Understanding Major GPA: What it is and How to Calculate It

[jbusc]

I hear all the time on here about "major GPA" and how it's just as or more important as cumulative GPA. I'm kind of confused though what people mean by it - cumulative GPA is easy since you count all classes you've taken in college. But major GPA could be:

1. Only classes in your major department (say, for me, EE)
2. Only non-GE classes required for the major (including, say, calc 3, but not including the EE elective that counted only for unit credit)
3. a combo of 1 and 2 (all classes in your home department plus all outside non-GE requirements like math and physics)
4. All "technical" classes (all math, physics, and engineering courses taken, regardless of if they're required or not)
5. Something entirely different?!

I would think it would be 4 (or possibly 3) but I just have no clue. My university doesn't define "major GPA" (they do define "department GPA", we have to make a 2.0 both in all classes as well as all classes in the home department)

So, how do you do it? :)

 

[Cyrus]

Majore GPA is all the courses required by your department. So yes, it would be all EE courses for you. In major GPA is the one that really counts.

Over here we have a list of all classe you have to take, and its broken down as follows:

'Core General Education Program' and 'Major Requirements'.

This is to prevent people from taking lots of liberal arts classes and getting a 3.9, when their in major GPA is really something bogus like a 3.3.

Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Curriculum
123 Credits

University CORE Program 27 Credits
Humanities & Social Sciences

Basic Science Requirements 30 Credits
CHEM 135 General Chemistry
PHYS 161 General Physics I
PHYS 260 General Physics II
PHYS 270 General Physics III
MATH 140 Calculus I
MATH 141 Calculus II
MATH 241 Calculus III
MATH 246 Differential Equations

Engineering Science Requirements 12 Credits
ENES 100 Introduction to Engineering Design
ENES 102 Statics
ENES 220 Mechanics of Materials
ENES 221 Dynamics

Major Requirements 54 Credits
ENME 232 Thermodynamics
ENME 271 Introduction to MATLAB
ENME 331 Fluid Mechanics
ENME 332 Transfer Processes
ENME 350 Electronics & Instrumentation I
ENME 351 Electronics & Instrumentation II
ENME 361 Vibrations, Controls, & Optimization I
ENME 371 Product Engineering & Manufacturing
ENME 382 Engineering Materials & Manufacturing Processes
ENME 392 Statistical Methods for Product & Process Development
ENME 462 Vibrations, Controls, & Optimization II
ENME 472 Integrated Product & Process Development II
ENME 4XX Technical Elective
ENME 4XX Technical Elective
ENME 4XX Technical Elective
ENME 4XX Technical Elective
ENME 4XX Technical Elective
ENME 4XX Technical Elective

 

[JSBeckton]

Majore GPA is all the courses required by your department. So yes, it would be all EE courses for you. In major GPA is the one that really counts.

Over here we have a list of all classe you have to take, and its broken down as follows:

'Core General Education Program' and 'Major Requirements'.

This is to prevent people from taking lots of liberal arts classes and getting a 3.9, when their in major GPA is really something bogus like a 3.3.

No Linear Lagebra?

 

[Cyrus]

Well, if you want to take it as an elective at the 400 level, then it would count.

 

[Bitter]

Do you go to the uni of Maryland?