Kurt McMullin - San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Professor: Kurt McMullin

Department: Civil Engineering

College: San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: CE163
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Dr McMullin is a totally different professor at SJSU. He'll generally give you a general overview of the material, then you MUST ask questions to succeed in his classes. This is especially important in the group projects. Do not be afraid to assert yourself, he is also laid-back once you get to know him.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: CE112
• Grade Received: A-
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

Kurt is a great teacher. His classes are focused on teaching the concept. Once you get that right the problem solving is easy. He takes most of the time in his class to get your basic concepts right. Then he will assign problems for you to work on. If you run into trouble he will guide you as to how to overcome that. Don't expect spoon feeding.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: CE164
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Kurt has a very "hands off" approach to teaching. He expects you to come to the class, get a generaltechnical understanding of the material, and learn how to apply it on your own time. The projects for both Timber and Steel design are created to help you apply material. My only qualm is that he doesn't answer questions very well.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: CE112
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

The class grade is basically based on one midterm and the final, so you don't have to go to class, in fact, many people rarely attended Quizzes are worth very little and hw is not mandatory, so you must be disciplined to study for this class, going to lectures was not that helpful for me. Just not my style for learning.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: CE164
• Grade Received: A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

You will not learn very much at all about wood design. There are very few in depth lectures and he focuses on a class project. If you really want to learn, ask questions in his office hours. The midterms can be intimidating because the lecture material is ambiguous. I suggest using his office hours to prepare for tests. An A isn't too hard to get.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: CE112
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

hard tester, bad teacher, but great adviser and a good guy. has a very "hands off" teaching philosophy which means very short/basic lectures and lets the students figure out the rest in teams. His tests are very hard because of the length and time crunch. That being said he is very approachable and a great adviser for career related questions.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: CE112
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Kurt is a very nice guy and a reasonable grader. His 112 class requires a lot of effort, which is difficult if you have a full course load. Don't skip days and pay attention to the group homework/quizzes, and you should pass with no problems.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: CE164
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Can't give him enough rating. I took 3 classes with him, including 163 and 164, got all A's. He's so cool, you need to spend time on your own to learn for sure, but his notes are really helpful. He does not explain it all, unless you ask. And his notes covers everything, but not very clear, so you follow the notes and study/research on your own.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: CE163
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He's a smart guy...he jokes around with students, even took us all out to drinks....However, he's fairly mediocre at teaching. Doesn't assign hw, so makes you learn and practice by yourself ALOT...He does say exactly what will be on the tests, but doesn't do a very good job explaining the topics. Loved the class otherwise; the project was great!

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: CE163
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

really smart guy, the project was really hard and the tests can be hard as well, but you will learn a lot from him, and he really cares about making his students great engineers.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: CE112
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He gives short introductory lectures but leaves the more difficult material for you to figure out. His grading is pretty tough on midterms. But it's not impossible to pass. You can get an A if you work hard.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: CE112
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

His lectures are to the point, and talks to you like an aspiring engineer,not some random student to throw a grade at.I liked the simple setup he had for class.Only problem was that his lectures became too simple that it had some gaps to help us approach later hw.Tests were fair,just my luck in how they were scheduled right after my other midterms.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: CE112
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He grades ridiculously hard and lectures for 15 minutes a day, everything is group work so he does not really teach at all. No curve, no extra credit, no slack. Answers questions with questions so most of your learning will come from the book.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: CE165
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is THE man in SJSU's CEE dep. Go sit & learn from him hours after hours. He is the source of knowledge & general attitude of a-to-be engineer. Took 3 classes (2 Strc.) w/ him & wish I could took more! Do as he wants, although he is often confusing in project's to-do list & description. He'll squeeze you in timing of exams so good you'll remember

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: CE20
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Nice guy. You'll just want to squeeze his cheek. He tries to make an engineer out of you, and he succeeds. Unfortunatly, he makes a class that could be EXTREMELY easy, somewhat challenging, which is also his intent. Somewhat recommended.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: CE20
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

It think he's fair. His project was pretty incomprehensible, and he doesn't really help you out, but if you're gonna do the work, it'll be ok I think.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: CE163
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Kurt grades tough but he's a pretty good professor.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: CE020
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is the worst teacher I ever had. Does not like to teach at all and expects you to know everything before he starts lectures.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: CE20
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Overall very good teacher. His lecture notes are in the course reader and if you go to class, the reader become an invaluable study tool for the final. Very helpful in class and in lab.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: CE20
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Kurt grades on your ability to follow directions and ask questions. DO THESE and you will score well. He's trying to help students become engineers, not drones.