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The CIT QPA is calculated with every course you have taken after your freshman year. This is on the academic audit because one of the graduation requirements in CIT is that you must have at least a 2.0 QPA, not including the courses you have taken in your freshman year. Your QPA is used when you are certified for your degree—it must be at least a 2.0 when you graduate in order to be certified.
The short answer is no. The long answer is that if you are taking a course with absolutely NO outside work commitment (like music lessons), then maybe... and you need to speak to Kurt Larsen, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies, to gain permission to do so.
Sorry, but the answer is still no. An overload is something that is granted to students only after they have proven they can excel with a normal course load... it is a privilege. Our curriculum is tough enough to manage with a normal course load; adding an overload when you're not really qualified to do so rarely goes well.
Refer to the QPA Requirement and Overload Policy for more information.
First, you should look at the list of CIT General Education Requirements. If the course is not on the list, then since this is a CIT requirement, you should talk to Kurt Larsen, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies. He can tell you if it will or will not work, or if an exception may be granted.
Complete the Transfer Course Credit Approval Form which is available on transfer credit information page of the CIT website.
Contact the school where you took the course, and ask them to mail an official transcript to the CIT Dean's office:
Kurt LarsenWhile there is no guarantee that you will be able to receive credit, it's certainly worth a try! You need to download a Transfer Course Credit Approval Form. Fill it out and attach a course description for the course you would like to take. Submit the form to the CIT Dean's Office (Scaife Hall 110), and check back in three days to see if has been approved. If the course is approved for transfer, then you need to contact the school where you took the course and ask them to mail an official transcript to the CIT Dean's office at the address above.
Unfortunately, no. No course taken as Pass/Fail (except for C@CM and 18-200) may be used in any way toward graduation, including Free Electives.
Simply fill out a Pass/Fail Approval Form, available on the HUB forms site. Janet Peters, Assistant for Undergraduate Education in ECE, needs to sign the form, and then it goes to Enrollment Services, Warner Hall A19.
The deadline is the same as the last day to drop a course without a "W," generally the 10th week of classes. See the Academic Calendar on the HUB website for the exact date.
The grade is recorded as an "N," and isn't factored into your QPA.
Auditing a course means that you are registered for the course, but you will not receive a grade for it (your grade will be an "O"). First, discuss this with the instructor of the course. Then, he or she needs to sign a form giving you permission to audit the course (more information below). The deadline to audit a course is the same as the add deadline, the 10th day of class for semester courses, and the 5th day of class for mini courses.
Simply fill out a Course Audit Approval Form, available on the HUB forms site. The instructor of the course and Janet Peters, Assistant for Undergraduate Education in ECE, need to sign the form, and then it goes to the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Kurt Larsen, in Scaife Hall 110. The deadline is the 10th day of classes, or the last day to add a course (the 5th day of classes for a mini course).
The deadline to audit a course is the same as the add deadline, the 10th day of class for semester courses, and the 5th day of class for mini courses.
The policy for audited courses is the same as for any course... you may only overload if you have at least a 3.50 cumulative QPA, or you received a 3.50 in the semester prior to the one in which you want to overload.
Send email to the ECE Educational Program Assistant, Leona Kass-O'Rourke. For courses in other departments, you need to contact that department directly.
Simply fill out a Late Add Request Form, available on the HUB forms site. The instructor of the course and Janet Peters, Assistant for Undergraduate Education in ECE, need to sign the form, and then it goes to the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Kurt Larsen, in Scaife Hall 110.
To drop a course, simply login to On-Line Registration (OLR) and click on the "drop" button, choose the course, and then click "drop." However, you will not be allowed to drop below full-time status (36 units) through OLR. If you want to drop a course that will put you below full-time status, you need to get permission from Kurt Larsen, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies. HOWEVER, he will only grant this if it is due to extenuating circumstances (for example, illness or family emergency). If you are simply not doing well in the course and want to drop it, you will generally not be allowed to do so.
Note: You should always discuss dropping a course with your advisor or mentor, because you may be making the choice for the wrong reasons (for example, stress of the moment). Dropping a course could put you behind in the curriculum, or the course may be a required co-requisite for another course. Discussing your situation with your advisor or mentor could put you in touch with options you are not aware of (such as tutoring), or could help clarify the situation to the point that you realize you don't, in fact, need to drop the course.
If you want to drop a course that will put you below full-time status, you need to get permission from Kurt Larsen, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Studies. HOWEVER, he will only grant this if it is due to extenuating circumstances (for example, illness or family emergency). If you are simply not doing well in the course and want to drop it, you will generally not be allowed to do so.
Utilize the ECE website to find out about the department's research, and then contact faculty who are working in areas that interest you. Send them a short email telling them what you are interested in doing and attach your resume. When you meet with them, always ask if they have suggestions for other people you might talk to. In other words, treat the process for finding a undergraduate research project as if you are looking for a job.
Fill out the Undergraduate Research Approval Form online. Once you have written a good description (including a statement of purpose, methods to be used, and anticipated results), you may then send it for approval to the faculty member with whom you're doing research. Once it's approved by the professor, it will be sent to the department for final approval and published to the ECE website. You will also be registered for the research course by the department.
The cooperative education (co-op) program is an 8 month extended internship with a company (either January-August or May-December). This option is available to students with a 3.0 QPA or higher.
First, visit Janet Peters, Assistant for Undergraduate Education in ECE, and fill out a Co-Op Interest Form. She will pass your information along to Carol Young, ECE's career consultant. Carol sends special email with co-op opportunities to students who have indicated an interest in a co-op. The rest of the process is like finding an internship—you need to apply for the positions available, interview and get hired. Once you have been hired, you will need to see Janet Peters again for the remaining paperwork.
You will be registered for our co-op course, 18-390, for the semester while you are on the co-op. You will not pay tuition, nor will you receive any academic credit for this course, but you will still maintain your student status at Carnegie Mellon. Your financial aid will not be impacted, nor your visa status (if you're an international student on an F-1 visa).
Aside from the length of time (8 months, versus 2-3 months), there is no real difference. The advantage of a co-op instead of a regular internship is that if you are with a company for a longer period of time, you generally are able to get involved in more complex projects. In addition, if you do well in the co-op, you generally receive a job offer at the end!
Refer to the Cooperative Education Program web page for more information.
The Integrated M.S./B.S. (IMB) program is a way for ECE students who have a 3.0 QPA or higher to automatically be admitted to the Professional Master's program in ECE.
No. You would graduate with 2 degrees—a B.S. in ECE and an M.S. in ECE. There is no such thing as an "IMB degree."
You may sign up as early as the spring semester of your junior year.
Simply visit Janet Peters, Assistant for Undergraduate Education in ECE. She can help you sign up for the program.
In order for you to become a graduate student, you must first be certified for your B.S. in ECE. Only after that may you become an ECE graduate student.
No. Because you are graduating with two degrees—one an undergraduate and the other a graduate—you may not use the same courses for both degrees.
No. Courses that count toward the M.S. may NOT be used toward your B.S.
You should check with the HUB to see what impact becoming a graduate student would have on your financial aid package. Many packages don't offer financial aid to graduate students, so this could severely impact you financially.
As a GRADUATE student in the IMB program, if you are a TA, then we will pay for a portion of your tuition. For more information, please refer to the teaching opportunities web page.
If you take more than 8 semesters to complete both degrees, then at least your last semester must be as a graduate student. If you take less than 8 semesters, then you may graduate with both degrees at the same time.
Please see the graduate student's site for the current M.S. requirements. Refer to the undergraduate student's site for the B.S. requirements.
First, only students with official graduate standing may do ECE graduate research. Second, all ECE graduate research must be done with an ECE faculty member. Utilize the ECE website to find out about the department's research, and then contact faculty who are working in areas that interest you. Send them a short email telling them what you are interested in doing and attach your resume. When you meet with them, always ask if they have suggestions for other people you might talk to. In other words, treat the process for finding a graduate research project as if you are looking for a job.
Refer to the Integrated M.S./B.S. Program web page for more information.
For complete information on the TA program please visit the teaching opportunities web page.
The best way to secure a teaching assistant position is to talk to the course's professor to determine if your background matches the skills required for the course. Teaching assistant positions are not final until you receive official confirmation from the ECE Undergraduate Office.