ENME Graduate Admission Information
General Admission Requirements
Admission to the Graduate Programs of the Mechanical Engineering Department is highly competitive; the Department looks for strong evidence of motivation and achievement. Admission decisions are generally based on quantitative metrics (GPA, GRE and TOEFL scores), letters of recommendation, essay statements, and previous work experience. In addition, it is expected that a Mechanical Engineering or Reliabilty Engineering Faculty member be interested in advising the applicant before she can be accepted into the program.
All applicants to the Graduate Program must meet the general admission requirements of the Graduate School.
Please note that all application materials submitted (online application, ETS score reports, transcripts, etc.) should indicate the exact same first and last name and date of birth.
The Graduate School requires as a minimum standard a B average (or 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) in a program of study in engineering, math, or physical science, resulting in the award of a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university (or the equivalent from a foreign institution). International students are also required to submit TOEFL scores (In countries in which the TOEFL exam is not given, it can be replaced with the IELTS).
The Department of Mechanical Engineering has considerably stricter admission requirements than those set by the Graduate School. Applicants are required to take the GRE General test (whose scores must be submitted to University of Maryland) Applicants can request for official scores to be sent by ETS to the University of Maryland, institution code of 5814 (no department code necessary). The minimum requirements of the Department of Mechanical Engineering for acceptance into the Graduate program are:
- Bachelor’s degree from regionally accredited college or university (or equivalent from a foreign institution)
- At least a 3.0 G.P.A. (on a 4.0 scale)
- At least 3 letters of recommendation strongly supporting the applicant’s admission into the Graduate Program
- An essay or statement of goals and experiences
- A total score greater than 1200 combined on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the General GRE and greater than 4.5 on the Analytical Writing section
- For international applicants: at least a 577 (paper-based) or 233 (computer-based) score on the TOEFL exam
In 2004, the Department of Mechanical Engineering received over 515 applications. Of these, 19% were accepted. For the applicants accepted the average undergraduate and graduate GPA were, respectively, 3.54 and 3.74, and the average total GRE General Test score was 545 Verbal, 750 Quantitative, 4.57 Analytic.. For international applicants the average TOEFL score was 620 (equivalent to a score of 260 on the computer-based TOEFL).
The Department also encourages more senior applicants with distinguished professional experience to apply. For these applications, decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and some weight may be given to the work experience, publications, professional contributions, or engineering management experience of the applicant.
Additional Admission Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Program
Normal requirements for admission into the Ph.D. Program are a Master’s degree in engineering, mathematics, or physical sciences from a recognized university, outstanding academic record, general test scores, and grade point averages. Academically exceptional students are encouraged to apply for admission into the doctoral program directly after obtaining a B.S. degree. A Master’s Degree is usually awarded to students admitted directly into the Ph.D. program upon their successful completion of the coursework and presentation of the dissertation proposal. Students admitted directly into the Ph.D. program are generally not allowed to switch to the M.S. Program.
Additional Admission Requirements for the Joint B.S./M.S. Program
The combined Bachelor's/Master's Degree (B.S./M.S.) Program is available only to current University of Maryland undergraduate students. The minimum requirements for acceptance into the Combined B.S./M.S. program are:
- At least a 3.70 G.P.A. (on a 4.0 scale)
- No more than 30 credits of ENME courses remaining for B.S.
- No more than 6 credits of CORE requirements remaining for B.S.
- At least 3 letters of recommendation strongly supporting the applicant's admission into the Graduate Program
Students wishing to apply to this program should contact the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Office during their junior year.
Application Deadlines for the Fall Semester
All international applicants, including international applicants currently studying at U.S. institutions must submit applications no later than February 1. The preferred deadline for U.S. applicants is January 7; all U.S. citizens must submit applications by May 15. Admission recommendations are made on a rolling basis, and admitted applicants are notified as the decision is made. Most admission decisions and offers of financial assistance are made before April 15. All applicants that do not receive admission offers will have their applications canceled by Graduate School on May 31, and will subsequently be notified.
Application Deadlines for the Spring Semester
All international students, including international students currently studying at U.S. institutions, must submit applications no later than June 1. The preferred deadline for U.S. applicants is August 1; a ll U.S. citizens must submit applications by October 15. Admission recommendations are made on a rolling basis, and admitted applicants are notified as the decision is made. Most admission decisions and offers of financial assistance are made before October 15. All applicants that do not receive admission offers will have their applications canceled by the Graduate School on October 31, and will subsequently be notified.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering does not accept applications for the summer semester. Since all admission decisions and offers of financial assistance are made on a rolling basis, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications early.
Obtaining an application packet
There are two ways to submit applications:
- A graduate application may be submitted online at www.gradschool.umd.edu/gss/admission.htm
- A paper version of the application may be submitted by mail. A printer-friendly version of the graduate application and all other application forms may be downloaded in PDF format at
www.gradschool.umd.edu/gss/forms/2006_Application_Booklet.pdf
Submitting application materials
All application materials should be submitted to:
Enrollment Services Operations
Application for Graduate Admission
0130 Mitchell Building
University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, MD 20742
- On-line application form or copy of paper application form
- $60 non-refundable processing fee (this fee is waived for all University of Maryland, College Park graduate students and graduate alumni)
- Official transcript from all colleges or universities attended
- Official GRE score report, and for international applicants an official TOEFL score report
- For applicants who wish to be considered for in-state tuition status — Residency Information form is required and available at www.gradschool.umd.edu/gss/forms/statenew.pdf
- For all international students — Certification-of-finances form is required and available at www.gradschool.umd.edu/gss/forms/certnew.pdf. Please submit along with this form all supporting documents
- Three signed and sealed letters of recommendation
- Statement of goals and experiences (if submitted on-line, a copy will be automatically sent to the Graduate Office by the Graduate School)
- Curriculum Vitae/Resume (optional) (if submitted on-line, a copy will be automatically sent to the Graduate Office by the Graduate School)
The Department of Mechanical Engineering does not have the authority to waive the application fee of an applicant, regardless of extenuating circumstances.
Once an application has been received and processed by the Graduate School applicants are asked to log into A. James Clark School of Engineering Maryland Student and Applicant Database, at
https://apra.umd.edu/. Applicants will use the nine digit ID number provided by Graduate School and a PIN number to access the secure system. Applicants are then prompted to provide supplemental application information.
Checking the status of a graduate application
An applicant’s status can be checked at any time by accessing Testudo, the University of Maryland web-based administrative system, at www.testudo.umd.edu/apps/gradapp/.
Applicants may obtain more detailed information regarding the status and the materials received by the Maryland Electronic Graduate System (MEGS), at https://apra.umd.edu/.
To access Testudo, applicants should use their University issued student ID number and their Personal Identification Number (PIN). The default PIN corresponds to an applicant’s date of birth MMDDYY; when an individual checks their application status for the first time they will be prompted to change their PIN from the default. To access MEGS, please follow the instructions on the login screen.
Applicants seeking information regarding the status of their application are asked to check its status through the A. James Clark School of Engineering Maryland Student and Applicant Database before contacting the Department of Mechanical Engineering. All applicant questions and concerns will be answered as promptly as possible.
The student's files are evaluated independently by the Graduate Director, by the members of the Graduate Committee, and by a committee from the technical area of interest to the student. Only students that meet or exceed the admissions standards of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (Section IV.1) will be considered for admission. The following are some of the criteria used in deciding whether to admit an applicant:
- An applicant’s competitive ranking among other applicants, based on test scores and GPA
- The quality of an applicant’s letters of recommendation, including the authority of the author
- A match of the applicant’s research interests with the interests of the Mechanical or Reliability Engineering faculty
- An applicant’s degree of professional experience
- The availability of funding
Since admission into the program is frequently contingent on the availability of financial support, which requires the student to engage in directed research, applicants should determine carefully which areas of mechanical engineering most interest them, and to indicate their interests explicitly in their statement of goals and experiences. Contacting faculty directly may be useful, but the applicants should carefully examine the field of interest of the faculty that they wish to contact. Blanket, impersonal mailings are not useful, since the average faculty receives scores of them every semester. An outstanding academic record and strong letters of recommendation are not sufficient to guarantee admission into the program: many qualified students are denied admission each semester because the department could not provide financial support.
Admission recommendations and offers of financial support are made on a rolling basis. Most Graduate Assistantship offers are made before the April 15 deadline. Rejection letters to candidates who do not have the required qualifications are also sent out also on a rolling basis. In some cases no decision is made until May 31 for the Fall Semester or October 31 for the Spring Semester. Qualified applicants will have their application remain active until this time in the hopes that financial assistance and/or an available advisor can be located. If funding and/or an advisor cannot be located by this time, the Department of Mechanical Engineering will cancel the application of all the candidates that cannot be recommended for admission. The Graduate School of the University of Maryland will send notification letters to the candidates whose applications are rejected for "unavailable advisor."
Additional Applicant Information
Admission into the Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate program is very competitive. Each semester, only 10 to 15% of the applicants are accepted; those accepted have outstanding academic records, and strong letters of recommendations. The accepted applicants are required to select a thesis (or dissertation) advisor within the first semester of their enrollment. The thesis advisor will direct the student’s research, decide (in conjunction with the student) a coursework plan, and identify other members of the thesis or dissertation committee. Applicants who need financial assistance must have exceptional academic records and very strong letters of recommendation. In addition, the admission is contingent upon the availability of financial support, which is offered by the faculty member, and is typically in the form of a research assistantship. This faculty member will become the student’s advisor for the duration of the student’s assistantship. Students receiving financial assistance are required to pursue their degree full-time. Applicants that do not require financial assistance from the Department to pursue a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering are admitted based upon their credentials only.
Timeline for the Mechanical Engineering and Reliability Engineering applicant evaluation process
June 1 - Deadline for all international applicants for next year's spring semester
August 1 - Preferred deadline for all U.S. applicants for upcoming spring semester
September 31 - Majority of applicants that will receive department offers of financial assistance and/or recommendations for admission for upcoming spring semester will be notified by this date
October 15 - Deadline for all U.S. applicants for upcoming spring semester
Majority of graduate applicants that have not received department recommendations for spring admission will have application for lack of available advisor
October 31 - End of spring application period; any remaining applicants not recommended for admission by graduate department for the upcoming spring semester will have application rejected for unavailable advisor
January 7 - Preferred deadline for all U.S. applicants for the upcoming fall semester
February 1 - Deadline for all international applicants for the upcoming fall semester
March 31 - Majority of applicants that will receive department offers of financial assistance and/or recommendations for admission for upcoming fall semester will be notified by this date
April 15 - Majority of graduate applicants that have not received department recommendations for fall admission will have their application rejected for unavailable advisor
May 15 - End of fall application period; any remaining applicants not recommended for admission by graduate department for the upcoming fall semester will have their application rejected by the Department of Mechanical Engineering for unavailable advisor.
June 1 - Deadline for all international applicants for next year's spring semester
Graduate School application withdrawal and cancellation policies
All applicants that have not been recommended for admission by the Graduate Director on the last day of the admission period will automatically have their application withdrawn by the Graduate School. For the fall semester the last day of the admissions period is May 31; for the spring semester the last day of the admissions period is October 31.
Applicants who are offered admission to the University of Maryland may defer their admittance by one semester, once only. If a student is unable to attend during the semester to which they have deferred their admission, the offer of admission will be terminated. Should the applicant still wish to attend the University of Maryland, she must reapply, repeating all the original application process steps.
Applicants that have been offered financial assistance from the Department of Mechanical Engineering will not necessarily have that financial assistance carried over into the semester to which they are deferring. If an applicant’s admission is contingent upon this offer of financial assistance and the funding cannot be renewed for the semester to which they defer, the applicant’s offer of admission may be terminated by Graduate School.
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