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Graduate Students

Degree Requirements

Master of Engineering

The M.Eng. is a non-thesis professional master's degree. It is usually a terminal degree for students who intend to pursue careers that do not emphasize R&D. A total of 30 credits is required, including courses in the core requirements. Twenty-one credits must be in aerospace engineering courses, with at least 18 credits at the 500- level. A student may take a maximum of 6 credits of 400- level course work. Each student must complete a scholarly paper (completed for 2 credits of Aersp 596), including a review of the literature and some experiment or analysis, and take the 1-credit graduate colloquium.

Master of Science

The M.S. is a thesis-based master's degree having a significant research component. It may be a terminal degree for students who intend to pursue research-related careers, or it may be a stepping-stone to a Ph.D. A total of 30 credits is required, including courses in the core requirements. Twelve credits must be in aerospace engineering courses, with at least 6 credits at the 500 level. A student may take a maximum of 6 credits of 400- level course work. Six credits of thesis research are also required. Completion of an M.S. thesis is required for graduation.

Doctor of Philosophy

The Ph.D. is a thesis-based doctor's degree. It is strongly research-oriented and is a terminal degree for students who intend to pursue careers in R&D, research management, or university teaching. There is no foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree; however, students must demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English through an English proficiency examination administered by the department. This satisfies the Graduate School's requirement that must be completed before taking the comprehensive exam. The candidate's doctoral committee decides which, if any, courses are required in addition to those specified in the core requirements. As a student progresses in the Ph.D. program, the doctoral committee administers the following examinations:

  1. The candidacy examination is given as a preliminary aptitude test before the end of the second semester.
  2. A comprehensive examination covering the major and minor fields of study is administered after the candidate has substantially completed the required course work.
  3. The final oral examination, which is related mainly to the thesis, is given after the candidate has satisfied all other degree requirements. All Ph.D. students must maintain continuous registration until the thesis is approved.

M.ENG., M.S., and PH.D. Core Requirements

  1. Two courses for 6 credits in basic field theories, one in each of two different categories from a prescribed list in fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, or system dynamics.
  2. One 3-credit course from a prescribed list in numerical or computational methods for analysis of differential equations.
  3. One 3-credit course from a prescribed list of 500-level applied mathematics courses.
  4. Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate evidence of experimental experience.
  5. Teaching assistants and teaching aides must satisfactorily complete ENGR 588.
  6. M.S. and Ph.D. candidates must present their theses at a public seminar at Penn State.
  7. (M.Eng. only) a 2-credit scholarly paper.
  8. (M.Eng. only) a 1-credit graduate colloquium.