Changing degree programs...

[3M+1AFHF]

My DS is currently a college student studying Aerospace Engineering. Through his studies he has discovered an unexpected interest and knack for electrical engineering and programming robots. He actually enjoys this more than AE. During the application process, EE/Programming/Robotics were never entered as desired degree choices. If he were to receive an appointment, is it easy to change degree programs? Do SAs take into account your area of study when making appointments? How do they deal with having an exorbitant number of appointees interested in a particular field (ie., student/professor ratio)? Do students always get one of their degree choices?

 

[cluelesscandidateparents]

My DS is currently a college student studying Aerospace Engineering. Through his studies he has discovered an unexpected interest and knack for electrical engineering and programming robots. He actually enjoys this more than AE. During the application process, EE/Programming/Robotics were never entered as desired degree choices. If he were to receive an appointment, is it easy to change degree programs? Do SAs take into account your area of study when making appointments? How do they deal with having an exorbitant number of appointees interested in a particular field (ie., student/professor ratio)? Do students always get one of their degree choices?

I believe that u declare ur major after first year , and yes they have certain amount of students per major etc but some one with more knowledge can explain it better.
If i remember right u ask for 1-3 majors that u rank and they try to honor it but they do have a way to fill in needs

 

[Ranchinmom]

He’s fine. They usually declare after doolie year. They have plenty of time to try courses and find their niche. My DS thought he would do aero, but declared Astro.

 

[AFrpaso]

I believe that u declare ur major after first year , and yes they have certain amount of students per major etc but some one with more knowledge can explain it better.
If i remember right u ask for 1-3 majors that u rank and they try to honor it but they do have a way to fill in needs

Cadets largely have full control of their major. There are two exceptions:

1) An academic department can reject you from a major if your grades are too low in certain classes.
2) A major can "fill up" slots. It’s first come first serve.

Speaking with my faculty friends, the latter exception is not typical. One of the more popular majors that is at risk is management.

 

[cluelesscandidateparents]

Cadets largely have full control of their major. There are two exceptions:

1) An academic department can reject you from a major if your grades are too low in certain classes.
2) A major can "fill up" slots. It’s first come first serve.

Speaking with my faculty friends, the latter exception is not typical. One of the more popular majors that is at risk is management.

That is what i meant but not with such nice words !!!! Being polyglot sometimes has its draw backs lol

 

[3M+1AFHF]

Cadets largely have full control of their major. There are two exceptions:

1) An academic department can reject you from a major if your grades are too low in certain classes.
2) A major can "fill up" slots. It’s first come first serve.

Speaking with my faculty friends, the latter exception is not typical. One of the more popular majors that is at risk is management.

Thanks for the info.

I read on USAFA site ….

College courses taken as part of a high school curriculum will not be considered for transfer credit. In all cases, individual academic departments determine whether or not to award credit for AP and IB exams and previous college courses.

Does this include dual enrollment courses taken during high school (taken in person and on campus at a university)?

 

[hopefulmom182]

My DS is an Astro major. He's been taking a heavy course load his first two years. He learned this semester that his advisor purposely front-loaded his course schedule in case he changed majors as many find this major so challenging. This would allow him to have extra time in his schedule the last two years to take other classes, should he change majors. He's not going to, but I thought that was interesting.

As to AP classes and credit. You're not paying for credit hours, so it's really not a thing. You can, based on placement tests and AP scores, test out of Calc 1 and move to higher math course-- You could probably validate a language course, if you prove fluency-- but I could also see them saying, since you already know Spanish so well, why don't you take Russian or Arabic.

 

[3M+1AFHF]

My DS is an Astro major. He's been taking a heavy course load his first two years. He learned this semester that his advisor purposely front-loaded his course schedule in case he changed majors as many find this major so challenging. This would allow him to have extra time in his schedule the last two years to take other classes, should he change majors. He's not going to, but I thought that was interesting.

As to AP classes and credit. You're not paying for credit hours, so it's really not a thing. You can, based on placement tests and AP scores, test out of Calc 1 and move to higher math course-- You could probably validate a language course, if you prove fluency-- but I could also see them saying, since you already know Spanish so well, why don't you take Russian or Arabic.

I guess I am asking if he would have to retake all of his gen ed classes again? He’s currently only taking math, physics and engineering courses and will have 110 credit hours of college after this semester. Seems silly to make him retake english, history etc when he could perhaps double major instead.

 

[AFrpaso]

Thanks for the info.

I read on USAFA site ….

College courses taken as part of a high school curriculum will not be considered for transfer credit. In all cases, individual academic departments determine whether or not to award credit for AP and IB exams and previous college courses.

Does this include dual enrollment courses taken during high school (taken in person and on campus at a university)?

Good question and unfortunately one on which I cannot give a definitive answer.

That being said, I do find the wording that you quoted from academics FAQ page strange in the sense that I cannot find any similar wording from the Course of Instruction Handbook. The latter is generally my go-to when it comes to academic questions.

The decision authority for transfer credit lies with the respective academic departments (i.e. the math department would review math transfer credit requests, comp sci department reviews comp sci transfer credit requests, etc). The departments then send official documentation to the registrar for the credit to be approved as transfer credit and appear on the USAFA transcript.

From my limited experience, not all courses will transfer. Some courses have military-specific course material (despite being a general subject) or might fulfill certain institutional outcomes which require all cadets take the course in-residence at USAFA.

110 credits is a lot. Would I be correct in assuming that the transferability of these credits would affect your son's decision to attend USAFA? If so, then I'd recommend getting definitive information from a more reputable source like Admissions. Perhaps they can refer you to the Registrar itself for more guidance on your specific situation.

I wish I could be of more help!

 

[Peter2025]

Thanks for the info.

I read on USAFA site ….

College courses taken as part of a high school curriculum will not be considered for transfer credit. In all cases, individual academic departments determine whether or not to award credit for AP and IB exams and previous college courses.

Does this include dual enrollment courses taken during high school (taken in person and on campus at a university)?

Copying my reply in another thread: I did DE in hs as well.
Q: "How will college credits affect my course offerings in the fall?"
A: "You actually can validate some courses. For example, I was able to email my transcript which had college physics 1 and 2 on it to the physics department head (after talking to my instructor on the first day of class), and ended up validating both. Moreover, you will receive an opportunity to validate English 1 if you have taken it already (if it meets USAFA's standards obviously. They send out a link with a survey on it during transition week I think). I also validated German 1 and 2 after taking it at a university, although we had to take a placement test (not sure which helped me validate it). Math placement is largely, if not completely, based on the placement tests taken before I-day. Lastly, if you have taken AP chem (4 or 5) or college chem, you can take the placement test during basic, which can lead to course validation. Note: this was my experience and is NOT going to the the experience of all others, so just make sure to talk to your advisor/instructors."

Q: "I've taken a lot of college comp sci courses and intend to pursue a major in comp sci. Are there subject tests/core course placement tests for computer science that will boost my course offerings in regards to comp sci?"
A: "I haven't heard of anyone validating the intro (required) compsci course because it involves some cyber security and cyber warfare material at the end. However, I have heard (rumors at least) of people validating other compsci courses.
Moral of the story here is to ask. Talk to your advisor and instructors, or even an upperclassmen. Just be respectful if the answer is no. Best of luck!"

 

[AFrpaso]

I guess I am asking if he would have to retake all of his gen ed classes again? He’s currently only taking math, physics and engineering courses and will have 110 credit hours of college after this semester. Seems silly to make him retake english, history etc when he could perhaps double major instead.

I spoke with a colleague today who is on faculty in the Econ & Geospatial sciences department. They said that the deciding factor for whether dual enrollment credits can be transferred is if they are on a college transcript, separate from the high school transcript. If the college course only appears on the high school transcript, then it is a no-go for transfer.

I'm sure this distinction is driven by some official policy. . . though I have yet to find it. It might be implied by the wording in the USAFA Course of Instruction. Again, I can't say with absolute certainty that this is the official policy.

 

[3M+1AFHF]

My DS is an Astro major. He's been taking a heavy course load his first two years. He learned this semester that his advisor purposely front-loaded his course schedule in case he changed majors as many find this major so challenging. This would allow him to have extra time in his schedule the last two years to take other classes, should he change majors. He's not going to, but I thought that was interesting.

As to AP classes and credit. You're not paying for credit hours, so it's really not a thing. You can, based on placement tests and AP scores, test out of Calc 1 and move to higher math course-- You could probably validate a language course, if you prove fluency-- but I could also see them saying, since you already know Spanish so well, why don't you take Russian or Arabic.

I think that's great to load up the first two years. It seems like a lot of engineering students find their niche when it's too late. My oldest son discovered he loved nuclear engineering in his last year, but it was too late to change. He graduated with a ME degree with a Nuclear & Aerospace concentration instead. He is now serving as a LT, but is saving for grad school in Nuclear engineering. Trying to prevent the same thing happening to my youngest.

 

[USAFA10s]

I think that's great to load up the first two years. It seems like a lot of engineering students find their niche when it's too late. My oldest son discovered he loved nuclear engineering in his last year, but it was too late to change. He graduated with a ME degree with a Nuclear & Aerospace concentration instead. He is now serving as a LT, but is saving for grad school in Nuclear engineering. Trying to prevent the same thing happening to my youngest.

Way off topic - but I'm hoping your DS knows about the AAD (advanced academic degree) programs the AF offers. The 61D career field has a nuclear code, and AFIT has an excellent nuclear physics program. Not necessarily engineering, but they cover a lot of pretty cool stuff. Getting the chance to spend 1.5 years in grad school getting paid to go to school full time is a pretty sweet deal. Eligibility depends on needs of the AF and career field, but if it's a possibility, might be worth exploring (I'm currently faculty at AFIT)

 

[AFrpaso]

I think that's great to load up the first two years. It seems like a lot of engineering students find their niche when it's too late. My oldest son discovered he loved nuclear engineering in his last year, but it was too late to change. He graduated with a ME degree with a Nuclear & Aerospace concentration instead. He is now serving as a LT, but is saving for grad school in Nuclear engineering. Trying to prevent the same thing happening to my youngest.

In addition to what @USAFA10s mentioned, there is also the DAWN-ED (Developing the Airmen We Need - Educational) program.

Fewer slots but greater chance to get a degree that isn't tied as much to one's core career field. I know nuclear engineering isn't listed under the "engineering" umbrella in that article, but where there's a will there's a way. Twice I've convinced the USAF to let me "alter the deal" and pursue an adjacent program not explicitly listed. It doesn't hurt to try.

 

[Avenger2027]

My interests are flying drone and satellites. As a high school junior, I am currenting dual enrolled in Mechatronics. What would be the best degree as my number one choice when I start my application?

 

[crymsonwynters]

My interests are flying drone and satellites. As a high school junior, I am currenting dual enrolled in Mechatronics. What would be the best degree as my number one choice when I start my application?

That depends...

Do you like building the drones and satellites and figuring out their physical systems? Go mechanical engineering.
Do you like working out the electronics and programming systems of the drones and satellites? Go electrical and computer engineering (ECE).
Do you like working out how the satellite gets to space and how it survives once its there? Go astronautical engineering.

 

[USAFA10s]

My interests are flying drone and satellites. As a high school junior, I am currenting dual enrolled in Mechatronics. What would be the best degree as my number one choice when I start my application?

For USAFA it doesn't matter- you have many many many hoops to jump through before you can really start thinking about what to major in at USAFA, and even then, your major and what you might do in the AF or SF are not necessarily related.

I do lots of work with designing optical systems and algorithms for satellites and my degrees are math, and physics (math and physics undergrad, physics MS and PhD), but I could do very similar work with an image sciences, data science/stats or electrical engineering degree.