Undergraduate FAQ | Department of NanoEngineering

Please review the frequently asked questions below according to your inquiry. If you have additional questions or cannot find an answer to your question, please contact our advising office via the VAC or schedule an appointment.

Advising Services

How do I contact the advising office?: For general, straightforward questions, the Virtual Advising Center (VAC) is a great advising tool to use, or feel free to come to drop-in advising hours. For more complicated questions and academic planning, please consider scheduling a one-on-one appointment. Advising appointments can be held in-person or over zoom. Questions from current students sent via email will be redirected to submit through the VAC. The VAC is the primary form of communication between students and the advising office.
How can I schedule an appointment?: The Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering Student Affairs does not schedule same-day appointments. To schedule an appointment and see our hours of operation, please visit our appointment request form. An advisor will respond to your request within 1-3 business days. Appointments can be made for either in-person or online. Drop-in advising hours are available on Wednesdays from 10 to 11 am in SME 241B, no appointment is necessary. Drop-in hours are subject to change/cancellation based on scheduling needs.
What is the difference between College and department advising?: Each undergraduate student at UC San Diego has academic advisors in their college and in their academic department. College Advisors help students with four-year curriculum planning and college-specific general education courses. Our department academic advisors help students with major curriculum planning, petitions, regulations, degree checks, etc. The advisors can also refer students to faculty for advice on engineering specialization, technical electives, and career options.

Admission to the Department

What does "selective major" mean and what majors in the department are considered selective?: A “selective major” is a major that limits enrollment and has screening courses and GPA requirements in order to be eligible to apply for the major. Chemical engineering is a selective major in our department. Nanoengineering is not a selective major.
As a continuing student, can I apply to switch into the Chemical Engineering major?: Students may apply to the Chemical Engineering major once per year (between Summer and Fall quarters). Note that space will be limited and acceptance to this major is not guaranteed. Incoming first year students have until the end of their sixth quarter to apply. Transfer students have until the end of their third quarter. Students must complete all required screening courses and meet all eligibility requirements. Please review our Admissions page for eligibility requirements. For more information about the admission process and criteria, please see the UC San Diego Selective Majors Page.
As a continuing student, can I apply to switch into the NanoEngineering major?: Yes. Students can apply to change to the Nanoengineering major using the change of major tool found here on Tritonlink. Please review our Nanoengineering presentation for more information about the department and major. We recommend students meet with a department advisor to ask any questions they have before making the switch. Please note, fall is the optimal quarter to change into the major due to sequential courses.
What computer/laptop should I buy?: Computer choice for students is a moving target, with the rapid changes in technology. The university provides computers in the labs and libraries with all software needed already installed. But many students find benefits in having their own computers. Many students like the portability and long battery life of notebooks. These lower cost computers can run some engineering software such as Matlab, but they typically will not run Autodesk Inventor and ProE. One solution is to have both a notebook and a higher powered laptop or desktop at home. One can use an Apple computer, but with a partition to run Windows programs, such as Inventor, ProE, and Labview.

Admission to the Department as a Transfer

How do I find out if my major department has received my transcripts?: Your major department does not handle, receive, or evaluate your transcripts. If you have questions about your transcripts, please contact the Admissions Office. Otherwise, please keep checking to make sure that all courses you have taken at your previous community college/university have transferred in by checking your "Academic History" via TritonLink.
How will I know what courses have transferred to UC San Diego?: The website, assist.org, is a useful tool that may help in determining equivalent courses. You can also check what transferred in by checking your "Academic History" or “Degree Audit” via TritonLink.
I took a course at my college/university that is similar to a course at UC San Diego but it’s not articulated in my Academic History. What should I do?: Not all courses from a community college/university will transfer. If the course is from an outside department, for example a math course, you will need to contact the home department. If you are requesting to receive transfer credit for an engineering course, please keep in mind that all core (CENG or NANO specific) major requirements must be completed here at UC San Diego. The only exception is elective courses. If you would like to petition an elective course, please submit a completed Student Petition form requesting to have the course reviewed for CENG/NANO course equivalency. You must provide documentation from the community college/university course in the form of a full syllabus, course catalog description.. Your petition will be reviewed by a CENG/NANO faculty member and Undergraduate Academic Chair for equivalency. If your petition is approved, your degree audit will be updated.
My transfer academic history is incorrect on my Triton Link. Who should I speak to about correcting my academic information?: Sometimes, transferable course numbers are listed incorrectly in the Academic History section in TritonLink. For math and science course corrections, please see that specific department. (i.e. for a Math course see the Math department). An error like this will keep you from enrolling into other CENG/NANO courses and should be addressed as soon as possible.
TritonLink won’t let me enroll in a class. It says I don’t meet the prerequisites but I believe that I have. What should I do?: Contact a major advisor through the Virtual Advising Center if you’re trying to enroll in a CENG/NANO course and, in most cases, we can rectify the situation. If the course you are trying to enroll in is from an outside department, you will need to contact that department directly to determine eligibility. (Example: for questions regarding the CHEM 41 series, contact the Chemistry Department.)

Course Equivalencies

What major courses can I take at a community college?: You can complete lower division courses (MATH, CHEM, PHYS, BILD) at community colleges. California community colleges have articulation agreements with UC San Diego on assist.org which list confirmed course articulations. To confirm equivalency for community college courses, please reach out to the appropriate department directly.
If I got AP credit for a lower division math or science course required for my major, do I have to retake the course?: No. If you have received AP credit for a course, and it appears on your Academic History/Degree Audit as equivalent transfer credit, you do not have to take the class over. We advise that you continue with the math and physics series courses as prescribed in your curriculum.
Can I retake a class at the community college, if I received a D or F letter grade for it here at UC San Diego?: No. If you received a letter grade of D or below at UC San Diego, you must retake the course here at UC San Diego.
Can I retake a class at UC San Diego if I already completed the class at the community college?: No. If you retake the class at UC San Diego the grade will not factor in the GPA. You will only receive units for it.

Degree Audit

What is my degree audit?: A degree audit is an analytical tool that enables you and your academic advisors to assess your progress toward completion of your major requirements, college general education requirements, university requirements, and (if applicable) minor requirements. For more information on the Degree Audits page.
What do I do if a course is not articulated correctly on my degree audit?: Please send us a message through the Virtual Advising Center (VAC). You must be enrolled or have completed the course in order for your degree audit to be updated. If an update needs to be made to the other sections of your audit, please contact your college.

Double Majors and Minors

Can I double major?: UC San Diego does allow students to double major, however, you cannot double major in two majors within the Jacobs School of Engineering. To learn more about how to declare a double major once you are a current student at UC San Diego, please visit the How to Declare a Double Major page to view the requirements.
Can I declare a minor?: Yes, students are welcome to declare a minor. However, engineering majors are not eligible to undertake a minor in an Engineering department. Students can declare a minor using the Declaration of Minor tool found on TritonLink.

Enrollment

What classes should I register for during the First Pass? Are CENG/NANO majors guaranteed a spot in CENG/NANO classes?: Students are recommended to enroll in any required Chemistry, Physics, and Math courses during their first pass, and their major core courses (CENG and NANO) during their second pass. All students should contact their college advisor for General Education enrollment information.
When/How can I enroll in classes?: Your enrollment time and date will be posted on your UC San Diego student portal. If you need help finding your registration time or need help with enrollment, please review the WebReg tutorial. The Department cannot change enrollment times or dates.

Grading

Do I have to take all major courses for letter grades?: Yes, all courses used to fulfill major requirements must be taken for a letter grade. This includes all lower-division MATH, CHEM, PHYS, and BILD courses. The only exceptions are CENG 4, CENG 199, NANO 4, and NANO 199, which are only offered as a pass/no pass grading option.
What grade do I need to earn in my major courses?: All major required courses must be completed with a C- or higher.

Graduate Programs

Where can I find more information about the department’s graduate programs?: Please visit our Graduate Degree Programs page.
When can I apply for the B.S./M.S. program?: Applications for the B.S./M.S. programs are available in the Spring quarter of students’ junior year.
Who do I contact for questions about the graduate programs?: Please contact our graduate advisor via email (ne-gradinfo@ucsd.edu) for all questions related to our graduate programs and their requirements.

Study Abroad

Can I study abroad as a CENG or NANO major?: CENG or NANO students are welcome to participate in summer study abroad programs when it is possible. Studying abroad during a traditional academic quarter can be challenging as many courses required for the CENG and NANO majors are only offered once per year, and are highly dependent on prerequisites.
Will my study abroad courses work towards my major?: All core CENG and NANO courses must be completed at the University of California San Diego. There are no previously approved courses equivalent to upper division CENG or NANO courses. Students are encouraged to complete general education courses in their study abroad programs or identify potential technical electives. All coursework must be pre-approved prior to studying abroad.

Student Organizations

What engineering organizations can I get involved in as an engineering student?: Our engineering student organizations help students develop their leadership skills and connect with the Jacobs School community. Activities range from professional development and career networking to project teams, design competitions and more. The primary student organization for chemical engineers is AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers). The primary student organization for nanoengineers is NETS (Nanoengineering and Technology Society). In addition to AIChE and NETS, UC San Diego has over 50 engineering-focused student organizations and project teams. For a list of engineering student organizations that you can be involved in please visit JSOE’s website.

Technical Electives

What are the CENG technical electives?: All pre-approved AS/TE courses are listed on our technical electives page. If you are interested in an upper-division course from another department that you think is relevant to your NANO studies or in a NANO graduate course, you may submit a course substitution petition.
What are considered NANO electives?: The five required NANO electives can be chosen from any upper-division (100-199) NANO courses that are not already required as part of the major curriculum. If you are interested in an upper-division course from another department that you think is relevant to your NANO studies, or in a NANO graduate level course, you may submit a course substitution petition.