repeated and a satisfactory grade earned before the next course in the sequence is taken. Students will be administratively withdrawn from courses for which they have not satisfied course prerequisites. General education and technical elective courses, which are not specifically required for the degree, may be repeated or a different course may be chosen to satisfy that requirement. If a different course is selected, the first grade will not be replaced in the calculation of the g.p.a.

A course in which a grade below ‘C-minus’ has been earned may not be subsequently passed by special examination.

Auditing Courses

Undergraduate students may elect to formally audit a course that interests them. In order to audit a course, a student must register for the class and pay the appropriate tuition. However, this course will not apply towards any degree requirements. Any course that has been completed for audit may not be subsequently enrolled in for credit, nor may credit be obtained by special examination.

Courses used to satisfy engineering program requirements my not be taken on a Pass-Fail basis, except for industry sponsored project courses taken for elective credit (maximum of 3 credit hours).  Capstone design courses, even if they include an industry sponsored project, may not be taken on a Pass-Fail basis.

Repeating Courses

Courses in which a grade lower than a 'C-minus' is earned must be repeated in the next regular (i.e., fall or winter) semester in which the course is offered. Exceptions to this rule must be approved by the Undergraduate Program Director, Department Chair, or the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.  If a student receives a substandard grade in a course at Wayne State University, they will be required to repeat that course at Wayne State University. Exceptions to this policy require prior written approval from the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in order to take the course at another designated institution.

Students are directed to Repeating Courses — The mark of R for University policies related to repeating courses and credit by special examination. See also ‘Division of Engineering Rules for Calculating Grade Point Average,’ above.

Exclusion from the College of Engineering

Students will be allowed to repeat a maximum of five courses in which they have earned a grade less than C-.  If a student must repeat a sixth course in order to complete their degree, they will be excluded from the College of Engineering.  Additionally, failure to pass a course with at least a ‘C-minus’ grade after three attempts constitutes grounds for exclusion from the College of Engineering.  Prerequisite math and science courses that do not count for degree credit, but are required if students did not place into MAT 2010 and CHM 1125, are also counted towards exclusion from the College. Students who elect to repeat a course to improve their understanding of the material even though a satisfactory (‘C-minus’ or higher) grade was received will not have this counted towards the number of allowed repeats.

Following exclusion from the College of Engineering, the privilege of registering in the College will be withheld for at least one calendar year. 

A student who has been refused the privilege of registering in the College of Engineering may request a re-consideration of his or her status by the Academic Standards Committee (ASC) after the one-year exclusionary period. He or she should not make the request, however, unless evidence can be provided of changes in academic preparation or circumstances that will substantially increase the likelihood of academic success. A formal written request for reconsideration must be presented to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Students who plan to petition for readmission are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor as early as possible during the exclusion period to discuss what changes may provide an opportunity for readmission. In no case is readmission to the College of Engineering guaranteed.

Academic Probation

A student is considered to be on academic probation from the University whenever his or her cumulative grade point average falls below 2.0.  All students on academic probation are required to meet with their academic advisor to discuss what steps should be taken to remedy the academic deficiencies.  While on probation, a student may not represent the College of Engineering in student activities.

A student on probation is expected to remove the grade point deficiency promptly. If, at the end of the first semester on probation, the student’s cumulative grade point average has not increased to at least 2.0, they will be excluded from the College of Engineering. For part-time students, a semester will be considered to consist of twelve consecutive credits. If the student’s cumulative g.p.a. reaches at least 2.0 by the end of the first semester after being placed on probation, they will be returned to regular status. Multiple occurrences of probation in non-consecutive semesters may also result in the student’s exclusion from the College. A student may also be refused the privilege of registering in the College of Engineering for irresponsible attendance and performance in class, regardless of any probationary status.

For complete information regarding academic rules and regulations of the University, students should see the Academic Regulations section of this bulletin. 

Withdrawal From Courses

General rules governing withdrawal from courses and changes of program can be found on Drop/Add — Adjusting Your Schedule. When a student withdraws from courses, resulting in a transcript displaying a mark of W, these instances are considered attempts at the course and are factored into the assessment of permissible repeats. If a student believes that factors beyond their control, such as a family emergency or a shift in work schedule, warrant the withdrawal, they have the option to submit a written petition to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs before the conclusion of the semester in which the course was undertaken. Approval of the petition will be documented in the student's advising record, ensuring that the course does not contribute to the Engineering repeat allowances.

Graduation

Students must apply for graduation at the beginning of the semester in which they plan on completing their degree requirements. At graduation, the University requires a minimum 2.0 grade point average in the total residence credit. 

Graduates with a minimum of sixty credits in residence at Wayne State University and a grade point average of at least 3.0 may qualify for a special diploma under the following conditions:

Summa Cum Laude: Student must have a grade point average in the 95th percentile of the College of Engineering graduating class.
Magna Cum Laude: Student must have a grade point average in the 90th percentile of the graduating class.
Cum Laude: Student must have a grade point average in the 80th percentile of the graduating class.

Commencement: Each year, commencement exercises are held May and December. College Order of the Engineer and Professional Order of Engineering Technology ceremonies will be held in May to induct graduates into these organizations.

Guest Students

A student attending another engineering college who wishes to take course work at Wayne State for the purpose of credit transfer to the home institution may be admitted as a guest student for one term. This is done by applying through the University Office of Admissions using either the Application for Undergraduate Admission  or the Graduate Guest Application. These applications require certification by an official of the home institution. For information on graduate guest admission and visiting doctoral guests, see the Wayne State University Graduate Bulletin. Guest students are expected to have met the listed prerequisite requirements for courses in which they wish to enroll. Students wishing to register for 3000- or 4000-level engineering classes must first receive permission from the department that teaches the course.

Second and Concurrent Degree

In accordance with the University requirements, students may earn a Bachelor of Science in engineering concurrently with or subsequent to another bachelor's degree at Wayne State University. Such students must satisfy applicable departmental and college requirements; consult an Engineering academic advisor to review these requirements.

Engineering: Minor Options

A number of undergraduate programs within the University allow students to pursue a minor in the field. Engineering students may elect to complete a minor through another school or college in conjunction with their Bachelor of Science in Engineering. This minor will generally require course credit in addition to that required for the engineering degree.