Master of Engineering
The Master of Engineering (MR) distance education degree program is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in engineering or a closely related field who wish to pursue a graduate degree in engineering.
The Master of Engineering (MR) distance education degree program is designed for students with an undergraduate degree in engineering or a closely related field who wish to pursue a graduate degree in engineering. The program was created to address the needs of students whose schedule or location does not allow on-campus study, working professionals who wish to obtain an advanced degree or those who wish to change fields within engineering.
Convenience and flexibility are the key advantages of this interdisciplinary degree program that can be earned totally at a distance with no GRE, thesis or final oral exam requirements. The Master of Engineering degree allows students to choose from different subplans from the many disciplines of engineering within the College of Engineering or to design their own degree plans that best meet their career or employment goals.
Learn More About the Degree
Admission Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics or related sciences with a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0. Individuals who do not have an undergraduate degree in these areas or do not meet the GPA requirement may have to complete certain prerequisites before being admitted to the program.
- Must have completed an engineering-based calculus series including differential equations prior to applying to the program.
- GRE scores are not required but are highly preferable.
- All international applicants from non-English-speaking countries must take the TOEFL or IELTS exams unless they have completed one year or more of study in the United States, Canada or Great Britain.
- All international applicants must provide an officially translated transcript certifying course-by-course equivalence with the US grading system and showing the cumulative GPA. A list of accredited foreign credential evaluation services can be found via NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) at www.naces.org/members.html.
Additional Documentation
In addition to the above documentation, the Graduate School application requires:
- Official transcripts of all universities or colleges attended
- Personal statement
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
Degree Requirements
- Completion of 30 credit hours of graduate-level coursework with an overall grade-point average of 3.0. All 30 hours must be graded courses (not audited).
- Completion of 21 hours of engineering classes with at least 18 hours taken from the College of Engineering. The remaining 9 hours can be taken from engineering or from related fields (such as science or math with only one class allowed in business) with advisor approval.
- Students must identify an area of concentration from which they will complete three to six classes. All concentration area classes MUST be taken from the College of Engineering at NC State University. The concentration will appear on the student’s transcript if five or six courses are taken in that specialty area. No more than six classes will be allowed in a single area.
- The Master of Engineering will accept up to 12 hours of transfer credit or non-degree-studies credit at NC State with advisor approval. Transferred classes taken at other schools will not count toward the concentration area requirement.
- The concentration/subplan areas* listed below are available for the Master of Engineering degree:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Engineering Management
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Nuclear Engineering
*Please note there is no concentration in Civil Engineering. There is no double/dual concentration.
- The degree program must be completed within six years, and except for summer sessions, students must remain continuously enrolled (a minimum of one course per semester). A leave of absence can be granted for up to two semesters with reasonable justification.
Course Registration
Students who wish to take only a few courses and not pursue a degree do not need to apply for formal program admission to NC State University. Qualified individuals may enroll in engineering courses as a Non-Degree Studies (NDS) student at NC State. However, students who wish to earn the Master of Engineering degree must formally apply for admission to the Graduate School at grad.ncsu.edu. It is preferable to seek admission to the Master of Engineering program as soon as possible to ensure integration into the advising process.
After being admitted to NC State as either a degree student or NDS student, students may complete the registration form on the Engineering Online website at engineeringonline.ncsu.edu by clicking on “Registration.” Students cannot register through the University MyPack Portal system for Engineering Online courses.
Course Offerings
A list of distance education courses available for each semester can be found on the Engineering Online website. Students employed full time may only enroll in two online courses per semester. It is highly recommended that new students enroll in only one course during their first semester.
Graduation
NC State University holds commencement exercises for both fall and spring terms, and all graduates are welcome to participate. The Master of Engineering Program holds only a spring graduation reception each year. All graduates from the entire academic year are invited to participate.
Plan of Study
The Master of Engineering program is a 30-credit-hour program. All requirements of the degree must be completed within six years of enrolling in the first course that appears on the NC State Graduate Plan of Work. Students who are employed full-time may enroll in only two courses per semester. It is highly recommended that new students enroll in just one course during the first semester. The average time for students to complete the Master of Engineering degree is 3.5 years.
Subplan Fields
The subplan fields* available for the Master of Engineering degree are listed below:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- Computer Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Engineering Management
- Industrial Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Nuclear Engineering
*Please note that there is no concentration in Civil Engineering. You may take up to three courses in Civil Engineering, but you cannot receive a subplan.
All students, upon admission to the program, are assigned an academic advisor.
Admissions
In addition to the minimum admissions requirements, all applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field, with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. Although GRE scores are not required, all international applicants must submit TOEFL or IELTS test scores.
Application Deadlines
Applications are considered on a rolling basis as they are received. However, we do encourage future students to submit applications by the application deadlines for each semester to receive the highest priority.
Master of Engineering Priority Deadlines
| Applicants | Fall | Spring | Summer 1 | Summer 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Citizens: | Jun 25 | Nov 25 | Mar 25 | May 10 |
| Internationals: | Mar 1 | Jul 15 | Dec 15 | Dec 15 |
How to Obtain More Information
To obtain more information, select the button below which will take you to an online form on The Graduate School’s website.
