Under the non-thesis option, a valid plan of study must include a total of 30 credits of approved course work at the 400-level and above. The plan may not include ENEE799: Master’s Thesis Research. The plan of study must satisfy the following rules: 

• No more than nine credits at the 400-level may be included. ENEE499 may not be included.

• Four core courses must be included.

• Prerequisites must be fulfilled before taking courses that require them.

• No more than one credit of ENEE698: Graduate Seminar may be included

• Combined total number of credits of ENEE698 and ENEE699 included in the plan of study may not exceed three.

• No more than nine credits earned while holding the advanced special student status may be included. 

A minimum overall GPA of 3.0 must be maintained. For the purposes of meeting the plan of study rules, all transferred courses will count as B (3.0 grade point value). However, grades obtained on transfer courses do not affect the GPA as recorded on the official UMCP transcript. 

If two or more attempts are taken at a course, only the grade obtained at the latest attempt counts towards the GPA. 

Scholarly Paper

For the M.S. non-thesis, a scholarly paper is to be prepared by the student in consultation with his/her academic advisor, who serves as the first reader. (Students who wish to change advisors should submit such request before the start of the semester during which they plan to graduate.) The second reader may be any full member of the Graduate Faculty. A completed M.S. Scholarly Paper Reader Selection form, with a tentative title and signed by the student’s advisor and the second reader, must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Office by the posted deadline (which is generally the same date as the M.S. Approved Program form deadline). A listing of each semester's graduation deadlines may be found on the department's Graduation Forms and Links webpage.

The scholarly paper should consist of a concise summary of a few research papers published in the open literature. Its length should be approximately 10 to 15 pages, not counting possible appendices. The scholarly paper must be submitted to both readers at least two weeks prior to the filing deadline published by the Graduate Studies Office. 

Each reader rates the paper as either “satisfactory” or “unsatisfactory.” The scholarly paper requirement is satisfied once both ratings are “satisfactory.”