Master of Science Degree Requirements:
M.S. Program in Reliability Engineering
Two options exist to earn the M.S. degree in Reliability Engineering:
- Complete 31 credits with at least 18 at the 600-level or above.
- Complete the required 16 credits of core courses (see below).
- Maintain an average grade of B or better.
- Submit at least one scholarly paper addressing reliability within his/her field of engineering for approval by two faculty members. The topic must be selected and an advisor located by the second semester of study. The paper can be completed by registering for ENRE648, an independent study course with selected advisor and approved through Graduate Committee.
- Complete a set of approved technical elective courses to satisfy the balance of the course requirements (a minimum of 15 credits).
- Complete 25 credits with at least 12 at the 600-level or above.
- Complete the required 16 credits of core courses.
- Maintain an average grade of B or better.
- Take an additional 6 credits of ENRE 799 (thesis research).
- Write a satisfactory thesis and defend the thesis in an oral examination.
- Complete a set of approved technical elective courses to satisfy the balance of the course requirements (a minimum of 9 credits).
All students seeking graduate degrees in Reliability Engineering must complete the following courses:
- ENRE 600 Fundamentals of Failure Mechanisms
- ENRE 602 Reliability Analysis
- ENRE 607 Reliability Engineering Seminar
- ENRE 620 Mathematical Techniques of Reliability Engineering
- ENRE 624 Failure Mechanisms & Effects Laboratory (COURSE CURRENTLY ON HOLD, STUDENT MUST SUBSTITUTE ELECTIVE IN ITS PLACE) and
- ENRE 653 Advanced Reliability Engineering
or
ENRE 655 Advanced Methods in Reliability Modeling
Non-Thesis students may also complete:
- ENRE 648 Special Problems in Reliability Engineering
Students may not register for more than a total of six credits of ENRE 648: Special Problems in Reliability Engineering, no more than three credits in a single semester. For each registration of ENRE648 an approved scholarly paper must be submitted to the Graduate Office. Research completed for ENRE648 may not overlap with a student’s thesis or dissertation topic. Furthermore, under no circumstances will students be permitted after the completion of the semester in which the credits were taken to convert ENRE648 credit to thesis (ENRE799) or dissertation (ENRE899) credits. In addition, a syllabus (outline of the course of study, the name(s) of text(s) that will be used, and a description of how the grade will be determined) must be written up for this independent study by one (or both) of the faculty. This syllabus needs to be submitted to the ME Graduate Office and be approved by the Graduate Committee.
Course Registration for Distance Learning
Distance Learning students MUST register for courses through the Reliability Engineering Graduate Coordinator. A printable version of the registration form (pdf) can be downloaded
here and subsequently faxed to 301-314-8015.
The thesis requirements, the Graduation Paperwork and timeline for the M.S. Degree in Reliability Engineering are the same as those for the M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Please see Sections VI.1.
General Information and Procedures for M.S. & Ph.D. Programs
Students seeking a graduate degree must maintain an average grade of “B” (3.0) in all courses that have been taken for graduate credit since enrollment in the degree program. Ph.D. students enrolled in the Reliability Engineering program must complete the core courses with a minimal GPA of 3.5 in order to qualify for the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam.
Time Limitation and Transfer of Credits
With the exception of the six semester-hours of graduate-level course credits applicable for possible transfer to the master’s degree program, all requirements for the master’s degree must be completed within a five-year period. When extraordinary conditions arise, this limitation can sometimes be extended to seven years by submitting a waiver request. This time limit applies to all coursework, including transfer credits from other institutions.
Admission to candidacy must be obtained within five calendar years after admission into the doctoral program. All remaining requirements for the degree must be completed within four years of the admission to candidacy.
Prior to registering for any courses, students should consult with their advisor. The ME Graduate Office can advise and assist students in locating an advisor. It is the student’s responsibility to develop an approved coursework plan at the beginning of the first semester of study in consultation with their advisor. Courses that are not on an approved coursework plan will not be counted toward the degree. The master’s and the doctoral coursework plan forms can be completed online at https://apra.umd.edu
Minimum Registration Requirements
Graduate students are required to register every fall and spring semester during the duration of their graduated studies. In addition, students must be registered for at least one credit during the semester in which they graduate (including summer semesters).
Upon achieving doctoral candidacy, the Graduate School requires that doctoral candidates be registered for six credit hours of ENME or ENRE 899 per semester until graduation. The section numbers associated with each faculty can be found at
http://www.enme.umd.edu/graduate/courses/section799.html
All classes are recorded for viewing on the Internet as streaming video. The material is copyrighted and may not be used for any other purpose than its original intent. Off-campus students usually communicate with their instructor by telephone and e-mail. In some courses, a Teaching Assistant is available to work with students when help is needed.
It is assumed that off-campus students will be approximately one week behind the on-campus students and all assignments given this one additional week before they are due. Likewise, exams for distance students will be held one week from the date of the on-campus exam. For students to participate in this distance education program, they must be able to arrange for a suitable proctor to oversee exams. It is usual for the Training Department of a company to provide proctoring of employees taking these exams. Distance exams unless otherwise specified by the instructor are to be completed in one session on the date of the exam. Students must make prior arrangements for the proctor to administer the exam on the exam date.
At the instructor’s request, the Graduate Office will oversee the distribution of distance exams. Completed exams are to be faxed to the Graduate Office to Amarildo DaMata or Fitzgerald Walker’s attention, 301-314-8015. The original should be sent by mail to the Mechanical and Reliability Engineering Graduate Office, 2168 Martin Hall, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742.
The current University of Maryland tuition for Reliability Engineering Distance courses is $681/credit hour.
Official status (either full-time or part-time) for academic purposes will be determined on the basis of a student's registration at the end of the Schedule Adjustment Period (the first ten days of classes). Students receiving a private scholarship must maintain full-time status throughout the semester in order to keep their scholarship, unless otherwise stipulated by the donor in writing. International students on F-1 and J-1 student visas must also maintain full-time status throughout each semester according to Federal regulations governing F-1 and J-1 students. Please contact an advisor in IES at 301-314-7744 if you have any questions concerning full-time status.
To be certified as a full-time student a graduate student must be officially registered for a combination of courses equivalent to 48 units per semester. Graduate assistants holding full-time (20 hours per week) teaching or research assistantship appointments are considered full-time students if they are registered for at least 24 units. Courses taken for Audit do not generate graduate units and cannot be used in calculating full-time or part-time status. The list below gives the number of units per credit hour for each course level.
Course Number |
Graduate Unit |
000-399 |
2 units per credit hour |
400-499 |
4 units per credit hour |
500-599 |
5 units per credit hour |
600-898 |
6 units per credit hour |
799 |
12 units per credit hour |
898 (Pre-candidacy doctoral research) |
18 units per credit hour |
899* (Doctoral dissertation research) |
18 units per credit hour |
UMEI 005 |
6 units per credit hour |
UMEI 006 |
2 units per credit hour |
UMEI 007 |
4 units per credit hour |
UMEI 008 |
2 units per credit hour |
*All doctoral candidates must be registered for six credit hours of 899, for which they must pay candidacy tuition.
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