Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions

See the academic calendar for all dates and deadlines.

See the academic calendar to find out when registration begins. For your individual time ticket, go to your iRoar Student Profile ( iRoar > Student Self-Service > Student Records > iRoar Student Profile). In the top right corner of the page, click "Registration Notices" to see your individual time ticket. Also see the Registrar's time ticket schedule for a list of registration windows by registration priority group.

The ME Student Services team will send a list of ME technical electives being offered about two weeks before registration opens via email to the ME student listserve.

At the start of registration, the only open lab section will be Section 999, which will be at the bottom of the list returned by your Browse Classes search. Try searching for open sections only for the lab classes. All students must register for the request section (Section 999) of ME lab. If Section 999 is closed, the lab is currently at capacity. We cannot exceed the total enrollment capacity, but seats may open, so check back in iRoar periodically.

To find your advisor, login to iRoar, then select Student - Student Records - Degree Works - Academic Advisor

To schedule an appointment, please use CUNavigate

If you are currently in an engineering discipline and are interested in switching to Mechanical Engineering, please schedule an appointment with a Student Services team member using CU Navigate (select ‘Explore Mechanical Engineering’). In order to declare Mechanical Engineering as your major, you must have at least a 2.6 GPA and have completed the General Engineering core curriculum. Upon completion of these requirements, students can then initiate a Change of Academic Program request through iRoar.

If you are currently in a non-engineering major, you must first change your major to General Engineering. To learn more, visit the General Engineering advising website.

Student Services is here to help advise in developing your plan. Failing ME 2010 on your first attempt will impact your GPA, but it is not guaranteed to delay your graduation timeline. Since our courses are designed to build upon one another, you may need to consider summer courses in order to remain on track. You also have the ability to academically forgive a course (see the Academic Forgiveness policy), which will remove the course from your GPA Calculations and Credits Earned. If you are concerned about performing below expectations in the course, meet with your professor and be sure to take advantage of the resources in place to assist you. Talk to your advisor if you are doing poorly or are considering dropping the course.

Academic forgiveness requests are submitted via iRoar (iRoar > Student Self-Service > Student Records > Request Academic Forgiveness). Before submitting an academic forgiveness request: Read the university academic forgiveness policy If you are receiving any financial aid, speak to an advisor in the Financial Aid Office to discuss the potential implications of using academic forgiveness on your financial aid Schedule a meeting with or send an email to your primary academic advisor confirming that you have read the policy in full and spoken with the Financial Aid Office. Your advisor will not approve your academic forgiveness request until they have received email confirmation from or spoken with you.

The Mechanical Engineering degree program can be completed in eight semesters (including two semesters in General Engineering) without requiring summer courses. There are certain circumstances in which a student may be encouraged to consider summer courses; these reasons may include: catching up classes that were not completed according to the traditional timeline, to get ahead or ease a future semester academic course load, if a student is on co-op/internship or considering study abroad, or several other reasons.

More information regarding summer classes can be found here.

Yes, but the course will only count towards your degree requirements if it is approved as transferable to Clemson. Your advisor can help you to determine if the class is allowable using the Transfer Course Equivalency database. You will need to get approval using the Credits to be Earned at Other Schools form prior to enrolling in the course.

Please see the pdf file Should I Declare a minor?

As a rising senior in the Mechanical Engineering department, students can consider applying to the Bachelor’s to Graduate program. The Bachelor’s to Graduate program allows students to double-count up to 12 credit hours of technical electives toward both their bachelor’s and graduate degree requirements, decreasing the time to a non-thesis master’s degree by a full semester. To be considered, undergraduates must have an overall 3.4 GPA or better and have completed their junior year courses. To learn more, students are encouraged to visit the Combined BS/MS program webpage and talk to their academic advisor prior to participating their Senior year.

There are several strategies you can employ to improve your academic performance:
1. Use the resources available to you as a Clemson student:
  i. PEER/WISE Tutoring: offers general subject and course-specific tutoring from upper
  ii. PAL Tutoring
  iii. The Learning Lab
  iv. Academic Success Center – offers tutoring, academic coaching, and Study Skills Workshops
2. Treat the program like you would any sport or performance – in order to do well, you need to practice and prepare to be competitive!
3. Create a schedule that allows for 8+ hours of sleep and at least 30-45 minutes of study time per class, per day (generally more during exam weeks). Set your schedule early in the semester and stick to it!
4. Submit assignments on time and practice until they are complete.
5. Complete homework assignments for learning and understanding, not just to get it done. Afterward, reflect on the assignment and identify what the instructor wanted you to learn from the activity.
6. Create study groups with your peers that regularly complete homework and study together.
7. Go to office hours and tutoring sessions regularly. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

If you didn’t find the answer you’re looking for, first search the Clemson University website and then determine if you can send an email to your advisor or instructor, or if you need to schedule an in-person appointment.

A co-op is a cooperative educational experience with an industry partner which allows you to gain a year of relevant experience during your time as a student. Internships typically take place during the summer semester and you may have multiple internships over the course of your time as a student; if you complete a co-op, you will usually remain with the same industry partner for the duration of that experience. In addition to the experience you gain, several internship and co-op experiences will compensate you for the work you are doing. Use these opportunities to discover what career path interests you the most!

Click the links for additional information regarding a co-op or an internship.

As a mechanical engineer, you must have completed ME 2010 (Statics and Dynamics) and have above a 2.5 GPA to be considered for a co-op experience. Once you have met the criteria, you will be contacted by the Co-op Office to begin the process of finding a co-op for you. The co-op program is competitive and having a high GPA and strong resume will help improve your chance of being hired by an industry partner.

As a mechanical engineer, you must have completed ME 2010 (Statics and Dynamics) and have above a 2.5 GPA to be considered for a co-op experience. Once you have met the criteria, you will be contacted by the Co-op Office to begin the process of finding a co-op for you. The co-op program is competitive and having a high GPA and strong resume will help improve your chance of being hired by an industry partner.

You may find internships offers by visiting the Michelin Career Center; you may also find internship opportunities on company websites or job search platforms. LinkedIn is also a very useful tool to market yourself and look for relevant experiential opportunities.

Completing a year in the co-op program will add semesters to your graduation timeline. A semester internship over the summer will typically have no effect on your graduation timeline. Talk to your advisor for details regarding your individual graduation timeline.

Yes! There are several different ways you can go abroad which would enable you to earn academic credit for general education, major, or minor requirements. To determine how this would impact your degree progress, schedule a meeting with your academic advisor. Visit Clemson Abroad to learn more.

Creative Inquiry projects offer students the opportunity to engage in long term, team-based projects with an emphasis on undergraduate research. CIs also include other academic engagement opportunities (e.g., service-learning, outreach, global engagement, entrepreneurship). Participating in a CI project often leads to citable accomplishments, such as presentations at professional society conferences and publication citations in professional, peer-reviewed publications. There are a variety of topics being studied, and students can use the Find a Project page, or view current projects to get a better idea of what opportunities exist. A Mechanical Engineering student completing 7 credit hours in the same CI, has the opportunity to request that the CI project count as a technical elective.