Student Affairs
A159 Bourns Hall
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521-0144
(909) 787-5651; http://www.engr.ucr.edu
The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering emphasizes fundamental disciplines of engineering and computer science, introducing students to the new technologies necessary for today's highly technical environments.
The vision of the College of Engineering is to become a nationally recognized leader in engineering research and education. Its mission is to:
• Produce engineers with the educational foundation and the adaptive skills necessary to serve rapidly evolving technology industries
• Conduct nationally recognized engineering research focused on providing a technical edge for the United States
• Contribute to knowledge in both fundamental and applied areas of engineering
• Provide diverse curricula that will instill in our students the imagination, talents, creativity, and skills necessary for the varied and rapidly changing requirements of modern life and to enable them to serve in a wide variety of other fields that require leadership, teamwork, decision making, and problem-solving capabilities
• Be a catalyst for industrial growth in the Inland Empire region of Southern California
The majors offered by the college are based on the needs of the practicing professional and are founded on a solid core of mathematics and the sciences. Breadth in the educational experience is represented by requirements in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences as well as by emphasis on oral and written communication skills. The principles and practice of engineering and computer science are provided in lecture and related laboratory courses. All students are required to choose a set of technical electives, emphasizing synthesis and design, to complete their undergraduate programs.
College of Engineering
Undergraduate Majors and Options
|
Major |
Degree |
Chemical Engineering |
|
| Biochemistry Option |
B.S. |
| Chemistry Option |
B.S. |
| Computer Engineering |
B.S. |
| Computer Science |
B.S. |
| Electrical Engineering |
B.S. |
| Environmental Engineering |
B.S. |
| Mechanical Engineering |
B.S. |
A major is a coordinated group of upper-division courses (courses numbered 100-199) in a field of specialization. The major may be a group of upper-division courses within a single department or program, or a group of related courses from several departments or programs. Before enrolling in upper-division courses, students may be required to gain appropriate knowledge by completing specific prerequisite courses. With the assistance of a departmental advisor, students are expected to select lower-division courses which prepare them for the advanced studies they propose to follow.
Change of Major or Double Majors
A student in good standing may elect to take a second major within the college. The student must file a declaration of a second major in the dean's office. A course used to satisfy the requirements for one major may be used to fulfill the requirements of a second major as well. However, of the required upper-division units, a minimum of 24 must be unique to each major.
A student registered in the college and in good standing may elect a second major in another college. A declaration of such a second major must be signed by the deans of both colleges and filed by the student with the primary college. A student will meet requirements of both primary and secondary majors and the college requirements of the primary major, if they are both in the same baccalaureate class. If the two majors lead to different degree designations (B.S. and B.A.), that fact will be noted on the transcript, but only one diploma indicating both degree designations will be issued upon successful completion of such a double major program. Furthermore, if the double major is a mixed B.S./B.A., the college requirements of both majors must be met. A course used to satisfy the requirements for one major may be used to fulfill the requirements for a second major as well. However, of the required upper-division units, a minimum of 24 must be unique to each major.
A student who has declared a double major may graduate in one major upon the completion of all requirements for that major but may not continue in the university for completion of the second major.
A student in good standing may request transfer from one major to another by filing a petition of change with the dean's office.
The College of Engineering currently has a minor in Computer Science. Minors in the college shall consist of not fewer than 20 nor more than 28 units of organized upper-division courses. No more than 4 units of 190-199 courses may be used in fulfilling the upper-division unit requirement for a minor. Overlap may occur between the upper-division course requirements of the major and the minor only to the extent permitted by the department, program, or interdisciplinary committee offering the minor, or the college of the minor. Courses used, or prerequisite to those used, in fulfilling the minor may be taken on a Satisfactory/No Credit basis only on approval of the dean. The department, programs, or interdisciplinary committee offering the minor is responsible for student and administrative issues pertaining to the minor. Students must file a declaration of a minor at least two quarters before graduation and must be in good academic standing at the time of filing. A minor requires the signature of the department chair or chair of the faculty committee which supervises the minor and the signature of the dean of the college. A GPA of at least 2.0 in upper-division courses in the field of the minor is a graduation requirement. When all other requirements for graduation have been met, the student will be graduated without the minor if the minimum GPA in the minor field has not been met.
MESA Engineering Program
The Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) Engineering Program (MEP) is an academic program utilizing collaborative learning, enrichment services, and community building. It is an effective intervention for eliminating primary institutional barriers to the educational success of historically underrepresented students in engineering. MEP works in coordination with the statewide MESA organization, campus administration, and faculty of the college, the community, and industry. All students in the college are invited to join. Participation from women, African Americans, Chicano/Latino, and Native American students is particularly encouraged. For more information, call (909) 787-6379.
University Honors Program
For a description of the University Honors Program, see Supplementary Education Programs in the front of this catalog. For a listing of requirements and courses, refer to University Honors Program in the Curricula and Courses section of this catalog.
Admission to Majors
Admission of Freshmen
Prospective College of Engineering students must complete high school programs that meet University of California requirements as described in the Undergraduate Admission section of this catalog.
In addition, appropriate high school mathematics and science course work should include the following.
| Course Work |
Years |
| Algebra |
2 |
| Plane Geometry |
1 |
| Trigonometry |
1/2 |
| Chemistry or Physics, with laboratory (preferably both) |
1 |
A supplemental screening process is used for majors in the College of Engineering which places emphasis on the grade point average earned in college preparatory course work, especially mathematics and science, and on the aptitude test scores. Qualification for first-year calculus is also expected. Students otherwise admissible to the university, but not qualifying for a College of Engineering major, are offered an alternate major.
Application should be made during the priority filing period (November 1 through 30, 2001) to be considered for Fall 2002.
All transfer students must meet the University of California requirements for admission as described in the Undergraduate Admission section of this catalog. These are generally sufficient for admission to the Computer Science major, although admission to other majors in the college is subject to additional requirements.
The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) does not meet transfer requirements for engineering majors and is not recommended for other majors in the college, as it does not provide an adequate mathematics or science background. It is not accepted in lieu of the college's breadth requirements.
Students intending to transfer to engineering majors are expected to complete the equivalent of UCR course work required in the first two years of the programs and to apply for transfer starting with their junior year. Applications to engineering majors are accepted only for fall quarter and should be submitted during the priority filing period noted above. Specific information on transfer requirements may be obtained from the Office of Student Affairs, (909) 787-5651.
The College of Engineering awards several scholarships to its students each year from funds provided by corporate and private sponsors. Other scholarships are available. Further information may be obtained by calling the Office of Student Affairs, (909) 787-5651.
Center for Environmental Research and Technology
For a detailed description of the College of Engineering's Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT), see Additional Research Resources in the section About UC Riverside in this catalog.
Center for Research in Intelligent Systems
For a detailed description of the Center for Research in Intelligent Systems (CRIS), see Additional Research Resources in the section About UC Riverside in this catalog.
Visualization and Intelligent Systems Laboratory
The Visualization and Intelligent Systems Laboratory (VISLab), an Electrical Engineering research facility, is described within the section on the Center for Research in Intelligent Systems (CRIS). For more details, see Additional Research Resources in the section About UC Riverside in this catalog.
Students in the College of Engineering must meet three levels of requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree: general university requirements, college requirements, and major requirements.
General University Requirements
General university requirements are listed at the beginning of the Undergraduate Studies section. For other UCR regulations including repetition of courses, concurrent enrollment, scholarship regulations, and incomplete (I) grades, see the Academic Regulations section of this catalog.
In addition to the above general university requirements, The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering has the following unit requirement.
Unit Requirement
Some of the majors in this college require more than the nominal university requirement of 180 units for graduation. No more than 6 units of physical education activity may be counted toward this requirement. However, after having credit for 216 units, a student is not permitted to continue except by approval of the dean when specific academic or professional reasons are involved.
College Breadth Requirements
The Executive Committee of The Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering, in consultation with the faculty, is responsible for determining which courses may be used to satisfy these requirements. Detailed requirements are available in the Office of Student Affairs.
Internships and independent study courses may not be used to satisfy breadth requirements.
For the following requirements, a course is defined as a block of instruction that carries credit of 4 or more units.
Courses used to fulfill the college requirements must be selected from an approved list available in the college Office of Student Affairs. To provide depth in satisfying breadth in the Humanities and Social Sciences, courses must meet the following criteria:
- At least two of the Humanities and/or Social Science courses must be upper division.
- At least two courses must be from the same subject area (for example, two courses in History), with at least one of the two being an upper-division course.
English Composition
Students must demonstrate adequate proficiency in English Composition by completing a one-year sequence of college-level instruction in English Composition with an average grade of "C" or better and no grade lower than "C-." UCR's sequence is ENGL 001A, ENGL 001B, and either ENGL 001C or ENGL 01SC. Transfer students who have credit for one semester of English Composition from another institution are required to take two additional quarters (i.e., ENGL 001B and either ENGL 001C or ENGL 01SC). Students have the option of using a score of 3 on the College Board Advanced Placement Test in English to satisfy ENGL 001A; they must complete ENGL 001B and either ENGL 001C or ENGL 01SC. Students with a score of 4 or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Test in English have satisfied ENGL 001A and ENGL 001B; they must complete ENGL 001C or ENGL 01SC.
Students with an overall GPA under "C" in the ENGL 001A, ENGL 001B, and ENGL 001C or ENGL 01SC sequence are required to repeat composition courses as necessary in order to meet the required "C" average minimum. It may be necessary to repeat one or more of ENGL 001A, ENGL 001B, and ENGL 001C or ENGL 01SC courses in which a grade of "C-" was earned in order to fulfill the three-quarter English Composition average of "C" or better. However, courses with a grade of "C-" cannot be repeated for credit to alter the transcript grade point average.
Students should enroll in an English composition course each quarter they are registered at UCR until the sequence of preliminary Basic Writing courses, if needed, and ENGL 001A, ENGL 001B, and ENGL 001C or ENGL 01SC is completed with a satisfactory GPA. A student may not receive baccalaureate credit for any work in English Composition taken prior to completing the Subject A requirement.
Humanities: 12 units
1. One course in World History
2. One course in one of the areas of Fine Arts, Literature, Philosophy, or Religious Studies
3. One additional course chosen from
a) History, Fine Arts, Literature, Philosophy, Religious Studies
b) A foreign language at level 3 or above
c) Humanities courses offered by Ethnic Studies, Creative Writing (courses in journalism), Humanities and Social Sciences, Latin American Studies, Linguistics, or Women's Studies
No course used to satisfy the English Composition requirement can be applied toward Humanities credit. Lists of approved courses are available in the Office of Student Affairs.
Social Sciences: 12 units
- One course from Economics or Political Science
- One course from Anthropology, Psychology, or Sociology
- One additional social science course offered by Ethnic Studies, Geography (cultural geography courses), Human Development, or Women's Studies, or one of the disciplines in (1) or (2) above.
To provide depth in satisfying breadth in the humanities and social sciences, at least two of the courses must be upper-division, and at least two courses, one of them upper-division, must be from the same subject area. Refer to the approved course lists available in the Office of Student Affairs.
Ethnicity: 4 units
One course dealing with general concepts and issues in the study of race and ethnicity in California and the United States. Courses that satisfy this requirement must concentrate on one or more of four principal minority groups (African American, Asian American, Chicano/Latino, and Native American). These courses must be comparative in nature, analyzing the minority group experience within the present and historical context of other racial and ethnic groups, such as European-American minorities. The courses are to be offered by or cross-listed with the Department of Ethnic Studies.
Natural Sciences and Mathematics: 20 units
- One course in biological sciences
- One course in physical sciences. No course in cultural geography may be used.
- One course in mathematics or computer science or statistics
- Two additional courses in the biological or physical sciences
Check with the Office of Student Affairs for the courses that fulfill the biological sciences, physical sciences, and additional sciences. In some cases, these are satisfied by requirements of the major. The mathematics/computer science/statistics requirement is always satisfied by a major requirement.
Major Requirements
Detailed requirements for each major are found under the department listings in the Curricula and Courses section of this catalog, and are available from the Office of Student Affairs, (909) 787-5651. A GPA of at least 2.00 ("C") in upper-division courses taken in the major field is required for graduation. Not more than 9 units of courses in the 190-199 series may be counted in fulfilling the upper-division units needed for the major.
For detailed information on UCR policies and regulations see the Academic Regulations section of this catalog.
College Regulations
Detailed information and specifics with regard to the college regulations governing undergraduate student status as approved by the faculty and contained in the Manual of the Riverside Division of the Academic Senate can be obtained from the Dean's Office.
Student Responsibility
Students are responsible for meeting deadline dates regarding enrollment, add/drop, change of grading basis, credit by examination, withdrawal, declaration of candidacy, and so forth. The dates are in the Schedule of Classes and must be observed. Advising can be obtained in the Office of Student Affairs.
Faculty Advisors
All College of Engineering students are advised on a regular basis. In addition, each department designates a faculty undergraduate advisor who is the primary contact in the students' areas of academic interest. Faculty advisors assist students in their undergraduate careers, as appropriate, and are also mentors in students' areas of interest. Students, however, are responsible for ensuring that they meet all requirements for graduation.
Course Enrollment
In consultation with an advisor, every student is required each quarter to plan a detailed class schedule. Class schedules of fewer than 12 units must have the approval of the dean of the college.
Students who have not met the Subject A requirement are required to enroll in a Basic Writing or qualifier course during their first quarter of residency.
Up to the end of the third week of classes, students may, with the consent of the instructor and the approval of their advisor, add a course. Prior to the end of the fifth week of instruction, students may, with the approval of an advisor and after consultation with the instructor of the course, drop a course without penalty.
A student on probation may enroll for more than 13 quarter units only with the consent of the dean of the college.
With the approval of the dean, students may withdraw from the university at any time prior to the end of instruction. Any changes in a student's class schedule not covered by the above regulations must have the approval of the dean.
Enrollment on a Satisfactory/No Credit Basis
A student in good standing may enroll and receive credit for courses graded "S." However, the S/NC grading system cannot be used for any course that is used to fulfill major or breadth requirements, except for any required course which is restricted to S/NC grading and up to 8 units of courses in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Exceptions to this policy may be granted, upon petition, by the student's advisor and the Executive Committee.
Students may change their grading basis in a course from letter grading to "S/NC" (or vice versa) up to the end of the eighth week of instruction.
Regulations governing the S/NC option are described under Credit and Grades in the Academic Regulations section of this catalog.
Credit by Examination
A student may petition for the privilege of examination for degree credit without formal enrollment in a particular course, but must be in residence and not on academic probation. Arrangements for examination for degree credit must be made with the student's advisor. Approvals of the advisor, the dean of the college, and the instructor who is agreeing to give the examination are necessary before the examination may be given. The results of all examinations for degree credit are entered on the student's record as if the student had actually taken the courses of instruction.
Progress Toward the Degree
At the close of each quarter, the courses, units, grades, and grade points earned are added to the student's cumulative university record. This record summarizes progress toward a degree. Lack of adequate progress may jeopardize continued registration. Students may access their advisory degree check electronically at any time (subject to computer system availability) as long as they are enrolled in a declared major in the college.
Declaration of Candidacy
Applications for graduation are available in the Office of Student Affairs and must be filed by the deadline established for the quarter in which graduation is intended. The deadline for filing applications for graduation is printed in the Schedule of Classes each quarter. Applications are not accepted after the deadline established for the quarter. If for any reason a student does not meet the requirements for graduation after announcing candidacy, or if a student fails to meet the deadline for filing, an application must be filed for a subsequent quarter.