The School of Engineering & Applied Science offers programs of instruction and research leading to specified master's degrees and doctoral degrees.
Both full-time and part-time students may pursue most of the graduate programs offered by Engineering. A few graduate programs are designed primarily for full-time students. However, numerous locally employed engineers, scientists and technical managers have earned master's degrees through part-time study, or have completed significant portions of the requirements for their doctoral degrees while they were part-time students. Many evening graduate courses are offered, and many other graduate courses are taught during the late afternoon. Students who are employed full-time and are interested in investigating the possibility of doctoral graduate work should consult directly with the chair or director of the particular department or program in which they are interested.
Admission
Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) encourages and gives full consideration to all
applicants for admission and financial aid, without regard to race, color, age,
religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, or handicap.
University policies and programs are nondiscriminatory.
A student must be admitted to a degree program in Engineering to earn a graduate
degree and the student must be admitted at least one semester prior to his or
her anticipated graduation semester. Applications for admission to graduate
standing should be filed with Engineering well in advance of the student's
intended date for registering as a graduate-degree candidate. In addition to the application, a student should
submit all required supporting documents.
To receive full admission, an
applicant who has had no previous graduate work must have:
- a bachelor's degree in an accredited curriculum in engineering, science or mathematics
- earned at least a B average during the last two years of undergraduate work
- the recommendation of the department or program to which the applicant is applying
The department or program recommendation will be based on the
applicant's potential for success in the proposed course of study. To reach this
judgment, the department or program will consider the applicant's undergraduate
record, recommendations from former instructors, and if feasible, a personal
interview.
All applicants for admission as full-time master's students are
strongly encouraged to submit Graduate Record Examination General (GRE) test
scores (verbal, quantitative and written analytical). All applicants to
doctoral programs are required to submit these scores.
Students failing to meet
all of the criteria for full admission (with the exception of international
students not residents of the United States at the time of application) may be
recommended by the department or program for provisional admission. Students
admitted provisionally must demonstrate their ability to pursue graduate work
successfully and obtain recommendation for full admission within two semesters.
In order to gain full admission, students admitted provisionally must maintain
at least a B average in their course work during their first two semesters.
Students Not Candidate for Degree (SNCD)
Students choosing to take a course without
applying to a degree program must be admitted to Engineering as an
SNCD. Course prerequisites must be met, and
an individual enrolling in a graduate course must typically show proof of a
bachelor's degree. A student who registers for courses as an SNCD and later
applies for admission to a graduate program in Engineering will be allowed to count a maximum of nine (9) units taken as an
SNCD toward a graduate program, regardless of how many courses taken as an SNCD.
Disability Resources
Students with either a temporary or permanent disability may contact the
Coordinator of Disability Resources at (314) 935-4062 or
disability.wustl.edu.
International Students
International students who apply
for admission to graduate standing, in addition to the above requirements, must
present evidence of financial responsibility and ability to communicate
effectively in the English language.
To demonstrate financial responsibility, the student must have a bank or similar source send a statement certifying that
sufficient funds are available for the first year of study. If the funds being
certified are in a sponsor's name, then the sponsor must also provide a letter
stating that the sponsor is willing to use these funds to support the first year
of study.
To prove the ability to use English satisfactorily, the student must
pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) given in other countries
by the Educational Testing Service or
www.gre.org.
Registration
A late
charge of $100 will apply for each week after the second week of classes. Dates
for late registration are also listed in the University Course Listing Book.
Registration is not allowed after the third week of classes.
All graduate
students in Engineering must register each
fall and spring semester until all degree requirements are complete. Students
may register in one of three categories:
Active Status: Normally, graduate
students must be enrolled each semester in the numbers of units required by
their program of study and approved by their advisor and department. A graduate
student is normally viewed as having an active full-time status if enrolled in
nine (9)
or more units. A graduate student is normally viewed as having an active
part-time status if enrolled in fewer than nine (9) units. International students on F1
and J1 visas must always register as a full-time student, as per the Office of
International Students & Scholars. Graduate students are not allowed to
self-register until they have communicated or met with their advisor and their
advisor authorizes their registration.
Continuing Student Status: The
Continuing Student Status course option may be used when the graduate student
needs to maintain his or her full-time status. This option is available to both
domestic and international students, contingent upon advisor and departmental
approval. A graduate student taking fewer than nine (9) units will still be viewed as
full-time by virtue of the student adding the Continuing Student Status course
to his or her schedule. The Continuing Student Status course number is 883 for
the Masters student and 884 for the Doctoral student. The course is a zero (0) unit
audit course with no tuition charges associated with it for engineering
students.
Nonresident or Inactive Status: Graduate students who do not need to
maintain full-time status, and who do not need to register for any course or
research units during a given semester should register under the
Nonresident/Inactive Status option, but only upon department and advisor
approval. Graduate students on an official leave of absence should also register
under this status, but they must additionally complete
Engineering's Inactive Status Request Form and departmental approval. (NOTE:
PhD students in this situation must use Leave of Absence forms or other forms
provided by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.) A doctoral student wishing
to register under a Nonresident/Inactive Status should register using the 886
course number. A masters student wishing to register under a
Nonresident/Inactive Status should register using the 885 course number. The
course is a zero (0) unit audit course with no tuition charges associated with it for
engineering students. Students registered this way are not viewed as full-time
and will not automatically have university health insurance fees or coverage.
This registration does not defer student loans, and it does not serve as a legal
status for international students. The Nonresident/Inactive Status will assure
that the student's email address remains active, and by paying a small
additional fee to Olin Library the student can maintain library privileges. This
option is normally not available to international students (due to F1 and J1
visa requirements), unless they have plans to exit the country and have received
approval from the Office of International Students and Scholars. A
Nonresident/Inactive status is generally allowed only for a few semesters at the
department's discretion. Any students contemplating a Nonresident/Inactive
status must remember to be aware of the residency requirements and the total
time limitation required for degree completion.
Students who fail to register as
described above may have their graduate standing revoked.
A Master's or DSc
student whose graduate standing has been revoked may apply for reinstatement. A
reinstatement form should be completed and signed by the student, his or her
advisor and department chair, and then the form should be submitted to Engineering Student
Services. The Engineering registrar, department
chair and chairman of the Graduate Board will review each application for
reinstatement. Students seeking reinstatement may be required to take a special
reinstatement examination and to repeat previous work, if it fails to meet
contemporary standards. Candidates for a doctoral degree who apply for
reinstatement may be required to repeat the qualifyinsg examinations. A PhD
student should contact the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences for the correct
forms and procedures.
Course Load
The normal load for full-time graduate
students is 9-12 units per semester. The course selection and load must be
worked out with and approved by the student's advisor. Graduate students with
research and teaching-assistant duties will typically enroll for course loads
commensurate with the requirements of these duties. The course load will be
determined after consultation with the student's advisor and the person
supervising the student's duties as a research or teaching assistant. Students
otherwise employed full- or part-time, on- or off-campus, will determine a
satisfactory reduced course load with their advisors. International students on
student visas are required to maintain full-time enrollment status.
Grades
Graduate work is graded on a scale of A, B, C, D, P (pass), F and S
(satisfactory), with the auxiliary marks of I (incomplete), X (no final
examination) and N (no grade turned in). Audit grades are: L, successful audit
and Z, unsuccessful audit. Graduate students must maintain a cumulative grade
point average of 2.75 (A=4.0). Individual departments may require a cumulative
grade point average greater than the minimum of 2.75. There are no additional
grade points for "+" or "-" grades. Grades below "B" are considered
unsatisfactory. A grade of "I" in a course other than research must be removed
no later than the close of the next semester; if not, the "I" turns into an "F"
at the end of the next regular semester after the "I" grade was assigned. Any
student receiving an F, or whose semester grade-point average is less than 2.00,
is eligible for academic suspension, names are sent to their respective
departments for their comments and recommendation before they are automatically
dropped from the Graduate program within Engineering. Students
dropped because of academic failure may petition the associate dean in
Engineering Student Services for reinstatement. Reinstatement petitions will be
referred to the Graduate Board for review.
If the cumulative grade-point average
of a graduate student drops below 2.75, the student is placed on probation. The
status of a graduate student who has been on probation for two semesters and has
not attained a 2.75 cumulative grade-point average is reviewed by the Graduate
Board and the associate dean in Engineering Student Services to determine
whether or not he or she may continue in the Graduate program within Engineering.
Master's Degrees
Candidates for the master's degrees should note that in most programs both the
thesis option and the course option are available. The course option may be of
particular interest to part-time students who, because of their employment,
might find it more convenient than the thesis requirement. All candidates for
the master's degrees should consult with their advisor to determine the option
they will follow.
All requirements for the master's degrees must be completed
within six years from the time the student is admitted to graduate standing. A
maximum of six units of graduate credit obtained at institutions other than
Washington University may be applied toward the master's degree awarded by
Engineering. Transfer credit must be recommended and approved by the
department chair or program director and advisor, as well as by the Engineering
Registrar. No courses carrying grades lower than "B" can be accepted for
transfer credit.
For the thesis option, a minimum of 24 units of course work and
a minimum of six units of research are required. The student must also write a
satisfactory thesis prepared under the supervision of a member of the Engineering faculty. Candidates for master's degrees under the course
option must submit a minimum of 30 units of approved graduate course credit. A
department may have additional requirements beyond the above stated minimum
requirement. Please consult with your advisor as several master's degrees
require more than 30 graduate units.
To earn more than one master's degree from
Engineering, the student's final program of course work for each
such master's degree must include a minimum of 15 units of pre-approved courses
not included as part of the final program of course work for any other master's
degree awarded by Engineering.
Master's Thesis
A candidate for the
degree Master of Science (thesis option) should prepare his or her thesis
according to Master's Thesis Format Guidelines.
The candidate's department chair or
program director will appoint a thesis committee of three faculty members, with
the student's advisor as chair, who will read the thesis and judge its
acceptability. At some point, as per published deadlines, the candidate will
then deliver a draft copy of the thesis to the Engineering Student Services
Office for format approval. Three copies of the final thesis accepted by the
committee and approved for format must be delivered to the Engineering Student
Services Office no later than the deadline stated in the online academic
calendar. In addition, prior to submission of the final hard copies, the student
must submit the document electronically as a .PDF file.
Master's Final Examinations
The final examination for the Master of Science for
candidates under the thesis option consists of an oral examination conducted by
the thesis committee and any additional faculty members that the department or
program chairman may wish to designate. At this examination the candidate will
present and defend the thesis.
Candidates for the Master of Science under the
course option may be required to pass a final examination. The form of this
examination is determined by the faculty of the area of specialization, and
students should consult their advisors, department chairs, or program directors
for details concerning this examination.
Doctoral Degrees
Candidates for
doctoral degrees should consult their advisors to determine if there are any
special regulations or requirements in effect in their particular departments or
programs.
Engineering based doctoral degrees require a minimum of 72 units. The
doctoral program requires 36-48 units of course work and 24-36 units of
research. The specific distribution decisions are made by the individual
programs and departments.
The doctorate can be awarded only to those students
whose knowledge of their field of specialization meets contemporary standards.
Hence, course work completed more than seven years prior to the date the degree
is awarded generally cannot be accepted as satisfying degree requirements. All
requirements for the degree must be completed within seven years from the time
the student is admitted to the doctoral program.
The doctoral degree has a
residency requirement of one year. To satisfy the requirement, the student must
devote full time for two consecutive semesters to academically relevant
activities on the WUSTL campus. A limited amount of outside
employment may be permitted, but only with the approval of the department or
program chairman and/or the Dean. Candidates for
the Doctor of Philosophy degree are required to follow the guidelines of the
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GSAS). Please refer to the GSAS website
artsci.wustl.edu/GSAS/ for policies and guidelines for the Doctor of
Philosophy degree.
Advisor & Doctoral Committee
Once admitted to graduate
standing, each doctoral student will have an advisor appointed by the chair or
director of the designated area of specialization. It is the responsibility of
the advisor to help the student plan a graduate program.
After the student completes a maximum of 24 units of course work, the chair will
appoint a doctoral committee for the student, with the student's advisor
normally serving as chair of the committee. The doctoral committee will include at least three
members of the Engineering regular faculty. The committee will advise
the student on course work and research and must approve the proposed program.
Doctoral Qualifying Examination
To be admitted to a candidacy for the doctoral
degree, a student must pass a comprehensive qualifying examination consisting of
both written and oral portions. The written portion of the examination is
administered by the student's department or program, and students should consult
their advisor for information concerning the scope of the examination and the
dates on which it is given. Students passing the written portion of the
examination are eligible to take the oral portion. The examining panel for the
oral portion will consist of the student's doctoral committee, plus additional
members recommended by the student's doctoral committee and approved by the
department chair or program director. The panel will have a minimum of five to
six members, representing two or more departments at WUSTL.
Doctoral Dissertation
The candidate must defend the dissertation during a final
oral examination by an examining committee to be nominated by the advisor and
approved by the appropriate dean. Doctor of Philosophy candidates will have
their committees approved by the Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
The committee normally consists of five to six WUSTL faculty
representing two or more departments in the engineering school and requires the
approval of the department chair or program director.
Doctor of Philosophy candidates should refer to the
Doctoral Dissertation Guide
for
specific information on preparing their dissertation for submission. Other
Engineering doctoral students should prepare their dissertation according to the
DSc & Master's Thesis Format Guidelines
(available in .PDF, Word and LaTeX formats).
Each
candidate for the doctoral degree must electronically submit a final approved
.pdf version of his/her dissertation. See
Thesis & Dissertation Submission Proceedures for
Engineering Students for electronic submission guidelines.
Your dissertation should include an abstract embodying the
principal findings of the research and approved by the doctoral committee as
ready for publication. Such abstract will be published in Dissertation
Abstracts, which announces the availability of the dissertation for
distribution.
The University library services will arrange to bind the
dissertation. Of the three hardcopies submitted, one courtesy copy will be given
to the student; one will be given to the advisor and another to the department.
Transfer Credit
A maximum of six units of graduate credit obtained at institutions
other than WUSTL may be applied toward the Master's degree.
Approved transfer credit for undergraduate coursework completed at a different
institution cannot be posted until a letter is received from that institution's
registrar, which states the graduate level coursework was not used to satisfy
undergraduate degree requirements.
A maximum of 24 units of graduate credit
earned at institutions other than WUSTL may be applied toward
the Doctor of Philosophy degree and a maximum of 48 units for the Doctor of
Science degree. Transfer credit must be recommended by the advisor, department
or program chairman, and be approved by the appropriate registrar. No graduate
courses carrying grades lower than "B" can be accepted for transfer toward any
graduate degree.
No courses will be accepted toward degree requirements if the
course exceeds the 10 year maximum time period unless they have formal approval
of the Engineering Graduate Board.
Financial Aid - Scholarships & Assistantships
Financial aid in the form of scholarships and assistantships
is administered by the academic department or program that is the indicated
major of the student. Scholarships, wages, and stipends are only available to
full-time students who can demonstrate the potential of making significant
contributions to the department and its research activities. Continuation of
scholarships and assistantships is based on academic performance.
Highly
qualified applicants for full-time study will be considered for scholarships and
assistantships based upon funds available in each department or program.
Scholarships and assistantships are limited to available funds including
government and private-sector grants and contracts. Graduate Record Examination
(GRE) test scores must be provided by applicants to be considered for
scholarships or assistantships. All fall semester doctoral applications will be
reviewed for full financial assistantship if they are submitted by the
application deadline of January 15th.
Students holding scholarships and
assistantships are required to devote full time to their graduate studies. They
are not permitted to engage in any other work without special permission of Engineering.
Awards may be made for the academic year (typically nine
months) or the full calendar year (twelve months), depending on the student's
circumstances and the nature and source of the award.
Financial Aid - Loans
The
federal government provides a number of student loan programs with rules and
requirements for each program. These are subject to change by the government
agency overseeing the program and require that detailed financial information be
provided by the student.
Safety & Security
Each year, WUSTL publishes a brochure, Safety &
Security, which details what to do and who to contact in an emergency and
includes the federally required annual security report.
police.wustl.edu
Graduate Student Grievances
There may be occasions when a graduate engineering student has a grievance with a faculty member. Normally, the best way to proceed informally is to follow the steps below:
1. Individual Instructors
Make an earnest attempt to resolve the situation with the instructor. It may be best to set up an appointment to meet with the instructor outside of class time.
2. Department Chair
If the instructor was unwilling to discuss the situation with you, or the instructor refused to consider your arguments after you met with him/her and you still believe your situation merits consideration from a higher authority, the next step is to meet with the chair of the department that offers the course. Serious complaints alleging breaches of a faculty member's responsibilities should be brought directly to the department chair.
3. Dean
If you have met with both the instructor and the department chair, and you feel your situation still needs attention, your next step is to make an appointment to meet with the Dean of the School of Engineering & Applied Science.