Incoming Student Information

All incoming students have a temporary Summer adviser who reaches out with a welcome letter to their Vanderbilt email in early May (or when they matriculate). A faculty adviser is appointed for each student, based on the major they have chosen. If a student has not chosen  a major upon entry, an adviser will be assigned to  assist them in making this choice during the first year. When selecting a major, their adviser will change to the corresponding adviser in the major they have chosen.

Advisers are assigned in early August. All engineering students will meet with their advisers during the orientation program before classes begin.

All engineering students at Vanderbilt take a common core of courses during the first year, in the sense that all students take:

• Chemistry
• Math
• Engineering Science 1401, 1402, 1403 (Introduction to Engineering)
• Liberal Arts Core requirement or an elective
• Engineering Freshman Seminar (optional)

While it is a “common” first year, many students have Advanced Placement (AP) credits or other special circumstances requiring some guidance in selecting an appropriate schedule for the first semester.

Using the sample curriculum as a guide, use the YES class search to look up the times for the courses you have selected and place them in your cart. Be careful not to overlap course times.

Course Prerequisites

Although some course prerequisites may be relaxed to allow first year students to register for classes before Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit is applied to the records of incoming students, course prerequisites are strictly enforced.

If you anticipate using either Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate credit to fulfill a required prerequisite, you must be sure that your score has been received and recorded on your record by August 1, 2024. The same policy is applied for students presenting pre-college transfer credit. Credit that has been received is viewable on YES under the External tab of the Academic Record.

Student records will be reviewed before the beginning of the semester. Students enrolled in classes without the required prerequisites will be administratively dropped from the class. After Vanderbilt Admissions has received your AP or IB scores that you have requested be sent from College Board or the test administrator then the credit will automatically be applied to your Academic Record on YES.

Placement Tests

Placement tests are optional. But, if you are planning to continue in a foreign language that you began in high school, we recommend a placement test in that language. Placement tests are available online at http://vanderbilt.edu/csls/placement_info.php.

Sample Curriculum for Engineering First-Years (FALL)

Chem 1601 - General Chemistry Lecture  (3 hours)
Chem 1601 - General Chemistry Discussion   (0 hours)
Chem 1601L - General Chemistry Lab   (1 hour)

Math 1300 - First Year Accelerated Calculus I   (4 hours)

Liberal Arts Core Requirement or Elective Credit   (3-5 hours)

ES 1401 - Introduction to Engineering, Module 1   (1 hour)
ES 1402 - Introduction to Engineering, Module 2   (1 hour)
ES 1403 - Introduction to Engineering, Module 3   (1 hour)

ES 1115 - Freshman Seminar (optional)   (1 hour)

TOTAL:   14-17 hours

Introduction to Engineering is required of all entering engineering students. This three-part introductory course is designed to assist students in choosing a major or confirming a choice of major and to provide access to engineering topics that otherwise may not be explored.

The course is divided into three, four-week modules (ES 1401, 1402, 1403) to be taken one after the other (also known as “in series”). Students must register for all three modules in order to get credit for Introduction to Engineering.  All modules are offered during the same time period, MWF 12:20–1:10 p.m. Each module counts for one credit hour of the three credit hour requirement, and individual grades will be reported for each module.

Module descriptions are available on YES. It is important to read the descriptions of each section within each module. Students may not take more than one module with the same description. Students may select all three modules from different disciplines, however students are limited to taking no more than two modules from the same discipline or major.

Modules for ES 1401, 1402 and 1403 are to be chosen based on areas of interest of the student’s choice and in no particular order (for example: ES 1401 does not have to be in your chosen major). Students should be mindful of the notes listed under each Introduction to Engineering section as they state the content of the modules. No section contains a prerequisite of any kind.

Questions regarding Introduction to Engineering should be referred to the Associate Dean for Academic Success, Julie Vernon, via email at julie.vernon@vanderbilt.edu or phone at 615-322-2441.

Choosing your Math Course

Selection of the appropriate mathematics course is somewhat involved. The usual sequence taken by entering engineering students is MATH 1300, 1301, and 2300. Math 1300 is a four-hour beginning calculus course for engineering students.

If you have earned a 5 on the BC Calculus Advanced Placement test, you will automatically be awarded eight hours of credit for MATH 1300 and 1301. Although you may start with MATH 2300, you should consider beginning calculus at Vanderbilt with MATH 1301 as good preparation for your second- and third-year courses in mathematics. If you elect to take either MATH 1300 or 1301 at Vanderbilt, the corresponding AP credit will be canceled.

If you have earned a 5 on the AB Calculus Advanced Placement test, you will automatically be awarded four hours of credit for MATH 1300, and you may start with MATH 1301.

Some deep self-evaluation should be made based on your high school math background. Adjust your starting point in mathematics based on your AP credit, the rigor of your high school math courses, and your proficiency and comfort with the material. The Department of Mathematics will evaluate student performance at the beginning of the semester and move students to a different level if warranted. If you find the course you have chosen too advanced, you may drop back to the lower level course without penalty during the first two weeks of the semester.

VU School of Engineering Calculus Placement

Class of 2028 School of Engineering students are required to take a calculus placement test through ALEKS.

Learn more about calculus placement.

Choosing your Chemistry Course

If you have a 5 on the AP chemistry exam, you will receive AP credit for chemistry, and you should speak with an adviser from the School of Engineering Office of Academic Services about a suitable substitute course for the fall semester. Otherwise, you should take CHEM 1601 (lecture), CHEM 1601 (discussion), and CHEM 1601L (laboratory).

Your major program will determine the preferred science courses you should take after the fall semester.

In order to provide the elements of a general education considered necessary for responsible practice as an educated engineer, the School of Engineering requires each student to complete at least 18 hours in the Liberal Arts Core comprising:

1. At least 3 hours selected from courses classified in the AXLE Curriculum Course Distribution of the College of Arts and Science as Humanities and Creative Arts (HCA) with the exception of CMST 1500, 2100, 2110, and 2120, and
2. At least 3 hours selected from courses classified in the AXLE Curriculum Course Distribution of the College of Arts and Science as Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS).

The remaining hours are to be selected from:

1. Courses classified in the AXLE Curriculum Course Distribution of the College of Arts and Science as Humanities and Creative Arts (HCA), International Cultures (INT), History and Culture of the United States (US), Social and Behavioral Sciences (SBS), and Perspectives (P)
2. CS 1151 and ENGM 2440
3. Arabic 1101, Chinese 1011, 1012, 1101, English 1100, French 1101, German 1101, Greek 1101, Hebrew 1101, Italian 1101, Japanese 1011, 1012, 1101, Latin 1101, Portuguese 1101, Russian 1101, and Spanish 1100, 1101
4. Peabody College courses in Psychology and Human Development numbered 1205, 1207, 1250, 2200, 2250, 2300, 2400, 2500, 2550, 2600, and 3150, and in Human and Organizational Development numbered 1250, 1300, 2100, 2260, 2400, 2500, 2700, and 3232
5. All MUSC, MUSE, MUSO, COMP, MREP, MUTH, and performance courses in the Blair School of Music, except MUSO 1001

AXLE Curriculum Course Distribution areas are notated in the catalog description for the course posted on YES.  To search specifically for the categories above, use the Advances Search feature in YES.

Insight. Innovation. Impact. These words describe the contributions from every field of engineering, but where do you begin? The School of Engineering offers optional freshman seminars that provide first-year students the chance to work and learn in small group environments with experienced engineering professors.

Students will explore current engineering topics and begin to learn how to approach solving real-world problems with the guidance of an expert in the field. These courses are designed to introduce students to the important contributions that engineers make to technology and their impact on society. Students learn about the teamwork and communication skills that enhance the creative processes involved in engineering as well as the engineering approach to problem solving.

Most of these courses will be offered in the spring semester as Commons Seminars, but one seminar will be offered in the fall:

1. ES 1115.01: Moore’s Law and the Engineering Economy

You may find the course description and the course meeting times in the schedule of courses on YES. You will receive information about the seminars planned for spring before the spring registration period begins. If you choose to take a seminar this fall, you will earn one hour of open elective credit from this very unique experience.

The State of Tennessee has established certain immunization requirements for all full-time enrollees in a higher education institution in the state. All admitted students intending to matriculate at Vanderbilt University must submit documentation of the required immunizations to the Zerfoss Student Health Center (medschool.vanderbilt.edu/student-health) prior to enrolling in classes.

For details about state and university immunization requirements and information on how to submit appropriate documentation, please visit the Zerfoss Student Health Center website at: medschool.vanderbilt.edu/student-health/immunization-requirements.

All incoming students must be compliant with the immunization requirements before registration for their initial term of enrollment.

Registration Holds

In order to ensure compliance with these state-mandated requirements, a registration hold will be placed on the accounts of all admitted students intending to matriculate. This hold will prevent students from enrolling in classes until all immunization requirements have been met and the hold released. You will see the Student Health Imm Hold on the YES Landing Page, including information on the compliance process.

Immunization Questions

If you have any questions about immunization requirements, please contact the Zerfoss Student Health Center at 615-322-2427.

If you have questions about the immunization registration hold, please contact the Office of the University Registrar at 615-322-7701 or university.registrar@vanderbilt.edu.