Engineering LEAP Plus

Pre-professional Learning for Underrepresented Students in Engineering

If you are coming to the University of Utah and are interested in studying for a career in engineering, then make your leap to the U of U with E-LEAP Plus!

Eligibility: The E-LEAP Plus Program is committed to the recruitment of diverse students, recognizing that a diverse student population enriches and benefits the academic, research and civic responsibilities of the institution and community. We therefore seek students from varied backgrounds including, but not limited to, racial and ethnic minority students, or those considered economically disadvantaged or socially and educationally underserved according to the following criteria:

Economically disadvantaged students come from families whose annual income is below the thresholds published in the Federal Register, DHHS. Please attach 2007 federal income tax forms, or 2006 forms if 2007 forms are not available.

Socially underserved students come from environments that inhibit (but do not prevent) them from obtaining the knowledge, skills and abilities required to enroll in and successfully complete an undergraduate course of study that could lead to a career in engineering. This includes, but may necessarily not be limited to, (1) students who are the first generation in their family entering college, (2) students limited by their community setting (rural, inner city, reservation), (3) students in foster care, or (4) students raised by a single or divorced parent.

Educationally underserved students are those that have been underachieving in school due to (1) standardized test score averages in their schools markedly below other institutions in the area, (2) coming from financially poor school districts, (3) a limited proficiency in English, (3) parents/adults in household not graduating from high school or having limited proficiency in English, (4) performances on standardized tests below national norms.

Application deadline: June 2, 2008

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact E-LEAP Plus Professor Seetha Veeraghanta at (801) 585-0612 and s.veeraghanta@leap.utah.edu or E-LEAP Plus Coordinator Dianne Leonard at (801) 585-7763 and dleonard@coe.utah.edu.

As a first-year participant in E-LEAP Plus, you will take courses with students who share similar career and educational goals and similar backgrounds. You will be able to develop a close relationship with your professor and a peer advisor, who will help you take advantage of the many enjoyable activities and programs the U offers.

First Year – In your first semester of the program, you take a class on ethics in engineering and evaluate the role of engineering in both local and global contexts. In the second semester, you take a LEAP Seminar in the Humanities and read the memoir of a successful engineer and other prominent American writers. These classes will fulfill your humanities and social sciences general education as well as the university diversity requirements. You may also elect to take a major explorations class, a library skills class, and a service-learning class.
Second Year – You hear guest lectures from engineering professionals in the field and shadow them in their work environments. From this experience, you will know first-hand how engineering experts think and work in different fields. You will also participate in a service learning project, learn to write a research proposal with an engineering faculty and learn to apply for competitive research funding.

E-LEAP Plus is a great way to start your college career and make you a more competitive applicant for the engineering profession. Plus, it’s a chance to find your place at the U, meet great people, and enjoy your college education. We are here to make sure you have the support and resources to succeed. E-LEAP Plus students will also be able to participate in activities of the wider LEAP Program, which enrolls one-fourth of the freshman class at the U, and interact with LEAP students from other colleges across campus.

Here's How You Apply

First, please make sure to apply for admission to the University of Utah. For information on how to apply to the U, visit www.utah.edu/future_students/.

Then, you will be eligible to the E-LEAP Plus Program by submitting (1) the attached Application Form, (2) a Personal Statement, one to two pages in length, in which you address your educational and career goals, (3) a copy of your High School Transcripts (unofficial transcripts accepted), and (4) names and contact information of Two References.

Submit by mail

E-LEAP Plus Program
c/o Dianne Leonard
College of Engineering, University of Utah
72 S. Central Campus Drive #1602
Salt Lake City UT 84112
 

Submit by fax

(801) 581-8692
Attention: Dianne Leonard, E-LEAP Plus Program

Submit by email

dleonard@coe.utah.edu