Incoming students often find that the US higher educational system is very different than that of their home country. Some helpful background information:

• Undergraduate students enter the university system after having successfully obtained a high school diploma or equivalency certificate.
• Undergraduate students apply to the College of Engineering without having to choose a specific field in engineering.
• The undergraduate education lasts 4-5 years.  Engineering students typically fulfill engineering preparatory classes (math, physics, chemistry) in their first academic year.
• Students declare a major (i.e. Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering) by the time they have obtained 55 credit hours of courses on their transcript.

• Graduate students are those students who have successfully obtained a Bachelor's degree or equivalent and who seek to expand their education with either a Master's degree (typically completed in two years) and/or a doctoral degree (typically completed in 4-5 years).
• Applicants to the UM College of Engineering will apply directly to the department in which they will specialize.

Important basic info about UM academics:

Academic Year

The academic year is divided into semesters:
Fall semester (September-December)
Winter semester (January-April)
Spring semester (May-June)
Summer semester (July-August)

The majority of courses take place during fall and winter semesters. Some courses offered May-August actually span both spring and summer semesters. Those College of Engineering exchange students who have been designated to receive tuition waivers from the College will receive a waiver for fall and/or winter only (not spring or summer semesters). 

Assessment of Performance

Assessment of student performance takes place at numerous times during the semester. Students may have quizzes, exams, mid-terms, lab reports, and tests in addition to projects and final exams. Whereas incoming international students may have had more autonomy at their home in distributing their studying over the course of a semester, they should expect to adhere to a tighter schedule set by the instructor of a course. Doctoral students will also complete scheduled comprehensive exams independent of any courses in order to advance in their program.