Academic Affairs
MEng Normative Time to Degree
The full-time Berkeley MEng degree is a two-semester (fall/spring) degree program and students must satisfactorily pass and complete all degree requirements within this period. If there are extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control (e.g. severe medical issues, death in the family, etc.) impacting a student’s ability to satisfy degree requirements during the normative time, they should immediately reach out to their department staff advisor for guidance. Modifications to the normative time to degree are rarely approved and are considered only under truly exceptional circumstances.
Part-time MEng students typically graduate in 2-4 years, as predetermined with their advisor, in this separate and distinct degree program.
Registration & Add/Drop
Students register for core and elective courses through CalCentral. If a course requires a Course Entry Code for enrollment, please contact:
Course Load
The standard course load is 12-14 credits per term. Students requesting an increased or decreased course load are required to seek approval through their department as there are potential limitations and concerns when taking fewer than the minimum amount of units.
Grades
Grades can be accessed via CalCentral. Berkeley policy prohibits staff from disclosing grades over the phone or by email. If students would like to review their exam results, then they may set up a meeting with the faculty member to discuss their exam performance.
According to the Guide to Graduate Policy, In order for students to be in good standing and graduate, students must maintain an overall grade-point average of at least 3.0 on the basis of all upper division and graduate courses (100- and 200-level) taken in graduate standing. A grade of C- or better is considered a passing grade by the Graduate Division, and can be used towards degree requirements, only if allowed by your degree-granting department. Some programs may have higher performance standards than the minimum requirements stated by the Graduate Division. For example, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) has higher passing grade (B-) and GPA (3.5) requirements required for graduation. Please check with your degree-granting department for further information.
References:
Berkeley Grading Systems
At Berkeley, grades are awarded on the A to F scale (including plus and minus). When attached to the grades A, B, C, or D, plus (+) grades carry three-tenths of a grade point more per unit, and minus (-) grades three-tenths of a grade point less per unit, except for A+, which carries 4.0 grade points.
Final Examinations
Students are expected to take final examinations as scheduled. Scheduling conflicts must be discussed with the faculty member before the exam date. Work, interviews, vacations, weddings, etc. are NOT recognized as exam conflicts. In situations that warrant an exception, all conditions of the make-up exam will be at the discretion of the faculty.
Core Course Attendance
Students are expected to attend each class session. If a student is unable to attend a class, it is the responsibility of the student to notify the faculty member prior to the class session (in the case of illness or religious holiday). The attendance policy stated above is Program Policy; however, it is at the discretion of each faculty member to set his/her own classroom attendance policy, including the effect of absences on the course grade.
Employment Policy
Master of Engineering students are strongly discouraged from working during the 9-month program, due to the brevity and intensity of the academic experience. We do not facilitate on-campus employment opportunities. On-campus employment in graduate student instructional (GSI) and research (GSR) positions are limited, and hiring decisions are at the discretion of the department to which you are applying for employment. Details about Academic Employment can be found here.
Graduation
University Commencement exercises will take place at the University of California, Berkeley in May. UC Berkeley confers degrees in May and December. Additionally, Fung Institute usually holds a separate reception for MEng graduates in May.
Diplomas
Per Registrar's office website, degrees are posted on the official transcript approximately three months after the end of the graduation term and that diplomas are mailed four months after the end of graduation term. Please make sure your address is accurate in CalCentral. More information about diplomas can be found on this Transcripts and Diplomas webpage.