Prerequisites
Prior Credit
Prerequisites for Mech 2
The prerequisites for Mech 2 are: All of MATH 101, MATH 152, PHYS 170 and PHYS 153, and one of APSC 150, APSC 151.
Although ENGL 112 is indicated on the UBC Calendar as a corequisite for Mech 220 and 221, any first year English course or APSC 176 will satisfy the prerequisite requirements for APSC 201. You may take any course that meets these prerequisite English requirements for APSC 201. We strongly encourage students to take their English requirement in first year or during the summer prior to commencing with their Mech 2 workload.
In most cases, students missing prerequisite courses will not be allowed to continue in Mech 2. With special permission, some students may be allowed to take their Mech 2 courses and one of the required prerequisite course at the same time. In general, students deficient in more than one course will be asked to complete those courses and enter into Mech 2 the following year. In this case, students are encouraged to complete several complementary studies electives while completing the prerequisites. Information for some common missing courses is outlined below; contact the Undergraduate Affairs Office for further details.
Information for Students Missing Physics 170
PHYS 170 is a core subject in first year engineering at UBC and the material is very important for mechanical engineers in general. Many of the topics in Mech 2 build on the foundation provided by PHYS 170. Some students transferring from other schools or programs may not yet have this course. If you are missing PHYS 170, please:
- Identify yourself to the Undergraduate Affairs Office immediately
- Register for the summer session of PHYS 170 in another institution if possible;
To check the course status of PHYS 170, including dates, times, and seats remaining, please refer to the student services course information .
Information for Students Missing their English Requirements
Any first year English course or APSC 176 will satisfy the prerequisite requirements for APSC 201 (Technical Communications). Although ENGL 112 is also listed as a corequisite for Mech 220 and 221, students are expected to complete their English requirement before entering Mech 2. Remember, this English requirement is any course that is a prerequisite for APSC 201: any first year English course or APSC 176. For those without their English requirement at the end of first year, it can be taken as a summer course at UBC.
With special permission, students MAY be allowed to enter into Mech 2 without their English requirement – if permission is granted, those students should use the following procedure:
- Promptly identify themselves to the Undergraduate Affairs Office.
- If permitted, students should register for one of the 12-1pm MWF sections of ENGL 112 in first term. If no section is available, students should register for one of the waitlists for 12-1pm MWF.
Unless students successfully complete ENGL 112 (or an equivalent English course) in first term, they will not be able to register for APSC 201 for second term. Students in Mech 2 who are not enrolled in APSC 201 will still participate in most APSC 201 activities (other than exams and some assignments). Students will still attend lectures and tutorials for APSC 201 material, they will still submit formal reports and other documents, and they will still give oral presentations. Although they will not receive credit for APSC 201, these items will be used in generating the grade for MECH 223. Upon completion of Mech 2, the student will then register for APSC 201 in third year and complete the non-Mech 2 version of the course to satisfy graduation requirements.
Please also see “LPI requirements for Mech 2,” below.
LPI Requirements for Mech 2
The Language Proficiency Index (LPI) Exam is a standardized test of a student’s competency in English. Requirements for the LPI Exam can be found on the First Year English webpage and further information can be found here.
- A first year English course (or APSC 176) is a prerequisite for APSC 201; to be eligible to take any first year English course, you need an LPI score of 5 or higher. Students will fall into one of the following categories:
- English requirement has already been completed (most cases): registration in Mech 2 is unaffected
- English requirement has NOT been completed but an LPI Exam score of level 5 or higher has been earned: register for ENGL 112 in first term (see above for further information)
- English requirement has NOT been completed and an LPI Exam score of level 5 or higher has NOT been earned: The student is not eligible for a first year English course and therefore cannot meet the co-requisite requirements of MECH 220 and MECH 221. Student must complete LPI Exam with level 5 or higher score prior to the Term 1 LPI deadlines set by the English Department or wait until the following year to begin Mech 2.
Note that for international students, an LPI level 5 must be acheived prior to the start of MECH 220 (even though the LPI deadline is for international students is several days after the start of Mech 2.)
For further information about the LPI Exam requirements for First Year English courses, please contact the UBC First Year English Program.
Taking Math or APSC 201 Prior to Mech 2
When you register for Mech 2, you select a Standard Timetable (STT) that contains all of your courses, including MATH 253, and MATH 256. If you already have credit for one or more of these courses, you may drop them after registering for your STT, but you will still be responsible for the material within Mech 2 (see below) .
Taking APSC 201 Prior to Mech 2
In the case of APSC 201, if you drop the course you will be responsible for this material within the MECH 223 design projects and you (and your team) will still submit formal reports and give oral presentations as part of your project work. You will not be charged for APSC 201 tuition, you are not required to attend the APSC 201 tutorials and you will not be permitted to write the APSC 201 exams.
Taking Math 253 and/ or 256 Prior to Mech 2
For MATH 253 and/or MATH 256, if you already have credit and you chose to drop the course(s), you will still be responsible for this material in MECH 221 and MECH 222 (in labs, computer labs, problem sets, and exams). You will be examined on the math content and it will count towards your course grade (the corresponding MATH and MECH course grades are identical). The only difference will be that the MATH course will not show up on your transcript so you will earn fewer credits on the year, which will in turn reduce your tutition somewhat. There are some courses that are considered equivalent to MATH 253 and MATH 256; for more information, please speak with Engineering Student Services or the Undergraduate Affairs Office.
