Variable Unit Courses

Earn Variable Units Towards Your Degree

Earn academic credit for club involvement, research experience or internships through Civil and Environmental Engineering variable unit courses. Choose the option below that matches your experience to learn eligibility, enrollment steps and degree applicability.

Student Clubs

ECI 198 (Upper Division) | ECI 098 (Lower Division)

Participate in approved engineering clubs through leadership, competition teams or significant project involvement. Not all clubs offer units.

Degree Credit

✅ Upper-division ECI 198 units may count toward major electives
⚠️ Lower-division ECI 098 units do not count toward major requirements

Eligibility

  • Upper-division students may earn upper-division variable units
  • Students may apply up to 6 combined ECI 198/199 units toward major electives

How to Enroll

  1. Confirm your participation before the quarter begins.
  2. Submit a Variable Unit Form (or Bulk Variable Unit Sheet) by the 10th day of instruction to [email protected].
  3. Receive your CRN by email and register through Schedule Builder.
  4. Register for the appropriate number of units (1 unit = 3 hours/week).

Download Variable Unit Form  Download Bulk Variable Unit Sheet

Research Involvement

ECI 199 (Upper Division) | ECI 099 (Lower Division)

Students may earn variable units (1-5 per quarter) for participating in a research lab or serving as a research assistant. It is recommended to begin this process before the start of the quarter you intend to earn units.

Degree Credit

✅ Upper-division ECI 199 units may count toward major electives
⚠️ Lower-division ECI 099 units do not count toward major requirements

Eligibility

  • Upper-division students may earn upper-division variable units
  • Students may apply up to 6 combined ECI 198/199 units toward major electives

How to Enroll

  1. Confirm your participation before the quarter begins.
  2. Submit a Variable Unit Form (or Bulk Variable Unit Sheet) by the 10th day of instruction to [email protected].
  3. Receive your CRN by email and register through Schedule Builder.
  4. Register for the appropriate number of units (1 unit = 3 hours/week).

Download Variable Unit Form  Download Bulk Variable Unit Sheet

Internship Experience

ECI 192 (Upper Division) | ECI 092 (Lower Division)

Receive academic credit for an approved off-campus internship related to Civil Engineering.

Degree Credit

⚠️ ECI 192/092 units do not count toward major elective requirements
⚠️ Upper-division ECI 192 units may satisfy the Career Development Competency but do not count toward major requirements
✅ Units contribute toward Minimum Progress requirements and may be required for Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for international students

International Students

If your internship requires Curricular Practical Training (CPT), complete the following steps:

  1. Submit a CPT Form through SISS iGlobal.
  2. If you do not have an assigned faculty advisor, no email confirmation is needed. If you have an assigned faculty advisor:
    • Email [email protected] to confirm you have submitted your CPT form.
    • Include the name of your assigned faculty advisor.
  3. After CPT approval, you will receive a unique CRN to enroll under your assigned faculty advisor through Schedule Builder.

Domestic Students

Students completing a summer internship should:

  • Register for 1 unit of credit during the following Fall Quarter after completing the internship.
  • Follow the enrollment steps below if you do not have an assigned faculty advisor.
  • Submit your required final report to the faculty member assigned by the department by the end of the quarter.

Students completing an internship during the academic year should:

  • Register for 1 unit of credit during the quarter in which the internship ends.
  • Follow the enrollment steps below if you do not have an assigned faculty advisor.
  • Submit your required final report to the faculty member assigned by the department by the end of the quarter.

How to Enroll

  1. Submit a Variable Unit Form before the 10th day of instruction.

  2. Complete the form based on your faculty advisor status:

    If you have an assigned faculty advisor, complete the form with your advisor. They will provide assignment required to earn a passing grade.

    If you do not have an assigned faculty advisor, complete the following sections of the form:

    - Student information
    - Quarter and year
    - Internship topic/title
    - Internship plan
    - Under Grading, enter: “1–2 page final report (font size 12)”
    - Circle the appropriate unit type at the top of the form and leave remaining faculty sections blank.

    The department will assign a faculty member who will receive your final report before finals week.

  3. Email your completed form to [email protected].

    - If you do not have a faculty advisor, state: “I do not have an assigned faculty member”
    in your email.

  4. Wait for your CRN to be provided.
  5. Register through Schedule Builder before the 12th day of instruction.

Download Variable Unit Form