Degree Requirements

Requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree

To obtain a bachelor’s degree in the College of Engineering, Ann Arbor campus, 128 credit hours must be earned and a student shall meet the following requirements, subject to approval of the program advisor:

1. The student must achieve a satisfactory level in those subjects specified by the program of their choice. A grade of “D” in a required course may not be considered satisfactory unless approved by the program advisor. In some programs, a grade of “C-” is likewise not considered satisfactory. A student may receive credit toward a degree in one or more of the following ways:
   • By passing a course for credit on the Ann Arbor campus (“C-” or “D” grades may not be acceptable as a proper level of attainment for a required course, as noted above.)
   • By Advanced Placement Program examination for college-level work completed in high school (See “Advanced Placement,” under “Admission.”)
   • By an examination regularly offered by a department of the University, or by a recognized testing service,
   • By transfer of equivalent credit from another recognized college (See “Adjustment of Advanced Credit.”)
   • By demonstrating competence in a higher-level course or series covering similar material (e.g., honors-level,)
   • By demonstrating equivalent and parallel knowledge that enables the student to enroll at an advanced level. In this case, the student will not be allowed credit hours on the transcript, but may be excused from enrolling in courses in which the program advisor judges the student proficient. To qualify, the student must petition the program advisor and, as a condition, may be required to demonstrate their proficiency by an appropriate examination.
2. The student must accumulate a final grade point average of 2.00 or more for all credit hours not taken under the pass/fail option while enrolled in the College of Engineering. In addition, a student must earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 or higher in all courses taken within the student’s academic department. Consult your department for additional information.
3. The student must complete at least 50 credit hours of coursework offered by the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus. This course work must generate credits toward the program (CTP) on the student’s transcript. A few courses, for example, ENGR 196, ENGR 301 and ENGR 400, do not generate CTP.
4. The student must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of advanced level (300 or higher) technical courses, as required by the degree program, offered by the College of Engineering, Ann Arbor campus. This course work must generate credits towards program (CTP) on the student’s transcript. A few courses, for example, ENGR 301 and ENGR 400, do not generate CTP.
5. The College of Engineering does not allow a single class to meet the program requirements of both a CoE degree program and two or more other degree programs, regardless of school or college in which the latter degrees are offered.
6. The student must file a formal application for the diploma. (See “Diploma and Commencement” below.)

Time Requirement

The time required to complete a degree program depends on the background, abilities, and interests of the individual student. Note: A full-time schedule averaging 16 hours of required subjects will allow a student to complete the degree requirements (128 credit hours) in eight terms as noted in the sample schedules appearing with the program descriptions.

A student who is admitted with advanced preparation, with demonstrated levels of attainment, or with ability to achieve at high levels may accelerate their progress. A student who is partially self-supporting while at the campus may find it desirable to plan a schedule longer than eight terms.

A student who plans to continue studies beyond the bachelor’s degree may (after attaining senior standing) elect a limited number of graduate-level courses concurrently with the courses required for the bachelor’s degree. A course required for the bachelor’s degree generally cannot be used for graduate credit also, except as allowed by the Sequential Undergraduate/Graduate Studies program. For details, refer to the regulations published by the University of Michigan Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies.

Requirements for an Additional Bachelor’s Degree

Additional bachelor’s degrees can be conferred in the College of Engineering, Ann Arbor campus.

1. Students in other U-M schools or colleges wishing to be admitted to the College of Engineering as a dual-degree student must:
   • Be admissible to CoE (i.e., meet cross campus admissions criteria, including prerequisite courses and minimum GPA, and be eligible to declare a major)
   • Have completed one year on the Ann Arbor campus (one term if originally admitted as an external transfer student)
   • Be in good academic standing
2. To obtain additional bachelor’s degrees in the College of Engineering, a student must complete the requirements of each of the degree programs. Furthermore, for each additional degree, the student must complete at least a minimum of 14 additional credit hours in pertinent technical subjects. Approval by involved departments is required. The minimum of 14 additional credit hours in pertinent technical subjects must be beyond the requirements of each individual degree separately, not 14 additional credit hours on top of the requirements of both degrees. Students can double count some courses as specified in the below section titled, “Double Counting Courses.” The 14 additional technical subject credits do not need to be upper-level (300+), they can be any level (100+). Technical electives must be taken as a graded option and cannot be taken as P/F.
3. Students are encouraged to carefully consider whether a relevant graduate degree would be more appropriate than a second undergraduate degree.  Students are strongly discouraged from declaring three (or more) undergraduate majors, and may not use the same course to meet the program requirements of both an Engineering degree program and two or more other degree programs, regardless of school or college in which the latter degrees are offered.
4. To obtain an additional degree with a school or college on the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor campus, refer to the program requirements under Combined Programs for details.

Please note: A dual major combination of CS-Eng with DS-Eng is not allowed.

Double Counting Courses 

For Engineering Undergraduate students:

1. No course can count towards more than two degrees, such as two bachelor’s degrees or one bachelor’s degree and one master’s degree.
2. No course can count towards more than two majors, and no more than one major and one minor. A course can only count toward two minors if the credits received for that course are beyond the 128 credits required for the student’s major. 
3. No course can count towards more than one requirement within a BSE program. Double counting a course for credit towards more than one requirement is not allowed. A single course can qualify to meet the requirements of multiple sections of the BSE, but must formally count towards one requirement.
4. A course can count toward Supplemental Studies, Concentrations/Sub-Plans or Honors Programs regardless of how many majors or minors it is already counting towards.
5. SUGS (Sequential Undergraduate Graduate Studies) students who are pursuing a Rackham or College of Engineering master’s degree can only double count courses that are considered general electives or technical electives and are not part of the core requirement. The number of credits allowed to double count is determined by the individual departments, with 9 credits being the maximum allowed by Rackham. MDDP (Multiple Dependent Degree Program, typically referred to as Dual Degree) students are not eligible for the SUGS program. 
6. Non-SUGS students pursuing a master’s degree from Rackham or the College of Engineering, cannot transfer any credits used for their bachelor’s degree, even free electives or tech electives, toward their master’s degree. They may only transfer credits from courses that were not used to fulfill requirements for a degree or certificate (verified by an Undergraduate Program Advisor). Furthermore, the transferred credits must be from graduate-level courses and Rackham must receive confirmation (from their Graduate Coordinator) that these courses were at the graduate level and required graduate-level effort.  

Substitution

Substitution of a course for one which is a requirement for graduation must be approved by the program advisor of the student’s degree program.