Plan of Study (M.S)

M.S. Course Requirements & Plan of Study Instructions

The plan of study form is used to ensure that students are taking the appropriate courses and have the minimum number of credits required to graduate. The plan should be created with the student’s advisor and must be submitted by the end of the student’s first semester in the program.
Students should obtain their advisors signature before submitting the plan of study and other required materials (see below) to the Graduate Office at megrad@umd.edu. Within 3-5 business days, students will receive an email with an approval or denial decision on their plan.

Click here to download the Plan of Study template

  1. M.S. Mechanical Engineering Students (non-thesis) need the following:
  • 24 coursework credits, including 1 approved math course and 1 core course.
  • At least 5 of the courses in the plan must be in ENME.
  • A minimum of 6 credits of ENME799 thesis research.

2. M.S. Reliability Engineering Students (thesis option) need the following:

  • A minimum of 24 coursework credits.
  • A minimum of 6 credits of ENRE799 thesis research. 
  • At least 18 coursework credits must be courses at the 600-level or above.
  • At least 12 coursework credits must be ENRE courses.
  • Required to complete core courses: ENRE 600 and ENRE 602 with at least a 3.5 GPA. ENRE students who are admitted in the spring semester may substitute ENRE 447 for ENRE 602 but are then required to take ENRE655 at some point during their graduate career.

3. M.S. Reliability Engineering Students (non-thesis option) need the following:

  • At least 18 coursework credits must be courses at the 600-level or above.
  • At least 12 coursework credits must be ENRE courses.
  • Required to complete core courses: ENRE 600 and ENRE 602 with at least a 3.5 GPA. ENRE students who are admitted in the spring semester may substitute ENRE 447 for ENRE 602 but are then required to take ENRE655 at some point during their graduate career. 
  • Completion of a scholarly paper. A typical path to complete the scholarly paper is during ENRE courses that require a culminating project or during an ENRE 648 Independent study.
  • The non-thesis option is available for direct admission. Current Reliability M.S. students (thesis option) and Reliability Ph.D. students who are not continuing in the program may pursue this option with permission.

M.S. students requesting to use transfer credits:

The M.S. Plan of Study can include a maximum of 6 approved transfer credits for graduate coursework undertaken at other accredited U.S. institutions. Research credits (thesis or dissertation credits) from other institutions will not be accepted. In order to transfer courses, the student must submit the following along with their plan of study:

  • A copy of their unofficial transcript.
  • Official course descriptions for each course they would like to transfer.
  • A Transfer or Inclusion of Credit form signed by the student’s advisor. Policies surrounding the Inclusion of Credit are subject to change at any time by the Graduate School and/or the department Graduate Office. Please make sure to review the most up-to-date Graduate School catalog for detailed instructions on all policies and procedures.

ENME Students: No 400-level courses may be included on a Plan of Study. Plans of Study that include a 400-level course from outside of the department must be accompanied by a statement from the student’s advisor justifying their request for inclusion of the course.  Students must gain approval from the Graduate Office via the plan of study to include any 400-level course prior to taking the course in order to use it towards the completion of a degree.

The only exceptions to this are for the M.S. math requirement, which allows:

  • CMSC 460: Computational Methods
  • CMSC 467: Intro to Numerical Analysis II
  • MATH 403: Intro to Abstract Algebra
  • MATH 404: Field Theory
  • MATH 405: Linear Algebra
  • MATH 432: Intro to Point Set Topology
  • MATH 436: Differential Geometry I
  • MATH 437: Differential Geometry II
  • MATH 452: Introduction to Dynamics and Chaos
  • MATH 462: PDEs for Scientists and Engineers
  • MATH 463: Complex Variables for Scientists and Engineers
  • MATH 464: Transform Methods for Scientists and Engineers
  • MATH 475: Combinatorics and Graph Theory

ENRE Students: Those admitted in a semester when ENRE 447 is offered and ENRE 602 is not (i.e., Spring) may take ENRE 447.

ALL other exceptions to this policy must be approved by the Graduate Office prior to the student taking the course.

FAQ: Can I revise my plan of study after it has been approved?

Yes. The plan of study is a living document, meaning that changes to a previously approved plan of study will be considered at any time. To request any changes to your plan, please fill out a new plan of study form and submit it with the other required materials (listed above) to the Graduate Office at megrad@umd.edu. Students are responsible for ensuring that their revised plan of study is approved before deviating from their plan.