Special Studies Course (CENG 199/NANO 199)

CENG 199 and NANO 199: Independent Study for Undergraduates

CENG 199 or NANO 199, Independent Study for Undergraduates, offers qualified and motivated students the opportunity to work closely with faculty and graduate students and gain first hand experience in conducting research. Students may take CENG 199 (for CENG majors) or NANO 199 (for NANO majors) only under the guidance of a faculty member in the Department of NanoEngineering.

Students are expected to complete CENG 199 with a CENG affiliated faculty member or NANO 199 with a NANO affiliated faculty member. If you plan on completing CENG 199 or NANO 199 with a faculty advisor outside of the department, you must submit an undergraduate petition to receive chair approval and find a co-advisor in the NanoEngineering Department. The purpose of the co-advisor will be to confirm that the project scope is pertinent to either Chemical Engineering or NanoEngineering. It is the responsibility of the student to approach the faculty member about undergraduate research opportunities in their lab.

  • CENG 199. Independent Study for Undergraduates (4 & 4) Research project as equivalent to a "senior thesis" can be approved for two Technical Elective courses (eight units total). This course is taken as an elective on a P/NP basis. It must be done in consecutive quarters and the student must find a faculty member who will oversee the research project. Eligible students must have completed at least 90 units and must have a UC San Diego cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Detailed policy and procedures may be obtained from the Student Affairs Office. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.
  • NANO 199. Independent Study for Undergraduates (4 & 4) Research project as equivalent to a "senior thesis" can be approved for two NanoEngineering Elective courses (eight units total). This course is taken as an elective on a P/NP basis. It must be done in consecutive quarters and the student must find a faculty member who will oversee the research project. Eligible students must have completed at least 90 units and must have a UC San Diego cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Detailed policy and procedures may be obtained from the Student Affairs Office. Prerequisites: Consent of instructor.

HOW TO ENROLL IN CENG 199 or NANO 199

First Quarter
1. The student finds and discusses with a faculty member in the Department of NanoEngineering the possibility of a Special Studies project in the faculty member’s field of competence.
2. The student obtains a CENG 199 Contract or NANO 199 Contract from our website, and discusses with the faculty advisor the nature of the project, frequency of contact, prerequisite knowledge needed, and the means of evaluation, which is a graded final report. The contract also provides information about receiving credit for two Technical Electives (TEs) or NanoEngineering (NE) Electives upon completion of two consecutive quarters. The contract must be completed, approved, and processed prior to taking the 199.
3. After obtaining the faculty member’s concurrence on the topic and scope of the study, the student submits the following two forms online through the Enrollment Authorization System (EASy):

  • Special Studies course request (to request to enroll in the 199 course)
  • CENG 199 Contract or NANO 199 Contract form. The 199 Contract form must be uploaded and attached in the "Supporting Documents" field in EASy, along with the Special Studies course request.
    **Click here for instructions on how to submit a Special Studies request and upload documents in EASy**

4. After the request is approved by the faculty and Department Chair, the EASy system will pre-authorize the student to enroll in the 199 course. The student will be notified through email.
5. The student must enroll themself in the 199 course through WebReg. Enrollment is not automatic, so the student must check their schedule and confirm their enrollment in the 199 course.

Second Quarter
1. Prior to the start of the second quarter, the student submits another Special Studies Course request online through EASy. Click here for instructions on how to submit a Special Studies enrollment request.
2. After the request is approved by the faculty and Department Chair, the EASy system will pre-authorize the student to enroll in the 199 course. The student will be notified through email.
3. The student must enroll themself in the 199 course through WebReg. Enrollment is not automatic, so the student must check their schedule and confirm their enrollment in the 199 course.
4. As discussed previously with the faculty advisor, a required final report must be submitted at the completion of the second quarter. The 199 course is graded on a P/NP basis. For ABET accreditation purposes, the instructor will assign a letter grade on the final report.
5. After completion of the two quarters, the student will submit the following forms online:

6. The petition and final report will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Affairs Committee and Department Chair. If the petition and final report are approved, the student's degree audit will be updated to reflect credit for two TEs or NE Electives.

Quick links to websites and forms: