Master of Engineering

The Master of Engineering (M. Engr.) is a professional degree with a program designed to provide a strong emphasis toward the practice of engineering in industry, business, or government. The focus of the program is on the development of competency in the area of engineering design, with the goal of developing the student as a practitioner capable of solving complex problems within a given field. It is available in Chemical, Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Engineering.

The graduate degree program includes a minimum of one-third year of design, and may include another one-third year of mathematics, basic science, and engineering design. A part of each program is the successful completion of a design project appropriate to the field.

Students should refer to the section of this catalog titled "Departmental Programs’’ for the admission, degree, examination, and course requirements unique to each department.

Admission Requirements

1. A baccalaureate degree in an engineering or science field from an accredited university.

2. A minimum of 36 course hours of approved engineering course work, including background work in the proposed area of concentration. Additional courses needed to satisfy the ABET requirement for basic level accreditation may be taken after admission.

3. The scholastic ability required for pursing advanced academic work. A GPA of 2.50 (A = 4.00) for all previous academic work undertaken, or a GPA of 3.00 for the last two years of undergraduate work undertaken.

4. Scores from the General Test portion of the Graduate Record Examination if graduated from a non-accredited undergraduate program.

Course Requirements. The program of study for the M. Engr. degree must contain at least 30 credits, including at least 15 credits at the 500-level. An engineering design project must be completed and registered for through Engineering 595 for 3-6 credits. A written report on this project is required. All major department courses must be at the 400-level or above, and no courses numbered below 300 may be included in the program.

Residence Requirement. There is no residence requirement for the M. Engr. degree. However, at least one-half of the credits for the degree must be taken on this campus. A maximum of eight credit hours may be transferred from another institution.

Candidacy for the degree. Admission of a student to the Graduate School as a degree student in Approved Status implies only that the student has met minimum entrance requirements and will be permitted to take graduate courses which may be expected to lead to a degree. The student has not been admitted as a candidate for a degree. Advancement to candidacy is granted only after the student has met the following requirements in approximately the following sequence:

1. Completion of the equivalent of one full-time semester (12 semester credits).

2. Attainment of a GPA of at least 2.75 for all work attempted.

3. The appointment of an advisor from the major department. The advisor, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty, will be appointed by the dean upon the written recommendation of the chairperson of the student’s major department and the dean of the School of Engineering and Mines. The advisor is responsible to the department and the Graduate School for the supervision of the student’s work.

4. Approval of a Program of Study on a form available from the Graduate School. The program, which should be developed in consultation with the advisor, early in the second semester, must be signed by the student, the advisor, the department chairperson (or designate), and the dean of the School of Engineering and Mines, and must be submitted to the dean of the Graduate School for approval.

5. Approval of a topic for the design project by having the advisor, department chairperson, and dean of Engineering sign the Proposal of Design Project and submitting the Proposal and three copies to the Graduate School.

The student and the advisor will be notified in writing of the advancement to candidacy. Students must complete all requirements for advancement to candidacy prior to the semester in which they plan to graduate.

Final Examination. Candidates for the Master of Engineering degree must pass written final comprehensive examination(s) which must cover the course material in the field of study. Such examinations generally will be given and evaluated by the major department, but the results must be certified to the Graduate School by the advisor and the department chairperson on the form Final Report on Candidate by the deadline specified in the Academic Calendar. The appropriate comprehensive examination(s) will be arranged by the advisor and given by the department no earlier than the semester preceding the semester in which the candidate intends to graduate. Comprehensive examinations which are failed may be repeated only with the prior approval of the advisor, the department, and the dean of the Graduate School, but in no event earlier than at the next regularly scheduled offering.