GRADUATE SCHOOL & COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING POLICIES
Transfer Credit/Non-Matriculated Credit
A maximum of 6 transfer credit hours may be accepted for the program of study. For the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, 9 non-matriculated credit hours may be accepted for the program of study. For the ME degree, 8 semester credit hours taken as a non-matriculated student may be accepted for the program of study. Transcripts must be sent directly to the Graduate Admissions Office in order for them to be considered official. The student’s supervisory committee chairperson should submit a letter to the Admissions Office requesting that these courses be allowed as part of the graduate student’s program.
Full-time Status
Graduate students are considered full time if (1) they are registered for nine or more credit hours or (2) after residency requirements have been met (two consecutive semesters of nine hours or more) they are registered for three credit hours of courses, at least one credit hour of which must be in the range of 6970-6989 or 7970-7989.
Maximum Hours
No candidate for a graduate degree is permitted to register for more than sixteen (16) hours in any single semester. Typically, graduate students are considered full time if they are registered for nine (9) or more credit hours.
Charges
Nonresident tuition is not imposed on any student (including international students) whose total registration includes only course numbers in the range 6970 to 6989 or 7970 to 7989 in a given semester. These classes include ME EN 6975 - Research and Thesis: Master of Science, ME EN 6980 - Faculty Consultation: Master of Science, ME EN 7970 - Ph.D. Dissertation, ME EN 7980 - Faculty Consultation: Doctoral, ME EN 7990 - Continuing Registration: Doctoral.
Continuing Registration (course number 7990) is available only to doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy, and carries a charge (subject to change without notice) of $37.50 per semester, regardless of resident status.
Minimum Continuous Registration
All graduate students must maintain continuous registration from the time of formal admission as a graduate student through completion of all requirements for the degree they are seeking, unless granted an official leave of absence by the Graduate School. Continuous registration requirements do not apply during the summer term.
Students can maintain minimum registration by registering and paying normal tuition and fees for at least three credit hours per semester. Masters students may use ME EN 6975 – Research and Thesis: Master of Science and ME EN 6980 - Faculty Consultation: Master of Science to fulfill this requirement. Doctoral students who have not yet passed the qualifying examination may use ME EN 7970 - Ph.D. Dissertation and ME EN 7980 - Faculty Consultation: Doctoral to fulfill this requirement. Doctoral students who have passed the qualifying examination and subsequently admitted to candidacy, and who use University facilities or faculty time, should use ME EN 7970 - Ph.D. Dissertation to fulfill this requirement. Doctoral students not using University facilities or faculty time should register for ME EN 7990 - Continuing Registration: Doctoral to fulfill this requirement.
ME EN 6980 – Faculty Consultation: Master of Science, ME EN 7980 – Faculty Consultation: Doctoral, and ME EN 7990 – Continuing Registration: Doctoral may not be used to fulfill graduate degree requirements. ME EN 7990 – Continuing Registration: Doctoral may not be used to maintain full-time status.
If a graduate student does not maintain continuous registration, the Registrar's Office classifies the student as inactive and the student’s graduate status is cancelled. In this case, students are required to reapply for admission, and to pay all relevant application fees in order to continue their studies.
Leave of Absence
Graduate students intending to be absent for one or more semesters (excluding summer semester) should complete a Leave of Absence Form in advance and submit it for approval to the Graduate School. Without a formal leave of absence, the student’s graduate level status is canceled, and re-application to the program and payment of all applicable fees is required.
Other Requirements and Guidelines
Requirements and guidelines for all graduate programs are given in the Graduate School Bulletin available at the Graduate School, 310 Park Building, the Mechanical Engineering Student Services Office, or on-line at http://www.utah.edu/graduate_school/index.html. All graduate students within the Department of Mechanical Engineering must, at a minimum, follow the Graduate School Schedule of Procedures. In some cases, Department procedures may deviate slightly from those of the Graduate School (particularly in terms of due dates for important documents). In these cases, students are expected to adhere to the Department deadlines in order that Student Services Office personnel may assist students in satisfying Graduate School requirements. Information on guidelines for writing and formatting Masters theses or Doctoral dissertations are available from the Thesis Editor in the Graduate School. Students are expected to follow these Style and Format Guides in composing their thesis or dissertation. Any exceptions to these guidelines must be approved by the Department Graduate Committee through a formal petition.