Accelerated Masters

Selected top students in the Mechanical Engineering Department may opt for the Accelerated Masters Program in their senior year, in which case individual research work under faculty advisement will be conducted as student's senior design project.  This research work will continue after graduation with a B.S. into the M.S. study and will form the M.S. thesis.  In doing so, M.S. degree may be obtained in one calendar year from graduation with a B.S. degree.

Advantages:

• An Accelerated M.S. student will get exposure to high-level research topics sooner, starting from the undergraduate senior year.  Typically, under the advisement of the same advisor, the student will carry out their senior design course sequence and the subsequent M.S. degree research in a continuous manner, thereby increasing research productivity.
• An Accelerated M.S. student will be able to combine coursework at both undergraduate and graduate levels towards the M.S. study.  Typical M.S. Plan A course work includes 7 courses (4 core courses, 1 math, and 2 electives; please refer to the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Handbook).  At the undergraduate senior year, the student can take up to two ME graduate-level (5000-) courses that fall into the M.S. Plan A coursework requirement, and use them towards the undergraduate plan-of-study (e.g., as ME electives).  When the student enters the M.S. study, in lieu of those two courses, the student can choose to sign up for two independent-study courses with the advisor to focus on the specific research.  This generally expedites the student's M.S. curriculum progress.
• Almost all students working on research projects are financially supported during their M.S. study (after finishing the B.S. degree).  Typical financial support includes monthly stipend, full tuition waiver, and highly subsidized health insurance under the Graduate Assistant plans. 

Requirements:

• The Accelerated Masters Program is only applicable to M.S. Plan A (thesis option).
• A student cannot have a time gap between the undergraduate study and the following M.S. study.

How to get it started?

1. Maintain excellent academic standing.
2. In your junior year or even earlier, contact faculty members who may serve as your advisor and furthermore sponsor your M.S. study.
3. Finalize the mutual agreement with your advisor no later than the end of Summer session (before the Fall semester of your senior year starts), and notify the Director of Graduate Studies (Dr. Jiong Tang) and the Senior Design Director (Dr. Tom Barber).
4. Submit a regular graduate application in your senior year before the deadline (Feb 1 for Fall admission into the graduate program).

Useful links:

Mechanical Engineering Graduate Handbook

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