Skip To Main Content
Banner of Elcentro Terms and Conditions page

Requirements

Engineering students in the Engineering Academy program:

  • Are required to meet the Texas A&M College of Engineering Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. Detailed information can be found on the BYOD webpage.
  • Enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester. Two-three credit hours are Texas A&M engineering courses taught by College of Engineering faculty in the Center for Design on the El Centro campus. The remaining credit hours will be offered through Dallas College. The math, science and engineering courses are arranged in a cohort format. Students in the Engineering Academy are required to register for the cohort courses.
Example First Year Schedule (Students Starting in Calculus I and Above)
Fall Spring
Dallas College: Math Course (4 Credits) Dallas College: Math Course (4 Credits)
Dallas College: Science Course (4 Credits) Dallas College: Science Course (4 Credits)
Dallas College: Core Curriculum (3 Credits) Dallas College: Core Curriculum (3 Credits)
Texas A&M: ENGR 102 (2 Credits) Texas A&M: ENGR 216 (2 Credits)
Texas A&M: CLEN 181 (0 Credits)
  • May enroll in a total of seven credit hours through Texas A&M and a total of seven credit hours through the Dallas College during the summer.
  • Who drop to zero hours at Texas A&M are withdrawn and forfeit all Texas A&M student privileges for the remainder of the term (i.e., use of campus support services, student discounts, sports tickets, etc.). Unless otherwise prohibited, students may continue in the academy the subsequent semester pending Texas A&M course availability and prerequisites.
  • Work with Dallas College advisors and Texas A&M engineering advisors to enroll in courses appropriate for the student’s preferred major at Texas A&M. Other courses may not be counted toward meeting the minimum required hours.
  • Must complete the required calculus sequence through Dallas College for the engineering major to which they’re admitted prior to beginning full-time enrollment at Texas A&M.
  • Who transition full time to Texas A&M prior to completion of their associate degree, must apply (upon eligibility) for reverse articulation to receive their associate degree from Dallas College.

GPA Calculation

Texas A&M will calculate the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) at each institution based on the courses taken by the student at that institution. Grades for all transferable courses earned at each institution will be used in the computation of the CGPA for that institution including failing and incomplete grades and repeated courses.

Note that any transferable credits earned through institutions other than Dallas College or Texas A&M prior to entry into the program will count toward the community college credit requirement only; grades received for these credits will not count toward the Dallas College CGPA requirement. Once a student has entered the program, all credits must be earned at Texas A&M and Dallas College if they are to be used to satisfy program completion requirements. Any credit by examination received through Texas A&M before the start of the program will count toward the Dallas College credit requirement.

Removal from the Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Dallas College

An engineering student removed from the academy program for either academic or disciplinary reasons will not be allowed to continue enrollment nor be guaranteed admission to Texas A&M. Continued enrollment at Dallas College will be at the discretion of college district officials.

Pathways to full admission to a degree-granting major in the College of Engineering

Entry to a major: The primary pathway to a degree-granting major in the College of Engineering is the entry-to-a-major process. Engineering students in the Engineering Academy program are strongly encouraged to apply to a degree-granting major as early as possible upon meeting the following two eligibility requirements:

  1. Must be in good academic standing in the Engineering Academy program, which implies a CGPA of at least 2.0 at TAMU and 2.5 at the partner community college, and
  2. Complete at least two math, two science and two engineering courses.

Students who complete the required coursework and earn a 3.75 CGPA or higher at each institution will have guaranteed entry to one of their top choices of engineering major after the required Entry to a Major (ETAM) coursework is completed. Detailed information can be found on the Engineering Academy Entry to a Major webpage

Upon entry to a degree-granting major in the College of Engineering, an engineering student in the Engineering Academy program may choose to remain coenrolled at the Alamo Colleges District until the completion of the two-year program or decide to attend Texas A&M University full time and use reverse articulation to complete the two-year degree. Engineering students remaining at the two-year institutions after being granted entry to a major will be advised by the advisor in the degree-granting major as well as the engineering academy advisor.

Program Completion: Engineering students in the academy program who do not meet the entry-to-a-major application requirements can still secure full admission to Texas A&M by satisfying program completion requirements. In particular, students must meet the following requirements by the end of the first summer session following the second year of enrollment in the academy program:

  • completion of at least 50 transferable hours from Dallas College with a minimum CGPA of 2.5
  • completion of at least nine hours of engineering coursework from Texas A&M with a minimum CGPA of 2.5

Upon successful completion, students can apply for a change of curriculum into a degree-granting major at Texas A&M. Advisors for the Engineering Academy program will help engineering students identify majors in or outside the College of Engineering that are suitable for their academic goals and CGPA competitiveness.