Registration for Electrical and Computer Engineering Majors

Important Notice: Everyone has a "service indicator (code-RAC)" on their SPIRE accounts, which prevents enrollment, and which can be removed only by meeting with an advisor and having the advisor turn in a signed Course Selection Form.

Advising Procedure:

Step 1: Getting Started - Download your registration paperwork (a fillable Curriculum Worksheet (see Curriculum page) and a fillable Course Selection Form (CSF). You also need to sign up for an appointment with your faculty advisor, most likely using UMass Apps. Your advisor should either send you a link for scheduling an appointment or provide an alternative format for scheduling. If you do not receive an email from your advisor before Friday, March 31, contact Emily Krems for assistance.

Step 2: Getting ready for your Advising Appointment - Getting ready for your Advising Appointment - Review your Course History on SPIRE (under Academics) and write each of the grades from your Course History in the appropriate box on your (fillable) EE or CompE Curriculum Worksheet (see Curriculum page) including “CR” for all transfer and Advanced Placement courses that are listed. For courses with “P”, go to Manage Classes >>Add, Drop & Edit Classes >> Revoke Pass/Fail in SPIRE to see your grades. (Some courses are Mandatory Pass/Fail, so there is no grade in SPIRE.) For courses you are taking THIS semester, enter your best guess or a range of possible grades, e.g., “B?” or “A-/B+”. Review your Course History online, but please do NOT print out the page. Fill out the Course Selection Form as well, including a draft of your academic plan for next semester, and “sign” the form by typing your name into the appropriate field.  Make sure that both forms are still fillable when you email them to your advisor. If you cannot figure out how to do this, contact Prof. Bill Leonard

Step 3. Through April 21, 2023: Meeting with your Advisor - Before your meeting, email both filled-out documents (a Curriculum Worksheet and a Course Selection Form) to your advisor, still as fillable forms. For your filename, use the format CSF_LastName_FirstName_Sp23. You and your advisor will finalize your academic plan for Fall 2023. If you go to your meeting unprepared, don't be surprised if your advisor asks you to reschedule the appointment.

Step 4. After your Advising Appointment - Your advisor will electronically sign the Course Selection Form then forward the form to Prof. Leonard. This is how you will get the RAC service indicator removed from your SPIRE account, which is the ONLY way you will be able to preregister for classes. If you need to change the agreed upon academic plan later (e.g., because you failed to meet a minimum grade requirement in one of your classes this semester), you must first consult with your advisor.

Step 5. After your SPIRE Access Period Begins - Sign up for classes beginning on the date and time of your Enrollment Appointment, as shown on your in SPIRE under Manage Classes | Enrollment Appointments | Fall 2023.

In order for an undergraduate to be admitted to the CompE or EE major, the student must: (1) be in good academic standing, (2) have a semester GPA of 2.00 or higher in the previous "regular" semester (fall or spring), and (3) have earned a C or better in each of the following seven courses (for those matriculating in 2021 or earlier):

  • ENGIN 112 (ENGIN 100, 110, 111, 113, 114, and 197E are also acceptable);
  • ECE 122;
  • PHYSICS 151 and PHYSICS 152;
  • MATH 131 and MATH 132; and
  • ENGLWRIT 112

For those matriculating in 2021 or earlier, to continue in the CompE or EE major, you must likewise earn C or better in these seven courses within three semesters of entering the University.

Notes:

  • The Chief Undergraduate Advisor for ECE is Prof. Bill Leonard. He can be reached at leonard@ecs.umass.edu.

  • Credit for COMPSCI 121 might count as being equivalent to ECE 122. Contact Prof. Leonard for more information.

  • For those matriculating in 2021 or earlier: in order for an undergraduate to be admitted to the CompE or EE major, the student must receive a grade of C- in any of the seven courses listed above is generally insufficient for admission to o continuation in the CompE or EE major, and therefore, must be repeated. However, exceptions are being made for classes taken in Spring 2020, Fall 2020, and Spring 2021. For Spring 2020 and Fall 2020 classes, any grade of P may be used to fulfill admissions requirements. For Spring 2021 classes, the grade underlying P will be used, and C- or above is needed to be admitted. For other possible exceptions, contact leonard@ecs.umass.edu.

  • Those matriculating in 2021 or earlier must likewise earn a C or better in these seven courses within three semesters of entering the University, to continue in the CompE or EE majors.

  • If you have not met one or more of the listed requirements, and you are not sure exactly when to take or repeat a course, contact Prof. Leonard.