Academic Probation

The first time the academic record of an undergraduate or non-degree seeking student falls below a cumulative 2.00 grade point average (GPA), counting only USF grades, he/she will be placed on Academic Probation (AP). 

If the cumulative GPA is not raised to 2.00 or higher at the end of the next term of enrollment, the student will be placed on Final Academic Probation (FP). 

A student on Final Academic Probation who fails to raise his/her cumulative USF GPA to 2.00 or higher at the end of the next term of enrollment will be Academically Dismissed (AD) from the university.

The determination and notification of probationary status or academic dismissal will be made by the Registrar’s Office on the student’s semester grade report (available on the student OASIS Login) and academic record.

 

 

On Academic Probation?

Academic advising prior to registration is mandatory until you are removed from probationary status.  You will need to make an appointment to speak with your advisor.  She or he will help you work out an academic plan to get you back on track and discuss with you the College's continuation requirements.

 

 

Academic Regulations Committee

All undergraduate or non-degree seeking students taking 5000 or lower level courses may petition the Academic Regulations Committee for

  • readmission,
  • late or retroactive drops,
  • late or retroactive total withdrawal from a term,
  • late adds or registrations,
  • an even exchange of courses with equal hours and no additional fee liability,
  • or other adjustments to their student records

ARC Petitions may be obtained from our Advising office or the Office of the Registrar. The petitions must be turned into Kate Johnson, your College ARC Representative. You must include supporting documentation with your petition. Acceptable forms of documentation are listed on the ARC form and may include letters from physicians, documentation from employers, and documentation from instructors or other University officials.

We suggest you make an appointment to see Kate Johnson if you are petitioning.

 

 

Adding Classes Late?

If you would like to add a course late or if you are registering late for classes, you will need to file an academic appeal (ARC petition). It will be important to attend the course(s) you wish to add while the appeal is being processed.

 

 

Chemistry for Engineers

General Chemistry I (CHM2045) for "Engineering Majors Only" is a special section of chemistry designed for engineering students who are required to take only one semester of chemistry in their program.  It is a three credit hour lecture course (CHM2045), and a one credit hour laboratory (CHM2045L).

Students in the Departments of Civil, Chemical and Industrial Engineering need to register for the two semester sequence in General Chemistry (CHM2045 and CHM2046). Therefore, they should not register for the section marked "for Engineering majors only".

Students in the Departments of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science & Engineering should register for the section marked "for Engineering majors only". 

If you are registered for the incorrect section of Chemistry or if you are registered for a chemistry laboratory that is not consistent with the lecture, you should drop and add the correct section immediately.  If is is past the first week of classes (during the drop/add period), you will need to file an academic appeal (ARC petition) for an even exchange.

 

 

Dropping Classes Late?

If you would like to drop a class after the first week of classes or withdrawal from a class after the deadline, then you will need to file an academic appeal (ARC petition).  In some cases you may be eligible for tuition reimbursement.  

The Academic Survival Guide has also provided more detailed information regarding withdrawing from classes.

 

 

Making the Decision to Drop a Course

It can be very difficult to make the decision to drop a class. There are several factors to consider. Of which include:

Your advisor will help you make this decision and sort through the different factors there are to consider.

 

 

Will dropping a course affect my Financial Aid or Scholarship funding?

It depends.  If you will still maintain 12 credit hours after dropping the course, then most likely it will not affect your financial aid or scholarship funding.

If dropping the course will place you below full-time credit hours (12), then it is possible to lose some funding.  

Most scholarship programs, however, recognize that there are times when students must drop a class for academic or personal reasons. Therefore, a completion rate of less than 100% of your courses is usually allowed. 

Before you drop a course, you should speak to your professor and academic advisor to explore options for salvaging your course. These might include tutoring, arrangements for make-up work or taking an incomplete. You will also need to speak with your financial aid counselor to find out about the required completion rate for your scholarship(s).

 

 

Even Exchange

If you wish to add and drop a course with the same number of credit hours or switch sections of the same course after the first week of classes, you will need to file an academic appeal (ARC petition).  This type of course exchange is done without any addition tuition fees.

 

 

Engineering Courses That Fulfill General Education or Exit Requirements

6A=Gordons Rule Communications
HP=Historical Perspective
FA=Fine Arts
L&W= Exit in Literature and Writing
MW/MI=Exit in Major Works/Major Issues

All Majors
ENC 3246 Communications for Engineers (6A, L&W)
EGN 2080 Light and Art (FA)
EGN 2082 History of Electrotechnology (HP)
EGN 2031 History of Technology (HP)

Chemical Engineering
ECH 4615 Plant Design (MW/MI)

Civil Engineering
CGN 4122 Professional/Ethical Issues in Engineering (MW/MI)
CE Capstone Design Requirement (MW/MI)

Computer Science & Engineering
CIS 4250 Ethical Issues (MW/MI)

Electrical Engineering
EEL 4906 Prof. Issues & Eng. Design (MW/MI)

Industrial Engineering
EIN4313C Human Factors (6A)
EIN 4365 Facilities Design II (MW/MI)

Mechanical Engineering
EML 4551 Capstone Design (MWMI)

 

 

Engineering Exit Requirements

Due to the length of the Engineering Programs, our students need to complete only 3 hours of the Major Works/Major Issues exit requirement. Non-Engineering students must take 6 hours. 

All students in the university, except second bachelor degree seeking students, are required to take 3 hours of the Literature & Writing exit requirements.  For Engineering students, we specifically required that they take a technical writing course for their Literature & Writing requirement, ENC3246 "Communication for Engineers".

 

 

General Education Requirements

You can choose to take general education courses from another college.  We offer general education courses so students can take an engineering related history or fine arts course if they wish.  

Note:  Students in the Electrical Engineering program should take History of Technology and/or History of Electrotechnology, only if they have not already completed their Historical Perspectives for General Education.

Students who have completed an Associate of Arts Degree from the state of Florida will be considered to have met the University’s General Education Requirements. Thus, the History of Technology or Electrotechnology courses are not required.

Second bachelor degree seeking students will be considered to have met the Univerisity's General Education Requirements. In addition, second bachelor degree seeking students will not be required to take the Literature & Writing Exit Requirement for the University (ENC 3246 Communications for Engineers is waived).

 

 

Graduation and Continuation Requirements

To meet graduation requirements all undergraduate students must maintain above the minimum cumulative overall GPA of 2.00. In addition the College of Engineering also requires undergraduate students to maintain a minimum of 2.0 GPA in all engineering courses attempted, as well as 2.0 GPA in all courses attempted in their specialization. In no case will the minimum GPA for a category be less than 2.0. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure she/he meets all departmental requirements. In addition to the completion of the coursework and/or project requirements of the respective program of the College, students must be recommended for their degrees by the faculty of the College.

Students who do not maintain the required minimums of the program pursued in each category are ineligible for further registration in the College unless individually designed continuation programs are recommended by the student’s academic advisor and approved by the department chairperson and the Engineering Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. All students who are academically dismissed from the University will be denied readmission to the College of Engineering unless they meet admission requirements in effect at the time readmission is sought and are recommended for readmission by the department and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Students who register for a course three times without receiving a grade “D” or better (i.e., receive grades of W or F) will be denied further enrollment in the College of Engineering unless written permission is obtained from the department chairperson and the College Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

The College of Engineering requires that a student completes the baccalaureate degree within five years after beginning the Engineering specialization courses. Any exceptions require approval of the department and Dean’s Office.

 

 

Grievance Procedures

  1. The student should first meet with the class instructor to discuss the grievance.
  2. If a resolution can not be reached and the student intends to pursue the matter the student should prepare a letter to the Department Chair detailing his or her complaint and the outcome of attempts to resolve the issue. Upon receipt of this document the Department Chair will meet with the student. If indicated, a meeting with the Department Chair, Instructor and student will be scheduled through the department office.
  3. If, after the Chair, Instructor and student have met, a resolution is not reached the Student should request that the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs review the grievance. This request should be in writing and should contain documentation regarding the nature of the grievance and description of attempts to resolve the issue at the departmental level. The Associate Dean will consult with the student and the faculty member and may schedule one or more meetings at which both are present.
  4. If resolution is not reached after this intervention the Associate Dean will convene a committee which will be comprised of an uninvolved student and a faculty member from the complainant's academic department, an uninvolved student and faculty member from another department in the College. The student and faculty member will appear before the committee. The student has the right to bring an individual of his or her choosing to the meeting for moral support, however, this individual will not be allowed to address the committee. The committee will hear the complaint and the response, review any evidence that may be presented, and make a written recommendation to the Dean who will, together with the faculty member, make a judgment in the case.
  5. The Dean of the College will notify the complainant of the committee's recommendation and any actions taken.
  6. If still aggrieved undergraduate students may file an official grievance with the Dean of Undergraduate Studies; graduate students may file an official grievance with the Dean of the Graduate School.

 

 

Performing Poorly?

If you have not been meeting your academic potential, it is best to make an appointment to see your advisor.  The earlier you speak with your advisor, the greater number of available options there will be to help you.

If you have been performing poorly because of extenuating circumstances, it is possible to file an academic appeal (ARC petition) to withdrawal from your courses.

If you have been performing poorly because you are having difficulties with the instructor of the course, you should review our grievance procedures.

 

 

Registration Holds

You can find out if you have a registration hold by logging into your Student OASIS.  Once you are logged in, select the "Advising & Registration" menu and choose to "Check my registration status".

Your Student OASIS will provide you information as to who has placed you on hold and how to contact them. If you have been placed on a registration hold, it is best to contact the office(s) before your registration appointment time.  If you have not taken care of the registration hold(s) before your time to register for classes, you may miss getting a seat in a class.

If you have a registration hold with Engineering advising it might be one of several different reasons:

  • You are a student in their first year at USF, 
  • You have a Math/Science GPA below 2.0,
  • You are not meeting the College's continuation requirements,
  • or out of simple error

The data used to determine which students should be placed on hold is generated by student SASS reports. In some cases, the student is not deficient but appears to be. This can occur when the SASS report does not reflect all transfer or USF work. Meeting with us will allow an opportunity to review your academic goals, update SASS information and discuss strategies for success.

 

 

Repeating Courses

The University does not limit on the number of times you can withdrawal from a course and retake the class. The University does, however, penalize a student financially with a repeat course surcharge. Also, it is important to note that employers do not like to see a large number of withdrawals on a student transcript. It gives the appearance of poor decision making or not being able to follow through.

The College of Engineering does limit the number of times you can retake an engineering course. According to the college's continuation requirements, a student must successfully pass an engineering course by the third attempt, otherwise that student is in jeopardy of being dismissed from the College. If you are attempting an engineering course for the third time, please consult with an academic advisor.

 

 

Changing Majors

Changing from a non engineering major at USF to a major offered by the USF College of Engineering:

Visit the Engineering Student Services Center, ENC1302, to meet with an engineering advisor about entrance requirements, declare the major and complete an academic plan.

Changing from a major offered by the College of Engineering to a non-engineering major:

Visit Engineering Student Services Center, ENC1302, for a referral to an advisor in your intended major and to complete an exit survey.

Changing from one engineering major to another major in the College of Engineering:

Visit Engineering Student Services Center, ENC1302, to complete a Departmental Application for the new major and an academic plan.

Note: Students who find it difficult to visit in person may complete the process through cyber advising.

Link to the Engineering Student Services “Contact Us” site: http://www2.eng.usf.edu/ugadvising/staff.htm

Make an appointment to meet with an Engineering advisor: 813-974-2684