Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Thesis Option

All students admitted to the M.S. program are initially classified as thesis option students. The thesis option is designed to prepare students for graduate work at the doctoral level or advanced engineering work in industry and focuses on original research techniques. Students pursuing the thesis option generally have more opportunities for receiving financial support from the department. The graduate program of study must include 6 semester hours of MEE 699, Master’s Thesis, on a topic approved by the student’s thesis committee. The thesis must be satisfactorily defended at an oral examination. Portions of the research work required in MEE 699 may be performed in off-campus facilities if approved by the student’s graduate committee.

Two non-thesis options, the project option and the course option, are available to students who wish to pursue a M.S. degree and who do not want to pursue the traditional research experience of a thesis option. The non-thesis options are designed primarily for practicing professionals, but they are also available to full time students. Those who wish to pursue the project option or the course option are required to petition the department’s graduate committee.

Project Option

Students pursuing a M.S. degree under this option must earn a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit including 3 semester hours of MEE 697, Independent Study, for a master’s project resulting in some original work which must be defended at an oral examination and presented in a written report. Employed students may use topics and facilities from their work if approved.

Course Option

Students pursuing a M.S. degree under this option are required to complete 33 semester hours of graduate credit. Students pursuing the course option generally do not take MEE 697 or MEE 699. However, such students are required to write a research paper related to one or more mechanical engineering courses taken as part of the graduate program. The topic must be approved by the student’s paper committee at least one semester prior to graduation, and the completed paper must be examined and approved by the committee as a requirement for graduation.

Requirements for Graduates with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Students must satisfy the following departmental requirements.

Submit to the department a program of graduate study approved by the student”s graduate committee or the department.

Complete at least 30 (thesis option or project option) or 33 (course option) semester hours of graduate work, not more than 30 percent of which may be in courses numbered 500-599. All courses taken outside the Department of Mechanical Engineering must have departmental approval in advance.
 

Requirements for Graduates with a B.S. in an Area other than Mechanical Engineering

Requirements for Accelerated B.S./M.S. Sequence

The department also offers an accelerated B.S./M.S. sequence that leads to an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering after students received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or Industrial and Systems Engineering from NIU. This accelerated sequence is available to undergraduate majors in the programs listed above who have finished at least 90 semester hours of undergraduate work with a GPA of at least 3.00. A minimum GPA of 3.00 must be maintained during the course of study. Failure to meet the requirements of the accelerated sequence may lead to a B.S. degree only, but only after all the requirements for that degree have been met.

Students must complete all undergraduate required courses, including 9 semester hours of technical electives. Only those technical electives or required courses taken for graduate credit while enrolled in the program will be credited toward the M.S. program, up to a maximum of 9 semester hours.

Students are required to fulfill all requirements for thesis option, project option, or course option mentioned in the previous section.

With this program, a student can take B.S. and M.S. courses simultaneously, up to three semesters before earning the undergraduate degree. Depending on the undergraduate major, one can have up to 18 semester hours count towards both the undergraduate and graduate degrees. Students coming from programs other than Mechanical Engineering may also have to take additional foundational mechanical engineering undergraduate courses as described in the Graduate Catalog.

Students wishing to take part in this program should be aware of all the regulations and restrictions of accelerated baccalaureate/master’s degree programs as outlined in the NIU Graduate School Catalog under the heading of Early Admission of NIU Undergraduates, and Admission to Accelerated Baccalaureate/Master’s Degree Programs. All students enrolled in this sequence must have their schedules approved by their faculty advisors each semester. Any deviation from an approved course schedule may delay graduation.

Admission to the B.S./M.S. Program

Interested students should talk with an advisor as early as possible and are encouraged to apply three semesters prior to completing their B.S. degree. Applicants must submit the following:

• NIU Transcript showing their GPA for their undergraduate work. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required.
• Resume.
• Statement of purpose.
• Two letters of recommendation.

NIU University Honors students in Mechanical Engineering who are actively accumulating points through honors course work or EngagePLUS are guaranteed admission to the B.S./M.S. program.