Entrance Requirements for Degree Programs

Admission to regular master's degree status will normally be awarded to students who have a bachelor's degree in their specialty from an accredited engineering program and graduated in the upper one-third of their class. If class standing is not available, a grade point average of 3.0 out of a possible 4.0 is considered equivalent. Students with slight grade point deficiency or with other engineering or scientific undergraduate degrees may be admitted to special master's status. Such students will be required to take a minimum of 12 semester hours of graduate work, with grades of A or B, and meet the department’s current GPA requirements in order to be admitted to regular status. Such courses can be applied toward the requirements for graduation after the student is admitted to regular status. Any person who does not desire a graduate degree may apply for admission as a non-degree graduate student provided they meet graduate entrance requirements.
 
Students with undergraduate degrees in areas other than the desired major will normally be required to take several undergraduate courses as prerequisites for the courses in the graduate program. The number of these courses varies with the student's particular background, and is usually between two and eight. In general, it is the student's responsibility to find ways to satisfy the undergraduate prerequisites. Approaches which have been successful in the past include courses at the St. Louis Community College, University of Missouri-St. Louis, Washington University, self study, and substitution of certain graduate courses at the Engineering Education Center (EEC).  The plan for satisfying prerequisites must be approved by the student's advisor and the chairman of the department.
 
Students are required to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) before the end of their first semester.
Before you can have a formal, approved course of study you must do the following:

1. Apply for and be admitted to the program.
2. Get written approval from an advisor on your plan to satisfy prerequisites.
3. Fill out Graduate Form I which lists all the courses you intend to take as part of your degree program.       
4. Have Graduate Form I signed by your committee and appropriate officials as shown on the signature part of the form.

Only after all these steps are complete will you have an approved course of study and know exactly what you have to do to complete the degree program.

Degree Requirements

Students are allowed to choose between a thesis option or a non-thesis option.
The master of science degree program with thesis must include:

• at least 30 semester hours over and above any prerequisites, including six hours of 400-level courses;
• at least six hours outside the student's department; and
• at least six hours of Graduate Research, course 490. 

The master of science degree program without thesis must include:

• at least 30 semester hours over and above any prerequisites, with at least nine hours in 400-level courses; and
• at least six hours outside the student's department. 

Engineering students frequently choose their out-of-department courses from the fields of computer science, mathematics or engineering management.  Other selections are possible. In addition, each department may require completion of certain core courses.

A maximum of nine semester hours of coursework for the master’s of science degree may be transferred from other universities, provided such courses were taken for graduate credit. These courses should be listed on the student's Graduate Form I, along with their equivalent Missouri S&T courses.

Thesis Option

Some students at the EEC pursue the thesis option. Thesis students should select a major advisor early in their program. Thesis advisors are frequently selected from faculty members on the Missouri S&T campus. In such cases, the student may have to visit the advisor on the Rolla campus during each semester in which thesis research is being done. Adjunct instructors from St. Louis industry also serve as thesis advisors on occasion.
 
If a student does not satisfy the thesis defense requirement during the last semester of coursework, registration for additional credit will be required during the semester in which the examination or defense is actually conducted.

If the thesis and Graduate Form III is completed and submitted to the office of graduate studies before the end of the second week of the semester, the student may enroll for course 493, examination credit. The fee for 493 is normally the cost of one credit hour of on-campus coursework, if taken for the purpose of examination or thesis defense. Students who will not finish their thesis before the end of the second week of the semester must enroll for three hours of 490.

Courses

The Engineering Education Center in St. Louis normally offers four to 20 graduate-level courses in each department each semester. In addition, special topics courses carrying 301 and 401 numbers are offered periodically. Courses are selected to ensure availability of any required courses, as well as to provide for the specific interests of engineers in the St. Louis area. Descriptions of the courses are contained in the Graduate Catalog.

Graduation

If a student intends to graduate at the end of a specific semester, the university must be so notified by checking the appropriate box on the registration card and filing an "Application for Graduation."  This form is available from the EEC office.  The Application for Graduation must be filed before the end of the fourth week of the semester in which the student plans to graduate. Failure to comply with this procedure may prevent the student from graduating that semester.  IT IS THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO DO THIS.
 

 
FURTHER INFORMATION
 
For further information on the master’s of science program, contact the Engineering Education Center at 314-516-5431. An advisor can answer questions about courses, prerequisites, etc. The secretaries are better prepared to answer questions related to fees, procedures, registration dates, etc.