Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions

Contents

1. General Information Sources
2. Student Academic Support System (SASS) Audit, Course Planning Spreadsheet (CPSS)
3. Transfers, Technical Electives and Courses, including Circuits
4. Interning and co-oping
5. Integrated Product and Process Design (IPPD) Questions

1. General Information Sources

Q.1-1. How do I get general information on UF?
A. Use the UF web site or get an UG catalog from the UF Registrar, 222 Criser Hall.

Q.1-2. How do I get general information on ISE, and on career resources?
A. Try these web sites: ISE, IIE, INFORMS, CRC. You could also get some information from the catalog of Current Students on the UF main web page.

Q.1-3. What specific information sources are helpful?
A. The following is a summary.

1. Catalog Information Sources (year 2001-2002)
   • Academic Regulations, pps. 1-17 through 1-22
   • Academic Advising, pps. 1-23 through 1-34
   • General College of Engineering information, pps. 2-81 through 2-108
   • ISE Curriculum, pps. 2-101 through 2-103
   • ISE course descriptions, 3-76 through 3-77
2. ISE Course Planning Spreadsheet (CPSS, ISE web site)
3. Program Assistant for Student Records, ISE Office
   • UF 20xx Fall/Spring/Summer Schedule of Courses
   • ISE Preregistration/Registration & Advising Worksheet
   • ISE Pre-registration Process
   • Transition memorandum of 8/19/98: Implementing UG Curriculum Changes
   • Handout on Minors outside ISE
   • Handouts on Joint ISE/MBA/MSM Programs
   • Handout on IPPD
4. College of Engineering Academic Support Services, 311 Weil Hall (for freshmen and sophomores, as well as questions concerning all lower division courses).

Q.1-4. How do I initiate the ISE advising process?
A. See the Program Assistant for Student Records, ISE Office, to be assigned an adviser. Arrange an appointment with the adviser.

Q.1-5. What sources of information are available to help plan my courses?
A. The UG catalog (ISE section) answers 90% of your questions. You can also try the ISE web site and CPSS, Program Assistant for Student Records, ISE Office, the ISE UG Coordinator, or your ISE adviser. You can "benchmark" with student colleagues from IIE and APM, as well as take advantage of their peer advising activities.

Q.1-6. What decisions do I need to make in planning my courses?
A. You will need to make choices about technical electives, co-oping, interning, when to take courses, how many and which to take each term. Note the State of Florida has a summer registration requirement (p. 1-26, 2001 UG catalog). "Students who enter a university in the State University System with fewer than 60 credits must earn at least nine credits prior to graduation during summer terms at State University System institutions . . ."

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2. SASS Report and Course Planning spreadsheet

Q.2-1. How do I get my SASS audit?
A. If you don't have a copy of your latest SASS audit, you can visit http://www.isis.ufl.edu and click on "More ISIS Services". Scroll down to the "Registrar Information" area and select "Universal Tracking" from the list. Then click "Go". Enter your Social Security Number, PIN and then click "Continue". Click the "SASS Audit" button. Print the SASS audit and bring it with you when you meet with your adviser.

Q.2-2. Why do I need a SASS audit (or a planning spreadsheet)?
A-1. The SASS report summarizes the university’s record of which courses you have taken, and which courses you still need to take. In order to graduate, you must have all plus signs in front of the courses required for the curriculum applicable to you. The following is a quote from a report. "This report is to assist the student in course planning. Final confirmation of degree requirements is subject to approval by the dean of a college. It is the responsibility of the student to meet graduation requirements." The key sentence in this quote is the last one. The SASS report is to help you be sure that you are meeting graduation requirements in a timely fashion. Usually its identification of courses you have completed is quite accurate.

WARNING: SASS audits almost always have errors. It is YOUR responsibility to see that these errors are corrected. It is particularly important to check for correctness of plus and minus signs indicating whether or not courses have been taken. SASS reports must be 100% correct before you can graduate.

A-2. The following sign (courtesy of IBM) illustrates the problems you can run into if you fail to

• having an overload or underload your last term or two in school,
• having a highly fluctuating course load from one term to the next,
• not knowing if courses will be offered in the term you want to take them,
• violating course prerequisites and corequisites, and
• graduating in the summer when job interviewing is at its low point of the year.

Q.2-3. I hear rumors about changes in the curriculum. Should I change my registration plans because of this?
A. You should not change your registration plans. The curriculum is undergoing redesign. This redesign is a long-term process, and students will be given ample advance notice of changes. Indeed, it takes up to a year to get changes into the UF catalog. Students have the right to remain with the curriculum in effect in the catalog at the time they matriculate (i.e, enter UF). The department will have a transition period when implementing the changes. During the transition period it is planned that substantial flexibility will be allowed to students going through the process.

Q.2-4. Can I change catalog years? What is involved?
A.When you first enter UF you are automatically placed on the catalog for that year. For example, if you entered as a freshman in the fall of 1999, you would be put on the 1999-2000 catalog. This still applies even if you change majors. If you transfer to UF in the fall of 1999, you would also be put on the 1999-2000 catalog. You can make a change to a more recent catalog with the approval of your adviser, who may in turn consult with the undergraduate coordinator. You contact the Program Assistant for Student Records, ISE Office, bringing along the written approval of your adviser, to implement this catalog year change. Usually an acceptable reason to change catalog years is a curriculum change. In such a case, the department makes every effort not to penalize students caught in the transition process.

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3. Transfers, Technical Electives and Courses, including Circuits

Q.3-1. Who do I see to transfer courses I have already taken?
A. See the ISE undergraduate coordinator. The following is a quote from the UF UG catalog (Transfer Credit Policy).

"In general, students may transfer 66 credit hours from community colleges as part of the hours needed for their UF degrees, regardless of when these hours are earned, but subject to university and college degree requirements.

Associate of Arts degree recipients from Florida public community colleges who continue enrollment at the school that awarded the A.A. may be granted additional transfer credit for one or more courses that satisfy their UF degree requirements.

However, junior and senior level (courses numbered 3-4000) course requirements for the major must be completed at UF, or, with permission of the student’s college, at another baccalaureate degree-granting institution. At least 25% of the semester credit hours must be earned through instruction at the University of Florida....

Courses completed with grades of D or higher at other regionally accredited degree-granting institutions that reasonably parallel the curriculum at this university will be accepted for transfer credit as hours earned. It is the prerogative of the student’s college to determine how transfer credit satisfies the specific degree’s course requirements. Students are required to submit final official transcripts from all institutions attended prior to or during their enrollment at UF...."

Q.3-2. I want to take a course or two at another institution during the summer, but I am within 30 hours of graduation. Is there any way I can do this?
A. You can petition for a waiver of the 30-hour rule. You complete a petition form and have your adviser approve it. The form goes to the department chair for signature, and is then forwarded to the College. There is no guarantee the petition will be approved. If it is approved, then approval can take up to three months. You must plan ahead if you want to petition. It is very difficult to petition at the last minute.

Q.3-3. Which courses are best to take at other state institutions (e.g., during summer)?
A. It is best to choose required courses that are not in the prerequisite structure. Examples would include accounting, economics courses and engineering drafting (CAD). Taking some course off-campus that is in the prerequisite structure can be risky because you may not get the preparation you need for some later course. In other words, it is best to choose courses that are NOT part of important technical or tracking multi-course sequences for engineering majors. In particular, you should avoid taking mathematics, chemistry, physics and all 3000- and 4000-level engineering courses at other institutions.

Q.3-4. How do I arrange to take a course at another state institution for credit towards graduation?
A. See the Program Assistant for Student Records, ISE Office, for a transient form, and go through the process of completing it.

Q.3-5. If I am enrolled at UF can I also take a course elsewhere?
A. The following is a quote from the UF UG catalog.

"Normally, UF students are not permitted to register at another institution for a course or its equivalent that is offered at UF."

Q.3-6. Will I be in any way disadvantaged if I graduate during the summer?
A. Most interviewing occurs in the spring and fall terms. You may have less interviewing opportunities if you graduate during the summer, or find when you interview in the spring that the position might not still be available in the summer. You might want to think about co-oping in the summer, or perhaps coming back in the fall and finishing up a minor.

Q.3-7. Can I take Circuits, rather than Elements of EE?
A. Yes. We require EEL 3003, Elements of EE. We will accept EEL 3111, Circuits 1, as a substitute. Have your adviser inform the departmental person who interacts with the SASS system of this substitute to be sure you get credit for it.

Q.3-8. How do I decide which tech. electives to take?
A. Technical electives are in technical areas, at the 3000 level and above, that the student and adviser agree on. They are an opportunity for the student to follow personal interests in preparing for a career. These areas can include business, engineering, mathematics, science, and statistics. The current requirement for technical electives is 10 hours. Students occasionally get "automatic" credit for an hour or two; please see p. 2-95 of the UF UG catalog for more details.

"Normally, technical elective credit is restricted to approved courses in engineering, computer science, mathematics, statistics and business. Provision is made for receiving up to three credits for approved co-op and internship experience, as part of the Integrated Product and Process Design (IPPD) sequence, for certain courses taken as part of advanced ROTC and for certain approved business courses.... The curriculum requires 10 credits of technical electives. Two credits of engineering graphics are required. When EML 3023 is taken, one credit accrues to technical electives. If ECO 3101, a four credit course, is used to satisfy the microeconomics requirement, the extra credit accrues to technical electives. An adviser must approve the additional credits needed to bring the total up to 10."

Q.3-9. How do I know how many tech electives credits I (still) need?
A. Read the catalog to determine how many hours are required for the curriculum you chose. Read the section in your SASS report on technical electives. Also, check your SASS report to see if there are any courses you have taken (usually shown in the list of other courses) for which you should receive technical elective credit. If you find any such courses, call them to the attention of your adviser and ask to receive credit for them.

(If you substituted the one 4-hour course ESI 4567C, Matrices & Numerical Methods for the previous three courses totaling eight hours, Matrices, Transforms, and Numerical Methods, you should receive credit for all three of the previous courses. Your total technical elective hours requirement should also be increased by four hours in order not to decrease total graduation hour requirements. For complicated cases, contact the department Undergraduate Coordinator.)

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4. Interning and Co-oping

Q.4-1. What is the difference between an internship and a co-op?
A. An internship is a one-semester work experience, whereas co-ops involve a commitment of three semesters. (For students closer to graduation, modified two-semester co-ops are sometimes available). With the co-op, it is understood that the student will be returning to the same company, and alternating the work experience with the academic. In successive semesters, the student will be given more in-depth assignments. Not only does this provide the student with a more enhanced learning opportunity, his/her value to the company also increases. Many companies offer permanent positions to their co-op students. With internships, students usually work on a set project, and may or may not have any long-term ties to the host company.

Q.4-2. How do I register for credit for an internship and a co-op?
A. The Career Resource Center (CRC) oversees co-op students and assures that the assignments given the students are appropriate. Students must register with the CRC prior to leaving on their first semester co-op. Additionally, they must register (and pay) for a one credit course, ESI4949 DURING each semester for which they are co-oping. A mandatory review, by both the student and the host company supervisor, completed at the end of each semester is reviewed both by a CRC representative and by the co-op faculty adviser. This is the basis for which a PASS/FAIL grade is assigned. Additionally, the CRC coordinates with the various Engineering dept. co-op advisers to review new potential co-op employers, and to take action (based on the mandatory reviews) when inappropriate job assignments are given to co-op students.

Students are not required to register for internships, but they are eligible to register for technical elective credit in the semester(s) either during or after the work experience. One credit of EIN4944 is available for each 600 hours of work experience, up to a maximum of three credits. Students must have completed at least one qualifying departmental course before the internship. An (A through E) grade is awarded to students based on the results of a review completed by both the student and the host company supervisor. Registration for EIN 4944 is controlled by the ISE department; see the Program Assistant for the correct section number.

Additionally, the summer attendance requirement of the University is waived for ISE students who register for two or more credits of ESI 4949 or EIN 4944. More information on both of these programs is available in the ISE office.

Q.4-3. How do I find an internship or a co-op?
A. The first step is creating a resume and putting it on file at the CRC. Although students can find their own internships, most jobs are found either by means of the semi-annual Internship/Co-op Fair, held the day before the Career Fair, or through advertisements and interviews arranged by the CRC. Additionally, faculty members receive periodic internship offers through employer contacts, and these advertisements are placed in or near the ISE office.

The College Office of Academic Support Services, 311 Weil, offers a workshop called "How to Find a Co-Op or Internship" at least four times each year. You can find out information on the day, time and location at the following link: http://www.eng.ufl.edu/home/sssc/misc/workshops.html. Academic Support Services also offers several workshops on résumé writing and interviewing skills each fall and spring term.

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5. IPPD

Q.5-1. What is IPPD and how do I find out more about it?
A. The Integrated Product and Process Design (IPPD) is a practice-oriented program targeted at engineering students of all disciplines. The goal of IPPD is to have teams of senior-level students practice engineering on real, industry-sponsored design projects to enhance their engineering education and employment opportunities. IPPD requires 6 hours of course work and is offered as a sequence of two 3 credit-hour courses during the fall and spring of the senior year. These two courses are pre-approved substitutes for a technical elective and for senior design. You can learn more about IPPD at http://www.ippd.ufl.edu.

Q.5-2. Entering the fall semester, I will have 40 credit hours to complete before graduation. Am I eligible to take IPPD?
A. You may be eligible. One of the IPPD eligibility guidelines is that students have about 30 hours left to graduate. The more classes you have under your belt, the wider range of tasks you can contribute to. Other guidelines include certain pre- and corequisites. If you have more than 30 hours to go, then your chances go up if you have completed the prerequisites and are registered in the corequisites. NOTE: We have rarely rejected IPPD applications from ISE students.

Q.5-3. I don't have a great GPA (2.5), but I have lots of co-op experience, good work references and I've done well in the IPPD prerequisites. Am I eligible to participate in IPPD?
A. Work experience is a big plus. You qualify. NOTE: We have rarely rejected IPPD applications from ISE students

Q.5-4. I am registered in the ISE/MSM dual degree program. Can I still take IPPD?
A. We strongly encourage ISE/MSM students to take IPPD. Why not practice those management skills on a real project prior to graduation?

Q.5-5. I am registered in the ISE/MBA dual degree program. Can I still take IPPD?
A. We strongly encourage ISE/MBA students to take IPPD in the second year of the MBA program. Why not practice those management skills on a real project prior to graduation?

Q.5-6. I have a co-op rotation that occurs in fall or spring. Can I take IPPD?
A. You must have a consecutive fall and spring semester available to register for IPPD.

Q.5-7. How much credit do I get for IPPD?
A. IPPD provides 3 credits technical elective for the fall semester and 3 credits of senior design in the spring semester.

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