Curriculum FAQ

• • What should I do if I need to change my major, declare a double major, or add/remove a minor?
  • What are the “General Education” or “Human Values and Social Context” (HV&SC) requirements?
  • What is the “Ethics” requirement?
  • The ECE graduation requirements have changed while I was a student. What requirements apply to me?
  • I initially enrolled in the Honors College program but have decided not to complete all the requirements for Honors. Can you tell me which Human Values and Social Context requirements I have already fulfilled?
  • Which courses fulfill the “Generic Technical Elective” requirement in the Electrical or Computer Engineering Curriculum?

 

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Q: What should I do if I need to change my major, declare a double major, or add/remove a minor?

Download the required paperwork from the Office of Student Records. Once completed, bring it to the ECE department office (Barrows 101).

If you are declaring a double major or double degree, make sure to specify which major or degree is your “primary” one. This will determine your enrollment in the senior project sequence within ECE, as well as the prerequisites required to start your senior project.

Q: What are the “General Education” or “Human Values and Social Context” (HV&SC) requirements?

The University has established “General Education” requirements that apply to all academic majors. The ECE department has designed its courses to fulfill most of these requirements, with the exception of the HV&SC requirements and the Ethics requirement. ECE students have the freedom to select from a range of elective courses to fulfill the HV&SC and Ethics requirements.

Each program must include 18 credits of HV&SC courses, selected from a list of approved courses (Excel version or PDF version), to satisfy each of the following five sub-categories:

• Western cultural tradition
• Social context and institutions
• Cultural diversity and international perspectives
• Population and the environment
• Artistic and creative expression

In the ECE program, all students are required to take CMJ103, which fulfills the Social context and institutions category. The remaining 15 credits of HV&SC courses are elective and can be chosen by the student. It is the student’s responsibility, with the guidance of their advisor, to select courses that fulfill each of the above sub-categories at least once. Students can use the “degree progress” feature in MaineStreet to check which HV&SC requirements have already been fulfilled.

Students who complete the Honors Program, in addition to taking CMJ103, will have fulfilled all HV&SC requirements.

Q: What is the “Ethics” requirement?

According to the University’s “General Education” requirements, every student must complete at least one approved course that primarily focuses on ethical matters. Most ECE students fulfill this requirement by choosing an HV&SC elective, which also satisfies the Ethics requirement. Alternatively, students can select other electives, as long as they have been approved as an “Ethics” course. Students are advised to consult the lists of approved courses to find suitable options.

Q: The ECE graduation requirements have changed while I was a student. What requirements apply to me?

Curriculum changes often occur during your time as a student at UMaine, including changes to the ECE graduation requirements. Here are the guidelines to determine which requirements apply to you:

1. You have the right to use the graduation requirements that were published in the Undergraduate Catalog for the year you entered the ECE program. If you leave the program and later get readmitted, the graduation requirements will be based on the readmission date.
2. If any changes are made to the graduation requirements while you are an active student in the program, you can choose to follow the updated requirements.
3. Please note that you cannot choose graduation requirements from years prior to when you entered the ECE program.
4. Mixing requirements from different years is not allowed; you must use one set of published requirements.

It is important to communicate with your advisors to ensure that your records accurately reflect the graduation requirements you are following.

Q: I initially enrolled in the Honors College program but have decided not to complete all the requirements for Honors. Can you tell me which Human Values and Social Context requirements I have already fulfilled?

Students who have partially completed the Honors Program should visit the Honors College Website to find out which HV&SC requirements have been met.

Q: Which courses fulfill the “Generic Technical Elective” requirement in the Electrical or Computer Engineering Curriculum?

A comprehensive list of approved technical electives can be found in the “Approved Technical Electives” document available on the websites of the computer engineering curriculum or electrical engineering curriculum for details.