Undergraduate Advising

Advising

1. When do I need to meet with an academic advisor, and what is the requirement?

Undergraduate students are required to meet with an advisor at least once per year. If this requirement is not met, an administrative hold will be placed on your records automatically and you will not be able to register for classes. If your CWID ends in an odd number, your advising hold will typically be placed in the middle of the Fall semester. If your CWID ends in an even number, your advising hold will typically be placed in the middle of the Spring semester. Please plan to make an appointment with an advisor before your registration date to avoid any delays in registering for your courses in the following semester.

2. How should I plan my studies?

In general, you should try to take as many of the required MATH, PHYS, CHEM, or engineering courses as you can each semester. Our program follows a strict sequence of prerequisites, so if you do not complete the prerequisite courses in a timely manner, you may be locked out of taking your future courses that you need to graduate. General Education (GE) courses are good to take when you have no other options in a particular semester. Refer to our suggested BSME study plan flow chart for the suggested sequence of courses to take, or make an appointment to see an advisor to plan your studies.

3. How do I schedule an appointment with an advisor?

For advising through the ECS Student Success Center (Freshmen and Sophomores with < 60.0 total units), please schedule an appointment through the ECS Student Success Center website.

For advising through the ME Department (Juniors and Seniors with > 60.0 total units), please visit the ME advisors' scheduling page. 

Please keep in mind:

1. Your future appointments may be declined if you do not show up after making an appointment.
2. Available time slots are added regularly. If you cannot find any open slots immediately, come back and check the website again later.
3. After you make an appointment online, you can confirm the appointment by checking your Google Calendar through TitanApps. You may not get a confirmation email, so it is important to check your Google Calendar to confirm the information about the appointment's time, advisor's name, and location of the meeting (in-person or over Zoom).

4. How do I cancel or reschedule my advising appointments in the event that I cannot make it?

For appointments made with the ECS Student Success Center, please contact them directly for cancellation and rescheduling. For appointments with the ME department advisors, you can cancel an appointment by deleting the appointment from your Google Calendar through TitanApps. You can then book another appointment using the link above.

Academics

1. How should I plan my General Education (GE) courses?

If possible, avoid taking all of your GE courses in the first 2-3 years. The Mechanical Engineering program has many pre-requisite courses that need to be taken first before you can move on, so it is important that you keep taking the pre-requisite courses to make steady progress towards your degree. Thus, we recommend distributing the GE courses evenly throughout your entire time at CSUF. If you are not sure when the best time is to take a GE course, consider making an appointment with an  academic advisor .

3. Should I take Summer classes?

In general, we recommend taking only GE courses over the Summer to lighten your load during the Fall and Spring semesters. While it is possible to take some lower-division prerequisite courses (like MATH or PHYS), we do not recommend this unless you have a really good reason for doing so (i.e., your graduation will be delayed). The lower-division prerequisite courses are very foundational -  the workload and cognitive load are very high, and it is difficult to fully master the material in a shortened Summer semester. All of your future coursework depends on these foundational courses, so taking them over the Summer will make your upper-division coursework much more difficult. Note that it is not required to take Summer courses in a standard four-year plan. If you are not sure whether you should take Summer courses or not, consider making an appointment with an academic advisor.

4. How important are the MATH, CHEM, and PHYS courses?

It cannot be overemphasized how foundational these courses are. Any extra work you put in to go above and beyond what you normally do will earn you a very nice return on your investment as you go through the program, as all future coursework builds upon these foundational courses. Consider taking the 1-unit Math Workshops alongside the main lecture courses (MATH-125W, MATH-151A, MATH-151B, and MATH-251A) for supplemental problem-solving support. These workshop courses are highly recommended by all students who have experience with them. It may be possible to attend these workshops without official enrollment.

5. Are there any supplementary materials to support my learning in the lower division classes?

Consider free online resources such as Khan Academy. Our department also has free review videos of our core classes on our YouTube channel that can be helpful.

6. What is the passing grade needed for each of my classes?

The grade required to pass a class depends on the class:

• A grade of "C" (2.0) or better is required for all MATH, PHYS, and CHEM classes
• A grade of "C-" (1.7) or better is required for GE areas A.1 & A.2 (or areas 1A & 1C for catalog year Fall 2025 and beyond)
• A grade of "D" (1.0) or better is required for all other GE courses and EGME-401
• A grade of "C" (2.0) or better is required for EGME-306A, EGME-306B, EGME-476A, and EGME-476B to satisfy the Upper Division Writing Requirement
• A grade of "D-" (0.7) is the minimum acceptable grade for all other EGME, EGCE, and EGEC courses.

Note that a minimum GPA of 2.00 is required for all three GPA calculations (cumulative GPA, major GPA, and CSUF GPA) to maintain good academic standing and graduate. So while it is possible to pass a class with a grade lower than "C" in some cases, your three GPAs must be above 2.0. Otherwise, you will be placed on Academic Notice (see below).

7. What is credit by examination (i.e., challenge examination)?

Please refer to the University document UPS 310.000 for detailed information on the challenge exam policy.

8. How do I add two courses that have a time conflict?

1. Enroll in one of the two classes. You would then be blocked with a registration message if you attempt to enroll in the second class that overlaps.
2. Fill out a "Request for Time Conflict Approval" form from the Office of the Registrar.
3. Obtain the signature from the instructor of each of the two classes (so that each instructor is aware of the time conflict and your circumstances and agrees to accommodate it).
4. Return the form to the Office of the Registrar by the deadline indicated on the form.
5. The Office of the Registrar will process the request, which means they will send you instructions on how to enroll in the second class (course must be open and/or permit issued to add over the set class capacity in the CMS)

Note that often, the name of the instructor may not be known at the time of registration. If the instructor is not known, the Office of the Registrar will tell you to check with the department as to who would be the responsible person to sign the time conflict form. The Office of the Registrar prefers that the signatures be those of the instructors involved. If it is not the instructors for the two classes, there at least needs to be at least two different authorized/appropriate persons signing the form.

9. How do I enroll in EGME-497 (Senior Project)?

Check the University Catalog for the requirements. Contact a faculty member you want to work with about your project. Fill out this form and email it to the Undergraduate Program Advisors at bsme_advising@fullerton.edu. If approved, the department will reach out to you with instructions on how to add the course.

10. How do I enroll in EGME-499 (Independent Study)?

Check the University Catalog for the requirements. Contact a faculty member you want to work with about your plan. Fill out this form and email it to the Undergraduate Program Advisors at bsme_advising@fullerton.edu. If approved, the department will reach out to you with instructions on how to add the course.

11. How do I find an internship and can I earn units from it?

Please visit our page on Career Services for resources on how to help you find an internship. In the vast majority of cases, internship experience cannot be used for course credit. Only in very rare and special circumstances, the Dean's Office will arrange for a case where internship experience can be counted for course credit.

12. What is "Academic Notice"? What will happen if I am on "Academic Notice"? What should I do?

Please visit the university's page on Academic Notice for more information.

If you are a junior or senior on Academic Notice, you will be required to (1) schedule an appointment and meet with an ME department advisor to discuss your study plan, (2) take the RESET course as indicated by the link above, and (3) schedule an appointment and meet with the ECS Graduation Specialist.

If you are a freshman or sophomore on Academic Notice, you only need to meet with a counselor at the ECS Student Success Center for advising.

13. Can I repeat a class? Is there a limit on how many units I can repeat? How is my GPA calculated if I repeat a class?

Please visit the university's page on Repeat Policy for a detailed explanation.

14. I have more questions about academic regulations. Where do I find answers?

Please visit the Academic Regulations page for more information. You can also visit the University Catalog to find information about academic regulations and resources. If you still cannot find answers, contact Records and Registration at arsc@fullerton.edu. 

Transfer Students

1. What courses will transfer from California public colleges and universities?

Please check www.assist.org to see if your college or university has an articulation agreement with CSU Fullerton. If not, then you will need to get your courses evaluated by the respective academic department here at CSU Fullerton. Contact one of our department advisors as soon as possible so that you can start the transfer course evaluation process.