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The request to revise M.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Engineering

Memo Date: 
Friday, March 11, 2016
To: 
College of Engineering
From: 
Office of Academic Affairs
Approved On: February 10, 2016
Approved by: Graduate Council
Implementation Date: Summer 2016

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs.  Insertions are underlined.

Catalog Copy

Mechanical Engineering, M.S.M.E., or Engineering, M.S.E.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science offers programs of study and research leading to the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (M.S.M.E.) and the Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.). The M.S.M.E program of study is for students who have completed a B.S.M.E. degree while the M.S.E. degree offers a more generic program of study for students who may not possess a baccalaureate degree in engineering.

The objectives of the M.S.M.E and M.S.E. program are:

  • To provide our students with the opportunity to develop a breadth of knowledge in mechanical engineering so that they can adapt to the changing requirements of the technological workplace.
  • To produce graduates who are able to practice as mechanical engineers with advanced skills and serve state, regional, and national industries.
  • To prepare graduates for personal and professional success, both as individuals and in team environments.

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to the general requirements for admission to the Graduate School, the following are required for study toward the Master's programs in Mechanical Engineering:

  • Applicants must demonstrate evidence of satisfactory undergraduate preparation in engineering, usually manifested by the possession of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution in some area of engineering, with a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. Special consideration may be given to candidates with substantial engineering work experience.
  • Applicants with baccalaureate degrees from fields other than engineering (e.g., biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, etc.) may be considered for admission to graduate study. Typically these applicants complete mathematics, science, and engineering courses, as determined by the Director of Graduate Programs, before entering the graduate program.
  • The applicant must receive a satisfactory score on the verbal and quantitative sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test.
  • Acceptability for admission is based upon the applicant's record and background as determined by the department.

Early Entry to Graduate School

Exceptional undergraduate students at UNC Charlotte may be accepted into the graduate program and begin work toward a graduate degree before completion of the baccalaureate degree. An applicant may be accepted at any time after completion of 75 or more hours, although it is expected that close to 90 hours will have been earned by the time the first graduate course is taken.

To be accepted into this program, an undergraduate student must have at least a 3.2 overall GPA and have taken the appropriate graduate standardized test and have earned an acceptable score. If any Early Entry student has not met the normal admission requirements of a 2.75 overall undergraduate GPA and a 3.0 junior-senior GPA at the end of his/her baccalaureate degree, she/he will be dismissed from the graduate program.

Students accepted into an Early Entry Program will be subject to the same policies that pertain to other matriculated graduate students. Generally, it will be assumed that Early Entry students will finish their baccalaureate degrees before they complete 15 hours of graduate work.

Up to six hours earned at the graduate level may be substituted for required undergraduate hours. (Up to six hours of graduate work may be "double counted" toward both baccalaureate and graduate degrees.)

Degree Requirements

The applicant must complete at least 30 approved graduate credit hours as prescribed by the graduate advisor and fulfill the following:

  1. A minimum of 12 credit hours of coursework in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science.
  2. The completion of one mathematics course (3 hrs).
  3. Students pursuing the thesis or creative design project option may complete up to 6 credit hours of thesis research.
  4. Students pursuing the problem report option may complete up to 3 hours of problem report.
  5. Students pursuing the coursework-only option must satisfactorily complete a comprehensive exam that is administered by the advisory committee.

In summary, the required 30 graduate credit hours are satisfied by: 1) thesis option – at least 12 credits hours of MEGR graduate coursework, 3 credit hours of mathematics, and 15 credit hours of MEGR or other department (with Associate Chair for Graduate Programs approval) graduate courses, including up to 6 credit hours of thesis research; or 2) coursework-only option – at least 12 credits hours of MEGR graduate coursework, 3 credit hours of mathematics, and 15 credit hours of MEGR or other department graduate courses (with Associate Chair for Graduate Programs approval).

The required mathematics course can be any 6000-level math course approved by the thesis advisor or one of the following:

Note:

The decision as to whether a program will include a thesis, design project or problem report is to be made on an individual basis by the advisory committee at the time of filing the student's Plan of Study.