Ph.D. 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
- Ph.D. Mechanical Engineering students need the following:
- 36 coursework credits, including 2 approved math courses.
- A minimum of 12 credits of coursework must be taken at the University of Maryland as a Ph.D. student.
- A minimum of 12 credits of ENME899 research.
- 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.
2. Ph.D. Reliability Engineering students need the following:
- 36 coursework credits.
- At least 30 coursework credits must be courses at the 600-level or above.
- A minimum of 12 credits of coursework must be taken at the University of Maryland as a Ph.D. student.
- At least 6 of the courses in the plan must be in ENRE.
- 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.
- A minimum of 12 credits of ENRE899 research.
Ph.D. students requesting to use transfer credits:
The Ph.D. Plan of Study can include a maximum of 24 approved transfer credits. Research credits (thesis or dissertation credits) from other institutions, including UMD, 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.
- The transferring of courses for Ph.D. students is a departmental process, so approved transferred courses will not appear on a student’s UMD transcript. Additionally, undergraduate courses from any University or institution are not acceptable for transfer.
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.