Academic Policies
The Office of Advising and Academic Success: How We Can Help
Below you will find relevant college and campus policies, as well as common forms used by our office.
If you can't find what you're looking for or having any other questions, do not hesitate to contact the Office of Advising and Academic Success. Our advisors are available to provide information about program requirements, university policies and procedures, and campus resources.
Common Forms
Please send completed forms to [email protected] or email them directly to your advisor.
Change of Major, Minor, Program
Taking Classes off Campus
Students are responsible for understanding the university residency requirements, maximum credit limits for transfer credit, and other transfer policies, as stated in the University Undergraduate Catalog.
- New transfer students must have their official transcripts sent to the Office of Admissions.
- Current CECS students are responsible for requesting official transcripts be sent to the Office of Advising and Academic Success, [email protected], from their guest institution for official transfer credit evaluation.
- A minimum ‘C’ grade is required to transfer any coursework.
- Only the number of credits the course is worth at UM-Dearborn can count toward degree. For example, if a lab science course at a community college is 5 credits, only 4 credits will count toward degree. The extra credit(s) cannot be applied. This includes required elective credits.
- If the course is a prerequisite or co-requisite for a course at UM-Dearborn, students will not be permitted to register for the course until the college receives a final grade.
CECS students are expected to complete their final 36 credits toward degree at UM-Dearborn. CECS does not permit students to take courses off-campus in their final 36 credits, unless documented extenuating circumstances are present by petition. Approval is not guaranteed, but rather evaluated on the merits of an individual student’s situation.
No-credit Courses
The NO-CREDIT List is not necessarily complete. There may be new courses introduced in other academic units which would be no credit courses for CECS students. Always check with an advisor in the Office of Advising and Academic Success if you have questions about a specific course. These and any cross-listed courses are also no credit.
No Pass/Fail courses count for credit.
- All “Statistical” or “Analysis of Data” oriented courses including ECON 305, PSYC 312, STAT 325
- CIS, MIS, ITM 100 level--except CIS 150
- BA 100, FIN 200
- Any MATH course lower than MATH 115
- MATH 363, 386, 387, and courses transferring in @ Lower Distribution
- Any CHEM course below 124 and courses transferring in @ Lower Distribution
- PHYS 360, 401, courses transferring in @ Lower Distribution
- NSCI 290
- Credit cannot be earned for both PSYC 171 and PSYC 101
- COMP 106 (can apply towards a CECS degree only if taken PRIIOR to admission to CECS)
General or free elective credit only for:
- MAPP 348 - no other MAPP
- MTHY 102 - no other MTHY
- EXPS 102 (only when taken as freshman) or EXPS 420
- A maximum of 4 Military Science (MILS) credits as general elective credit only.
- A maximum of 2 Marching Band credits as general elective credit only.
Credit for one course only from the following (in each line):
- ECE 305, ECE 210
- ECE 375, CIS 310
- ECE 371, CIS 350, CIS 3501, IMSE 351, IMSE 352
- ECE 276, CIS 275, MATH 276
- ECE 3171, ECE 317
- ECE 270, CIS 150, CIS 205, IMSE 255
- ECE 370, CIS 200
- IMSE 317, MATH 325, ME 364
- CIS 381, IMSE 381, ECE 464
No Pass/Fail courses count for credit
- All “Statistical” or “Analysis of Data” oriented courses including ECON 305, PSYC 312, STAT 325 (STAT 325 is allowed for Data Science only)
- CIS 205, 125 and CIS courses transferring in @ GEN
- LIBS 101, 200, 300
- Any MATH course lower than MATH 115
- MATH 363, 386, 387, courses transferring in @ Lower Distribution
- No credit for: CIS 123, ENGR 100, IMSE 255 if taken after completion of CIS 150
- Credit cannot be earned for both PSYC 171 and PSYC 101
- COMP 106 (can apply towards a CECS degree only if taken PRIIOR to admission to CECS)
General Elective Area Description (CIS)
- A maximum of 4 Military Science (MILS) credits as general elective credit only.
- A maximum of 2 Marching Band credits as general elective credit only.
- EXPS 102 (only when taken as freshman) or EXPS 420
Credit for one course only from the following (in each line)
- ECE 375, CIS 310
- ECE 371, CIS 350, CIS 3501, IMSE 351, IMSE 352
- ECE 321, PHYS 403
- IMSE 317, MATH 325
- ECE 276, CIS 275, MATH 276
- ECE 3801, ECE 3171, ECE 317
- ECE 270, CIS 150, IMSE 255
- ECE 370, CIS 200
- CIS 381, ECE 464, IMSE 381
Academic Policies
Please see the Grades and Grading section of the University Undergraduate Catalog for information on the University grading system.
- Two different grade point averages (GPA) are computed for CECS students: overall cumulative GPA and CECS GPA.
- The overall cumulative GPA counts grades in all courses taken at UM-Dearborn. The CECS GPA counts grades in CECS courses only.
- CECS students cannot take required courses on an audit or pass/fail basis. Any course audited or taken pass/fail will not count towards the degree, even as a DDC course or a general elective.
- A grade of D- is not considered passing in any CECS course. If a CECS student earns a D- in a course from another academic unit it will not count toward a CECS degree or certificate and must be repeated.
Please see the Academic Standing, Probation, Dismissal, and Reinstatement section of the University Undergraduate Catalog for information on academic standing requirements and policies for unsatisfactory academic performance.
- A CECS student will be placed on academic probation if a student's overall cumulative GPA , CECS cumulative GPA, or both, drops below 2.0.
- Students may not elect courses for which they have not passed the prerequisite course(s). Some courses (including math and specific required major courses) require a minimum 'C' or 'C-' grade to progress to the next course.
- CECS students on academic probation can enroll in a maximum of 13 credits per semester until returned to good academic standing.
- Students may not change their CECS major while on academic probation.
- Students who are on academic probation must meet with their Advisor in the CECS Office of Advising and Academic Success to complete an Academic Change Contract. Failure to schedule this meeting will result in a hold that prevents registration for future semesters.
Students applying to CECS from a different academic unit on campus must meet the admission criteria for new students. For students that submit the Change of Program Form after the selective drop deadline of a semester (after the ninth week of the semester), an admission decision will be made after final grades are posted from the current semester.
CECS students must take COMP 270, Technical Writing, to fulfill their second Composition requirement. This applies to all freshman and transfer students, effective winter 2020.
Per UM-Dearborn policy, students in good academic standing may elect a maximum of 18 credit hours in a given semester.
CECS does not grant exceptions to the 18-credit enrollment maximum per semester. In rare extenuating cases an exception may be considered, by petition, for students in their final semester that need additional credit to graduate. Approval is not guaranteed, but rather evaluated on the merits of an individual student’s situation.
Registration and Attendance
Students are responsible for knowing and abiding by all registration deadline dates. Late adds and late drops are rarely permitted for CECS students.
A student is expected to attend every class and laboratory for which the student has registered. Please see the Attendance Requirement section of the University Undergraduate catalog for information on the University attendance expectations.
Please see the Change in Course Elections section of the University Undergraduate Catalog for information on the University add, drop, and withdrawal policies and procedures.
Please see the University Student Waitlist Policy for information on how waitlists are managed.
- The responsibility for managing enrollment in a course section lies with Enrollment Services.
- If seats become available in a closed course, waitlisted students are automatically moved into the course, based on the order of the waitlist. Students will receive an official UM-Dearborn email notification if a waitlisted course has been added to their schedule.
- Faculty and/or advisors cannot override waitlists or approve enrollment into a closed course. Exceptions to the waitlist policy cannot be approved by petition.
Applying for Readmission
An undergraduate student who does not register for any courses at UM-Dearborn during a 12-month period must be formally readmitted in order to resume studies at UM-Dearborn. Please see the Readmit section of the University Undergraduate Catalog for information on applying for readmission.
- Students seeking readmission to CECS must submit their readmission form by the following deadlines. Students are encouraged to plan ahead and submit their readmission form well in advance of their planned semester of return.
- Fall 2024 Semester: August 15* (Classes begin September 3, 2024)
- Winter 2025 Semester: December 15* (Classes begin January 6, 2025)
- Summer I 2025 Semester: April 15* (Classes begin May 5, 2025)
- Summer II 2025 Semester: June 15* (Classes begin June 30, 2025)
- Fall 2025 Semester: August 15* (Classes begin August 27, 2025)
- Students must have MATH 105 (Pre-Calculus) complete, with a C- or better grade, in order to be readmitted to a CECS major.
- Readmission after being required to withdraw is a separate process with an earlier deadline.
- The Readmission form can be submitted online. Click the yellow 'Undergraduate Readmission Form' button to begin the online form.
Student Petitions
Students are responsible for complying with all policies and deadlines at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Please see the Exceptions and Petitions section of the University Undergraduate Catalog for information on the University process for requesting an exception to policy.
- An exception to University policy is warranted only in cases involving unusual or extenuating circumstances that would normally not be faced by other students.
- Academic petitions are not automatically granted, but rather reviewed and evaluated with consideration of fairness and equity for all students, and on the basis of strong and well-documented arguments which clearly support a student’s case for an exception.
- Please allow approximately four to six weeks for a petition to be reviewed. Students are responsible for submitting petitions well in advance of University deadlines, semester start dates, etc, to allow for this review time. Students will be notified by email of the decision.
- Submitting multiple petitions will not speed up the review process or change the outcome of a petition.
- Online Petition Form
For cases unrelated to academic policies, such as disputing a grade, non-academic cases, or other equity concerns, students should seek the counsel of the University Ombuds for a referral to the correct policy or relevant office.
About the Academic Code of Conduct
The University of Michigan-Dearborn values academic honesty and integrity. Each student has a responsibility to understand, accept, and comply with the University's standards of academic conduct as set forth by the Academic Code of Conduct, as well as policies established by the schools and colleges. Cheating, collusion, misconduct, fabrication, and plagiarism are considered serious offenses. Violations will not be tolerated and may result in penalties up to and including expulsion from the University.
Responsible associate deans:
- Brahim Medjahed, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
- Di Ma, Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research
Reporting an Incident
The University of Michigan-Dearborn is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and welcoming environment for all students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus.
The University of Michigan Compliance Hotline is a tool for U-M employees, students, vendors and others to raise concerns regarding financial, regulatory, NCAA, substance abuse and patient safety issues.
The Campus-Wide Incident Reporting Website is a central area to report incidents of discrimination, harassment, hate, bias, sexual assault and instances of concern, safety and campus community wellbeing. If there is an emergency, immediately call 9-1-1.