Undergraduate Program

• Review your transcript to ensure any AP, IB, and dual enrollment credits you have earned have transferred to Mines.

• Mechanical Engineering recommends that you have a laptop or desktop computer that can run the SolidWorks computer-aided design program and other numerical analysis programs. Requirement specifications can be found at the Mines ITS Computer Recommendations page.

• Review your schedule. Ensure that you are taking EDNS 151 Cornerstone – Design I and CSCI 128 Computer Science for STEM during your first year.

• Review the ME flowchart and use the SMART Plan Tool to create a semester-by-semester course plan for graduation.

• Meet with your CASA advisor at least once each semester.

• If you are interested in studying abroad, meet with the International Office to start planning.

• Attend office hours, introduce yourself to professors and TAs (build your network).

• Attend/participate in ME-sponsored events. For example, these include Mechanical Mondays, a sticker design competition, and group advising.

• Join a club or activity – school can be stressful, so it’s essential to find fun ways to connect with others on campus.

• Review your schedule; ensure that you complete MEGN 200 and MEGN 201 by the end of your sophomore year. You are welcome to enroll in both courses in the fall semester, if there is space. We will ensure you are able to enroll in the remaining course(s) in the spring if you are unable to enroll in the fall.
• Review degree evaluation in Degree Works.
• Review and update the graduation plan.
• Schedule a meeting with the ME faculty advisor to review and discuss academic goals, plan for graduation, degree evaluation, track/ASI/minor, and career aspirations.
• Start considering tracks. The sooner you decide, the easier scheduling electives will be over the next two years.
• Work with the Career Center to build a professional resume and attend both the fall and spring career fairs.
• Attend/participate in ME-sponsored events.
• Summer: look for/complete internship, undergraduate research (ex. MURF) or coursework (strongly recommended but not required). Make sure to balance your workload, especially if you are taking summer courses, as the 6- or 8-week format requires constant attention and typically involves 25-30 hours of work per week.

• Review your schedule. Ensure that you are taking MEGN 300 during the first semester and MEGN 301 (required prerequisite for EDNS 491) during the second semester. Note that MEGN381 is a pre- or co-requisite for MEGN301.
• Take at least one midlevel or 400-level CULTURE AND SOCIETY (CAS) course.
• Attend office hours, introduce yourself to professors and TAs (build your network).
• Review degree evaluation in Degree Works.
• Review and update the graduation plan.
• Last call to declare an ME track.
• Meet with the ME faculty advisor at least once each semester to review your degree evaluation and your graduation plan. Discuss what would be appropriate internship opportunities and ME technical electives that align with your career aspirations.
• Research graduate school and 4+1 (BS+MS) opportunities (if interested).
• 25% of ME students went directly to graduate school*
• Average starting salary with: MS = $84,200*, BS = $81,700* · For information on ME graduate programs, please review the ME Graduate website
• Consider applying for a TA/tutoring position. This is an excellent opportunity to build your understanding of the subject matter while earning money, expanding your professional network, and fostering connections with the ME department.
• Attend/participate in ME-sponsored events.
• Review and update your resume and attend fall and spring career fairs.
• Summer: look for/complete internship, undergraduate research (ex. MURF) or coursework (strongly recommended but not required). Make sure to balance your workload, especially if you are taking summer courses, as the 6- or 8-week format requires constant attention and typically involves 25-30 hours of work per week.

* 2023-24 Mines Career Center Annual Report

• Review your schedule. Ensure that you are taking EDNS 491 CAPSTONE DESIGN I during the first semester and EDNS 492 CAPSTONE DESIGN II during the second (and final!) semester.

• Complete CULTURE AND SOCIETY (CAS) requirements.

• Apply for graduation for the appropriate semester (must be completed after earning 90 credit hours and before the first day of the final semester of enrollment).

• Review degree evaluation in Trailhead/Degree Works and finalize any forms (minors, course substitutions, catalog changes, etc.).

• Review and update the graduation plan.

• Meet with the ME faculty advisor to review degree evaluation and to discuss graduate school and career aspirations, how to connect with industry, and job-securing techniques for your field.

• Apply to graduate school (if applicable).

• Work with Career Center on resumé, cover letters, interviewing, and effective job searches.

• Request recommendation letters and references from your professional network well in advance of the due dates.

• Review your transcript to ensure all applicable credits that you have earned have been transferred.

• We encourage you to enroll in EDNS 151 and/or CSCI1 28 in the summer prior to starting at Mines. These are prerequisite courses for our Project-Based Design Sequence, including MEGN 200 and 201. You could also take MEGN 200 and/or 201 in the summer if you are able.

• We also encourage you to think about how many semesters you might have with us in the ME program. If it is 5 semesters, then we would like to enroll you in MEGN 200 and 201 in your first full semester on campus. You will then advance into the MEGN 300 | MEGN 301 | EDNS 491 | EDNS 492 courses, which are all hard prerequisites to one another. Again, this is why it is important to consider EDNS 151 and CSCI 128 in the summer if at all possible. · Work closely with CASA before classes begin to review degree requirements and the first semester schedule.

• Review flow chart/catalog degree requirements and use SMART Plan tool to create a semester-by-semester plan for graduation.

• If you have any concerns about the critical course sequence listed in “All Students” section delaying graduation, please contact Lizi Fapp, Kevin Pluta, or Chris Rief, Advising Coordinators, or Dr. Daniel Blood, Associate Department Head, or Dr. Ventzi Karaivanov, Director of Undergraduate Studies – ME.

• Attend/participate in ME-sponsored events.

• Students who are Veterans of the U.S. military may be eligible to petition for EDNS 151 credit (talk to the CASA advisor for more details).

• Review appropriate grade-level advising information contained on this page. Freshman – 0-29 credit hours, Sophomore – 30-59 credit hours, Junior – 60-89 credit hours, Senior – 90+ credit hours.