Commonly Asked Questions About Advising
Is there a salary survey for entry level Mechanical Engineers?
Is joining the student organizations - ASME, AIAA, SAE, ASHRAE a good idea?
Full course offerings are not made during summer. What should I do?
Do I have to meet Major Works - Major Issues (also called MWMI) requirements?
What is transferred from AA degrees from community colleges?
Q: 1998 vs. 2000 Flow Chart - Which one should I follow?
A: If you have been admitted to the Mechanical Engineering Program from Fall 2000, you have to follow the Fall 2000 Flow Chart. For students admitted into the Mechanical Engineering Program
before Summer 1998 (included), you can follow Fall 1994 or Fall 1998 or Fall 2000 flow chart,
before Summer 2000 (included), you can follow Fall 1998 or Fall 2000 flow chart,
after Fall 2000 (included) you have to follow Fall 2000 chart.
The courses that you have taken under the 1998 flow chart but are missing in the 2000 flow chart, you may be able to get credit for such courses toward graduation under the 2000 flow chart. For list of these courses and where you will get credit for these courses, see the back page of the 2000 flow chart (also available outside the ME office).
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Q: Who is my advisor?
A: For the year 2001 and till further notice, please see Dr. Hess.
Q: Do I need to take the FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) Exam?
A: Click here
Q: Do I have to see an advisor?
A: You are required to see an advisor when you get admitted to the department and before registering for any semester after the admittance. Now if you do not like your advisor's looks, bear with him for a while! Seriously, an advisor has the experience of showing you how to avoid getting caught in the pre-requisite and summer offerings trap. That is, you should first take courses that are pre-requisites to several other courses. He can also keep you from taking courses that do not count toward graduation. He can also direct you to resources for internship, co-operative learning and employment.
Q: Where do I go to get credit for my AA courses and courses that are not Mechanical Engineering courses?
A: For any course that is a Liberal Arts course or not a Mechanical Engineering course, you should go to see Ms. Kate Johnson in Engineering advising for getting credit or getting your SASS updated. If you still have questions, see your advisor.
Q: Can you name some time intensive courses?
A: We will be asking all faculty if they want to call their course time intensive. All courses in Mechanical Engineering require effort, attending classes and completing homework assignments. All faculty expect excellence from their students.
Q: Is there a salary survey for entry level Mechanical Engineers?
A: Yes, there are several sources of salary survey for Mechanical Engineering. Click here to see what the average salary an entry level Mechanical Engineer makes. Many factors are involved in starting salaries - work experience, type of industry, specialty field and geographical location.
Q: Do I have to take pre-requisites?
A: Yes, that is not only a good idea but is required. You can be automatically dropped from a course if you have not finished its pre-requisites.
Q: There is not a full offering of courses during summer? What should I do?
A: The state of Florida limits summer budgets for teaching. We cannot have a full course offering like a regular semester. Some faculty may conduct full time research during summer, or go out of town for work or leisure because all faculty are on a 9-month contract (August - May) and are not obligated to work or teach at the university during summer.
But these factors should not limit your course schedule. The department offers several courses during summer and there are other engineering courses such as EGN 3615 Engineering Economics with Social and Global Implications and EGN 3443 Engineering Statistics I that are taught by other departments during summer. You can also take other courses to fulfill your graduation requirements - like your social science electives, historical perspective electives, ALAMEA electives, independent study and ENC 3246 Communication for Engineers.
Q: How many courses should I take in a semester?
A: A student is considered full time if he is taking 12 credit hours. This is based on the fact that you are in the class for 12 hours per week and expected to devote at least 24 hours per week at home, making a total of 36 hours per week (close to a full time job of 40 hours/week).
So how many credit hours should I take? My formula is to multiply the credit hours by three and add the number of hours you work. If the number is more than 50, you need to rethink your strategy. If your number is more than 50, and you are content with your work and school life, then it is OK. But if you are continually coming late to class, making unacceptable grades or dropping courses habitually, then you need to reassess what is best for you.
Nobody has died yet by graduating a semester or two later than what they had planned. Your undergraduate experience has to be a enjoyable journey, not just another hurdle to overcome. Trust me - contentment in life is based on enjoying the journey, not what is at the end of it.
Q: Is joining ASME, AIAA, SAE, ASHRAE a good idea?
A: Joining these student organizations is a great idea. It is a good start for getting ready for your profession and keep yourself up-to-date about new developments in your area. Participating in these organizations as volunteers can be fulfilling in developing a successful and balanced life. Pizza get-togethers, student cook outs and professional parent chapter meetings are great avenues to develop interconnectedness with your fellow students, faculty and industry people outside the classroom. These networking opportunities will help you to know about job, co-op and internship opportunities and what it is like to be working in a particular industry. You will also learn the skills of communication - oral as well as written.
Q: What technical electives can I take?
A: You have several choices.
Q: How should I prepare to see an advisor?
Click Here
Q: Do I have to meet Exit and Major Works Major Issues (also called MWMI) requirements?
You need only six hours to fulfill the exit requirements (that includes MWMI). These six hours are automatically met by two required courses for BSME graduation - Capstone Design (EML 4551 - 3 credit hours) and Communication for Engineers (ENC3211 - 3 credit hours).
Q: Do I need to take any General Education requirement courses if I have a AA degree from an approved Florida community college?
No, by getting an AA degree from an approved Florida community college, you have automatically met the general education requirements. So you do not have to take the courses that are in the ME flow charts that fall under this category. To see the courses that fall under the General Education requirement, click here.
Q. What is this ALAMEA mean on the flow chart?
It sounds to be a good name for a music group. But in all seriousness, it is a required course for graduation. ALAMEA stands for African, Latin American, Middle Eastern, or Asian Perspectives. Students will take a minimum of three (3) semester hours of approved coursework in one of the above listed geographical areas. Course content may include social, political, and economic as well as artistic, cultural, and intellectual subject matter. The material will be presented within a geographical, chronological, and/or humanities background and will necessarily be selective.
What courses count toward ALAMEA are given in the course catalog as well as the schedule of classes printed every semester. For an approved list of ALAMEA courses, click here.
If you have an AA degree from an approved FL community college, you have already met this requirement.
Q. Am I required to take History of Technology - EGN2031?
To fulfill the general education requirement for graduation, you are required to take 6 credit hours of historical perspective courses. We encourage ME students to take History of Technology - EGN2031 - 3 credit hours as part of that requirement. For a list of approved Historical Perspective courses,click here and go toward the bottom of the page.
If you have an AA degree from an approved FL community college, you have already met this requirement.
Copyright © 2001 [ Autar Kaw of USF Mechanical Engineering].
All rights reserved. Revised: March 21, 2001]