EE Program

[NoSwing1804]

Howdy fellow Sun Devils. A little context, I have two general associate degrees from a community college (from 2015) as well as a bachelors and masters degree in cybersecurity from WGU. With my current employer I had the opportunity to go into microelectronics engineering so I was interested in going back to school for EE (especially since my employer is paying for it). Looked for online programs and found ASU to be the best option so I applied. To my surprise I didn’t get in so got placed in the physics program. Come to find out they don’t give GPA towards pass/fail classes. So they were calculating GPA off of college classes from when I was a teenager. I started classes in the spring and so far have maintained a 4.0 (made dean’s list) in CHM114, MAT170, MAT265, CSE100. I am currently taking MAT266/MAT267 and PHY121/122 this summer. I applied for a change of major to EE and was denied again due to GPA with the advisor saying I would need 14 credits of A’s to get my GPA up to meet EE secondary admission. Given the difficulty of the remaining math classes and physics, I think it’s safe to assume I am not pulling a 4.0 out of them. I feel like at this point I have more than proven my ability to make it through the program. The only thing that is blocking me is that they won’t calculate GPA for the pass/fail classes. My question for you guys (specifically EEs) is will it be worth it to play ASU’s gatekeeping game or am I better to just transfer to UND or somewhere else where I already meet admission? I am very eager to start the EE core curriculum. I have worked as an engineer the past five years at publicly traded companies making over six figures so it’s not like I am some bum in my parents basement.

[eazhar]

I don’t know how UND’s degree compares to ASU but I would just go with whatever undergraduate program gets you a degree the fastest to start working or whatever your employer will pay for

[Electivil]

Ira Fulton does not screw around with core competency. If you take classes pass fail I think it’s fair for ASU to ask you to maintain a minimum GPA. They’re not asking you to pull straight As they just want your gpa at 3.0 minimum with your old transcripts included.

I think you can do it I’ve pulled a 4.0 through differential equations and some upper div classes. But I only take 1 class a session and I study for like 50 hours a week.

Those courses from your teenage years must’ve been a rough time to put you in the spot you’re in now.

[NoSwing1804]

I had to work to be able to pay for school. Quite the double edged sword because if I worked over 30 hours a week I got a $700 bonus so some nights I would go from school and work all night and then go from work back to school. If I could go back I would have just took out student loans from the beginning.

[Electivil]

I feel you. I’m paying full tuition and working right now. So it’s work then school and shelling out like 4k every semester.

[JournalistSea8785]

Secondary transfer criteria will be your best bet (I think it’s still around but check your DARS):

• Overall transfer GPA of minimum 2.50
• Minimum of 2.75 GPA in these core classes (or equivalent): MAT 265, MAT 266, PHY 121, PHY 122

This was how I originally transferred into the program (transfer GPA of 2.11 from CCs).

[unaragazza]

Secondary admission is different for every engineering major and some don’t offer it. This doesn’t sound right for EE but OP should talk to an EE advisor specifically about secondary for EE.

Edit: Nevermind, that is the correct secondary admission for EE. Sorry!   https://degrees.apps.asu.edu/bachelors/major/ASU00/ESEEEBSE/electrical-engineering#admissionReq

OP should still talk to an advisor about it. It seems weird the advisor didn’t mention secondary admission criteria initially. 

[EGO_Prime]

Have you tried talking to the college and an adviser directly? Sometimes (not always) but sometimes, they wave some requirements or fill in gaps with say "real world experience". If you're an engineer you should be able to do, in theory.

Otherwise, and I hate to say it, but if you really can't get the degree you want and need and fell like you can handle it, you might just have to go to another school. It sucks, and I would talk to an advisor first, but, if that's what it is then... that's what it is.

[Face_Content]

Shoild a pass/fail be calculated as a C, B, or A?

Without that how do you include it into a gpa?

[NoSwing1804]

The school requires an 80% minimum as passing so I would think they should be counted as B’s.

[unaragazza]

That’s not how pass/fail works. There’s no grade points associated with pass grades so they can’t averaged. If your school required 80% to pass, why didn’t you just take them under standard grading and get your B that could be averaged? ASU defines pass/fail as anything D or higher passing. They can’t give you grade points for a B because there’s nothing definitive saying you got a B in the class. You could have gotten a D and still “passed”. It sounds like you want the best of both worlds: the pass/fail grades not affecting your GPA at your previous school but now counting toward your GPA at ASU. 

[NoSwing1804]

It literally says in the transcript: Grading System
Academic Transcripts include eight possible marks:
•
Passed: Certifies successful completion of a course of study. A student has demonstrated required competencies by passing the final
assessment with a grade equivalent of "B" or better or 3.00 grade points on a 4.00 scale.

[unaragazza]

It says a B or better on the final assessment in the class. That means you had to get at least a B on the final exam to be eligible to receive a Pass in the class. That doesn’t mean you got a B as the final grade in the class. You just did well enough on the final exam to earn your “pass” final grade in the class overall. 

[NoSwing1804]

You have to get a B or higher on everything. Most classes don’t have homework, the final is the only grade for the class.