Minimum Academic Preparation Standards (MAPS)
All students entering the University of Colorado who finished high school in the spring of 1988 or thereafter must meet Minimum Academic Preparation Standards specified by each school or college. The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences has adopted the following standards for admission. These standards are defined in high school units. A unit is one academic year of course work.
- English: 4 units
- Mathematics: 4 units (including 2 algebra, 1 geometry, and 1 college prep, e.g., trigonometry)
- Natural Science: 3 units (including 1 unit in chemistry and 1 unit in physics)
- Social Science: 2 units
- Foreign Language: 2 units (must be in the same language)
Policies Concerning MAPS Deficiencies
Students who are admitted to the College of Engineering with a deficiency in one or more of the above categories are required to complete the appropriate courses through courses taken at CU-Boulder or other institutions of higher education or approved credit-by-examination programs prior to their graduation from college.The policies of the Boulder campus with respect to completing MAPS course work after enrollment are as follows:
- Appropriate missing MAPS course work is included in the hours for graduation.
- All course work toward fulfillment of the MAPS must be taken for a letter grade.
- Students are required to enroll in and complete at least one MAPS
course each term, beginning in the first term of enrollment, until
such time as all MAPS are completed. This policy applies to new
freshmen, to transfer students, and to students transferring from
other academic units on the Boulder campus and from other campuses
of the University. Failure to comply with this requirement may
result in suspension at the end of the term in which the student
ceases to complete missing MAPS units.
- All students who first enroll in one academic unit at CU-Boulder
and who subsequently transfer to another unit are required to meet
the MAPS specified for the new unit, irrespective of their completion
of MAPS units in their previous college or school.
- Students in double-degree programs must meet MAPS requirements
of both degree-granting units.
- Students must consult with a CU-Boulder academic advisor (or read
their college's academic survival guide) to determine which specific
courses may be used to meet a MAPS requirement.
- Students who graduate from a foreign high school are exempt from MAPS.
