ENME202 Credit by Exam

The Department of Mechanical Engineering will be offering eligible students the opportunity to receive credit by exam for ENME202, Computing Fundamentals for Engineers. Credit by exam allows students to earn college credit by demonstrating mastery of a course’s material through a formal examination, rather than completing the course in a traditional classroom setting. This option is available to students who have prior knowledge or experience in the subject and can prove their competency through a departmental or standardized exam. 

Below is the information about eligibility, timing, and the administrative process.  Please note that the exam will be offered ONE time before the spring 2026 semester, on January 22nd, 2026 at 1pm, no other dates are planned.  Additionally, we will only accept applications until close of business on January 8th, 2026.  If you have any questions about this opportunity, you can reach out to directly to your advisor.

Course Description:

ENME202 covers fundamentals of computing relevant to engineering applications using MATLAB and Python programming languages. Topics include algorithm development, data types, control structures, numerical methods, and data visualization.

Next Exam Date: January 22nd 2026 at 1pm

  • Students must be formally admitted and currently registered at the University of Maryland, College Park.
  • Student must not have been enrolled in ENME202/ENAE202 past the schedule adjustment period, even with a W.
  • Students may attempt the credit-by-exam only if they have not already received a grade for this course or equivalent content at UMD.
  • Students must have completed at least 12 credits at UMD with a GPA of 2.0 or higher (first-semester students exempted).
  • All course prerequisites must be completed (MATH141), or the student must obtain written approval from the Department Chair and the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost.
  • Credit-by-exam cannot be used for the final 30 credits of a student’s degree without the Provost’s approval. No more than 6 credits by examination may be counted within those 30 credits.
  • Complete the Credit-by-Exam Application Form  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-CjufWKd2Ic_l1Xiyr8ruFIR_r8gybxB/view?usp=sharing.
  • Complete Section I with your personal and contact information. For course info, fill in:
    – Course Prefix and Number: ENME202
    – Department: Mechanical Engineering
    – Semester Hours of Credit: 3
    – Grade Option: Regular (unless it satisfies an elective)
  • Justification: Provide a detailed explanation of how you acquired the course knowledge and attach any supporting materials.
    Examples:
    – Completion of a similar course at another institution (attach syllabus/ transcript).
    – Self-study and verified project work in MATLAB or Python.
    – Internship or professional experience involving algorithmic coding and engineering computation.

The exam will be a comprehensive, proctored assessment covering all ENME202 topics. A full list of course topics is can be referenced here. For further specifics on the content, visit https://github.com/ddevoe-umd/enme202

Format: Mix of written code, short-answer conceptual questions, and debugging/code interpretation.

Duration: 2–3 hours

Grading: After completing the exam, the student has the option to decline to submit it for grading. If the student selects not to submit the exam, no score will appear on the official transcript. If you believe you performed poorly, it might be advisable not to submit the exam; submitting it will result in receiving a grade.

Upon departmental approval, the student will:
1. Submit a $30 payment via check to Student Financial Services (Lee Building). This is non-refundable, even if the student withdraws from taking the credit-by exam.
2. Payment of the exam fee must be made prior to sitting for the exam. Email the scanned payment receipt along with the approved form one week before the exam to the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Office (enmeundergrad@umd.edu). The original approval form and receipt must be brought with you to the examination.

After completing the exam, the result will be disclosed to the student before grade submission:

Students can accept or decline the grade:
– If accepted, a regular letter grade appears on the transcript and counts toward GPA
(minimum passing grade: C-).
– If a student elects not to have the grade posted, a grade of W will be recorded.  No
course may be attempted more than once using credit-by-exam.

Students must accept or decline the grade within two weeks of receiving it, or a W will be recorded.
– Exam materials (questions and student responses) will be filed by the department per the university records retention policy.