Catholic University assigns all students two advisors: an “undergraduate advisor” who is a staff member in the Center for Academic and Career Success, and a “major advisor” who is a faculty member in your chosen major. You should hear during summer from CACS and from your academic department with information about your advisors and their contact information.
After you applied for admission, a password and a login ID were sent to you (if you do not have them please call 202-319-4357). You will need these to take the online Calculus Placement Test and to register for your courses using the Cardinal Students registration system.
Placement Test for Mathematics
Incoming engineering and computer science students should take the initial ALEKS Placement Assessment by August 24, 2023 to determine if they are ready to take MATH 121, Calculus I (students with AP credit for Calculus I do not need to take the test). To log into ALEKS, enter mathplacements.catholic.edu with your Cardinal Credentials. If prompted to enter a class code, enter 4ATQL-MCUPG. See the document “Important Information about Mathematics for Engineering Students” for more information about math placement and preparation options. *Note: This is a different placement assessment than used by other CUA schools.* ALEKS PPL is a web-based program that uses artificial intelligence to map a student’s strengths and weaknesses. The Placement Assessment is up to 30 questions and generally takes 60-90 minutes to complete. After an initial Placement Assessment, an individualized Prep and Learning Module is available for students to refresh their knowledge on forgotten topics Students then have the opportunity to reassess and improve their placement after the baseline assessment four additional times.
Course Registration
Online course registration for all Catholic University students is done through the Cardinal Students system (https://cardinalstudents.cua.edu). Please follow the steps below so that you will be properly registered for the first semester courses required for your chosen degree program. Registration begins on mid-June.
Step 1: Identify the courses you will have to take in the first semester
Please visit https://success.catholic.edu/incoming-students/registration/first-year-course-advice/index.html for information on registration. The pull-down menu “Select Your Major” will bring you to a page showing the typical first-semester courses for your major (majors are grouped by school, so you’ll need to scroll down the list to reach the Engineering majors). The description of the various courses can be found at http://cardinalstudents.cua.edu under Course Catalog. Note that students in the Honors Program whose curriculum has CSC 113 in the first semester should take the Honors section of Computer Programming I, CSC 113H.
Step 2: Plan and schedule the courses
You will automatically be enrolled your First-Year Experience Learning Community Courses (PHIL 201 and either ENG 101 or TRS 201). For all other courses, you will need to enroll yourself, and may have a choice of several sections. Instructions for adding courses are found at https://sites.google.com/cua.edu/first-semester/home. Log in to Cardinal Station (https://cardinalstudents.cua.edu), select sections of the appropriate courses for your major, add them to your shopping cart, and then finalize your registration. Please register for the courses as soon as possible since some courses fill up quickly.Other Useful Information
Advanced Placement and Transfer Credit: You will receive Advanced Placement credit if your test scores from the placement examinations meet CUA's standard and CUA receives official reports of the AP test and scores. There is no AP credit given for English Composition and Language, i.e., first-year students cannot place out of the writing course ENG 101. If you took an AP high school course but did not take the AP Placement test you will not receive credit. Please check with the Dean's office during orientation concerning the status of your AP credits. You may receive transfer credit for college courses taken during high school if the courses were not required for your high school diploma. An official college transcript must be received with a grade of C- or better in order for the course credit to be transferred. Course descriptions must also be submitted so that the courses can be evaluated for a CUA equivalent.Personal Computer: The School of Engineering does not require students to have a personal computer. Several computer labs are available in Pangborn Hall with all necessary engineering software packages. If you plan to purchase a personal computer to use on campus, CUA’s Technology Services office has arranged discounts from Dell, CDWG, Apple, and Google (see https://technology.catholic.edu/resources/purchase/personal-use.html)
School Mentoring Board: The School of Engineering Mentoring Board has been operating for many years to support the incoming freshmen and to provide them with a smooth transition from high school to college life. You will be receiving information soon with contact information for your student mentor, who will be a CUA engineering student (typically a sophomore or junior). We encourage you to reach out to your mentor with any questions about life at CUA.