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Engineering
4 credits

Michigan ENGR 101: Introduction to Computers and Programming

ENGR 101 is the College of Engineering's first-year programming course, teaching MATLAB and C++ through engineering problems — data analysis, image manipulation, and algorithm implementation. It's a core requirement for most engineering majors and assumes no prior programming.

Fennie is independent and not affiliated with University of Michigan. This is an unofficial study guide.

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What makes it hard

The mid-semester switch from MATLAB to C++ is the classic stumble — just as MATLAB starts feeling comfortable, the course changes languages and adds compilation, types, and stricter syntax. Projects are autograded against specs that reward careful reading, and exams test code reading and writing on paper, which is a different skill from getting the autograder green.

What you'll cover

  • • MATLAB programming and data analysis
  • • Algorithms and flow control
  • • C++ fundamentals
  • • Functions and program design
  • • Arrays, vectors, and file I/O
  • • Engineering problem solving with code

The ENGR 101 study guide

How to study for Michigan ENGR 101, step by step.

  1. 1

    Program daily, even briefly

    ENGR 101 is most students' first programming course, and the skill compounds with frequency. Twenty minutes a day beats a weekly project binge, especially before the language switch.

  2. 2

    Read project specs twice before coding

    The autograder checks exact behavior, and most lost project points are spec misreadings rather than bugs. Make a checklist from the spec and test against it.

  3. 3

    Treat the C++ transition as a restart

    When the course switches from MATLAB, slow down and relearn fundamentals in the new syntax. Assuming the MATLAB intuitions transfer directly is the classic mid-semester stumble.

  4. 4

    Practice tracing code on paper

    Exams ask what code does without a compiler to ask. Hand-trace loops and functions weekly from the first MATLAB unit onward.

  5. 5

    Let Fennie keep the cadence

    Upload your ENGR 101 schedule and Fennie's Daily Plan paces daily coding practice around each project deadline and exam, with code-tracing quizzes generated from your actual course materials. Free to start.

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How Fennie helps with ENGR 101

Fennie's Daily Plans keep ENGR 101's practice daily — programming skill compounds with frequency, and the plan paces it around each project and exam, including the MATLAB-to-C++ switch. Use chat to get unstuck on compiler errors and have concepts explained until they click, then drill paper-tracing before exams.

FAQ

Is ENGR 101 hard with no programming experience?

It's designed for exactly that audience, and most students manage it. The risky moments are the C++ transition mid-semester and project deadline weeks — daily practice and early project starts neutralize both.

Should I take ENGR 101 or EECS 183?

Engineering majors generally take ENGR 101, which satisfies the College of Engineering requirement and uses engineering-flavored problems. EECS 183 serves LSA students and others heading toward the CS sequence. If you're considering a CS major, check which path your program expects.

What language does ENGR 101 use?

MATLAB for the first part of the course, then C++. The MATLAB half builds algorithmic thinking with quick feedback; the C++ half introduces the stricter compiled-language discipline that later engineering and CS courses assume.

Pass ENGR 101 with a plan, not a cram

Upload your ENGR 101 materials and Fennie generates a Daily Plan paced to your deadline — plus chat, flashcards, and quizzes built from the actual course content.

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