Policies for Minors, Certificates, Dual Degrees, and Degree+

Eligibility Requirements for Adding a Minor or Certificate

(effective Spring 2022)

To be eligible to add a minor or certificate as a student in the School of Mechanical Engineering you will need to meet four requirements as listed below.

  1. Academic Good Standing - To be eligible to request a minor, students must be in good academic standing.  Students must not be on any probationary status in the term requesting the minor or certificate.   This is a reasonable threshold for students wanting to take on the rigors of completing additional coursework. 
  2. Standard Plan-Of-Study – You must prepare a Plan-Of-Study (POS) that demonstrates you can complete your minor or certificate within your original time to degree.  Because the School of Mechanical Engineering is a high demand discipline, extended plans for the purpose of adding minors and certificates beyond the standard time to degree will be denied out of fairness to other students wanting an opportunity to study in Mechanical Engineering. 
  3. Apply by Completion of the 6th Semester – Students interested in adding a minor or certificate majoring in ME must apply before the end of their 6th semester.  Adding minors and/or certificates involves integrating the coursework into the BSME curriculum and requests to add a minor and/or certificate after the 6th semester will be denied.
  4. Maintain Eligibility – If a student goes on academic probationary status, then it may be required by the department to remove the minor/certificate if it complicates the BSME objective and extends time to degree. 

Eligibility Requirements for Degree Plus and Dual Majors

(effective Spring 2022)

For current Mechanical Engineering students to be eligible to dual major in the School of Mechanical Engineering you will need to meet four requirements as listed below.

  1. Cumulative GPA – To be eligible to apply for a dual major, you must first establish a cumulative GPA of 3.4.  This is a reasonable threshold for students wanting to take on the rigors of completing a dual major.  Students with GPAs below this threshold are not eligible to apply for a dual major in Mechanical Engineering.
  2. 5-Yr Plan-Of-Study – You must prepare a Plan-Of-Study (POS) that demonstrates you can complete your dual major within 5 years (that is, you have one extra year in which to complete the second degree).  Because the School of Mechanical Engineering is a high demand discipline, extended plans of study beyond 5 years will be denied out of fairness to other students wanting an opportunity to study in Mechanical Engineering. 
  3. Apply by Completion of the 5th Semester – Students interested in double majoring in ME must apply before the end of their 5th semester.  Dual majoring involves integrating the two disciplines and is not intended as a mechanism to append a second degree at the end of your ME degree.  Requests to dual major after the 5th semester will be denied.
  4. Maintain Eligibility – To maintain eligibility to complete your dual major, you must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0.  If a student falls below the 3.0 threshold, the discipline of their choosing will be dropped and the student will be required to focus all of their efforts and attention on their chosen primary degree.  If the student refuses to select their preferred degree, the secondary discipline will automatically be dropped.  The above requirements are still enforced for those students that added a dual major prior to their admission to the School of Mechanical Engineering.

Eligibility Requirements for Adding ME as Dual/Second Major

(Effective Spring 2022)

For current Purdue University students to be eligible to add Mechanical Engineering as a dual or second major, you will need to meet the requirements as listed below.

  1. Minimum Qualification –
    1. Cumulative GPA - To be eligible to apply for a dual major with Mechanical Engineering, you must first establish a cumulative GPA of 3.4.  This is a reasonable threshold for students wanting to take on the rigors of completing a dual major.  Students with GPAs below this threshold are not eligible to apply for a dual major in Mechanical Engineering.
    2. Coursework – Successfully complete the FYE program requirements.
    3. ME Core GPA – earned a minimum 3.4 GPA in all completed ME core courses (or engineering professional school course equivalencies).
  2. 5-Year Plan-Of-Study – You must prepare a Plan-Of-Study (POS) that demonstrates you can complete your dual major within 5 years (that is, you have one extra year in which to complete the BSME).  Because the School of Mechanical Engineering is a high demand discipline, extended plans of study beyond 5 years will be denied out of fairness to other students wanting an opportunity to study in Mechanical Engineering. 
  3. Apply by Completion of the 5th Semester – Students interested in double majoring in ME must apply before the end of their 5th semester.  Dual majoring involves integrating the two disciplines and is not intended as a mechanism to append a ME degree to your primary program. Requests to dual major after the 5th semester will be denied.
  4. Application Process – Students must meet with an academic advisor in ME to discuss program requirements and demonstrate the ability to complete both degrees in 5 years. The plan-of-study and students’ qualifications will be reviewed by a holistic admission review process. 
  5. Maintain Eligibility – To maintain eligibility to complete your dual major, you must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least a 3.0.  If a student falls below the 3.0 threshold, the discipline of their choosing will be dropped and the student will be required to focus all of their efforts and attention on their chosen primary degree.  If the student refuses to select their preferred degree, the secondary discipline, Mechanical Engineering, will automatically be dropped. 

Meeting these requirements does not guarantee acceptance to add Mechanical Engineering as a second major (due to potential space and enrollment constraints), but is essential for consideration. Additionally, a student will NOT be accepted for dual major status if he or she is on academic probation.