School of Engineering Registration Guide | Summer 2021

Welcome to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute!

We are so excited to welcome you to the Rensselaer community. The School of Engineering First-Year Advising Hub will be your main resource when it comes to understanding your academic requirements.

As part of Student Orientation, we have developed this Registration Guide to support you with your first selection of college courses! We understand that you are each coming into Rensselaer at a different place based upon the credits you are bringing in. We want to ensure that you have a good understanding of your first year curriculum and that you feel confident with the courses you select for the Fall semester.

This guide covers:

• The SoE Hub and your Hub Advisor
• Curriculum Planning for the Fall Semester
• The Major Template (4-Year Plan)
• Transferring AP, IB, and other credits to Rensselaer
• An Overview for Course Registration
• Upcoming Video Chats presented by the SoE Hub (major specific)
• Online Academic Resources

This Registration Guide is Episode 1 of our series called The Hidden Curriculum. Beginning with your first registration and ending as you wrap up your first year of college, follow The Hidden Curriculum series over the next year, with the support of your SoE Hub Advisor. Each episode will include the knowledge and requirements that you need to be aware of. It is your responsibility to become informed – starting now!

Review this entire Registration Guide before developing your schedule! You will find important information and tips throughout each section.

And remember, the SoE Hub is here to support you!

The SoE Hub and your Advisor

Turn up the volume or click the CC button to meet your SoE Hub Advisor, Kristin Bergene!

The School of Engineering (SoE) Advising Hub is your primary resource for academic and curriculum planning for your first year at Rensselaer. As an Undeclared Engineer, you have been assigned to one of our Hub Advisors, Kristin Bergene. She will walk you through each step of developing your Fall Schedule through this guide and upcoming video chats.

Contact Information for Kristin Bergene: bergek@rpi.edu

Want to learn more about starting as a Undeclared Engineer? Check this out!

Curriculum Planning

For this Student Orientation Guide, we are focusing on your first semester at Rensselaer. We'll worry about the rest later!

Let's start with...

1. Course Suggestions for Undeclared Engineers
2. Major Templates
3. Your Schedule for Fall 2021
4. AP, IB, and other Transfer Credits
5. The Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (HASS) Core

1. Course Suggestions for Undeclared Engineers

Below, you will find a colorful guide (JPG) with course suggestions for Undeclared Engineering students for the first few semesters. This Undeclared Engineering Guide is what you will use to plan your Fall Semester.

Being Undeclared, you have a special opportunity to explore multiple majors until you decide the right path for you. All engineering majors require many of the same courses in their first year, which gives you time to explore your options.

You will need to declare before you begin your third semester of college!

What will you find in the Undeclared Engineering Guide?

• Exploratory courses, such as Introduction to Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISYE-1100), or Fundamentals of Flight (MANE-1060). These are 1-credit, seminar-based courses that will introduce you to certain majors and their respective industries.
• The courses that all engineering majors are required to complete during their first year, such as math science, and general engineering courses.
• Other major specific courses that you can explore while making a decision about your major.
• Free Electives! Each engineering degree requires 12-credits of Free Electives. These allow you to explore courses and majors easily.

How do you navigate the Undeclared Engineering Guide when planning your first semester?

Save the guide (below), and take a good look at the courses listed in the first year. Think of the courses listed in the fall as your Plan A, and courses listed in the spring as your Plan B. The key to curriculum planning is understanding the sequence of classes (prerequisites and corequisites). With this understanding, you are able to move courses around.

Quick Definitions:

• Prerequisites: Courses that must be completed before you can take the next course in the sequence. For example, Calculus 1 is a prerequisite for Calculus 2.
• Corequisites: Courses that must taken during the same semester, or before you take the next course in the sequence. For example, Physics 2 is a corequisite for Introduction to Engineering Design. That means you can take Physics 2 with or before Introduction to Engineering Design.

Turn up the volume or click the CC button! Your SoE Hub Advisor, Kristin, is going to walk you through navigating the Undeclared Engineering Guide.

Save your Undeclared Engineering Guide (below) in a safe place! Start organizing all your Academic Advising files on your computer in a folder that you can easily access.

Remember! Your Hub Advisor, Kristin, is here to support you whenever you have questions about your curriculum requirements. We do not expect you to understand or know everything right off the bat. We are here to help!

If you already have an idea of a few majors you are interested in pursuing, you can use this guide alongside any specific Major Template.

What is a Major Template...?

2. Major Template

What is a Major Template?...

It is a semester-by-semester guide of a major's 4-Year Plan. All courses listed on the template are required. You can certainly add to your curriculum in ways such as declaring a minor, but you must take all courses listed on a Major Template in order to graduate with that specific engineering degree.

Once you declare an engineering major, you will follow that specific Major Template for your cohort, the Class of 2025. A template can change annually, so you want to ensure you are always looking at the correct guide. For your cohort, there should always be a date ending with “2021” at the bottom (for example: 8/19/2021).

P.S.: Even if you are ahead with credits, and might graduate early, you will always be part of the Class of 2025 cohort as you started at Rensselaer in the 2021-2022 Academic Year.

As an Undeclared Engineer, you are always encouraged to review Major Templates to support your decision when selecting a major. In fact, if you have an idea of what you might like to study, we suggest referring to those templates now to support the planning of your fall schedule.

Where can you find Major Templates?

NEVER USE GOOGLE to search for your Major Template! You may end up taking the wrong courses by following a plan meant for another cohort, and you will delay your graduation.

1. You can find Major Templates in the Advising Handbooks. There is a handbook for each major. They include information on curriculum, career paths, concentrations, alumni statistics, and information specific to each department within the School of Engineering. Advising Handbooks are an amazing resource for Undeclared Engineers!

2. Beyond the Advising Handbooks, you can use the other major-specific Registration Guides on the SoE Hub website. Just as this guide is preparing you to register for courses, the other guides also offer major-specific advice for the fall semester.

3. As mentioned earlier in this guide, you should also utilize The Catalog to find each major's requirements, and to understand the sequence (prerequisites/corequisites) of required courses. In The Catalog, you will also find...

• Major options and requirements (Major Template)
• Course descriptions
• Prerequisites and corequisites
• Minor options and requirements
• Concentrations within certain majors
• and more!

4. And, finally, your SoE Hub Advisor Kristin has access to all Major Templates for your cohort (2021-2022). You may ask her for any of the templates that you would like to see! bergek@rpi.edu

3. Your Schedule for Fall 2021

As mentioned, we are going to focus this Registration Guide on your upcoming Fall semester. Later, you will meet with your SoE Hub Advisor to talk about your spring semester and your 4-Year Plan.

In the fall semester, as an Undeclared Engineer, you will take:

• 1-Credit, ENGR-1700 | Introduction to Better World Engineering *
• 1-Credit ENGR Course | See the ENGR Guide for all 5 fall options **
• 4-Credit MATH Course | MATH 1010, MATH 1020, or MATH 2400
• 4-Credit Science Course | PHYS 1100 or PHYS 1200
• 4-Credit Science Course | CHEM 1100, or CSCI 1100 (if you are interested in Electrical or Computer Systems Engineering)
• 4-Credit HASS Course | IHSS-xxxx (HASS Inquiry course, Communication Intensive)

= a total of 16 to 18 Credits

* Introduction to Better World Engineering (ENGR 1700), a FALL ONLY course, is part of the Undeclared Engineering program. Each week, you will be introduced to one of Rensselaer's Engineering Majors. Professors from each department will discuss curriculum and career paths for each major. By the end of this course, you will know which majors you would, and would not, like to pursue!

Two science courses? 16 to 18 credits?

In the video below, your Hub Advisor, Kristin Bergene, will walk you through your first semester, the above mentioned courses, and provide more insight on the Undeclared Engineering Guide. Don't forget to turn up the volume or click the CC button!

Special Note! On the Undeclared Engineering Guide, you will see the course title, the number of credits each course is, if the course is fall or spring only, and the suggested semester that you take the course. This is all useful information as you plan your fall semester!

Some courses are only offered in either the fall or spring semester. As an Undeclared Engineering student, this is important information to know when planning your schedule as you do not want to miss out on taking the courses that could help you make a decision about your major. Keep an eye on the courses you would want to take, so you can include them in your planning! Use the Undeclared Engineering Guide for more information, or reach out to Kristin if you need help.

4. AP, IB, and other Transfer Credits

Are you planning to use AP, IB, or other transfer credits?

Yup! -- Click the button for your next steps!

Nope! -- Head to Section 5) Your Humanities, Arts, and Social Science (HASS) Core.

5. Your Humanities, Arts and Social Science (HASS) Core

Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences = your General Education!

Turn up the volume or click the CC button! We will explain your requirements in the following video.

• During your first year you are required to take an Interdisciplinary HASS course (IHSS), as mentioned in the video above.
• You are also required to take one Communication Intensive (CI) HASS course within your first three semesters.

When you go to register, you will see which IHSS courses are Communication Intensive in SIS. You can also visit the link below for a comprehensive list of courses that meet the Communication Intensive requirements. It is important to think about what pathway you may want when deciding your course options, so make sure to check those out as well!

• Type Ctrl+F to search for 'Integrative Pathways' after clicking the button above.

Questions about HASS courses or the HASS Core itself? Unsure what to register for, or what your AP, IB, or other transfer credits will satisfy? You are always invited to reach out to the HASS Hub. Visit their website (button below) for contact information.

Upcoming HASS Webinar:

We are hosting a Webinar to chat about your HASS Requirements! We will ensure that you can make a decision about your first HASS course with confidence.

Please add the following day and time to your calendar:

• When: July 13th, 2021
• Time: 7:00 to 7:45 pm EST

Meeting Information:

• Please, click the above link 5 minutes early.
• Meeting number: 120 585 3226
• Password: soehub2025

Email Kristin, bergek@rpi.edu to receive a formal invitation for this webinar, or if you have questions.

How to Register

Now that we've touched upon what classes you should be taking, let's discuss how you will actually register for them. There are 5 main steps in registering for your fall semester courses, and completing your first college schedule!

1. Set up your Student Information System (SIS)
2. Find your Registration Time Ticket
3. Create a mock schedule in QuACS
4. Clear your Financial Agreement Hold
5. Register for courses with SIS

This first registration period during July is the only time you will complete Step 1! Once you set up your SIS account, you will be prepared for each registration period in the future. However, you will need to repeat Step 2 through Step 5 each semester, including the removal of your Financial Agreement Hold.

When will you register for your fall classes? Summer registration for the Fall semester will start on July 19th and end on July 30th, 2021. More information on how to find the day and time that you will sit down to register will be found in Step 2 below.

You can always find more information on the Registrar's website.

Throughout the registration process, you can always email The Registrar's Office for support. Their email during your first registration period is: newstudentreg@rpi.edu

Step 1) Set up your Student Information System (SIS)

You will be given your Rensselaer Identification Number (RIN) from the Office of First Year Experience (FYE) ~6 days after you submit your deposit. In other words, you will have this number long before it is time for you to register for your fall courses. You will always use your RIN to log into the Student Information System (SIS).

The first time you log into SIS, you will use your birthday as the password (MMDDYY) and you will be immediately prompted to change your password. Keep all this information in a safe place!

If you have any issues logging into your SIS account, email: newstudentreg@rpi.edu

Important note: Faculty and staff will commonly ask for your RIN, so always have this identification number on hand. You can find it on your Rensselaer ID card, and on your SIS account. It's useful to include in your emails to faculty and staff on campus so we are able to quickly pull up your information.

Step 2) Find your Registration Time Ticket

As mentioned, registration for the Fall 2021 semester will start on July 19th and end on July 30th. How do you know exactly what time you are supposed to register for your classes? The Registrar's Office will assign you a Time Ticket for your personal registration period.

Ready... set... GO!

The second your registration period begins (based on your Time Ticket) you should register for courses! During registration, hundreds of Rensselaer students are given access to register for their courses at the start of each hour. By delaying your personal registration you might miss the sections and courses you want to register for. Most first year students are planning to take the same courses, such as Calculus I and HASS. Do not wait to register for your courses, register immediately!

How do you find your Time Ticket?

Once you log into SIS, first select the 'Student Menu' option, then 'View My Registration Status.' Your time ticket is in United States Eastern Standard Time (EST) and is displayed in military/24-hour time. You may register any time after your assigned time slot during the registration period.

Special note: If you are unfamiliar with military time representation, times of 0000-1200 are equivalent to AM times. For times between 1201 and 2359, subtract 12 to get the equivalent PM time - for example a time of 1600 equates to 4:00 pm, a time of 1930 equates to 7:30 pm.

Be sure that you check your SIS account during the week of July 6th to find your Time Ticket information. Once you see the day/time that you will be registering for courses, put a notification on your calendar and block that time from other events.

If you know that you may have trouble accessing your SIS account to register for courses at the day/time listed on your Time Ticket, you may reach out to your Hub Advisor for support. Registering for your Fall 2021 courses should be made a priority!

In future semesters, your Time Ticket will be based on the number of credits you have earned. You can find more information on Time Tickets by clicking the button below!

Step 3) Create a Mock Schedule in QuACS

CRN = Course Registration Number

Turn up the volume or click the CC button! We will walk you through this crucial tool.

Important Note! QuACS pulls all course information from SIS; however, there is a delay in the information being transferred from SIS to QuACS. This means that the number of seats shown in QuACS is most likely inaccurate during registration as changes are occurring every second to the number of available seats. QuACS is unable to keep up!

Always confirm the number of seats that remain by using SIS so you are not surprised if a section that you planned to register for is closed. It's important to always have a Plan A, Plan B, and maybe even a Plan C when you are registering for courses.

Our advice is to have SIS and QuACS open at the same time, even side-by-side, when you are registering for courses (see image below).

Step 4) Clear Financial Agreement Hold

You will have to remove your Financial Agreement Hold every semester before you are able to register for courses.

What are holds? Holds are Rensselaer's way of keeping you on track. If you have requirements from the Bursar, Registrar, Health Center, or other offices on campus that have not been fulfilled, you will have a hold on your account. Holds will prevent you from registering for courses once you are on campus. You should check SIS regularly for holds, especially in the weeks leading to your future registration time tickets.

Step 5) Register for Courses with SIS

SIS = Student Information System

Turn up the volume or click the CC button! We will walk you through how to register for courses with SIS.

Registration Guide Video Chats

Continued support from The School of Engineering Advising Hub and your SoE Hub Advisor!

The SoE Hub will host important, major-specific, 45-minute registration video chats from June 28th through July 16th. Hub Advisor Kristin Bergene will walk you through the curriculum choices you have as an Undeclared Engineer and your fall semester registration. There will only be one Video Chat for each major, so you should be sure to attend!

She will review...

• Which courses you should take this fall
• Resources to inform your decisions
• The tools you will use to register: SIS and QuACS
• And, she will leave plenty of time to answer all your questions!

One-on-One Meetings for Undeclared Engineers:

In addition to the video chat, Kristin strongly encourages every Undeclared Engineer to make an appointment with her for a one-on-one conversation about the Fall.

Your Fall semester could look very unique based on your goals and expectations, and if you are bringing any credits with you. Kristin can help you piece together a schedule that includes elements from all the majors you are interested in, and matches your skill sets for a successful first-semester.

These one-on-one appointments can happen at any point before you register for courses.

Video Chat Information:

Please add the following day and time to your calendar:

• When: June 29th, 2021
• Time: 7:00 to 8:00 pm

• Please, join this meeting 5 minutes early.
• Meeting number: 120 898 9526
• Password: engr2025

Interested in attending another major's video chat?

As an Undeclared Engineer, you can and should absolutely attend the video chats for the majors that you are currently most interested in declaring. You will discover what courses those major plan for in their first semester and you can compare that to what you have learned in this guide.

Once you attend one or more of these other video chats, plan to meet with Kristin to discuss and make decisions that make the most sense for you! Do not make any big decisions without checking in first.

Useful Resources!

In this section, we have collected a few resources that will support you with registration at Rensselaer...

Learn more about the SoE First-Year Advising Hub...

And remember, you can always reach out to your SoE Hub Advisor!

Kristin Bergene | bergek@rpi.edu

Don't forget! When you reach out to your SoE Hub Advisor, you should include your full name, and RIN #.

School of Engineering First-Year Advising Hub

3306 Ansell Lounge, Jonsson Engineering Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

All photos within this Registration Guide were taken on the Rensselaer campus by SoE Hub Advisor Kristin Bergene, during her lunch time walks. We hope you enjoyed a brief look at our gorgeous campus.