The Purdue School of Engineering and Technology offers graduate degrees in four areas:
- Biomedical Engineering (the Doctor of Philosophy [Ph.D.] and the Master of Science [M.S.Bm.E.]);
- Electrical and Computer Engineering (the Master of Science [M.S.], the Master of Science in Engineering [M.S.E.], and the Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering [M.S.E.C.E.];
- Mechanical Engineering (the Master of Science [M.S.], the Master of Science in Engineering [M.S.E.], and the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering [M.S.M.E.]).
Another degree program, leading to the Master of Science in Industrial Engineering (M.S.I.E.), is administered with approval of the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette.
Qualified students may be authorized to pursue the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering or mechanical engineering at IUPUI; these programs are administered with the respective approval of the School of Electrical Engineering and the School of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette. Students are usually expected to complete the M.S.E.E. or M.S.M.E. before pursuing the Ph.D. degree.
Graduate courses are usually offered in the evenings to meet the needs of part-time students employed in the Indianapolis area, as well as traditional students who are preparing for careers in research-directed areas.
For more information, call (317) 278-4960 or visit www.engr.iupui.edu.
Admission Policies and Procedures Purdue Graduate Programs in Engineering
To be considered for admission into the graduate engineering programs mentioned above, an applicant ideally should have graduated from an engineering program accredited by ABET, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. The final undergraduate grade point average should be at least 3.0 (out of 4.0) or equivalent as shown on the official transcript.
All applicants are encouraged to take the General Aptitude Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), but all international applicants are required to take the GRE. Information about the GRE can be viewed at www.gre.org. Students whose native language is not English are required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and earn a score of 550 (paper-based test) or 213 (computer-based test). Information about the TOEFL can be viewed at www.toefl.org. and can also be obtained from the Office of International Affairs, Education/Social Work Bldg 2126; telephone (317) 274-7000.
Graduates from non-ABET-accredited programs and others who do not meet the above requirements may be considered for admission to the Master of Science degree program or for admission to the Master of Science in Engineering program. Candidates must be graduates of fully accredited (e.g., by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, or comparable accrediting agency) four-year programs, including four-year technology programs. Formal admission to either the M.S. or the M.S.E. programs requires departmental approval as well as the completion of the following requirements:
- Graduating grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 (on a scale of 4.0) or equivalent from an accredited bachelor’s degree program with a strong emphasis in engineering, mathematics, or the physical sciences.
- Completion of the engineering calculus sequence:
- MATH 163 and MATH 164 Integrated Calculus and Analytic Geometry I and II (10 cr.)
- MATH 261 Multivariate Calculus (4 cr.)
- MATH 262 Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (4 cr.)
- Completion of a number of undergraduate courses in electrical or mechanical engineering, or equivalent course work, depending on the specialty of the student. Equivalence of courses is determined by the graduate committees of the respective engineering programs. For more information, see the graduate program handbooks of the respective programs.
Admission as a Regular Graduate Student
Applications for admission may be obtained by writing to the Office of Graduate Engineering Programs, or to either the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering or the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology. Address: 723 W. Michigan St., IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5132; telephone (317) 278-4960. Electronic application is available on the school’s Web site: www.engr.iupui.edu.
International students should allow at least six months for the processing of their applications. Students residing in the United States should apply at least three months before the beginning of the semester in which they wish to enroll. Applicants will be formally advised of the final admission decision by the dean of the Graduate School, Purdue University, West Lafayette.
Admission as a Graduate Nondegree Student
This classification is intended for those who want to pursue study beyond the bachelor’s degree but who do not have specific degree objectives. It is not intended to be a form of probationary admission to a regular degree program. It is possible for a student registered in this classification to apply for admission to the Graduate School as a regular graduate student. However, if admitted as a regular graduate student, an individual may apply no more than 12 credit hours earned as a temporary graduate student to an advanced degree program. The grade for each course involved must be at least a B.
Students who have already earned 12 credit hours under the temporary classification will not be able to count toward their degree programs the credit earned during the semester in which acceptance as a regular graduate student is pending, unless admission is approved before the end of that semester. Furthermore, credit earned in courses taken while admission is pending may be applied to the advanced degree only if those courses are appropriate to the degree program and acceptable to both the School of Engineering and Technology and the Graduate School. No more than 12 hours of credit resulting from a combination of excess undergraduate credit and credit earned in postbaccalaureate status may be applied toward an advanced degree. Students should consult their advisors for further guidance.
Students interested in the Graduate Nondegree program and planning to enroll in graduate courses or a combination of graduate and undergraduate courses may apply online by visiting http://www.iupui.edu/~gradoff/gnd/.
Undergraduate and Transfer Credit
Course credits earned while an undergraduate at IUPUI or other regionally accredited institutions of higher learning may be applied toward an advanced degree if these credits are in excess of any requirements for the bachelor’s degree. Such credits must be certified as available for graduate credit by the institution from which the student received the bachelor’s degree, and they will be accepted only if all of the following conditions are met: (1) the student had senior standing when taking the course, (2) the student received a grade of B or higher, (3) the course was designated as a graduate course, and (4) the course was taken at the graduate level.
No more than 12 hours of credit resulting from a combination of excess undergraduate credit and credit earned in postbaccalaureate status may be applied toward any advanced degree. Any additional conditions under which excess undergraduate credit may be used for graduate credit will be determined by the School of Engineering and Technology.
Credits earned for graduate study at other universities may be applied toward an advanced degree as transfer credit, subject to the following restrictions: (1) A student must have earned a grade of B or higher in any graduate course whose credit hours are to be transferred; (2) course work used to satisfy the requirements of one master’s degree may not be used on the plan of study for another master’s degree; and (3) course work from one (and only one) master’s degree may be used on the plan of study for a doctoral degree. Any additional conditions under which credit transfers may be made will be determined by the School of Engineering and Technology.
Graduate Degree Requirements in the Purdue School of Engineering
To earn a master’s degree, students must satisfy the following requirements:
- Students must maintain regular graduate student standing.
- All regular students are required to demonstrate acceptable proficiency in English composition before a plan of study may be filed or an advanced degree obtained. If the necessary substantiation of English proficiency as outlined below is contained in the application, English clearance will be given automatically upon acceptance into a degree program. If substantiation is lacking on the application, the student is expected to satisfy this requirement during the first term of enrollment. A student whose first language is English may meet the English requirement in any of three ways:
- by receiving a grade of B or higher in all undergraduate courses in English composition;
- by submitting an official record from the Educational Testing Service, showing a scaled score of 600 or higher on the verbal portion of the GRE aptitude test;
- by passing the English proficiency examination administered by the English department at IUPUI. For further ESL test registration and course and program information, contact the ESL program, (317) 274-2188, Cavanaugh Hall 301, or contact esl [at] iupui [dot] edu (esl@iupui.edu). Those students with deficiencies are required to take an English composition or communications course within the first year of graduate study.
A student whose first language is not English—and who has scored higher than 550 (paper-based test) or 213 (computer-based test) on the TOEFL—may meet the English proficiency requirement by successfully passing the English proficiency examination administered by IUPUI’s Department of English. Those students with deficiencies are required to take an English composition or communications course within the first year of graduate study (ENG W131, TCM 460, or equivalent).
Nonnative speakers of English who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents and who hold a bachelor’s degree or a higher degree from a non-U.S. institution or from an institution in a country where English is not the predominant language may meet the English proficiency requirement by successfully passing the English proficiency examination administered by IUPUI’s Department of English.
- Students must file a plan of study appropriate to meet their needs in their chosen field of study. A tentative plan should be drawn up by the student and the graduate advisor in advance of registration for the first semester of graduate work. The formal plan of study must be filed as soon as possible thereafter but before the completion of 15 credit hours toward graduation. Students who have not filed a plan of study before the completion of 15 credit hours may not be allowed to register for the following term. The plan of study must be approved by the advisory committee and the Graduate School. The English requirement must be fulfilled before the plan of study can be filed.
- Students must meet credit, grade, and index requirements. The number of required credit hours varies between 30 and 33 among the master’s degree programs offered at IUPUI. Only grades of A, B, or C are acceptable in fulfilling Graduate School requirements for any plan of study. An advisory committee may require a grade of B or higher in certain courses. Pass/Fail grades are not acceptable in fulfilling degree requirements. Incomplete course grades must be cleared by the twelfth week of the second semester after the session in which the Incomplete was awarded. All graduate students are expected to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 out of a possible 4.0. Students who do not have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 are considered under probation. Those students who are on probation are required to take additional graduate courses, as required by their respective graduate committees, before they are permitted to graduate.
- Students must pass the required oral and written examinations. A final examining committee, usually the advisory committee, is appointed for each master’s degree candidate. The committee must certify to the Graduate School either that the student has passed the required examination or that the committee is satisfied with the accomplishment of the student as based on a committee conference.