Admissions and Financial Aid
This information describes the admissions procedures for applying as a first-time-in-college (FTIC) student or transferring from another college or university to the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, Florida State University and Florida A&M University.
University Admissions
General admission to the program is handled at the university level. The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is shared between two universities -- Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Florida State University (FSU). Prospective students should choose which university through which to apply, since their degree will be granted by one of the two universities. Information about the two universities is available at their web sites: www.fsu.edu (FSU) and www.famu.edu (FAMU); students should make their decision based on the proffered information.
Once a decision on the university has seen made, prospective students should access admissions information from a link on the main university web pages entitled "Information for Prospective Students", then access the sub-link "Admissions". Students can apply for admission to the universities in the Fall, Spring, or Summer Terms, but special attention should be paid to the admissions deadlines, which should be posted on the web sites.
If a prospective student is applying as an entering freshman, the Admissions Office at the applicable university will evaluate their high school transcript, and make an admissions decision based upon the transcript and other information. If the student has transfer credit from another college or university, their official transcript will be evaluated by the Office of Transfer Credit Evaluation at FSU or FAMU to determine any applicable transfer credits from other schools. College-level courses that may have been previously taken, such as math, chemistry, physics, computer programming, English, history, humanities, etc., should be accepted by both FAMU and FSU.
College of Engineering Admissions
General information about the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering can be found at www.eng.fsu.edu. Neither the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering nor the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering have specific undergraduate admission requirements over and above that required by the two universities.
Upon being accepted to either university, if a student expresses an interest in engineering, their records will be sent to the College of Engineering for evaluation. The Office of the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Curriculum will evaluate student transcripts, and all students will be initially coded as "Pre-Engineering". Students will remain pre-engineering until they have met the pre-engineering requirements, including the prerequisite/retention courses shown below.
College of Engineering Pre-Engineering Requirements (effective Summer 2009)
All first-year engineering students (first year in college or first-year transfer students) are initially coded as pre-engineering students until they satisfy the following pre-engineering requirement:
Any student who needs two repeated attempts to complete the five courses or has two or more grades of "C-" may be considered for continuation in engineering if additional grade and coursework requirements are satisfied. See (e.3) below. Any student who needs more than two repeated attempts to complete the five courses listed above does not satisfy this requirement and will not be allowed to continue in the engineering program. There are NO exceptions to this requirement. Grades of "W" are not considered as a repeated attempt.
Pre-engineering students are strongly encouraged to contact an academic advisor prior to enrolling in any of the five pre-engineering courses to ensure they have completed the proper course prerequisites. Table II below provides a concise summary of this requirement:
Students must have an overall GPA of 2.0 or better and achieve a grade of "C" or better, from any institution attended, in First Year Engineering Laboratory, Calculus I, Calculus II, General Chemistry I, and General Chemistry II to be admitted to the Chemical Engineering major. A single repeated attempt in only one of the five (5) courses listed above with no more than one grade of "C-" is allowed. Students completing a second bachelor's degree, or who have completed a similar course at another institution, or who transfer into the College already with credit for all of the other pre-engineering courses listed above may be eligible to receive an exemption from having to complete the First-Year Engineering Laboratory course. Students should contact the College of Engineering if they feel they qualify for an exemption.
Table II. Summary of Pre-Engineering Requirements
| Number of repeated attempts in the five courses | Number of grades of C- obtained in the five courses | Eligibility Status |
|---|---|---|
| 3 or more | N/A | Not eligible to continue |
| 2 | N/A | Provisional (Must satisfy additional course requirements) |
| 1 | 2 or more | Provisional (Must satisfy additional course requirements) |
| 0 | 0 or 1 | Eligible to continue |
| 2 or more | Provisional (Must satisfy additional course requirements) | |
| 0 or more | Eligible to continue |
* Calculus I, Calculus II, Chemistry I, and Chemistry II.
A student who needs two repeated attempts to complete the five courses or has two or more grades of "C-" may be considered for continuation in engineering if additional grade and coursework requirements are satisfied. These additional requirements are determined by each academic program. They give the student a final opportunity to demonstrate that he or she may have the academic ability to successfully complete an engineering program. The additional course and grade requirement will depend on the student's intended major; for Chemical Engineering students, this requirement is ECH 3023 - Mass and Energy Balances I, with a "C" grade or higher. Students must satisfy the requirement on their first graded attempt.
Although the process may seem complicated, the progression through the stages from university admission through pre-engineering to acceptance into a major in the Department is usually seamless as students meet the various requirements. For a more detailed description of exactly what is needed to meet each milestone, please go to the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering's Student Guide.
Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering - Declaration of Major
After a pre-engineering student satisfies all of the pre-engineering requirements (listed above), they may initiate a change from pre-engineering status to the BS degree program in Chemical Engineering. To help them decide whether the field of chemical engineering is right for them, students can access a wealth of information at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers web site at www.aiche.org, and the Biomedical Engineering Society's web site at www.bmes.org. Students will be required to declare a major, choosing one of the three major options within the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.
The Department of Chemical & Biomedical Engineering at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering offers academic major options in the sub-disciplines of:
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemical - Materials Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
All three majors, as part of the BS degree in Chemical Engineering, are fully accredited by the national organization ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
The Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering web site is http://www.eng.fsu.edu/cbe. The current BS program curriculum and course checklist are available on the Department's web site as downloadable files. Prospective and current students can peruse these documents to get an idea of what courses may transfer here and count towards their BS degree. For freshmen, a BS degree in Chemical Engineering takes about four to five years (plus summers) to complete, depending upon AP, CLEP, and transfer credits.
Financial Aid
Financial aid is available for full-time qualified undergraduate students enrolled in the BS programs through numerous sources, including grants, scholarships, loans, work-study awards, and fellowships. Almost all financial aid is granted and administered through the universities. Both FAMU and FSU make every effort to offer financial assistance through a variety of programs. All students are encouraged to apply for financial aid through the university to which they matriculated. For financial aid information, prospective students may go to the main university web sites at www.fsu.edu (FSU) or www.famu.edu (FAMU), select "Information for Prospective Students", and then "Financial Aid". Students can apply for financial aid at the same time as their admissions application in the Fall, Spring, or Summer Terms; the deadlines are posted on the web sites.
The College of Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering have very limited student financial aid resources, but occasionally small grants are made to academically superior students in the BS program from non-recurring Department sources.
