University of Virginia Library

ENGINEERING ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS

For admission to the Freshman Class in the Department of Engineering the
candidate must be at least sixteen years old. He must present a certificate of
honorable withdrawal from the school last attended, or other valid proof of
general good character. He must further satisfy the Dean of the Department
of Engineering as to his adequate preparation for the work by passing the Entrance
Examinations specified below or by the presentation of equivalent certificates
of preparation signed by an official of a recognized institution of collegiate
rank, or by the principal of an accredited public high school or of an
accredited private secondary school. An applicant for admission from outside
of Virginia may be required to supplement his application by an interview with
a representative of the University. The topics required for entrance and their
values in units are as follows, the unit being one year's work on the subject in
an accredited high school:

                     

English A—Grammar and Grammatical Analysis	1
English B.—Composition and Rhetoric	1
English C.—Critical study of Specimens of Literature	1
Mathematics A1.—Algebra to Quadratics	1
Mathematics A2.—Quadratics, Progressions, Binomial Formula	1
Mathematics B.—Plane Geometry	1
Mathematics C.—Solid Geometry	½
Mathematics D.—Plane Trigonometry	½
History.—Ancient; Medieval; English; American (any one)	1
Electives	7
Total	15

High school students who expect to study Engineering are advised to include
among their electives at least one Foreign Language (Latin or French or
German), one Science (Chemistry or Physics with adequate laboratory work)
and an additional unit of History. Other electives which may be profitably offered
are History of English and American Literature, Greek, Botany, Zoölogy,
Physical Geography.

Conditioned Students.—A candidate may be admitted as a Conditioned
Student in spite of some deficiencies in required entrance subjects, provided
these are not such as will impair the integrity of his work, but he must submit
not less than 15 units. No such candidate will be conditioned except upon subjects
actually taught in this University, nor will any candidate be conditioned
on more than 2 units; and all conditions must be absolved before the beginning
of the next session after initial registration. Courses taken for the removal
of entrance conditions may in no case be counted as part of the work credited
for any degree. No conditions will be allowed in English A or B or in Mathematics
A1, A2, or B.

As the table of Entrance Requirements shows, the full High School course
in Mathematics is required for entrance to the Department of Engineering, but
unfortunately the graduates of the High Schools are often deficient in Solid
Geometry and Plane Trigonometry and can be admitted only upon conditions
in those subjects. High School principals are advised to urge their graduates,
with this status, to attend a Summer Session at the University before entering
the Department of Engineering so that these deficiencies may be overcome. If
the prospective student finds it impossible to attend a Summer School previous
to his regular matriculation, a course has been planned which will allow him to
make up his deficiencies by taking work in the Summer School following his
first year in Engineering. This course provides for Trigonometry, Solid Geometry
and College Algebra in the three terms of the regular session, with the
other work as outlined for the regular student, and in addition, in the two terms
of the Summer School, Analytical and Coördinate Geometry are taken. Such a
program will prepare the student for Sophomore standing and will save him
from the failure usually encountered by students who attempt to make up the
deficient work in regular session in addition to the full course of required
subjects.

Special Students.—A candidate may be admitted as a Special Student,
without formal examination, provided he is more than twenty years old if a
Virginian and not less than twenty-three years old if a non-Virginian, and gives
evidence of serious purpose and of fitness to pursue with profit the course for
which he is registered. No special student may be a candidate for any degree.
No conditioned student may register later as a special student.