Bioengineering Freshman FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated 24 June 2009
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Click on the links below for the answers to each
question.
Q 1. Who should I ask for advice
about the Bioengineering program?
A. Please ask someone in the Bioengineering
Department for advice. Do not ask someone outside the
Department. Coaches, as well as faculty and advisors in
other schools, are not aware of our particular requirements,
policies, procedures, and rules.
Please take the time to review the BE
Undergraduate site at
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/be/undergrad/
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Q 2. What courses should I take
for the fall semester?
A. You MUST take the following courses, UNLESS you have
some kind of advanced placement.
| BE
100 |
Introduction to Bioengineering.
Required of all Bioengineering majors. Register for
both the lecture and a recitation section. |
| Math
104 |
Calculus for the Natural Sciences,
Part I Register for both a lecture and a recitation
section. |
Physics
140
[Requires Math 104 as prerequisite or co-requisite] |
Principles of Physics I: Mechanics
and Wave Motion. Lecture only
If you are a premed student you should register
to Physics 150 and a lab section.
|
| Chemistry
101 Lecture and 053 Lab |
General Chemistry I and Laboratory
Register for both a lecture and recitation (Chem 101,
take only section 5 or 6 for engineering students)
and a lab section. |
Freshmen students are allowed to
take 5.5 course units (CU) in the Fall semester. The courses
in the table above add up to 4.5 CU. Although not required,
you can take one more elective course. You can participate
in a writing seminar or select another Social
Sciences and Humanities course. Dual degree students
can fulfill a requirement in their other program. For
example, dual degree students with Wharton usually take
required economics courses. If you take the Physics lab,
the courses in the table will add up to 5.0 CU and this
paragraph does not apply to you. The Physics labs (0.5
CU each) can count as one of your technical electives,
so you do not lose the CU.
For AP credits and placement exams you must review
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/be/undergrad/curriculum/ap/
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Q 3. What courses will I be taking
for the spring semester?
A.
Your spring courses MUST include the following, UNLESS
you have some kind of advanced placement, or you have
a special circumstance (see the next question below):
| Social
Science or Humanities (SSH) |
A SSH course of your
choosing. You may choose a writing course here. |
| Math
114 |
Calculus for the Natural Sciences,
Part II |
| Phys
141 |
Principles of Physics II:
Electromagnetism & Radiation |
| Chem
102/54 |
General Chemistry II and Laboratory |
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Q 4. What happens if I’m not sure
about sticking with the required BE courses
because
I‘m not sure about staying in BE
I am in a special program that requires me
to take some other courses
I am considering a dual major/dual degree
program and I want to take a course from that major?
I am feeling overwhelmed/having difficulty
and therefore don’t think I should take the regular BE
freshman courses.
A. First, you MUST discuss this with your advisor and
receive his/her approval. If you can’t or don’t want to
take the regular BE freshman courses, then you MUST make
up the missing coursework over the summer – at Penn or
at another college or university. (For information about
taking summer courses at other schools, see Q5.) When
you start your sophomore year, you must have (or have
the equivalent of) Math 104/114, Physics 140/141, and
Chemistry 101/102. If you are missing these courses, you
will lack the prerequisites for your sophomore courses.
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Q 5. Can I take courses at another
school over the summer? And if I do this, will the courses
count?
A. Yes, you can take courses at another school, but the
credits will not necessarily transfer and appear on your
Penn transcript. To find out whether you will receive
transfer credit for these courses (i.e. whether they will
appear on your Penn transcript for credit), you need to
contact the Office of Transfer Credit and Advanced Placement,
located in College Hall (215-898-6080). Transfer credit
reduces the number of courses you have to take at Penn.
Occasionally a student will take a course at another school,
but will not receive transfer credit for it. Therefore,
it is imperative that you check about the transferability
of the course and credit BEFORE you take it. The course
may still “count” in the following sense. Let’s say that
you took a physics course over the summer that was similar
to Physics 141, but not close enough to receive transfer
credit. In that case you could petition to have your summer
course accepted as fulfilling your physics requirement
in Bioengineering, and then propose to take another science
course instead of Physics 141. However, you should have
this petition approved BEFORE you take the summer course.
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Q 6. What do I do if I want to
transfer to another Engineering School department?
A. First, you should speak with the Undergraduate Chair
from that department, so that you can be sure that you
are doing the right thing. Second, you need to fill out
a form called “Request to Change/Add Curriculum Form”.
(Forms are at http://www.seas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/advising/forms.php.)
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Q 7. I thought that I selected
the BAS (BSE) program and now find that I am enrolled
in the BSE (BAS) program. How can I fix this?
A. Both BAS and BSE have the same requirements for the
first two years; so, this is not a major problem and it
can be easily fixed. Just fill out a “Request to Change/Add
Curriculum Form” to make the change.
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Q 8. What do I do if I want to
transfer to the College?
A. If you are thinking of transferring to the College, you should contact the Office of Academic Programs (111 Towne) immediately for their advice and assistance. Although transfers to the College are made regulary, you should be aware of two things. First, the transfer cannot be made until you have completed the spring semester of your freshman year. Second, you must have completed 8 cu at Penn and meet the College's requirement for academic achievement. The mechanics of transferring are described at www.seas.upenn.edu/ugrad/out.html . Again, it is essential that you work with the Office of Academic Programs.
http://www.seas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/handbook/policy/transfer-out.php
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Q 9. I am interested in
dual-major, dual-degree, joint-degree, Wharton, or minor
programs. Where can I get more information?
A. First, you should understand the terminology. “Dual-major”
refers to a program in which you satisfy the requirements
for two Engineering School departments; this gives you
two majors, not two degrees. “Dual-degree” refers to a
program in which you receive a second degree from another
School within the University. “Minor” refers to programs
in which you take six or more approved courses from another
department. “Joint-degree” refers to a special dual-degree
program that is administered separately. For more information
refer to the chart below, and see Q10 below for dual degrees
with the Wharton Business School.
You must be officially admitted in a dual-degree or major
or any other official program in order to receive the
degrees. Do not assume that all you need to do is to take
the courses. You must apply and be accepted into a program
to get its degree.
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Q 10. I am interested in
a dual-degree program with Wharton. Is this possible and
how do I go about applying?
A. There are actually two such programs: a joint degree
program and a dual degree program. The joint degree program
is the one that is officially called the Jerome Fisher
Program in Management and Technology (M&T). Most students
apply directly to M&T and enter in their freshman
year, but there are a few spots left open to admit students
at the end of the freshman year, on a competitive basis.
Information on M&T can be found at http://www.upenn.edu/fisher/about/index.html.
The dual degree program is not called M&T. The only
way in is through an application at the end of the freshman
(or somewhat later) year. Admission to this program is
also competitive, although not quite as difficult as M&T.
The two programs are similar, but not identical.
If you are interested in either program you should go
to Wharton advising to learn about the courses you need
to prepare yourself. You should also go to the M&T
office for advice.
IMPORTANT: You must be officially admitted to M&T
or the dual-degree program in order to receive the dual
degrees. Admission is competitive. Do not assume that
all you need to do is to take the courses. You must apply
and be accepted into the program.
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Q 11. I tried to sign up
for a course but I couldn’t get in because the course
was filled. What should I do?
A. You need to do two – maybe three -- things. First,
keep on trying to sign up for the course. During the beginning
of the term, students do a lot of dropping and adding
of courses. A spot may open for the course you want when
a student drops it. Second, you should contact and/or
visit the departmental office of the department offering
the course you want to take. Ask whether it’s possible
to sign up for that course. Sometimes the course is not
really full; it’s just that the department is controlling
the enrollment manually and not allowing the computer
system to handle it. (Enclosed is a list of contact people
in different departments.) Third, if the first two approaches
don’t work, speak to the professor teaching the course.
Although you
may not get a section on a day and time you prefer, you
are guaranteed to get into all required courses.
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Q 12. I have AP credit in Biology.
What should I do?
A. Click here for more information on AP Biology credit.
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Q 13.
I have AP credit in Math. What should I do?
A. Click here for more information on AP Math credit.
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Q 14. I have AP credit
in Chemistry. What should I do?
A. Click here for more information on AP Chemistry credit.
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Q 15. I have AP
credit in Physics. What should I do?
A. Click here for more information on AP Physics credit.
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Q 16. I have other questions about AP credit. Where can
I get more information?
A. More information about AP credits is to be found in
the Advance Registration Guidebook.
Many BE students get AP credits in various areas including
English, History, Environmental Science, and many other
subjects. These credits can fulfill science, Social Sciences
and Humanities (SSH), other requirements, or count in
the free electives category. But please keep in mind that
only the departments teaching specific topics can approve
AP credits or give placement tests. If you have any questions
about AP credits please go to the Office of Academic Programs
(Towne 111) for guidance.
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Q 17. I want to
take more than 5.5 cu the first term and the computer
system won’t let me. What can I do?
A. You are not permitted to take more than 5.5 cu the
first semester. You are permitted to take more than 5.5
cu in the spring semester if: 1) you have no “F”s and
no “I”s; and 2) you have a GPA greater than 3.0.
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Q 18. Do I need my own computer?
A. Although a computer is not required, it’s very convenient
to have your own computer, especially for reading e-mail,
writing papers and experimenting with technology. Most
students have their own computers. No single computer
will meet all of your needs in your Engineering classes,
so you should plan to use Engineering labs for at least
part of your course work.
If you choose not to purchase your own computer, you may
use one of the many computer labs on campus, including
labs at the Engineering buildings and labs in the College
Houses. Labs are open from early in the morning to late
at night, and some stay open around the clock. We have
plenty of computer resources for you to use even if you
do not have a computer.
Penn's Computer Connection, the campus computer store,
offers computers at special educational prices, preloaded
with software you'll need to connect to the network at
Penn. They will be sending you information for web-based
ordering in June and a brochure in July, giving you plenty
of options that work well with other Penn systems. In
addition to the brochure, more models are available at
the web site
http://www.upenn.edu/computerstore. As an Engineering
student, you'll use much more Windows software than Macintosh
software. To save space in your room and to connect to
the SEAS wireless network, consider buying a laptop rather
than a desktop. A CD burner is useful
for backing up your homework and projects.
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Q 19. What’s a “social science and humanities
course”? Which are social science and which are humanities?
A. See http://www.seas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/handbook/courses/ssh-breadth.php.
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Q 20. Where can
I find the complete description of the academic rules
and regulations for the School of Engineering and Applied
Science?
A. The complete Penn Engineering Undergraduate Student
Handbook is on-line at http://www.seas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/handbook/index.php
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Q 21. I consider medical school and need
to know what courses to take.
All premed students should go to
Penn's Premed Office for an orientation about applying
to medical schools soon after matriculating at Penn. Take
the time to review the curricula and requirements at
www.seas.upenn.edu/be/undergrad/degrees/premed/
and
http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/gradprof/healthprof/med.html
As a rule, premed students should not deviate from the
premed requirements without consulting the Premed Office.
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Q 22. Where do
I find all the various forms that need to be filled out
for different circumstances?
A. The forms can be found on-line in pdf format at http://www.seas.upenn.edu/undergraduate/advising/forms.php.
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