Transfer students, please meet with the Structural Engineering Undergraduate Advisor for information about your academic plan.
Plans will vary based on whether students 1) have any transfer credit for statics (SE 101A), dynamics (SE 101B), vibrations (SE 101C), materials (SE 105), Auto Cad and/or Solidworks (SE 3), MatLab (SE 9) and Vector Calculus (Math 20E) as these classes do not automatically transfer in and students must petition them, 2) which focus sequence they want to complete, and 3) if they want to graduate in 2 or 3 years and are able to take summer classes.
For all of these reasons please come into SE advising to get an individualized plan.
For prospective and current transfer students, we highly recommend that you consider taking SE Summer Session courses (schedule located at the bottom of page) by applying here. For further information, feel free to connect with the UG Academic Advisor.
Summer Session welcomes visiting students with Open Enrollment into summer courses. These courses are for UC-credit, but can be transferred to other universities with approval from the home institution. Visiting students can apply and enroll after the application process opens on April 24, 2023. Information on the next steps can be found on: https://summersession.ucsd.
Other useful links for prospective visiting students:
- Preview of Classes: https://summersession.ucsd.
edu/courses/preview.aspx - Tuition Guidelines: https://summersession.ucsd.
edu/tuition/tuition.html - Schedule of Classes: https://act.ucsd.edu/
scheduleOfClasses/ scheduleOfClassesStudent.htm - Courses with the building listed as "RCLAS", means remote instruction. All other building locations mean the class is held in-person on campus.
- Course Syllabus: Visiting students are directed to academic departments for syllabi inquiries as some campuses require course syllabi for credit articulation
Questions can be directed to summer@ucsd.edu.
Sample Only – Students may need additional courses depending on their transfer courses.
All courses required for the major must be taken for a letter grade, including all lower-division math and science courses.
Transfer students should also review the Structural Engineering Undergraduate Handbook for additional important information.
General Three-Year Plan
| Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | |
| First Year | Math 20E* | SE 9* | SE 3* |
| SE 101A* | SE 101B* | SE 110B | |
| SE 1 | SE 110A | SE 105* | |
| GE | |||
| Second Year | SE 101C | SE 115 | SE 130B |
| SE 125 | SE 102 | SE 131A | |
| SE 130A | FS | FS | |
| Third Year | SE 131B | FS CAPSTONE* | FS CAPSTONE* |
| FS | FS | TE | |
| TE | TE | GE |
NOTE FOR AY 23-24: SE 1 WILL NOT be offered in Fall 2023. SE 1 will be offered in Winter 2024.
GE = General education/college requirement.
FS = Focus sequence course. The structural engineering major includes four focus sequences: civil structures, aerospace structures, geotechnical engineering, and structural health monitoring. For more info on specific course requirements in each focus sequence please see: Focus Sequences
FS CAPSTONE*: Most students take either SE 140A/B or SE 143A/B depending on their chosen FS with the exception of students completing the Structural Health Monitoring/Non-Destructive Evaluation (SHM/NDE) focus sequence.
TE = Technical elective course: Students must take three technical electives (TE) courses chosen from a Preapproved Technical Electives list. These courses are typically upper-division courses in the Department of Structural Engineering or other engineering departments. Students may also petition to have classes not on this preapproved list count towards their technical electives on a case-by-case basis. All technical electives must be upper-division courses (courses numbered 100 or higher).
Math 20E*: Students who have taken a vector calculus course at a non-UC college may petition to have it counted at UCSD. Please click here for more information.
*Students who think they may have transfer credit for AutoCAD/SolidWorks (SE 3), MatLab (SE 9), Statics (SE 101A), Dynamics (SE 101B), or Materials (SE 105) (or any other major class) should see their major advisor ASAP before fall quarter regarding petitioning those class(es) and adjusting their schedule.
2019-2020 renumbering changes: SE 105 = SE 104/104L, SE 102 = SE 121A, SE 131A = SE 131, SE 131B = SE 121B.
Students should note that not all focus sequence classes will be offered every year and courses are subject to change.
Civil Structures Focus Sequence
Video introduction to civil structures
Safety in buildings and built infrastructure, bridges, ports, and tunnels among various others, is of paramount importance in a community. Such structures have to resist extreme loads arising from wind and earthquakes, besides several occupancy, traffic loads, and self-weight. Students taking the Civil Infrastructure Focus Sequence will become acquainted with the latest tools to design buildings and bridges. A 2-course capstone sequence will provide students with methods for the design and testing of steel and reinforced concrete structures, leading to exciting professional job opportunities.
| Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | |
| First Year | Math 20E | SE 9 | SE 3 |
| SE 101A | SE 101B | SE 110B | |
| SE 1 | SE 110A | SE 105 | |
| GE | |||
| Second Year | SE 101C | SE 115 | SE 131A |
| SE 125 | SE 102 | SE 130B | |
| SE 130A | SE 103 | SE 150A | |
| Third Year | SE 131B | SE 140A | SE 140B |
| SE 181 | SE 151A | TE | |
| TE | TE | GE |
Aerospace Structures Focus Sequence
Video introduction to aerospace structures
Students in the Aerospace Structures Focus Sequence learn about key topics which are directly applicable to future employment in companies interested in high-performance structures; for example aerospace, automotive, transportation, and wind turbine/power generation. Course topics of aircraft structure design and analysis, composite materials, and joining of composites, are all applied in an intense senior capstone design 2-course sequence in which students design, analyze, build, and test an unmanned aircraft wing structure.
| Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | |
| First Year | Math 20E | SE 9 | SE 3 |
| SE 101A | SE 101B | SE 110B | |
| SE 1 | SE 110A | SE 105* | |
| GE | |||
| Second Year | SE 101C | SE 115 | SE 131A |
| SE 125 | SE 102 | SE 130B | |
| SE 130A | SE 160A* | SE 160B* | |
| Third Year | SE 131B | SE 143A | SE 143B |
| SE 142 | SE 171 | TE | |
| TE | TE | GE |
Note: *Students must complete SE 105 before enrolling in SE 160A and must complete SE 160A and SE 160B before enrolling in SE 143A.
Geotechnical Engineering Focus Sequence
Video introduction on geotechnical engineering
The geotechnical focus sequence provides students with an in an introduction to soil mechanics and its application to the design of underground structures like foundations, retaining walls, tunnels, landfills, bridge abutments, and pavements. Students will be able to sample and classify soils and then perform experiments and analyses to interpret the compressibility, hydraulic conductivity, and shear strength of soils, all of which are needed to write and interpret a geotechnical report. Design topics include shallow and deep foundations, slopes, and retaining walls. Students will learn to apply techniques to improve and reinforce soils.
| Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | |
| First Year | Math 20E | SE 9 | SE 3 |
| SE 101A | SE 101B | SE 110B | |
| SE 1 | SE 110A | SE 105 | |
| GE | |||
| Second Year | SE 101C | SE 115 | SE 131A |
| SE 125 | SE 102 | SE 130B | |
| SE 130A | SE 103* (TE) | SE 150A* (TE) | |
| Third Year | SE 131B | SE 140A | SE 140B |
| SE 181** | SE 182** | SE 184** | |
| TE | SE 151A | GE |
*Since SE 151A has SE 103 as a prereq and SE 140A has SE 150A as a prereq, students should plan to take SE 103 and SE 150A as TE classes in their second year.
**SE 181, SE 182, and SE 184 can be taken in sequence in your second year as long as the student has completed SE 110A.
Structural Health Monitoring/Non-Destructive Evaluation (SHM/NDE) Focus Sequence
Video introduction to structural health monitoring
The Structural Health Monitoring/Nondestructive Evaluation focus sequence introduces students to a broadly interdisciplinary paradigm that integrates sensing and data acquisition, signal processing and information analytics, and risk-informed decision-making for the purpose of performing monitoring of structures for optimal life cycle performance. Students engaged in this focus sequence will take courses in nondestructive testing techniques, sensor and data acquisition principles, damage detection/localization strategies, advanced modeling model/test correlation, and a capstone experience in the context of a small-team consultancy project. Students with this introductory background can enter multiple sectors including aerospace companies, civil design/retrofit firms, engineering service/consultancy companies, and US government laboratories, to just name just a few.
| Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | |
| First Year | Math 20E | SE 9 | SE 3 |
| SE 101A | SE 101B | SE 110B | |
| SE 1 | SE 110A | SE 105 | |
| GE | |||
| Second Year | SE 101C | SE 115 | SE 131A |
| SE 125 | SE 102 | SE 130B | |
| SE 130A | TE | SE 163 | |
| Third Year | SE 131B | SE 167* | SE 165 |
| SE 164 | TE | SE 168 | |
| TE | TE | GE |
Note: SE 165 is the capstone class for this sequence and students are required to take an additional TE (4 TEs total).
*SE 167 can be taken in your second year as long as the student has completed SE 101C.