Master of Science—Plans A or C (M.S.M.E.)

1. Choose a research advisor for the thesis based (Plan A) M.S.M.E. degree soon after beginning study. See also the "ME M.S.M.E. Plan A Advisor Selection Guide". The advisor must be a Member of the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Faculty or an Affiliate Senior Member (see section I. Directory). Once an advisor has been chosen, notify the Graduate Program Manager as soon as possible, who will contact the advisor to confirm. Plan C students do not have a research advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies becomes their advisor by default. 

Changes of research advisor are rare but do happen. While such changes typically result in a somewhat longer time to degree, they may be unavoidable, e.g., if a faculty member leaves the University and their student cannot continue to work with them at another institution, or if a student and a faculty member turn out not to be a good match. A student interested in changing advisor may ask a prospective new advisor for confidentiality in the initial discussion of a possible advisor change. However, students must understand that a prospective new faculty advisor will have a conversation with the prior faculty advisor before giving their final acceptance of a new student. Indeed, to avoid misunderstandings, prospective new faculty advisors are expected to have that conversation. Whatever the situation may be, students interested in an advisor change are strongly encouraged to get an independent opinion and guidance from the DGS, or another trusted faculty member. Clear communication about expectations with all involved stakeholders is critical. The student can ask for DGS confidentially.

2. Complete the GPAS worksheet form with research advisor approval and submit it to the Graduate Program Manager. The form is due after one full-time academic semester or after completing 10 thesis credits. Only list the required credits for the M.S.M.E. degree, do not list extraneous courses. Notes: Complete all sections on the GPAS worksheet.

3. Once the GPAS worksheet form is approved. You may then submit your GPAS Planner with One Stop. Once submitted no further approval is required. All approvals will be done by the department.

4. Once the GPAS Planner is approved, select the thesis or project defense committee members in consultation with the research advisor and in accordance with Graduate School Policy. The formal approval of the defense committee requires online submission by the student.

The committee will include the research advisor(s), an additional member or senior affiliate member of the Mechanical Engineering Graduate faculty (unless the student has a co-advisor), and one full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty member who is a senior member of a graduate program outside of mechanical engineering. If the student has a minor, the third committee member must be from the minor program. Coursework only, Plan C students do not need to submit a committee as the degree does not have a research component.

5. Complete the Plan A thesis (The Plan C does not have a thesis, only coursework). Submit the Plan A thesis to the committee members. Please check with committee members to determine the time they will require to read the thesis/project report prior to the thesis/project defense. Do not assume committee members will be accepting of the minimum time, which is 3 weeks for the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Less than 3 weeks between submission of the thesis/project report and the defense is only permitted if all committee members agree in writing to a shorter period of time. Thesis based M.S.M.E. degree students are also encouraged to attend an informational session with the Graduate Program Manager late in the semester they intend to graduate. These informational sessions are scheduled each semester and the Graduate Program Manager will review each of the steps required for graduation, as well as answer individual questions for unique circumstances.

The format of the M.S.M.E. Plan A thesis must follow the University guidelines. The arrangement of the content, however, is decided upon by the research advisor(s) and committee members. In general, the M.S.M.E. Plan A theses will contain an Introduction chapter, one to three chapters of Research Methods & Results (with each chapter similar to a peer-reviewed paper or peer-reviewed conference submission), and a Conclusions and Future Work chapter.

6. Follow the Graduation Steps, which includes the final oral exam form, and other graduation materials, including the application for degree, via the web at the following link. If circumstances require a change of a committee member, simply resubmit the new committee.

Note your GPAS Planner must be on file with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Graduate School before doing this step (for timeline of GPAS Planner see page 8). In addition, the application for degree form must be submitted by the first day of the expected graduation month.

7. Schedule the final oral examination for the defense of the Plan A thesis. The course only, Plan C degree does not have a final oral exam. The final examination is required for all thesis-based Plan A M.S.M.E. students, without exception. The exam is an oral presentation which is usually 20-30 minutes in length, followed by 60 minutes of questions from the defense committee. It is conducted by a minimum of three members of the graduate faculty assigned. The final oral examination for all Plan A M.S.M.E. degrees is conducted as a closed examination (both the presentation and question period), attended only by the student and the defense committee. It is the student's responsibility to schedule the final oral exam in consultation with their advisor and committee members.

The final oral examination may relate to a combination of both thesis content. The presentation should be well-prepared and succinct, focusing on the research completed. Be sure the committee is informed of the impending examination, and schedule it to accommodate all examining faculty members. For available rooms to hold the exam, please contact: mereserv@umn.edu. Virtual defenses using zoom are permitted. Be sure to schedule your defense with the Graduate School, as this will trigger the release of the electronic Final Exam Form to the chair of your committee. The final oral examination form is then electronically submitted by your committee chair with Graduate School. This form is due by the last working day of the expected graduation month.

8. Complete final edits of the examined Plan A thesis. Submit a PDF version of the thesis via e-mail to the Graduate Program Manager.

9. Check-out. To provide control of inventory, keys, and office space, each student must complete a Departmental Check-out Form prior to departure or beginning another degree objective within the Department:

Full time M.S.M.E. students are expected to graduate within 2 years. Please be aware that all M.S.M.E. students need to complete their degrees within 5 years of admission.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

1. Before start of first semester, register for ME 8002.

2. Choose a research advisor soon after beginning studies, but no later than November 15 of the first Fall semester. The advisor must be a Member of the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Faculty or an Affiliate Senior Member (section I. Directory).

Changes of research advisor are rare but do happen. While such changes typically result in a somewhat longer time to degree, they may be unavoidable. Students interested in an advisor change are strongly encouraged to get an independent opinion and guidance from the DGS or another trusted faculty member. The student can ask for DGS confidentially.

3. Take the Qualifying Exams and preparatory course in the Spring semester of your first year. The seven week course prepares students for writing a literature review and provides tools and resources to be more effective in research. The written qualifying exam is a ≤10 page critical literature review due in week 11 of the spring semester. The oral qualifying exam is a 15 minute prepared presentation followed by 15 minutes of questions and will take place in week 13 of the spring semester. The report must be crafted for the broad audience of any graduate mechanical engineering faculty member, including those who are not specialists in the specific research area. Students should register for ME 8010 in their 2nd semester to prepare for the qualifying exam.

4. Complete the GPAS worksheet form with advisor approval and submit it to the Graduate Program Manager within one semester of passing the Qualifying Exams (typically 3rd semester). Only list the required credits for the Ph.D. degree. Do not list extraneous courses. For students who wish to transfer credits from another institution, meet with the Director of Graduate Studies in advance to confirm what classes can be transferred, and confirm to request transfer credits with the advisor. Please use the following link to submit the official request for transfer and waiving math/core requirements: transfer work

 Notes:

    o Complete all sections on the GPAS worksheet form.

    o ME 8794 and master's thesis credits may not be applied towards a Ph.D. degree.

5. Once the GPAS worksheet form is approved. You may then submit your GPAS Planner with One Stop. Once submitted no further approval is required. All approvals will be done by the department.

6. Select Written and Oral Preliminary Exam committee members, in consultation with advisor, no later than the start of your fifth semester. To assign committee members for the Preliminary Oral Examination, please submit selected committee members with the Graduate School. Students should register for ME 8011 the semester they plan to take the prelim exam.

If circumstances require a change of a committee member, simply resubmit the new committee.

The oral exam committee will include an advisor(s), two additional members or senior affiliate members of the Mechanical Engineering Graduate faculty, and one full-time, tenured or tenure-track faculty member who is a senior member of a graduate program outside of Mechanical Engineering (and does not have ME as their home department). For a minor, the fourth committee member must be from the minor program.

7. Complete Written Preliminary Exam. The Written Preliminary Exam will take place in your fifth semester, or earlier if you so choose. The written exam is due to the Graduate Program Manager and your committee members on October 15 in the Fall semester or March 15 in the Spring semester. Attach a copy of the Graduate Degree Plan to the written preliminary exam document. You may register for pre-thesis credits which will be changed to thesis credits after you pass your oral preliminary exam in the same semester that you take the written preliminary exam. To change your pre-thesis to thesis credits make an advising appointment with the Graduate Program Manager.

Your committee will evaluate and provide feedback on your written preliminary exam. The committee members may also submit questions for you to answer during the oral preliminary exam. Feedback and question will be provided.

For doctoral candidates who have not completed an M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering you will be able to complete the M.S.M.E. Plan C during the preliminary exams.

8. The student will set a time and location for your oral preliminary exam during the same semester after you pass the written preliminary exam. Once you have passed WPE you will receive an email from the Graduate School to schedule the OPE. The oral exam cannot be planned earlier than 1 month after the submission date of your written exam and will take place between Nov 15 and end of fall semester or Apr 15 and end of spring semester.

The oral preliminary exam is a closed exam with four committee members. The first portion of the exam is a 25-minute presentation, outlining the work proposed in the written examination. The second portion is a 20-minute period for you to answer the questions submitted by the committee on the written preliminary exam evaluation form. The final portion of the exam is open questions from the committee members. Questions should largely focus on the proposed research but may also include information related to coursework completed. Have a copy of the Graduate Degree Plan available for the committee members during the oral preliminary exam.

The outcome of the exam will either be "pass", "pass with reservations," "fail with retake," or "fail". In case the committee decides upon "Pass with Reservations," the committee chair (who may or may not be the advisor, this is your decision), must provide a one-page written document outlining what must be done to remove the reservations from the exam. There will be a minimum of 6 months to have reservations lifted, but no more than 12 months. Possible committee assignment could be additional literature review and write-up, additional coursework, or additional meeting with committee members. There is no restriction on a committee’s decision on conditions to lift reservations, however. A "fail with retake" decision will require rescheduling the exam, at least three months after the original exam date, but no later than 6 months after the original exam date (otherwise the opportunity to retake the exam expires). A "fail" decision results in a dismissal from the Ph.D. program. For both the "fail with retake" and "fail" decisions, the committee chair will provide a written letter outlining the deficiencies in the exam.

9. After completing the oral preliminary examination, complete thesis credits as efficiently as possible, to be eligible for advanced graduate student status and to be able to enroll in ME 8444. Consult with Graduate Program Manager for eligibility to register for thesis credits the same semester as the oral preliminary exam.

10. Complete dissertation research, submit manuscripts for peer-review, attend national and international conferences to present research work, and continue to gain knowledge in the chosen research area. Meet with the advisor(s) regularly and decide upon the information which will go into the dissertation.

11. Complete the dissertation, following the style guideline provided by the University Guidelines. Check the LaTeX Template for formatting your dissertation. 

In the final semester, please attend one of the informational sessions held by the Graduate Program Manager outlining the steps required for graduation. At these informational sessions, questions related to the specific program can be better answered.

12. Assign the final defense committee. The final defense committee has the same requirements as the oral preliminary exam committee but need not be the same committee members. Nonetheless, it is advisable to consider the same committee members. The advisor cannot be the chair of the final defense committee. For the final exam please register selected committee members with the Graduate School. 

13. Follow the Graduation Degree completion steps, which includes the electronic Reviewers Report Form and other graduation materials including the application for degree.

There must be an approved final defense committee with the Graduate School, before executing this step. The application for degree form must be submitted by the first working day of one's expected graduation month.

14. Submit the dissertation to the final exam committee members. Check with each committee member to ascertain their required time to read the dissertation and provide feedback. In the Department of Mechanical Engineering, committee members must have a minimum of three weeks prior to scheduling the final defense, unless all committee members agree to a shorter period, in writing.

15. Once all of the final exam committee members approve of the dissertation, you will be notified by the Graduate School. This notification will allow you to schedule the Final Oral Exam. Then the electronic Final Exam form is generated and sent to the chair of your exam. This must be done at least one week before the scheduled final oral examination.

16. Schedule the final oral defense after all committee members have approved the dissertation for defense. Please remind all committee members that changes to the dissertation after signing the Dissertation Reviewer's Report form are expected to be minimal and only relate to questions arising during the final defense.

The final exam is an oral exam and is usually 120 minutes in duration. The first part, the final oral presentation for the Ph.D. degree, is conducted as a public seminar (anyone can attend) and should focus on presentation of the work described in the dissertation. The second portion is a closed session attended only by the student and the examining committee. The final examination question period focuses primarily on the dissertation research but may include questions on related science and engineering competence related to the research. The final presentation should be well-prepared and succinct. The prepared formal oral presentation should be no more than 45 minutes in duration to allow time for questions and comments by the general audience, and then by the committee members.

It is each student's responsibility to schedule the oral exam in consultation with their advisor and committee members. For available rooms, please contact: mereserv@umn.edu

17. The Final Exam form is submitted electronically by the chair of your committee to the Graduate School.

18. Edit the examined dissertation, if required.

19. Formally submit the dissertation, making sure the advisor signs the title page. Submit one bound dissertation (black binding with white lettering) to the Graduate Program Manager, in ME 3101 and one copy to the advisor(s) (these are required). To provide control of inventory, keys, and office space, each student must complete a Departmental Check-out Form prior to departure from the Department or prior to beginning another degree objective within the Department.

Finally, please provide the Graduate Program Manager with the next employment position and contact information. The department is extremely proud of its Ph.D. alumni and will want to remain in contact throughout your career.

PhD students are expected to graduate within five to six years of admission. All requirements for the doctoral degree must be completed and the degree awarded within eight calendar years after initial enrollment to the graduate program (Graduate School Policy). Students unable to complete the degree within the time limits described above may submit a "Request for Extension to the Maximum Time Limit" for approval by their advisor/s, DGS, and collegiate unit for one extension of up to 24 months. The extension petition must be submitted by the student prior to the end of the term in which the time limit expires.