Undergraduate Admission | Structural Engineering

Structural Engineering will become a SCREENING MAJOR starting Summer 2025. Those who are not directly admitted into Structural Engineering will have to apply through the screening major process. Unlike with a selective major, all students who complete the screening courses and request to switch within the specified quarter limits will be allowed into the screened major. Requests are reviewed on a rolling basis as students submit the major change request through the Major/Minor Tool on TritonLink. More information can be found in the drop down menus below.

New Freshman Admission:

Students directly admitted into the Structural Engineering major are selected according to the UC San Diego Office of Undergraduate Admissions Holistic Review scores, taking into consideration the number of slots available in the Department of Structural Engineering. We encourage students who are interested in the many areas of structural engineering (civil structures, aerospace structures, geotechnical engineering, structural health monitoring) to list Structural Engineering as one of their two preferred majors on their UC San Diego application.

Structural Engineering features major specializations: SE28, SE29, SE30, and 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 with Specialization in Civil Structures, SE29: SE with Specialization in Aerospace Structures, SE30: SE with Specialization in Geotech Engineering, and SE31: SE with Specialization in Health Monitoring & Non-Destructive Evaluation follow the same requirements as SE27, but the focus sequence students follow will appear on the diploma.

Students not directly admitted as a Structural Engineering major must apply through the screening major process.

Screening Major Eligibility Requirements:

Overall UC San Diego GPA of 2.0 or above
C- or above all screening courses
- Screening courses:
  - MATH 20ABC
  - PHYS 2A
  - SE 101A
No outstanding grades for screening courses (e.g., Incompletes, pending Academic Integrity case, pending transfer credit, etc.)
Deadline to apply:
- Students who entered UC San Diego as First-Years must apply prior to the start of their 7th quarter at UC San Diego (Summer quarters not counted)

For more detailed information on UC San Diego’s application and admissions process, please visit http://admissions.ucsd.edu/freshmen/index.html.

New Transfer Admission:

Transfer students directly admitted into the Structural Engineering major are selected according to the UC San Diego Office of Undergraduate Admissions based on the students’ community college GPA and taking into consideration the number of slots available in the Department of Structural Engineering. We encourage students who are interested in the many areas of structural engineering (civil structures, aerospace structures, geotechnical engineering, structural health monitoring) to list Structural Engineering as one of their two preferred majors on their UC San Diego application.

Admitted Structural Engineering transfer students should have completed courses equivalent to UC San Diego’s Math 18, Math 20A-D; Physics 2A–C, 2BL, 2CL; and Chemistry 6A.

Transfer students not directly admitted as a Structural Engineering major must apply through the screening major process.

Screening Major Eligibility Requirements:

Overall UC San Diego GPA of 2.0 or above
C- or above all screening courses
- Screening courses:
  - MATH 20ABC*
  - PHYS 2A
  - SE 101A
No outstanding grades for screening courses (e.g., Incompletes, pending Academic Integrity case, pending transfer credit, etc.) Deadline to apply:
Deadline to apply:
- Students who entered UC San Diego as Transfers must apply prior to the start of their 3rd academic quarter (Summer quarters not counted)
*NOTE: The SE major requires a minimum of 9 quarters for transfer students to complete. Please refer to the Academic Plan for Transfers page for details. Please note that the Transfer plan assumes completion of MATH 20A-D, PHYS 2A-C, 2BL, 2CL; and CHEM 6A.

Admitted transfer students who believe they have taken course equivalents to SE courses may submit a petition. Please see the Policies and Procedures page on our website for the petition instructions.

For more detailed information on UC San Diego’s application and admissions process, please visit https://admissions.ucsd.edu/transfer/index.html.

Continuing Student Admission (Change of Major):

Continuing non-Structural Engineering students who wish to apply for the Structural Engineering major must apply through the screening major process.

Screening Major Eligibility Requirements:

Overall UC San Diego GPA of 2.0 or above
C- or above all screening courses
- Screening courses:
  - MATH 20ABC
  - PHYS 2A
  - SE 101A
No outstanding grades for screening courses (e.g., Incompletes, pending Academic Integrity case, pending transfer credit, etc.)
Deadline to apply:
- Students who entered UC San Diego as First-Years must apply prior to the start of their 7th quarter at UC San Diego (Summer quarters not counted)
- Students who entered UC San Diego as Transfers must apply prior to the start of their 3rd academic quarter (Summer quarters not counted)

UC San Diego students that have questions about transitioning to the SE major are encouraged to reach out to the SE Undergraduate Advisor early in their planning to ensure they are on track to be as successful as possible once in the program. Please contact the department via the Virtual Advising Center (VAC).

How to Change Your Major to Structural Engineering:

Students can apply to switch into Structural Engineering by using the Major/Minor Tool on TritonLink. Students with 150+ units will need to submit a quarter-by-quarter plan. Please allow a 2-3 week turnaround time for applications to be reviewed.