WHAT ARE THE MENG DEGREE REQUIREMENTS?

MEng program is a coursework-only master's degree that requires the completion of 30 credit hours of advanced level course work.

As part of the program you must:

· Complete 10 courses (3 credits each). 

· Maintain an overall Cumulative GPA of 3.0 by the end of the program.

· Complete each course with a grade of C- (1.7) or better.

Course requirements are as follows:

· CS 5024 Ethics and Professionalism in CS - Offered fall/spring/summer terms.

· CS 5040 (unless you have a waiver at the time of admission) - Offered fall/spring/summer terms.

· CS 5934 Capstone Project (typically completed in final semester) - Only offered fall/spring terms.

· Three courses in one concentration area.

· An additional four (if you take CS 5040) or five elective courses.

· Elective courses can (but don’t have to) include up to two courses at the 4000-level (upper level undergraduate courses) and one approved cognate course outside of the department. This is not a requirement and you can take all your courses at the graduate level in the CS department.

A few more points about programming requirements for the MEng degree:

· Every student admitted should have received a departmental admission letter that clearly indicated their admission status as one of the following: Clear (CS 5040 waived), CS 5040 required, CS 2114 required.

· If you were given a CS 5040 waiver, you still need to complete 10 courses and you must substitute an elective in place of CS 5040 in your schedule.

· If you took CS 3114 at VT, you cannot count CS 5040 for credit.

· If you are required to take CS 2114 in your first semester, this course cannot be counted towards your graduate degree.

· You should not take CS 2114 and CS 5040 in the same semester. CS 2114 must be completed during your first term, and CS 5040 in the following semester.

Some useful links:

· List of course offerings: CS graduate courses catalog, cognate courses

· To transfer graduate credits: https://students.cs.vt.edu/Graduate/Administrivia.html#Transfer

· Academic calendar: https://www.registrar.vt.edu/dates-deadlines/academic-calendar.html

· Timetable of classes: https://apps.es.vt.edu/ssb/HZSKVTSC.P_DispRequest

NOTE: Make sure to choose the right location from the Campus drop down menu. For courses in Northern Virginia, choose National Capital Region.

 Program Completion Timeline:

You can complete this program full-time or part-time. International students must be full-time and take at least 9 credit hours during fall and spring semesters. International students can apply for Reduced Course Load during their final semester.

PART TIME:  You can take 1 or 2 courses per semester and complete the program in two to three years.

FULL TIME:  A few possible options for fall entry are listed on the next page. Please note that there are many other combinations that are possible and these are just suggestions.

POSSIBLE OPTIONS:

Option 1 (3 regular semesters + 1 summer): 

Fall 1:   3 courses (9 credits)

Spring 1:  3 courses (9 credits)

Summer:  1 course   (3 credits)

Fall 2:   3 courses (9 credits)

Option 2 (3 regular semesters): 

Fall 1:   3 courses (9 credits)

Spring 1:  4 courses (12 credits)*

Fall 2:   3 courses (9 credits)

Option 3 (4 regular semesters): 

Fall 1:   3 courses (9 credits)

Spring 1:  3 courses (9 credits)

Fall 2:   3 courses (9 credits)

Spring 2:  1 course   (3 credits)

Option 4 (2 regular semesters + 1 summer): 

Fall:      4 courses (12 credits)*

Spring: 4 courses (12 credits)*

Summer:  2 courses (6 credits)

*We recommend that you take CS 5024 in a semester when you plan to take 4 courses.

WHAT IS A TYPICAL LOAD FOR A MENG STUDENT?:

Full-time students: We recommend that you take 3 or 4 courses during regular academic semesters. We do not recommend more than 3 to 4 courses. Obviously, the number of courses you complete each term depends on your situation and how quickly you plan to complete your degree. Many of our full-time students are able to complete 3 courses each term and do well in them. Taking 4 courses requires more dedication, but is also possible. Some courses are more time-consuming, or may cover topics unfamiliar to you, so we recommend that you plan accordingly, and take a lighter load if you are taking a more challenging course.

Part-time students: We recommend one or two courses per term. Some of our courses are challenging and time consuming. If you have a full-time job, you may want to only take 1 course when taking a challenging course. For example, we recommend taking CS 5040 alone or in combination with a lighter course such as CS 5024. 

WHEN AND WHERE ARE DIFFERENT COURSES OFFERED?

While we do not have advance knowledge of course offerings for future years, most courses are offered on a regular schedule and either in the fall or spring semesters. We have a few summer offerings at this point as well, which you can plan around. Course offerings are not necessarily the same in Blacksburg and Northern Virginia, and you must check the timetable of classes for each campus to see offerings at that particular campus. You MUST sign-up for courses at your campus. Most courses have separate Course Request Numbers (CRN) for Blacksburg and Northern Virginia. Academic Building One in Alexandria is listed under National Capital Region on the timetable. 

HERE ARE A FEW TIPS WHEN CHOOSING YOUR COURSES:

· CS 5024, 5040, 5525, 5704, 5560 and 5934 are offered both fall and spring semesters. 

· CS 5024 and CS5040 are offered fall, spring and summer terms.

· CS 5040 is a challenging course if you do not have experience in Java Programming, and taking it over the short summer session may not be ideal. We generally recommend that students take this course during a regular semester, and not over the summer.

· If you were admitted to the program under clear or CS 5040 condition, you meet the prerequisite for any course that lists CS 5044 as a prerequisite. You should be able to web register yourself for these courses and do not need permission from us. 

ADDITIONAL TIPS WHEN CHOOSING YOUR COURSES:

· Do not take CS 5044. This course cannot be counted towards your degree. 

· If you are required to take CS 2114 in your first semester, you meet the prerequisite for courses that list CS 5044 as a prerequisite once you complete CS 2114. Do not take CS 2114, CS 5040 or any course that list CS 5040 or CS 5044 as a perquisite in the same semester. You must first complete CS 2114.

· If you want to take a 6000-level course, make sure to first consult the instructor. MEng students are discouraged from taking 6000-level courses. The target audience for those courses are Ph.D. students and the courses are typically very research oriented.

WHAT SHOULD I TAKE IN MY FIRST SEMESTER?

· If you are required to complete CS 5040, we recommend that you take this course during your first semester to get ready for your subsequent courses in the program. 

· You should try to think about your concentration and begin taking courses in or related to your concentration. Start with those that may be a prerequisite for other courses, for example: CS 5525, CS 5704 or CS 5560.

· If you plan to take summer courses, you may want to save CS 5024 as a course to take over the summer.

WHAT IF A COURSE HAS A PREREQUISITE LISTED ON THE TIMETABLE?

You should ask the instructor of the course if your background prepares you to take it. Please note that if the prerequisite is CS 5044, then all CSA majors already have this prerequisite, unless you have to complete CS2114. If the course is housed in a different department and has a prerequisite in that department (for example ECE or STAT), you must consult the instructor and the home department regarding the prerequisite.

WHAT IF I GET A REGISTRATION ERROR? WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Read the error. It usually tells you what the problem is.

·         Hold error? The CS department cannot do anything about holds. You must contact the office that has placed the hold on your account. It is generally the Graduate School, Registrar’s Office, or the Schiffert Health Center.

·         Major restriction error? You must have the course force-added for you. If it is not a CS course, you must ask the department that is offering the class; we cannot add you to non-CS courses.

·         Campus restriction error? Are you sure you are registering for the right campus and the right CRN? Remember, you MUST register for the CRN corresponding to your home campus.

·         I [still] get a campus restriction error, even if I am trying to register for a course on my campus? Then it could be that there is some problem with your records. Check Hokie Spa, and contact the Registrar’s Office at registrar@vt.edu or (540) 231-6252.

·         I want to register for a 4000-level course? CS undergraduate courses must be force-added using the undergraduate force-add process.

·         I want to register for a cognate course and I get an error? Any force-add requests must go to the home department. We cannot resolve issues with non-CS courses.

Should you need assistance with other matters or have questions that are not answered above, please contact your academic advisor.