Engineering Orientation
Get ready for your first semester
Welcome Rams to a new phase of life as a college student! We want to help our new students with a smooth transition into the college and CSU.
Ram Orientation is one in a series of onboarding activities designed to prepare students for success at CSU. Onboarding will continue at Ram Welcome.
All new students are required to participate in Ram Orientation.
Always check your Rams email
Send in your final official transcripts and exam scores
Complete the Math Placement Tool
Create your Engineering Technology Services (ETS) account at engr.colostate.edu/ets. This will allow you to log in to campus computers and access important software tools.
As engineers, we only succeed if all people and ideas are valued, particularly given the complexity of the global challenges that we face. The Principles of Community support the Colorado State University mission and vision of a collaborative and vibrant community.
Be ready for calculus
in your first year
All CSU engineering degrees begin with MATH 160 – Calculus 1 – as the first required math class and a vital prerequisite for future courses.
If you want to work with lasers, design skyscrapers, make robots, or use algae to make biofuels, you’ll find out that engineers use a lot of math.
What does "calculus ready" mean? How do you get there?
Incoming students will hear "calculus ready" a lot. It means being comfortable with algebra, trigonometry, and logarithmic and exponential functions from high school or other classes.
Being ready to take calculus in your first semester sets up the rest of your college career.
Getting “calculus ready” is the process of using resources to pass the Math Placement Tool, or completing the Precalculus Tutorials fully, to be ready and able to register for calculus in the fall.
Colorado State University uses the Math Placement Tool to determine if first-year students are ready to start with calculus (MATH 160) in engineering.
We strongly recommend that students enroll in Calculus 1 in their first semester to be able to graduate on time.
You can still graduate on time only starting with precalculus. But it would involve taking summer courses when you could be prioritizing internships or summer jobs.
Note: Completion of the Math Placement Tool is required for all incoming engineering students, regardless of anticipated AP/IB credit for high school exams and courses completed.
The seamless path from incoming Ram to graduating with an engineering degree begins with completing the Math Placement Tool and placing into Calculus.
Step 1: Prepare for the math placement process
Math Placement involves your math plan, concept review, and practice materials.
Step 2: Complete the Math Placement Tool
Once you take the Math Placement Tool, you will be able to find your next steps towards either placing into calculus or other courses.
Questions?
How do I get credit for my AP, IB, or Dual enrollment classes?
Congratulations on earning college credit! You will need to send a copy of your transcripts and scores to the Office of Admissions. Once official scores and transcripts are received, the Registrar’s Office has up to 30 business days in which to officially evaluate and process them. To look up the classes you are transferring to CSU, use the Transferology website.
AP or IB equivalences can be found on these sites:
- Advanced Placement (AP): Office of the Registrar, Colorado State University
- International Baccalaureate (IB): Office of the Registrar, Colorado State University
- Transfer AP/IB Coursework: Transferring Your Examination / Test Credit – The Hub
- Dual Enrollment transfer work: What Credits Will Transfer? – The Hub
During your scheduled registration appointment, you will only be able to register with the scores you have received, not your anticipated scores. Don’t worry! You can change your schedule after you send in your official scores to CSU. Then send an email to the First-Year Programs Advising Team at engradvising@colostate.edu to let us know about the score update.
If I have college credit for math, do I need to use the Math Placement Tool?
All Engineering students are required to complete the Math Placement Tool to test out of the Precalculus math courses (MATH 117-126), regardless of their AP, IB, or Dual Enrollment status. This allows for the smoothest registration experience for you. If you have any questions regarding this requirement. believe you have earned credit, or regarding transfer credits, please visit Your Transfer Coursework on the CSU Hub site.
I used the Math Placement Tool but wasn’t able to test out of Precalculus math classes. What now?
The Math Placement Tool covers all math courses needed as prerequisites for MATH 160 – Calculus for Physical Scientists I, which include MATH 117, 118, 124, 125, and 126. Your goal is to place into MATH 160 in your first semester to stay on track with your major curriculum and help you avoid needing to take summer math courses in the future. Students in the college have higher success rates when calculus is completed in the fall or spring semester of their first year.
If you are not able to test out of all five Precalculus math courses using the Math Placement Tool, you have several options.
- You can complete the tool one additional time in a proctored format.
- You could use the Precalculus Tutorial to work through the Precalculus course content after you’ve utilized the Math Placement Tool at least one time. The Precalculus Tutorial takes more time to complete, but it does allow you to review content that you may be less familiar with to help strengthen your overall math skills.
- After completing the Math Placement Tool once, utilize the Math Challenge Exams. This may be a good idea for you is to take the Math Challenge Exam for one individual precalculus course: MATH 117, 118, 124, 125, or 126. This might be a good idea for you if you are confident in the subject and do not feel as though you need a refresher like the Precalculus Tutorial provides.
More information on challenging Precalculus courses for credit can be found here. We strongly recommend that you take the Math Placement Tool seriously to avoid needing follow-up! For more information, please visit the Math Placement Overview page, or email our staff at engradvising@colostate.edu.
What's the best computer/laptop to bring to campus?
Most laptops will work for engineering coursework, because there are plentiful computing resources provided by Engineering Technology Services (ETS). Students have 24/7 access to multiple engineering computer labs, and can even log into the engineering “virtual classroom” on their personal computers, where they can then access all the same software they can in the labs. ETS is available to help students configure this virtual classroom access. Remote access works from Windows PCs and Macs, but not Chromebooks.
If you are looking to purchase a new computer for college, RamTech, now at the CSU Bookstore in the Lory Student Center, has lots of options and can give advice to students trying to decide between computer models. Additionally, CSU IT has compiled guidelines and resources to assist students.
I haven't received any information about Ram Orientation.
If you haven’t received any information about Ram Orientation yet, refer to CSU’s New Student Checklist here.
If I took a foreign language in high school, can I get credit for it?
You cannot get credit for foreign language classes from high school unless you completed a language AP or IB exam or have dual enrollment credit from another college/institution. Additionally, if you are looking to take a foreign language at CSU, you must take the Language Placement Exam to determine your level of proficiency.
What is the Engineering Learning Community, and how do I apply?
The Engineering Learning Community is a housing community of first-year engineering students. It is designed to help students succeed with all aspects of student life. We provide academic advising and tutoring, help with technology and room requests, and events and opportunities around building community for engineering students. We’re ready to help answer whatever questions you have. More information can be found on the Community webpage.
How do I get into the Engineering Learning Community? Are there extra fees?
All incoming students with a major in the College or Exploratory Studies – Engineering Interest will automatically be eligible to sign up for the community.
Detailed information about the applications process and deadlines, room selection, extra charges, and other information can be found on the Community webpage.
Other questions?
If you have specific questions or topic areas you would like us to address, please don't hesitate to contact us. E-mail us at engradvising@colostate.edu.