First-Year Engineering

About the Program

The First-Year Engineering (FYE) Program is the entry point for all beginning engineering students at the Purdue West Lafayette location. In the FYE program, students complete foundational coursework in math, science, engineering, and communications (oral and written). After this common first year, students choose their discipline of engineering and start to follow the plan of study of a particular degree program. The mission of this student-oriented program is to advise, prepare, and retain outstanding students for degree programs in Purdue’s College of Engineering.

First-Year Engineering Major Change (CODO) Requirements  

Engineering Requirements for First Year (29-39 credits)

All courses taken for the FYE curriculum must have a grade of C- or higher.

Other Options for First Year Engineering

EPICS or GOSS Scholar and VIP First Year Engineering Program Requirements - Other Options  

Grade Average Requirement

1. The student’s cumulative GPA must be of 2.00 or greater.
2. An Engineering Admissions Index (EAI) must be 2.00 or greater. Calculation of the EAI is equivalent to the calculation of GPA for courses used to meet all FYE requirements above.
3. If a student meets a requirement in more than one way, only one will be used to calculate the EAI. The FYE Committee will be responsible for keeping an updated, clear, and universal set of rules for determining which course is used in EAI for these situations.

Grade Requirements

Pass/No Pass Policy

Transfer Credit Policy

If you are interested in registering for a course offered by a different institution, please review the information on the Purdue Office of the Registrar Transfer Credit website. 

* If you are an admitted transfer student, please review the above Transfer Credit website and then work with your academic advisor to determine exactly how your previous courses might apply.  

Notes

• First-Year Engineering students in the EPICS learning community take the ENGR 13300 & EPICS 11100 & EPICS 12100 engineering pathway.
• First-Year Engineering students in the VIP learning community take the ENGR 13300 & VIP 17911 & VIP 17912 engineering pathway.
• First-Year Engineering students in the Engineering Honors Program  primarily use the ENGR 16100 and ENGR 16200 pathway, and by completing ENGR 16100 and ENGR 16200, this will satisfy Requirement #1, Requirement #2, and Requirement #6. Students who use this pathway would not be required to complete PHYS 1
• First-Year Engineering students with enough coursework to complete program requirements in one semester can take ENGR 13000. Please speak with an FYE advisor about whether this course option is appropriate for you.
• Early Start (summer) students should take ENGR 10301 if enrolled in ENGR 13100.
• Students considering the following majors, who do not have credit for CHM 11510, must take CHM 11510 in their first Fall term at Purdue: Agricultural, Biological, Biomedical, Chemical, Civil, Environmental & Ecological, or Materials Engineering.
• Preferred FYE selective depending on intended engineering major: Some of the Engineering degree programs have recommendations for the specific FYE Selective course. Students are encouraged to talk to an FYE Advisor for more information:
  • Biological Engineering (in ABE),BME, CHE, EEE, and MSE prefer CHM 11610 as the FYE Selective.
  • CE and Environmental and Natural Resource Engineering (in ABE), prefer either CHM 11610 or CS 15900 as the FYE Selective.
    
  • AAE, Agricultural Engineering (in ABE), ECE, IE and NE prefer CS 15900 as the FYE Selective.
  • CNE, IDES/MDE, and ME accept any valid FYE Selective course.
• The following courses satisfy the FYE selective requirement (Requirement #7) if they were taken before students entered the First-Year Engineering program: CHM 12600, CHM 12901, CHM 13600, CS 15800, CS 18000.
• The following course satisfies the Chemistry I requirement (Requirement #5) if it was taken before students entered the First-Year Engineering program: CHM 12500.

Non-course / Non-credit Requirements

Students must complete First-Year Engineering Program requirements in a maximum of four semesters (Summers not included). Fourth-semester students who are not completing their First-Year Engineering Program coursework this semester cannot continue to be in the First-Year Engineering Program. They must CODO to another college, school or program at Purdue. More information about the Fourth semester policy can be found on the FYE website. More details:  https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/Academics/Undergraduate/first-year-engineering/First-Year-Engineering-Students/fourth-semester-in-fye

Sample Plan of Study

Transitioning to a degree program

• This happens through the “Transition to Major” (or T2M) process. As a student nears completion of FYE, they will inform FYE of their preferred choices of degree program (major). 
• If the degree program is not at capacity, all students completing FYE requirements and requesting that degree program will be admitted. 
• If the program is at capacity, admission will be based on academic record, including GPA, EAI, and grades in specific courses.

Disclaimer

The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.