What are All the Purdue Acronyms?

PUID? PSEF? WiE?

Engineers seem to love to use acronyms for everything, even here at Purdue. The use of so many acronyms can often be overwhelming, especially if one is new to engineering. If you were unsure what an acronym meant, you have come to the right page. This page will have many of the common acronyms used at Purdue grouped by categories, such as engineering discipline, clubs, and general Purdue acronyms. Many websites listed near the acronym can provide you with more information, as this is only a brief list of the most common acronyms. For the best use of this page, I recommend you use Ctrl + F or Command + F to quickly find the acronym you are looking for.

General Purdue Acronyms:

  • PUID (Purdue University ID): This is a 8-digit number that can be found on your Student ID Card. Sometimes, you may be asked for a 9-digit or 10-digit PUID number. If this is the case, put the number 0 in front of your 8-digit ID number so that your ID becomes 9 or 10 digits. (Ex: 0012345678)

  • CRF (Course Request Form): This form must be filled out to schedule your classes. You should complete this form with your academic advisor. The form can be found in myPurdue → Registration → Use Course Request Form (CRF)

  • BGR (Boiler Gold Rush): This one-week program is a great way for freshmen to acclimate to college before classes start. Students are placed into small groups and participate in various activities on campus

    • BGRi (Boiler Gold Rush International): For international students, BGRi is slightly longer than BGR and provides students with a more extended transition period to college life.

Engineering Disciplines:

These acronyms are the most common majors found within the College of Engineering. (You may have seen these acronyms on the postcards you received in the mail)

AAE

Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/AAE 

ABE

Agricultural and Biological Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ABE 

BME

Biomedical Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/BME

ChE

Chemical Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE

CE

Civil Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/CE

CEM

Construction Engineering Management

https://engineering.purdue.edu/CEM 

ECE

Electrical and Computer Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ECE 

EEE

Environmental and Ecological Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/EEE

 

IE

Industrial Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE

MDE

Multidisciplinary Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ENE/Academics/Undergrad/MDE/about 

MSE

Materials Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/MSE 

ME

Mechanical Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME 

NE

Nuclear Engineering

https://engineering.purdue.edu/NE 


Clubs/Organizations:

These are some of organizations, programs, and opportunities that you might find common as a freshman on Purdue’s campus. This is not a comprehensive list of all the clubs and opportunities offered at Purdue, but a select few that you may be interested or heard of.

  • WiE (Women in Engineering): This organization is one of the resources for the women engineers on campus. You may have received a handwritten postcard from Women in Engineering. :)

  • FYE (First Year Engineering): Every incoming freshman to Purdue will go through the First Year Engineering program. For more information, check out this blog post:

  • T2M (Transition To Major), EYM (Engineering Your Major), EAI (Engineering Academic Index): All of these acronyms relate to declaring your engineering major at the end of your freshman year. For more detail, check out this blog post:

  • PSEF (Purdue Student Engineering Foundation): This organization holds many events on campus, as well as sponsors the tours around the engineering buildings for prospective students

  • VIP (Vertically Integrated Projects): For incoming freshman, VIP is a learning community you can apply to be a part of. By being part of VIP, you will be able to extend academics into research and bigger projects in Purdue professor’s research areas.

  • EPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service): This learning community allows students to apply their knowledge to practical problems within the community. Working in teams, students will go through the engineering process to present their design to community organizations.

  • CCO (Center of Career Opportunities): A resource for students looking for employment opportunities. The CCO can help with various stages of the career process, from career planning, mock interviews, and job searching strategies

Classes:

Purdue offers so many classes, often grouped through the many academic departments on campus. As a freshman engineering student, your classes will likely fall within a few departments and will be noted through more acronyms. 

  • ENGR: Engineering

  • CHM: Chemistry

  • ENGL: English

  • COM: Communications

  • CS: Computer Science

  • MA: Mathematics

  • PHYS: Physics

Buildings:

All of the buildings on Purdue’s campus are commonly referred to by, you guessed it, acronyms! As a freshman, there will be a few buildings that you will likely have classes in or visit. There is no guarantee that you will have classes in these buildings, or even visit during your freshman year. However, many of the common buildings are provided for your reference.

Classes:

  • WALC: Wilmeth Active Learning Center

  • WTHR: Wetherill Laboratory of Chemistry

  • CHAS: Chaney-Hale Hall of Science

  • LMBS: Lambertus Hall

  • CL50: Class of 1950 Lecture Hall

  • SCHM: Helen B. Schleman Hall

  • BRNG: Beering Hall of Liberal Arts and Education

Study Spaces:

  • HIKS: Hicks Undergraduate Library

  • PMU: Purdue Memorial Union

  • STEW: Stewart Center

  • KRCH: Krach Leadership Center

Other Common Buildings:

  • CREC (or CoRec): France A. Cordova Recreational Sports Center

  • ELLT: Edward C. Elliott Hall of Music

  • WDCT: Wiley Dining Court

If you would like to see these buildings, as well as other buildings on campus, this is a map of Purdue: https://www.purdue.edu/campus-map/


Although many of the acronyms provided are commonly seen by engineering students, there are many more acronyms used around campus. I encourage you to look at the website below if you cannot find the acronym you are looking for in this post.

https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/Academics/First-Generation/acronyms

Maddie Yee, FYE '26

Recruitment Project Committee


Stay Connected With Purdue WiE Program!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu



Use the hashtag #PurdueWiE on Facebook and Instagram!


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