Office of the Registrar and Student Awards

83

Faculty Regulations

83.3 Academic Regulations

(1)

Admissions: The Faculty of Engineering admits students into a first- or qualifying-year program and into specialized programs at the second-year level. All admissions are on a competitive basis.

    Admissions into the first or qualifying year program include students who are coming directly from high school and students with less than 30.0 engineering units of post secondary transfer credit. On an annual basis, the minimum high school average for students entering directly from high school is reviewed and may be adjusted to reflect demand and space availability. This average is calculated across the five required admission subjects (Alberta Grade 12 Chemistry 30, English 30-1, Pure Mathematics 30, Mathematics 31 and Physics 30 or their equivalent) and for the past several years it has been 80.0%. All high school students who meet the minimum average are admitted to the first or qualifying year program.

    There is a maximum number of students which can be accommodated in the first or qualifying year program. Spaces available after all eligible applicants from high school have been admitted are offered to students with post secondary transfer credit. Factors in selecting students from this group for admission are academic performance and the specific courses which earn transfer credit.

    The Faculty offers a number of engineering degree program choices as indicated below:

    Chemical

    Chemical Process Control Option

    Chemical Biomedical Option

    Civil

    Civil Environmental Option

    Civil Biomedical Option*

    Computer

    Computer Software Option

    Computer Nanoscale System Design Option

    Electrical

    Electrical Biomedical Option*

    Electrical Nanoengineering Option

    Engineering Physics*

    Engineering Physics Nanoengineering Option*

    Mechanical

    Mechanical Biomedical Option**

    Materials

    Materials Biomedical Option

    Materials Nano and Functional Materials Option

    Mining

    Petroleum

    Most of these programs are offered in both the Traditional and Co-op formats except as indicated by the asterisks - *Traditional only, **Co-op only. All of the specialized or discipline specific programs start in second year and each has a limited number of spaces. On an annual basis the Faculty reviews the number of spaces in all disciplines and may change the number of spaces in specific degree programs to reflect student demand and the market demand for these disciplines subject to the availability of Faculty resources.

    Students admitted to the qualifying year must normally qualify for a specialized program in not more than two terms (one year). Students entering directly from high school or with less than 15.0 units of transfer credit may, subject to space availability, be allowed an additional two terms (one year) to qualify. Students entering with 15.0 or more units of transfer credit must qualify in not more than two terms (one year).In order to qualify, a student must be in satisfactory standing after Fall/Winter and have credit in at least 30.0 units (excluding ENGG 100/101) of courses transferable to a specialized program. A student who is offered admission to a specialized program after two terms has qualified and may not continue as a qualifying student. Students who fail to qualify within the indicated number of terms are required to withdraw and are not normally readmitted to the Faculty.

    Students are admitted to a specialized program based first of all on academic performance in the first or qualifying year and secondly on their program preferences. These preferences are communicated by completing a Program Selection Form (PSF). All students in the qualifying year, and new applicants, must complete the PSF which is accessed through the Faculty web site. All applicants with previous postsecondary education must submit a PSF. Applicants who do not have sufficient transfer credit for admission to a second year program (to be determined by the Faculty) may be considered for a qualifying year.

    Students who are offered admission to one of the specialized programs must register in the Fall and/or Winter Term immediately following; otherwise they must reapply and again compete for a space in these programs.

    Spaces in each specialized program are reserved for students who do not have an undergraduate engineering degree. Students who already hold an undergraduate engineering degree are not eligible for admission to a second undergraduate program in the Faculty. Study of a different engineering discipline can be done through registration as a Special Student or registration in a graduate program.

(2)

Engineering Graduation Average

a.

The Engineering Graduation Average (EGA) is based on the final four academic terms. If the course load in these terms totals less than 70.0 units, additional terms will be included in the calculation of the EGA as required to reach a total of at least 70.0 units. The 70.0 units include courses designated as extra to degree. Grades for courses taken in Spring/Summer are not included in the EGA unless this is a scheduled term within the student's degree program.

b.

Requirements to Graduate: To graduate, a student must

i)

pass all courses required by the specific program;

ii)

have an Engineering Graduation Average of 2.0 or greater;

iii)

be in satisfactory academic standing, i.e., have a Fall/Winter GPA of 2.0 or greater.

    A student who is otherwise eligible to graduate but has an EGA of less than 2.0 and/or a Fall/Winter GPA in the range 1.7 to 1.9 is permitted to return for one additional term provided this term falls within the 72 month degree time limit as specified in §83.3(3). Courses to be taken during this additional term are specified by the Dean. If the student's EGA and Fall/Winter GPA following this term are not both 2.0 or greater, the student will not qualify for a degree and will not be allowed to continue in the Faculty.

    The preceding paragraph also applies to any student who has completed all course requirements and chooses to return for an extra term. The courses which the student takes in this subsequent term are to be specified by the Dean.

(3)

Time Limit for Completion of Degree: All students must complete their degree requirements within 72 months from the time of their initial admission to a specialized degree program in Engineering.

    The time measurement starts at the beginning of the term following a student's initial admission to a specialized degree program in Engineering. This time limit includes all time during which a student is not in attendance either by personal choice or as a result of suspension or a requirement to withdraw. When a student encounters special circumstances that necessitate an absence from the University for an extended period of time, the student may apply to the Faculty for an extension to the degree time limit. Such an application must be made prior to the absence or at the earliest opportunity. Extensions are not granted for cases where a student has spent time on withdrawal or suspension.

(4)

Course Load

a.

Students in specialized degree programs are not required to meet any minimum course load requirement except as noted in §83.3(5)b. but must meet the degree time limit as specified in §83.3(3). A course load less than that required to maintain full time status, as defined in §240, may have scholarship eligibility, income tax and student loan implications.

b.

Students in their qualifying year may not normally take a course load with fewer than 37.0 units in Fall/Winter, excluding the 2.0 units for ENGG 100/101.

(5)

Promotion: A student's progress is evaluated on completion of academic studies for Fall/Winter and on completion of any academic term occurring in Spring/Summer that is a scheduled term within the student's degree program. Scheduled terms are those shown in §§84.3 and 84.4. Evaluation is on the basis of the Fall/Winter GPA or Spring/Summer GPA [see §23.4(5)]. A student registered in Co-op Work Experience for the Winter Term and simultaneously registered in one or more courses is considered to have completed their academic studies for Fall/Winter after the Fall Term.

a.

Satisfactory Standing: Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer GPA of 2.0 or greater. Promotion, repeating any failed course(s).

b.

Marginal Standing-Academic Warning: Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer GPA of 1.7 to 1.9 inclusive. Proceed to next term on academic warning, repeating any failed course(s) and other courses as specified by the Dean, unless one of the following conditions applies, in which case the student must withdraw:

i)

Occurs immediately upon completion of the qualifying year (also see §83.3(1) with respect to students who entered directly from high school or with less than 15.0 units of transfer credit)

ii)

Previously on academic warning on two or more occasions.

iii)

Previously required to withdraw and previously on academic warning.

iv)

Already on academic warning or probation.

    Students on academic warning or probation will be evaluated at the end of each term. Spring/Summer is not considered a term unless it is a scheduled term within the student's degree program. To clear academic warning or probation, a student must achieve an engineering term average of at least 2.0 while carrying a minimum course load of 14.0 units.

c.

Unsatisfactory Standing-Required to Withdraw: Fall/Winter or Spring/Summer GPA less than 1.7. Student must withdraw.

    Students who meet all Fresh Start admission criteria (§220.5) and were registered in the first qualifying year (students directly from high school or with less than 15.0 engineering units of transfer credit) may be recommended to Fresh Start. Such a recommendation is dependent on the student’s agreement that by entering Fresh Start he/she will not be eligible for readmission to the Faculty of Engineering and must apply to another Faculty.

(6)

Work Experience Credit: Work Experience (WKEXP) courses in the cooperative education program are graded on a Pass/Fail (Credit/No Credit) basis. A student receiving a grade of Fail/No Credit is normally required to withdraw from the cooperative program and the Faculty of Engineering.

(7)

Deficiencies from a Previous Term: Where a student is deficient in credits in a course (or courses) from a previous term, through failure or otherwise, that student must normally clear that deficiency the next time the course (or courses) is (are) offered.

    Where the deficiency is the result of failure or withdrawal from an elective course, another course may be substituted if Faculty approval is first received to do so.

(8)

Readmission after a Requirement to Withdraw: A student required to withdraw must stay out for two terms before being eligible for readmission. In this context, Spring/Summer is not counted as a term unless it is a scheduled term within the student's degree program.

    All students are readmitted on probation and must take all the previously failed courses and other courses as specified by the Dean. For students in the co-op program, readmission must coincide with the start of an academic term. A student required to withdraw a second time is not normally readmitted to the Faculty of Engineering.

    The requirements to clear probation are explained in §83.3(5)b.

(9)

Withdrawal from Courses: (See §11 Academic Schedule for deadline dates.)

(10)

Missed Term and Final Exams: Refer to §23.3. There are no deferred term exams for courses offered in the Faculty of Engineering. In instances where a student has a documented reason for missing a term exam(s) and at the discretion of the instructor, the value of a missed term exam(s) can be added to the value of the final exam. A missed term exam(s) is considered assigned term work which has not been completed in determining eligibility for a deferred final exam.

(11)

Transfer Credit: Students planning to earn transfer credit for a course(s) taken elsewhere should obtain Department and Faculty approval in the form of a Letter of Permission prior to taking the course(s). The Faculty is under no obligation to grant transfer credit without such preapproval. Letters of Permission are not given to students who have been required to withdraw until they have been readmitted. Students returning for a second qualifying year who have successfully completed a qualifying year course(s) which was (were) not taken or not passed in their first qualifying year will automatically receive credit for such courses and cannot retake them.

(12)

Reexaminations: See §23.5.5.

(13)

Academic Awards and Recognition

a.

Awards and Scholarships

    Information about awards and scholarships is available in the University of Alberta Awards Publication. A number of scholarship competitions are open to high school students who plan to study Engineering at the University. Students who are continuing in the Faculty may apply for various awards. In addition, a number of awards are made by Faculty or Department nomination. Awards and scholarships are awarded after the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth academic terms and require a student to carry a full course load. For University-wide award competitions, this is the course load calculated from §§84.2, 84.3, or §84.4 as appropriate. In the case of Faculty and Department awards, a full course load is defined as at least 35.0 units. Because of their course load requirements co-op students are not eligible for awards in the third year of their program.

b.

First-Class Standing

    First-class standing is awarded following the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth academic terms based on a GPA of 3.5 or greater, calculated on a course load of not less than 35.0 units in the two preceding academic terms.

c.

Graduation “With Distinction”

    To graduate “With Distinction,” a student must have

i)

an Engineering Graduation Average of 3.5 or greater, and

ii)

carried at least 70.0 units in the final four academic terms.

(14)

Communication with Students Re Academic and Discipline Matters: Pursuant to §20.3, the Faculty of Engineering will communicate all academic standing decisions and all decisions relating to charges under the Code of Student Behaviour electronically. The decision letter will be an electronic document attached to an e-mail forwarded to the student’s campus e-mail address which includes the ualberta.ca extension or available through Bear Tracks.

(15)

Appeals

a.

Academic Standing: A student wanting to appeal an academic standing decision must first attempt to resolve the issue with the Faculty of Engineering, Associate Dean (Student and Co-op Services). If the matter remains unresolved, the student may then appeal to the Faculty of Engineering Academic Appeals Committee. To do so, the student must provide a written letter of appeal addressed to the Dean which outlines the basis for the appeal. The letter of appeal must be received by the Dean within 28 calendar days from the decision date. This is the date of the letter in which the student was first advised of the academic standing decision. The 28 days include mailing time and all time spent in attempting to resolve the matter with the Associate Dean (Student and Co-op Services).

    Note: An unsuccessful appeal within the Faculty or any conditions imposed as part of the appeal decision within the Faculty may be carried to the General Faculties Council Academic Appeals Committee. See §23.8. The appeal of any conditions in an appeal decision by the Faculty must occur within the timelines set out for any appeal to the General Faculties Council Academic Appeals Committee. The consequences resulting from a subsequent failure to meet the conditions are not appealable.

b.

Grievances Concerning Grades: The assignment of marks and grades is the initial responsibility of an instructor. Any grievances concerning grades should first be discussed with the instructor. If the problem is not resolved, the student should talk with the Chair of the Department where the course is taught.

    For courses taught in the Faculty of Engineering, final recourse is to the Faculty of Engineering Academic Appeals Committee. To appeal to this committee, the student must submit the appeal in writing to the Dean within 60 calendar days after the final examination period.

c.

Work Term Status: Faculty initiated withdrawal from a work term, denial of work term or disciplinary decisions related to a work term are appealable to the GFC Practice Review Board (see Calendar §23.8.2). Failure of a work term which results from lack of performance and/or termination of employment by the employer is an academic standing decision and is appealable as described in §83.3(15)a..

    A copy of the Faculty of Engineering Regulations regarding appeals may be obtained from the Faculty Office, E6-050 Engineering Teaching and Learning Complex.

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