Master of Engineering Degree

The Master of Engineering degree is offered by the Department of Mechanical Engineering and is administered through the College of Engineering following essentially the same general guidelines that apply to the administration of the Master of Science degree, except for the research emphasis.

The Master of Engineering degree is a non-thesis application-oriented engineering degree. It is designed for those who wish to pursue work beyond the Bachelor of Science degree in engineering but who do not plan to pursue graduate level research as part of their graduate program. (A student who intends to pursue the Ph.D. degree is encouraged to pursue the Master of Science (thesis option) degree rather than the Master of Engineering degree because of its research orientation.)

Course Requirements

  • A minimum of 30 credit hours of approved courses in engineering and allied fields is required.
  • A minimum of 15 credit hours of the regular course work should be in Mechanical Engineering courses
  • A maximum of 3 credit hours of ME EN 6950 - Independent Study may be counted towards the degree.
  • Unlike the M.S. degree options, there are no 7000 level ME EN courses required.

Supervisory Committee

The student must select a permanent supervisory committee chairperson by the end of the first semester of Master of Engineering degree work. As soon as practical, a permanent three-faculty member supervisory committee should be selected, and a member of that committee appointed as supervisory chairperson (advisor). Committee members are approved by submitting a Request for Supervisory Committee Form to the Student Services Office. This form should be submitted no later than the second semester of the student’s graduate work. If the members of the committee change at a later date, a Request to Change Supervisory Committee Form should be submitted to the Student Services Office.

The supervisory chairperson will assist the student in the planning of the program of study for the Master of Engineering degree, which must be approved by the student's supervisory committee. Graduate courses should be selected after consultation with the candidate's permanent supervisory chairperson, temporary advisor, or the Director of Graduate Studies. Approval of the program of study is initiated by submitting an Application for Admission to Candidacy for the Masters Degree Form to the Student Services Office. This form should be submitted no earlier than one year, but no later than one semester, prior to the semester in which the degree requirements are expected to be completed.

Master of Engineering Project

No formal thesis is required for the Master of Engineering degree. However, students are required to undertake an engineering project approved by the chair of the student’s supervisory committee, requiring up to 4 credit hours (included in the 30 credit hours required) of ME EN 6955 – Master of Engineering Project (rather than ME EN 6975 – Research and Thesis: Master of Science or ME EN 6950 – Independent Study). The number of project credit hours is established at the inception of the project by the supervisory committee chairperson. To waive the project requirement, the student must provide documentation, which demonstrates completion of an engineering project similar in scope using technical reports, publications, or other items acceptable to the supervisory committee. Waiver of the project is approved by majority vote of the supervisory committee.

Final Comprehensive Exam

Master of Engineering candidates are required to take a final comprehensive examination administered by their supervisory committee. The examination will cover material from courses taken to satisfy the degree requirements, as well as topics related to the student's engineering project.

Simultaneous Candidacy

Students in Mechanical Engineering are not allowed to be candidates for a Masters of Engineering degree and a research oriented degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) simultaneously in Mechanical Engineering or in a combination of departments. Students who are candidates for research degrees outside the College of Engineering cannot simultaneously be candidates for a Masters of Engineering degree in the College of Engineering.