BS/MS in Mechanical Engineering

The accelerated BS/MS program in Mechanical Engineering (MNE) allows outstanding mechanical engineering undergraduates to complete both undergraduate and graduate (MNE MS) degrees within five years, with nine (9) fewer credits than if taken separately. Students enrolled in the accelerated program may take up to nine credits of 500-level graduate courses (up to three courses) that are approved for the MNE MS program in their senior year. Those 500-level courses double count towards their MNE BS-degree (as technical electives) as well as their MNE MS degree provided that the student obtains a grade of ‘C’ or better, and no more than two graduate course grades below ‘B-’ (B minus).

Admission Requirements

Interested and qualified undergraduate students will generally apply for the accelerated program in the second semester of their junior year (sixth semester of the BS program). The program is competitive, and admission is based on overall academic performance, letters of recommendation, and statement of purpose. The Graduate Committee will use the following nominal criteria to select candidates.

GPA of 3.0 or higher after the completion of 75-credit hours or more.
Strong recommendations from faculty. At least one recommendation letter should be from an MNE faculty.

Application Process

Complete application packages should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies here: http://www.umassd.edu/graduate/graduateapplication/.

Applications must include a completed graduate application form, a brief statement of purpose explaining motivation for graduate study, curriculum vitae, names and contact information of references (at least one reference should be an MNE faculty). No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or TOEFL exam scores are required. Presently, application fees are waived if students meet eligibility requirements.

Degree Requirements

Undergraduate degree requirements are fulfilled as they are in the BS program, except that the BS/MS student will take three graduate (500 level) courses for technical electives, as is already allowed for our undergraduates. A grade of ‘C’ or better is required in any graduate course to be double counted toward both degrees, but no more than two graduate course grades can be below ‘B-‘. A savings in credits results because the three graduate courses count toward both degrees simultaneously, resulting in a reduction in credits from 153 (degrees separately acquired) to 144 (combined BS/MS program).

Thesis Option: The student will fulfill the requirements for the MS degree exactly as they are in the existing thesis option MS program. Students may also be required to take MNE 570, Reading and Research, over the summer at the end of their senior year as preparation for completing their thesis in the spring of the following year.

Coursework Option: The student will fulfill the requirements for the MS degree exactly as they are in the existing coursework option MS program.