For MS and Ph.D. information, see Graduate Admissions
Force Add Request Form (MS Word Document)
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Admission to Virginia Tech
Admission/Transfer to ECE
Taking ECE Courses as a Non-Major
Students wishing admission to Virginia Tech as freshmen or transfer students must apply through the Virginia Tech Undergraduate Admissions Office. All admissions questions and decisions are handled through that office.
Prospective students who have specific questions regarding the ECE programs should contact the ECE Undergraduate Advising Office at (540) 231-8219 or pendleton@vt.edu.
Students wishing admission to Virginia Tech who plan to major in electrical or computer engineering must apply and register as general engineering students. If you believe you might be interested in majoring in EE or CPE, you should plan to take ECE 1574, Engineering Problem Solving With C++, during the freshman year. Students apply for admission to ECE after completing all the freshman General Engineering courses.
Undergraduate admission to the department is restricted to students that have completed all courses in the freshman General Engineering program with an overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 2.0 (on a 4.0 maximum scale) and that have no individual course grade lower than a C- in the following courses:
- ENGE 1024: Engineering Exploration,
- ENGE 1104: Engineering the Digital Future
- MATH 1205, 1206: Calculus I, II,
- MATH 1114: Linear Algebra,
- MATH 1224: Vector Geometry,
- PHYS 2305: Foundations of Physics I
These courses are all included in the General Engineering program.
Depending on your major/status, the process for transfer is as follows:
General Engineering majors in the first, second, or third semester of study must complete a Curriculum Choice Form and submit it to the Engineering Fundamentals Office in 332 Randolph. The forms are also available on the Engineering Education website.
General Engineering students who have been enrolled in General Engineering for more than three semesters must complete an Internal Transfer Application. These applications are available from the College of Engineering Office of Academic Affairs at 212 Hancock Hall.
Non-majors (for example, University Studies, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics) who want to transfer from a major outside Engineering to General Engineering may submit a Change of Major request to the College of Engineering Office of Academic Affairs 212 Hancock. One major advantage of a change of major is registration priority. First-year Engineering courses, specifically ENGE 1024 and ENGE 1104, are restricted to General Engineering majors.
Non-majors who are eligible for a direct transfer to CPE or EE must submit an Internal Transfer Application. These applications are available from the College of Engineering Office of Academic Affairs in 212 Hancock Hall.
The majority of ECE courses are restricted to CPE or EE majors. Therefore, General Engineering students and non-majors will generally not be able to register for ECE courses through the Hokie Spa course request process. These categories of non-majors will be required to submit force add requests for ECE courses:
- Non-majors in General Engineering or other majors such as University Studies, Computer Science, Mathematics, and Physics;
- Non-majors pursuing the Engineering Software & Computations Concentration;
- Non-majors with a cumulative GPA less than 2.0; and
- Graduate students required to enroll in undergraduate courses as part of their programs of study.
The force-add process exists to facilitate the registration process for all General Engineering majors and other non-majors who have successfully completed all first-year engineering courses, but who have not yet officially transferred to CPE or EE. Forms may be picked up in 340 Whittemore Hall and should be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday of the first week of class.
Force Add Request Form (MS Word Document)