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Admission to the Graduate Division of the School of Engineering is a prerequisite to post-baccalaureate registration for any graduate course or to any program of graduate study. A student wishing to study for a Master’s degree may be admitted on either a regular or a conditional basis.
After submission of a complete application, an applicant is evaluated for regular admission. Typically, the following requirements must be satisfied for regular admission:
Completion of a bachelor’s degree from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association or completion of an international degree that is equivalent to a U.S. bachelor’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing. Each program has additional information on appropriate academic backgrounds required for admission into that program
A minimum G.P.A. of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale for all previous undergraduate and graduate studies
Submission of a complete application, including a statement of purpose, official transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate studies and payment of the appropriate application fee.A score of 650 or higher on the quantitative portion of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test for the following programs:
- Civil Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Environmental Engineering
- Environmental Science
- Mechanical Engineering
Graduates from foreign countries are required to submit three letters of recommendation and a notarized financial certification form. All international students whose native language is not English and who have not graduated from an American university must submit a minimum TOEFL score before being considered for admission, as follows:
An applicant may be offered admission to the graduate division on a conditional basis to ascertain his or her ability to successfully pursue graduate work. The necessity for such a conditional admission may arise when a student’s undergraduate program, however high in quality, does not provide a completely adequate base on which to build the particular graduate program desired by the student. This may be due to a variety of reasons, of which the following are a few examples:
A student who is admitted on a conditional basis may be required to take up to 12 term credit hours of coursework beyond the minimum 30 term credit hours required for the Master’s degree. Although a necessary part of the student’s plan of study, such extra courses are admission requirements and cannot be counted in determining progress toward satisfaction of the minimum requirements for the Master’s degree. Because they provide a connecting path between the student’s previous work and the graduate coursework, these extra courses are termed articulation courses. When the articulation coursework has been completed with an average grade of B (3.00 G.P.A.) or better, the student’s admission classification is changed from conditional to regular.
The minimum credit hour requirement for the Master’s degree in the School of Engineering is 30 term credit hours beyond the baccalaureate, of which six term credit hours may be in a thesis. Additional hours may be required depending on the student’s background, objectives of the degree program and the demands of the discipline.
Any student whose articulation into engineering or whose objective will require more than 12 term credit hours of articulation courses will be denied admission to the graduate division. Such students should enroll in additional undergraduate courses until these deficiencies are removed. The major department should be consulted for counseling information.
All School of Engineering coursework satisfying degree requirements must be in graduate courses numbered 7000 and above.
All work for the Master’s
degree must be completed no later than seven years after matriculation.
Students must complete any required articulation courses with a minimum G.P.A.
of 3.00.
Admission to candidacy is automatically achieved when the student has
obtained 12 term credit hours with a minimum 3.00 G.P.A. and that student has
filed a degree plan. A student who fails to achieve this standard of performance
may be required to take additional courses to satisfy the requirements of his
or her degree plan and to bring his or her G.P.A. to 3.00 or better or may
be asked to discontinue graduate study.
All work attempted for the Master’s degree must be completed with an
overall G.P.A. of 3.00 or better. A grade of D obtained by a student
will be figured into his or her overall G.P.A., but cannot be applied to his
or her degree plan.
The graduate division faculty expects its students to fully meet the rigorous demands of its program. For many students, this will mean a weekly time investment averaging at least four hours for each term credit hour of graduate registration. This figure derives from experience that shows that each hour of class work generates three hours of homework. Each student should bear this in mind in working out a schedule of studies.
Students desiring special counseling concerning an appropriate study load should consult their faculty adviser or the director of the graduate division.
All international students are required to be full-time students, taking nine to 12 term credit hours for each fall and spring term.
Part-time students are allowed to register for a maximum of six term credit hours. Students are considered part-time if they hold a full-time job. Students who have a grade of incomplete can register for a maximum of three term credit hours until the incomplete grade is removed.
A recent engineering graduate with an undergraduate G.P.A. of approximately 3.00 or better and pursuing a Master’s program in the bachelor’s degree field will have few, if any, problems articulating into the Master’s program.
Engineering graduate students have a wide range of preparatory education, industrial experience, age and academic objectives. It is often difficult to articulate these highly variable factors when determining educational programs in engineering. As a result, a plan of study often includes a series of specific courses that articulate an individual student’s previous education and experience into an established educational program.
Students are required to complete these articulation courses, maintaining a minimum 3.00 G.P.A. The student who fails to achieve this record is automatically dropped from the graduate program, may not enroll in graduate courses and is denied the right to petition for readmission.
Students who maintain the requisite minimum 3.00 G.P.A. in these courses may advance into the balance of their plan of study. As nearly as possible, these articulation courses should be completed before the courses in the balance of the plan of study are attempted.
The program in the major field usually amounts to at least 18 term credit hours and may vary with the discipline. These include basic curriculum core courses, plus electives in the particular area of interest to the student. In some disciplines, a thesis may be required. The courses are drawn from the various offerings of the department of the School of Engineering, as well as other departments of SMU outside the school. Specific requirements in the individual areas of concentration may be obtained from the appropriate department or the graduate division.
Minor work must be in an area other than the major. This is usually associated with six to 12 term credit hours of courses. In special cases, this requirement may be modified, but only with the approval of the faculty adviser, the curriculum chair and the associate dean.
When a thesis is not required by a department, the student seeking a Master’s
degree has the option of writing a thesis or of taking an equivalent number
of term credit hours of additional coursework.
The decision to choose the thesis option should be made by the student in consultation
with the adviser. In some cases, a student may require a thesis adviser other
than the faculty adviser. The associate dean, with the advice of the major
department chair, appoints the thesis adviser.
All Master’s degree candidates who present a thesis in partial fulfillment of their degree requirements must pass a written and/or oral examination, administered by an examining committee recommended by the major department chairperson and appointed by the associate dean. The oral examination involves, largely, a defense of the thesis, although questions may be asked in areas that relate to the student’s program of study.
At least three faculty members must participate in all examinations,
and one must be chosen from outside the major area to examine the student’s
general knowledge of the areas represented by the minor.
The thesis format must follow the University guidelines as indicated in the Guidelines
for Preparation of Theses and Dissertations.
After successful completion of the thesis defense, the thesis director must sign the abstract original, and all the faculty members attending the final examination must sign the half-title page of the thesis. After the thesis has been checked and approved by the School of Engineering examiner and released by the Office of Research and Graduate Studies, the thesis is uploaded to the SMU/UMI thesis submission Web site. One extra copy of the abstract signed by the adviser and one copy of the original half-title page with signatures, must be delivered to the office of the associate dean before the final examination period in a regular term and before examinations in a summer term.
An announcement of all scheduled examinations must be sent to the associate dean. Using the form provided for the purpose, the examining committee shall report in writing to the associate dean not later than one week before the time for conferring the degree whether all work has been completed in a satisfactory manner and whether, on the basis of the final examination, the student is recommended for the desired degree. In no case may this examination be scheduled earlier than six months before the degree is to be conferred.
The faculty adviser is appointed by the chair, subject to approval by the associate dean. It is the adviser’s responsibility to review and eventually approve the student’s specific plan of study, to check on subsequent progress and to supervise the preparation of the thesis if one is required. It is the responsibility of the faculty adviser to secure the approval of the plan of study by the graduate division and to arrange for the appointment of the final examination committee.
Once the plan of study is approved, it becomes the curriculum for the student, and deviations are permitted only if the student obtains formal approval for the change from the faculty adviser, department chair and associate dean. All such approved changes are incorporated into the student’s plan of study and are placed on file in the office of the associate dean.
A student with a G.P.A. lower than 3.00 will be placed on probation, and his or her record will be reviewed at the closing of each term. A student on probation for two terms can be placed on suspension only to be readmitted by special approval from the faculty adviser, department chair and associate dean. A student who does not meet his or her suspension conditions in the allotted time stated at the time of acceptance will be permanently suspended.
Generally, up to six term credit hours of graduate courses may be transferred from an institution approved by the graduate division, provided that such courses (1) were completed in the five years prior to matriculation, (2) carried graduate credit, (3) were not used to meet the requirements of an undergraduate degree and (4) earned grades of B– or higher.
Grades of courses transferred
for credit are neither recorded nor used in computing G.P.A.s. Acceptance of
transfer credit requires approval of the student’s
faculty adviser, department chair and the associate dean.
The request to transfer credit must be made, using the appropriate forms, during
the term of matriculation to the graduate division. Usually, this is done at
the time the detailed plan of study is developed in consultation with the faculty
adviser. The plan of study must be filed with the graduate division during
the term of matriculation. Transfer of credit for courses that are taken at
other institutions after matriculation into the graduate division in the School
of Engineering is not normally permitted. Any deviations must be approved in
writing by the adviser, department chair and the associate dean prior to such
action and will be granted only under extenuating circumstances, as determined
by each department.
Students who are currently enrolled in an SMU graduate program and who are seeking a new Master’s degree from SMU must take a minimum of 18 term credit hours of graduate coursework for the new Master’s degree, and these hours will not be applied toward another SMU graduate degree. In such cases, the Master’s degree will not be awarded until a minimum of 30 term credit hours of graduate coursework has been completed at SMU.
Students who hold an SMU graduate degree and who are seeking a new Master’s degree from SMU must take a minimum of 18 term credit hours of graduate coursework for the new Master’s degree, and these hours must not have been applied toward another SMU graduate degree.
Master’s degree programs in the School of Engineering also may be pursued in areas that do not belong strictly to any department, but nevertheless are meaningful in terms of courses offered by the school and faculty expertise. These programs are individually planned and follow relevant guidelines set forth in the previous paragraphs. In such cases, any faculty member of the School of Engineering may be assigned as the faculty adviser by the associate dean.
The 4+1 program permits the SMU engineering student to study toward B.S. and M.S. degrees simultaneously and with possibly fewer courses than if taken separately. Up to nine term credit hours of graduate coursework can be applied toward fulfilling the undergraduate degree requirements. In such cases, students may fulfill both bachelor’s and Master’s degree requirements in as few as 21 term credit hours beyond the bachelor’s coursework.
Because the graduate work is spread over two academic years, students have a greater selection of courses in both their undergraduate and graduate studies and are able to complete an M.S. thesis, if desired. The student must work closely with his or her academic adviser to ensure that the requirements of the 4+1 program, the B.S. degree and the M.S. degree are all met.
For students admitted to the 4+1 program, up to nine term credit hours of graduate courses (7000-level and above) may be applied toward fulfilling the student’s undergraduate program requirements. The student must complete a minimum of 21 term credit hours of graduate coursework at SMU beyond the undergraduate residency requirement to satisfy the graduate residency requirement.
For admission to the 4+1 Program, the student must:
All undergraduate degree requirements must be satisfied, with up to nine term credit hours of graduate coursework applying toward the satisfaction of those requirements.
To receive a Master's degree under the 4+1 program, the student must:
The graduate co-op program is intended to allow for up to three terms of relevant professional work experience to enhance the academic experience for graduate students in the School of Engineering. The work experience must be related to the student’s major area of study and is subject to these regulations:
1. Students are eligible to apply for graduate co-op only after completion of first term.
2. Students must be in good academic standing to be admitted to co-op with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.00.
3. Students must secure their own co-op position.
4. Co-op positions must be full-time and subsequent co-op positions must be with the same employer.
5. Students may not quit co-op assignments in mid-semester to seek a position with a different employer.
6. All paperwork must be completed prior to the deadline:
7. Duration of co-op work term must coincide with the SMU academic term.
8. Students must be enrolled in graduate co-op course SS 7099 while on co-op work assignments.
9. Students may take no more than three course hours (one course) during a co-op work term, but only if the course is needed to graduate on time. The course may be taken on campus or by distance learning.
10. Students must complete a minimum of two, but no more than three, co-op work terms.
11. Students may complete only spring/summer or summer/fall back-to-back work terms. (Fall/spring and spring/fall back-to-back work terms are not allowed.)
12. Students must submit a report at the end of each work term, signed by the student’s supervisor, academic adviser and department chair, no later than two weeks after the end of the co-op work term.
13. Students must read and become familiar with the graduate engineering co-op policy.
Nondegree studies are subject to the following requirements:
Tuition for nondegree students is the same as tuition for students who take the course toward a degree.
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