Why the SEFEEC Was Formed

At one time, not all credits taken by transfer students in fulfillment of their Associate of Arts degree requirements would count toward the Bachelor's of Science in Engineering degree. In some cases, this was due to accreditation requirements, and in other cases it was because the lower and upper division institutions did not offer the same credit for equivalent courses.

In Florida, a statewide effort was undertaken in 1997 to identify common prerequisites for engineering programs. Community colleges and upper division institutions have now agreed upon a set of 48 lower division credits that will transfer into any engineering program in the state.

Since 1997, a working group has been established with members from Florida Atlantic University, Florida International University, Broward College, Indian River State College, Palm Beach Community College, and Miami-Dade College. Participants in this working group (SEFEEC) have included engineering faculty, math and physics faculty, articulation officers and other administrative personnel. This group has worked toward identifying appropriate sets of additional 12 credits to be taken at the community colleges that will count toward the AA degree and will transfer into the engineering program of choice of the student at either Florida Atlantic University or Florida International University. The group has also worked diligently to identify common contents for calculus courses and other lower division engineering math courses through its Calculus Content Coordinating Committee (C4). SEFEEC participants have also agreed on the content of an introduction to engineering course to be offered during the freshman year to most engineering students.

This regional web page has been developed by SEFEEC to assist students and advisors in selecting the proper courses for their desired curricula. For the first time in history, students who begin their engineering education at a participating community college and those who begin their education at the participating 4-year institutions will be experiencing the same amount of coursework. All courses required for the BSEng degrees at the lower division will also count toward the AA degree and all courses taken toward the AA degree, with the exception of deficiency courses, will count toward the BSEng degree, provided that the established programs are followed. In addition, for students who decide to change majors within engineering, a minimal loss of required coursework will result if the change is made during the first two years.