Structural Engineering - General Transfer Plan (ABET Accredited Program)
NOTE:
- Students have the option to remain as a SE27: BS in Structural Engineering major, or switch to a specialized Structural Engineering major: SE28, SE29, SE30, or SE31. SE27 is a Structural Engineering BS where students must complete the regular core requirements and follow a focus sequence in its entirety. The focus sequence they follow will not appear in their diploma. SE28: SE w/Spec Civil Struct, SE29: SE w/Spec Aerosp Struct, SE30: SE w/Spec Geotech Eng, and SE31: SE w/Spec HlthMon&NonDstEvl follow the same requirements as SE27, but the focus sequence students follow will appear on the diploma.
- Students are allotted ONE switch within the majors during their time at UC San Diego.
- SE course offerings are subject to change; SE courses are not guaranteed to be offered in Summer quarters. Please see the Course Offerings Page for details.
- Structural Engineering is a screening major effective Summer 2025. This means that non-SE students will have to complete the screening courses (with a C- or better) by a certain deadline to be admitted into the major. The screening major process, eligibility requirements, and timelines can be found on the Admissions page of our website. Transfer courses will be accepted so long as the student completed the course with a C- or better.
Transfer Courses via Petition
Some courses taken outside of UC San Diego may not have directly articulated to an SE class. Such common courses are as follows:
- Auto Cad and Solidworks (SE 3)
- MatLab (SE 9)
- Statics (SE 101A)
- Dynamics (SE 101B)
- Vibrations (SE 101C)
- Materials (SE 105)
- Solid Mechanics I or II (SE 110A or 110B)
Students are encouraged to submit a petition if it is arguable that the course taken outside of UC San Diego is equivalent to our SE course(s). SE course descriptions can be found in the SE Course Catalog for reference.
Refer to the Petition section in the Undergraduate Policies and Procedures Page on our website for instructions. Please submit one petition per request. Please also note that petition approval is not guaranteed.
Summer Session welcomes visiting students with Open Enrollment into summer courses. More information can be found on UC San Diego's Summer Session website. Please contact their office directly if there are any questions and/or concerns.
The plans below assumes previous completion of the following courses:
- CHEM 6A
- MATH 20ABCD, MATH 18
- PHYS 2ABC
- PHYS 2BL, PHYS 2CL
The Structural Engineering major typically requires a 9 quarter commitment to complete all SE major requirements (not including Summer quarters). Transfer plans may vary due to transfer credits, petitions, and/or Summer Session course offerings. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that admitted transfer students and those who are interested in applying to the Structural Engineering major through the screening major process discuss their interest with their college advisor and a Structural Engineering undergraduate advisor.
| Fall Quarter | Winter Quarter | Spring Quarter | |
| First Year | *Math 20E | SE 9 | SE 3 |
| SE 101A | SE 101B | SE 110B | |
| **SE 1 or TE | SE 110A | SE 105 | |
| GE | 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 |
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.
**If Statics (SE 101A) has been taken prior to entering UC San Diego (either by direct transfer coursework or through the petition process), transfer students are permitted to take an additional technical elective in place of SE 1. This means that a total of 4 technical electives will be taken.
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 or TE | SE 110A | SE 105 | |
| GE | 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 or TE | SE 110A | SE 105 | |
| GE | 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 |
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 or TE | SE 110A | SE 105 | |
| GE | 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 |
- ***Students must take SE 103 and SE 150A as technical elective classes in their second year because SE 151A has SE 103 as a prerequisite, and SE 140A has SE 150A as a prerequisite.
- ****SE 181, SE 182, and SE 184 can be taken in sequence in the second year as long as the student has completed SE 110A prior.
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 or TE | SE 110A | SE 105 | |
| GE | GE | ||
| Second Year | SE 101C | SE 102 | SE 131A |
| SE 125 | SE 115 | SE 130B | |
| SE 130A | SE 164 | ***SE 165 | |
| Third Year | SE 131B | *****SE 167 | SE 168 |
| ****SE 163 | TE | TE | |
| TE | TE | GE |
- ***SE 165 is the capstone class for this sequence, and students are required to take an additional technical elective (4 technical electives total).
- ****SE 163 can be taken in the third year as long as the student has completed SE 110A prior.
- *****SE 167 can be taken in the third year as long as the student has completed SE 101C prior.