Undergraduate Academic Advising

2023-24 Undergraduate Advising Manual – this edition can be used by all students.

Advising Manuals from past years

• 2022-23 – this edition can be used only by the Classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026
• 2021-22 – this edition can be used only by the Classes of 2024 and 2025.
• 2020-21 – this edition can be used only by the Classes of 2024 and 2025.
• 2019-20 – this edition was used only by the Class of 2023.

These are the “checkout sheets” of the degree requirements, also known as “degree plans” or “4-year Plans.”

These checkout sheets can be supplemented with a variety of minors and some second majors.  All checkout sheets include tabs with BS/MSE program plans.

Need help?

To arrange a degree planning meeting to discuss your minor and major interests and for help to update your checkout sheet:

• Classes of 2024, 2025, and 2026 – contact Mike Bernard, Academic Program Manager at me-academic@jhu.edu.
• Class of 2027 – contact professional academic advisor Emily Hinton in the Whiting School Office of Engineering Advising at ehinton8@jhu.edu.

Class of 2027

• BS Engineering Mechanics ’27
• BS Mechanical Engineering ’27

Class of 2026

• BS Engineering Mechanics ’26
• BS Mechanical Engineering ’26

Class of 2025

• BS Engineering Mechanics ’25
• BS Mechanical Engineering ’25

Class of 2024

• BS Engineering Mechanics
• BS Mechanical Engineering

These are visual guides to courses and their prerequisite and co-requisite relationships.

• Engineering Mechanics
• Mechanical Engineering

The Johns Hopkins E-Catalog section on Program Requirements describes Course Areas, which categorize undergraduate courses into five main areas:

• E = Engineering
• N = Natural Science
• Q = Quantitative (math and programming)
• H = Humanities
• S = Social Sciences

Courses can have up to two course areas.

If a course carries no course area, then it will not count for the sections of the degree that require a course area.

MATHEMATICS

Math courses must have a Q course area but must be a math course. Courses numbered AS.110.xxx (Mathematics), and EN.550.xxx or EN.553.xxx (Applied Mathematics) will have the “Q” course area. Please ask your advisor about Q courses with any other course number before counting and taking them.

HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Humanities and Social Sciences courses have to have either H or S as one of the course areas. They could have both (HS) or be paired with another course area (e.g., HN or QS or other combination).

Please read Section 5.3 of the Academic Advising Manual about where Humanities and Social Science courses can be taught. Only one can be taught in the Whiting School, which will have courses numbered EN.xxx.xxx. Some EN.660.xxx and EN.661.xxx courses have an H or S course area, but many don’t. Please confirm your desired course has an H or S course area. Some students have been tripped-up by this requirement. Don’t be one of them!

ELECTIVES

Mechanical Engineering electives must have an E course area and be numbered EN.530.3xx or higher.

Technical Electives must have either an E, N, or Q course area and must be numbered xx.xxx.3xx or higher (upper-undergraduate level). They, too, could be paired with another qualifying course area (e.g. EN, EQ, NQ) or with another course area (e.g. HN or QS or other combination).

NO DOUBLE-COUNTING IN MULTIPLE SECTIONS OF THE SAME DEGREE

Courses with unusual combinations like HN or QS can count for only one course in your degree program. For example, a course with a QS course area cannot simultaneously count for both a Technical Elective and a Humanities/Social Science elective. It can be counted for one elective or the other, but not both.

Elective Definitions
There are specific definitions of Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Mechanics, and Technical electives, which are explained in Sections 6.4.2 (Mechanical Engineering) and 7.5 (Engineering Mechanics) of the MechE Undergraduate Advising Manual. Please be familiar with these definitions while making course choices.

Cross-Listing
The University allows departments to “cross-list” their courses in SIS so that they appear in multiple departments’ SIS course listings. Departments do this to encourage students in majors other than the department’s own to easily see their offerings and register for their courses.

Choose Carefully
Courses that are cross-listed in SIS in other departments may not meet the elective definitions, so choose carefully. Please contact your academic advisor or Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard with your questions on whether a course counts for your degree.

Registration Instructions

Visit the Registrar’s Undergraduate Registration pages for information on how to register for courses and various deadlines.

Course Schedule and Catalog

Visit the Schedule and Catalog pages for course information.

Unable to Register in SIS for Courses at Homewood? Use SEAM instead!

Sometimes, undergraduate students are unable to register for courses in SIS because approval is required.  For example:

• Registering for graduate courses
• Students who have met prerequisites in an alternate way
• When courses have reached their enrollment limit
• Retaking a course, even once.
• Instructor approval is required for all students in a course.
• Registering for a course after the Add period ends after the first two weeks of the semester.

There are two options to obtain approval:

1. Use the Add/Drop Registration Form when unable to register or drop courses on SIS. This is not a fillable form, so info can be typed directly to a downloaded copy or it can be printed, handwritten, and scanned.
   • The course instructor will have to sign it if the course requires instructor approval or if an undergraduate student is registering for the course.
   • Your academic advisor or Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard must sign the form as well.
   • If registration is being requested after the Add period of the semester, after the first two weeks, the Whiting School Academic Advising office must also sign the form.  After receiving the instructor and advisor signature, please submit the form to the Whiting School Academic Advising office at wseadvising@jhu.edu.
2. Obtain approval e-mails from both the course instructor and your academic advisor (or Academic Program Manager) approving your enrollment in the course.  Print both e-mails to a .pdf file. If registration is being requested after the Add period of the semester, after the first two weeks, the Whiting School Academic Advising office must also approve the request.  After receiving the instructor and advisor e-mail, please contact the Whiting School Academic Advising office at wseadvising@jhu.edu to request e-mail approval.

Once the form or e-mail request is completed, submit them to the Student Enrollment and Account Management (SEAM) system > Browse All Topics > Records and Registration > Add/drop inquiry > Sign In to Request Support (or “Request Support” if already signed in). Complete the info on the request and upload your form or e-mails to the request and submit. You will get a confirmation e-mail with your case number. The Registrar will then register you.

Engineering for Professionals Courses – separate process from SIS

Many interesting and relevant online Mechanical Engineering and other engineering courses are available via our Engineering for Professionals program.

• Some Engineering for Professionals courses can be counted toward the elective sections of our bachelor’s degrees.  Up to two can count toward the master’s degree.
• Visit the EP Courses page to find available courses. The page can be filtered to select Mechanical Engineering courses.
• Please discuss proposed Engineering for Professionals courses with our faculty advisor to confirm that they would qualify for your degree.

To register for courses offered by the Engineering for Professionals program, courses numbered EN.xx5.xxx, you must register using the Interdivisional Course Registration form. Please visit the Registrar’s Interdivisional Registration page for info and the form. Select the IDR – Engineering form.

Most of the form should be self-explanatory, but just in case:

• In the upper right corner, select and complete the semester, e.g. “Fall 20__” as Fall 2023 or “Spring 20..” as Spring 2024.
• Host Division – select “EP”
• Classification – select “Degree Candidate”
• Program or Dept of Study – Mechanical Engineering
• In the “Interdivisional Courses for Which Cross-Registration is Sought” section, the course number is split into four sections, for example, if registering for the course EN.535.641, Section 1
  • Division = EN
  • Department = 535
  • Course # = 641
  • Section = 01
• Leave the tuition rate, audit, and terms offered blank
• Have your advisor sign the form.  You don’t need an Academic Advising Office signature.

Once the form is completed, submit the form to the Student Enrollment and Account Management (SEAM) system > Add/drop inquiry.  Complete the info on the request and upload your form to the request and submit. You will get a confirmation e-mail with your case number.  The Registrar will then register you.

Courses outside the Homewood Campus in other Schools

To register for courses offered by other divisions and schools, mainly off the Homewood Campus, you must register using the Interdivisional Course Registration form. Please visit the Registrar’s Interdivisional Registration page for info and the form. Select the IDR – Engineering form.

Course Exception Waiver Form

Use the Course Exception Waiver Form anytime that you are taking and counting a class outside of the usual requirements for the degree. These substitutions must be preapproved by your academic advisor and may also need the department’s and/or the Whiting School’s approval.

You and your advisor must complete and sign the form, and then send it to the Academic Staff at me-academic@jhu.edu.

Canvas

Canvas is the portal to course information and activities. Check out the FAQ page for useful information.  This support page has info on how to contact staff to obtain help.

Typically, all courses for the degree must be letter graded. The COVID-19 pandemic has required some exceptions.

For courses taken Spring 2020

• Any undergraduate course (xxx.4xx +) or graduate course (xxx.6xx +) taken as an undergraduate student will count, as long as it has an S* grade.
• Any graduate courses taken as a master’s student (in the 5th year) that are intended to count towards a student’s degree can still be counted if the grading method has been changed to P/F. ‘F’ grades cannot count towards a degree requirement. See the Whiting School Spring 2020 COVID-19 FAQ page for information.

For courses taken in Fall 2020

• Any undergraduate course (xxx.4xx +) or graduate course (xxx.6xx +) taken as an undergraduate student that qualifies for the degree could count, as long as it has an S** grade or a grade of C- or higher (or D or higher for up to 10 credits of Humanities/Social Science courses).
• One graduate course (xxx.6xx +) taken as a master’s student (in the 5th year) toward the degree requirements can be graded P (Pass), but all others must have a letter grade of B- or higher. The department will accept up to one course for the master’s degree with a C- or higher, but B- is preferred.

For courses taken in Spring 2021

• Any undergraduate course (xxx.4xx +) or graduate course (xxx.6xx +) taken as an undergraduate student that qualifies for the degree could count, as long as it has an S** grade or a grade of C- or higher (or D or higher for up to 10 credits of Humanities/Social Science courses).

Use the Course Substitution Exception Waiver (SEW) form anytime that you are taking and counting a class outside of the usual requirements for the degree. These substitutions must be preapproved by your academic advisor and may also need the department’s and/or the Whiting School’s approval.

The form must include these items:

• The policy or requirement for which an exception will be requested.
• The exception request itself.
• The academic rationale explaining the request and how it will cover, change, or enhance the affected policy or requirement.

You and your advisor must complete and sign the form, and then send it to Mike Bernard, Academic Program Manager.

After you and your advisor sign the form, it will be routed to one of the following for review to approve the request:

• For requests affecting engineering, science, or math courses: the department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Steven Marra or his designated staff/faculty member.
• For humanities and social science courses (in most cases): the Whiting School Academic Advising office.

Assuming the review generates an approval, the form will receive one last signature and be filed.  Your Degree Audit will then be updated to show the approved substitution, exception, or waiver.

All students taking courses with experimental labs must take 990.100 Laboratory Safety for Undergraduates before registering for your courses. This two-hour online course should be completed 24 hours before your registration period begins so the SIS registration system will acknowledge the course’s completion.

Taking the course just one time will cover all of these courses:

• 530.115 (Fall) / 530.116 (Spring) MechE Freshman Lab
• 560.201 Statics and Mechanics of Materials
• 530.205 Manufacturing Engineering Lab
• 530.212 Mechanical Engineering Dynamics Lab
• 530.216 Mechanics Based Design Lab
• 530.232 Thermodynamics Lab
• 530.243 Electronics and Instrumentation Lab
• 530.254 Manufacturing Engineering
• 530.329 Intro to Fluid Mechanics Lab
• 530.335 Heat Transfer Lab
• 530.344 Design and Analysis of Dynamic Systems Lab
• 530.352 Materials Selection
• 530.381 Engineering Design Process
• 530.403 (Fall) / 530.404 (Spring) Senior Design

To take the course:

1. Open the myJH Portal
2. Select the Education sidebar tab
3. Select the MyLearning option
4. Enter Laboratory Safety Introductory Course in the search area
5. Select the course title, then Add to Dev Plan
6. Click Next, then click Done to begin the course.
7. If you need help, contact help@jhmi.edu

Please note that the course EN.990.100 will NOT be visible on your transcript even after you successfully complete it. It is administratively recorded in SIS, and will be read by SIS when pre-requisite checking your selected courses.

Credit Overload Requests

Students may request to “overload” credits in a given semester beyond the University’s credit limit. Visit the Advising Questions page and then the “Registration” section for details on the process.

Taking Courses Outside JHU

Students can take up to 12 credits outside Hopkins toward their degrees (besides AP and IB credits, and those earned by students who transferred from other institutions). Some students like to take courses during the summer or other times to make room for courses during the academic year, especially if someone wants to earn a minor or repeat a course to absolve a low grade.

There is a pre-approval process that students should complete in order to see if the intended course will be transferrable. Please visit Canvas > WSE Academic Advising > Table of Contents > External Course Review Request form.

Download the PDF, read and follow the directions, then submit the form for final vetting to WSEAdvising@jhu.edu. Given the anticipated volume the Whiting School academic advisors are likely to receive with such requests and the time it takes to thoroughly vet the courses, please allow up to 10 business days (two work weeks) to receive a response.

Visit the Advising Questions page and then the “Transferring College Credit” section for details.

Students can then take the course and must earn a C or higher. The school then sends the transcript to Hopkins. Once received, the credits will be transferred to the transcript, though the grade will not be calculated in the Hopkins GPA.

Tracks

You can concentrate your electives into one of two specialized fields. Check out the Aerospace and Biomechanics Tracks.

Minors

Note that students must declare a minor, not just simply take the classes that will help meet the minor requirements. Students taking minors will be assigned an advisor in the department offering the minor. Visit the Advising Questions page > Majors, Minors, Second Majors… section for instructions on how to declare a minor.

• Overview of all minors
• Robotics
• Entrepreneurship and Management
• Mathematics
• Applied Mathematics and Statistics
• Physics

Combined BS/MSE

Students can earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in just 5 years! Visit the Mechanical Engineering – “5-year” Combined Bachelor’s/Masters Degree program page for information.

Whiting School Programs

Are you curious about other programs? Check out the Fields of Study at the Whiting School of Engineering

Check out the Scholarships and Fellowships that are typically obtained by engineering students. Be aware of application deadlines!

Check out the Competition opportunities available to students. Be aware of application deadlines!

Senior Exit Interviews are conducted by a combination of an online survey and an in-person interview. The survey questions and result summaries are available upon request.

Follow this link for information about the FE / EIT examinations , which can be taken in Maryland and across the United States. This exam can be taken during the final semester of one’s BS degree or any time after the degree completion. The online exams are available year-round.

These are some benefits of professional licensure:

• Demonstrates that you’ve accomplished a recognized standard of professional excellence,
• Distinguishes you from others in your profession,
• Provides career options and opportunities that you might not otherwise have,
• Serves as a protection of public health, safety, and welfare by ensuring a specific level of expertise.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering will cover the exam fee of up to five students each year. Please contact Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard at me-academic@jhu.edu for information and to request a scholarship.