Associate in Engineering Science or just Science

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1

Im currently in my 2nd semester of community college and am looking to transfer to UIUC for Material Science. My CC has articulation with UIUC so I am trying to follow their guidlines for junior transfer. I need a 3.0 gpa along with a 3.0 in my calc, chem, and physics classes, which Im honestly not worried about. I am worried about my future, and not going all in for engineering. Ive had some uncertainty with Engineering as I have run into trouble with classes like Statics. My CC has a pre-engineering program that has 2+2 agreements with 2 schools. Unfortunately they dont have Material Science or Chemical Engineering. The person that runs the program has basically rigged the AES degree to be right in line with the 2+2 program. However, looking at UIUC’s articulation page, I wont be given credit for my Statics, Dynamics, and Mechanics of Materials classes that I would have to take if I carried on with the program. I fear that my grades in those classes would also drop my gpa so that I will not get accepted into UIUC or any other Material Science colleges. Which brings me to my next point, get an AES and then if I end up switching my major, be stuck with an AES and have to take classes I could have done well in at my CC, or get an AS and take the hard classes at a university and make my decision from there?

I know this is a very long post, but I have been discussing this with my parents with quite some time and I have a pretty bad grade in my statics class and the drop deadline is coming and I wouldnt want for my gpa to take a big hit, Im saving that low spot for future calc classes.

2

Id have to add that my parents are making me get my associates due to some other stuff that happened 1st semester

3

Because Materials Science is such a different discipline than Mechanical Engineering, the courses that you take for each diverge in your Sophomore year. As you correctly note, Mechanical Engineering transfer students need to have Statics/Dynamics/Mechanics, while Materials Science students need to have Materials Sci/Phase Relations (or something like that)/Mechanics for Mat Sci. I don’t know about your CC, but my CC (Everett CC, in WA) only has the first of those 3 courses needed to transfer as a full Junior into a Materials Science program.

So, you have to make a choice by the beginning of your 3rd semester: Get the articulated AES degree, which should make it easier to transfer to an ME program, or get the regular AS degree and transfer into a Materials Sci program. If you do the latter, you may find that you will need to take a couple of courses to catch up, hopefully in the Summer prior to you transferring.

You should definitely talk to an advisor in the MatSE Department to see exactly what to take prior to transferring.