Carnegie Mellon University

Academic Services Center

The Academic Services Center (ASC) is the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering’s home for course and lab support. ECE is the largest academic department on campus, with roughly 90 course offerings per semester in multiple campus locations. ECE is also home to seven course-facing lab facilities, offering students access to cutting-edge equipment. The ASC facilitates course scheduling and delivery from creation to submission of final grades.

Course Support


The ASC is a one-stop shop for course support each term. The academic services coordinator contact for course support in Pittsburgh is Cassie Pfannenstiel. This person will also liaise for needs in Silicon Valley.

Professors (in Pittsburgh) may instruct you to pick up or drop off coursework from us during our office hours. We look forward to seeing you, and always remember to bring your student ID!

Homework and other coursework is kept during the term in question. Final exams are kept for one year.

You may send any printing/copying or grade submission requests to ece-asc@andrew.cmu.edu. Please contact the academic services coordinator for incidental requests (e.g., room reservations for grading meetings). Feel free to stop by, or contact us as needed!

If you are interested in proposing a NEW course or updating the information for an existing course (e.g., title, description, prerequisites), please contact the director of advising & academic services. For further course support needs, see additional services.

Course Scheduling


The course scheduling process begins during the prior term: in fall for spring offerings and in spring for fall offerings.

The official schedule of classes will go live for your planning purposes a few weeks prior to the start of registration. Typically, this means in late October for spring offerings and late March for fall offerings. A historical listing of offerings in all locations can also be viewed here: https://courses.ece.cmu.edu/. Registration planning should be done in conjunction with your academic advisor.
In conjunction with the associate department head, the director of advising & academic services will contact you soon after each term's Add Deadline to provide scheduling information for the upcoming term for your review and input. It is extremely important to discuss any changes at that time.

Waitlist Management

The Academic Services Center manages waitlists for all ECE (18-XXX) courses, in all locations. ECE undergraduate students are prioritized in all ECE undergraduate courses, and ECE graduate students are prioritized in all ECE graduate courses. Waitlist clearing is primarily a manual process that is ongoing from the beginning of registration through the Add Deadline for each term. Course waitlists may accrue for a variety of reasons: students are waitlisted who do not receive priority in ECE courses, students are waitlisted who have scheduling and/or max unit conflicts, students are waitlisted when a course is full, etc.

If you would like further information about the likelihood of clearing an ECE (18-XXX) waitlist, feel free to inquire at ece-waitlists@andrew.cmu.edu. This will not change the likelihood of being enrolled one way or another.

Note that professors and academic advisors do NOT manage ECE waitlists

If you are on a waitlist for a course, and enrolling would create a scheduling and/or max unit conflict, then if you clear the waitlist you will receive a timed invitation via email to resolve the conflict(s) and enroll in the course. The invitation window shrinks as the Add Deadline approaches, to a minimum of 24 hours. It is very important to monitor your university email at all times.

You may be on a maximum of five waitlists at any given time. Registration planning (including alternatives for waitlisted courses) should be discussed with your academic advisor.

Feel free to direct student waitlist inquiries to ece-waitlists@andrew.cmu.eduAll ECE waitlists will be cleared on an ongoing basis through the Add Deadline, up to the max enrollment stated in S3 and according to departmental priorities. Waitlists cannot be reordered. If you have questions or concerns about enrollment, please feel free to contact the director of advising & academic services.

Teaching Assistants

ECE hires on average over 250 teaching assistants every term across Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley. TAs are often an integral part of successful course delivery. All TA hiring is managed through the application system TAPS. Further information is also available on the TA webpage: https://www.ece.cmu.edu/insider/teaching-opportunities.html

The academic services coordinator contact for TAs is Stephanie Bolla.

*TAs are hired separately for courses in Kigali.

The TA application system (TAPS), is turned on for all ECE courses in Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley around the time of registration for the upcoming term. You will be notified of this by the academic services coordinator. Students are encouraged to speak with the instructors of the course(s) they are interested in working for, but student applications in TAPS are a necessary first step in the hiring process. Students may submit applications for up to three courses.

*If you have NOT been hired in TAPS, you have NOT BEEN HIRED.* This is equally true for doctoral students doing TI credits.

The TA application system (TAPS) is turned on for all ECE courses in Pittsburgh and Silicon Valley around the time of registration for the upcoming term. You will be notified of this by the academic services coordinator. The typical TA-to-student ratio is one TA per 15–20 students. In order to select a TA applicant, click "Request" within TAPS, and the academic services coordinator will then be able to extend an offer. 

If you hire a TI (teaching intern, or a doctoral student receiving credit), you will be expected to provide a letter grade at the end of the term.

If you are interested in having a doctoral student support your course who has already completed both TI requirements, the student is in "TI+" status, and departmental approval must be sought. Please contact the director of advising & academic services in such cases.

Lab Services

ECE has a number of course-facing lab spaces in Pittsburgh, managed by ECE Lab Specialist Quinn Hagerty

If you are a student and/or TA in a lab course, please promptly notify the ECE lab specialist about any equipment issues. It is everyone's responsibility to use the labs respectfully, avoid food and drink, and put everything back as it is found.

If you have, or are interested in adding, a lab component for your course, please work with the ECE lab specialist to determine the best options and place any parts/equipment orders. When using the labs, please promptly notify the ECE lab specialist about any equipment issues.

 

Lab Spaces

Come check out our newly remodeled Hamerschlag 1300 wing and A-level labs!

Hamerschlag Hall 1300 Wing


acs-lab-1305.jpg This lab is equipped with 30 workstations running the Linux OS.

 

acs-lab-1307.png This lab features 12 mobile butcher block tables for lab work and project construction. This lab is equipped with soldering irons, tools and a wire rack. Test equipment is available upon request and will be on a mobile cart equipped with power outlets.

Hamerschlag Hall A-Level

 

acs-lab-A101.jpg This lab features 16 work benches, each with a workstation. These benches are on the wall of the lab in order to make the lab feel like an open environment to work in. The OS for the workstations is typically Linux during fall semester and Windows during the spring semester. Test equipment is available upon request and when requested will be installed on the workbenches. Four tables in the middle of the room allow for group meetings.

 

acs-lab-A104.jpg This lab features 12 mobile butcher block tables for lab work and project construction. This lab is equipped with soldering irons, tools and a wire rack. Test equipment is available upon request and will be on a mobile cart equipped with power outlets.

Hamerschlag Hall C-Level

C103.jpg
TechSpark is Carnegie Mellon University’s focal point for technological innovation. This facility provides equipment for rapid prototyping of designs from idea to reality. It is a community space available to current students, faculty, and staff of the College of Engineering and their collaborators across campus. Learn more here.

ANSYS

ANSYS_101.jpg

Prospective Student Tours

We are excited to offer our student tour guide program for prospective undergraduate students interested in electrical and computer engineering. This in-person tour will allow visitors to explore the beautiful Hamerschlag Hall as well as additional student spaces. During this 45-minute to 1-hour walking tour, visitors will get an insider's perspective on undergraduate student life while seeing new laboratories and learning about the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Click here to schedule a tour.

Become a Tour Guide

Are you interested in becoming a tour guide and showing visitors around ECE spaces? Looking for a fun job where you can share your experience with prospective students and their families? We encourage you to apply!

Check if there is an open position on Handshake, or reach out to Stephanie Bolla for more information.

 


Resources for Students

FAQs for Students

Please note that auditing a course is not an alternative to registration. Rather, auditing is an alternative grading option for registered students.

If you wish to audit a course for which you are registered, please contact your academic advisor to submit the appropriate paperwork.

Final exams offered during the official final exam week are scheduled by the Registrar's Office in Pittsburgh. The Registrar's Office optimizes the final exam schedule to ensure minimal-to-no student conflicts. The schedule is published here, around the middle of each term: https://www.cmu.edu/es/grading-and-exams/index.html (PDF along the right-hand side).

Students are expected to wait to make end-of-term travel arrangements until the final exam schedule has posted. If you have a conflict, please follow the guidelines provided here: https://www.cmu.edu/es/grading-and-exams/conflict.html.

The Academic Services Center used to be called the "Course Hub." We are no longer using that name to avoid confusion with the HUB. If you are directed to pick up graded work, etc. from the "Course Hub," that is really the Academic Services Center in HH 1113!

Resources for Faculty

  • FAQs for Faculty

All information about your course offering(s) each term is available in the university's S3  system.

Please note that auditing a course is not an alternative to registration. Rather, auditing is an alternative grading option for registered students.

Any registered student who wishes to audit your course should be directed to their academic advisor to begin the necessary paperwork.

Missing/Change of Grade forms are housed in S3 in either printable or editable versions under Registrar > Faculty Course & Grade Info. Once filled out, these are sent to the Registrar's Office for processing. Feel free to contact the ASC with questions.

All university grading policies, including details for Incomplete grades, are available on this page: https://www.cmu.edu/policies/student-and-student-life/grading.html

The university also provides an Incomplete Grade Agreement form which all faculty are encouraged to utilize in agreeing to grant an Incomplete and in setting expectations for its completion.

Of note is the expectation that the student's work to date has been "of passing quality." Furthermore: "In awarding an I grade, an instructor must specify the requirements for completing the work and designate a default letter grade where no further work is submitted. Students must complete the required course work no later than the end of the following academic semester, or sooner if required by prior agreement."

Instructors should request course pages through the CMU Canvas website and can reach out to the ASC for assistance as needed. The ASC team will have access to all ECE Canvas pages, so we may perform various administrative functions.

This document provides additional instructions that may be useful, especially if you have cross-listed or broadcasted sections: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iev0Ohd7wyzzkQHl4PPW-8NhpBRexZ60WzJMtPvDwUU/edit

Information for grade deadlines and adding proxy access will be sent to you every term by the Registrar's Office and academic services coordinator course support contact.

DIRECTIONS FOR ADDING PROXIES:

  1. Go to S3 (https://s3.as.cmu.edu/s3/)
  2. Click on the "Registrar" tab
  3. Click on the wheel at the far right of your course information
  4. Select "Add Proxy"
5. Enter Andrew ID(s)
All such changes require College Council approval. To initiate a request, please contact the associate department head for academic affairs and/or the manager of academic services.

Final exams offered during the official final exam week are scheduled by the Registrar's Office in Pittsburgh (thus impacting any broadcasted courses with Pittsburgh sections that need a final exam week slot). In order to request a final exam during final exam week, your course must be flagged accordingly in S3 at the beginning of the term. The Registrar's Office optimizes the final exam schedule to ensure minimal student conflicts.

The schedule is published here: https://www.cmu.edu/es/grading-and-exams/index.html (PDF along the right-hand side). A draft schedule will be provided before publishing for students to view, around the middle of each term. Once the days and times are thus finalized, rooms will be assigned and published before the end of the term.

Please contact the AV/DC team at avhelp@ece.cmu.edu.

If you are unable to get into HH 1107 or one of the ECE lab spaces, please email ece-asc@andrew.cmu.edu or stop into HH 1113.

For all other classrooms, campus police are the only ones who can assist. You are welcome to contact the ASC, or call campus police directly at 412-268-6232.