M.S. | Ph.D. | D.E.

Admission requirements — To be considered for admission to a master's degree program in the School of Engineering, a student should have received an undergraduate degree from an accredited program in engineering, physics, chemistry, or applied mathematics and should have earned a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average based on a 4.0 scale. Students who apply to a graduate program different from their undergraduate degree may be required to complete undergraduate courses in the new area.

Students whose grade point average is below a 3.0 will be considered for acceptance on a conditional basis, in which case particular attention will be given to their last 60 semester hours of undergraduate coursework, engineering experience, and recommendations. In some cases, a limited number of undergraduate courses may be required to show competence in engineering sciences and design. Those who do not have an undergraduate degree in the above areas may be required to take additional semesters of undergraduate work. All undergraduate prerequisites should be completed satisfactorily before graduate courses are taken.

The minimum mathematics requirement is three semester hours of differential equations. Computer literacy is expected. In addition there may be special departmental requirements.

Acceptance into a graduate program must be approved by the department chair or program director and the Associate Dean of Graduate Engineering Programs and Research.

Unclassified status —  Students anticipating acceptance into a degree granting program may register for only six semester hours of graduate coursework without approval of the Associate Dean of Graduate Engineering Programs and Research. There is no guarantee that any hours taken before acceptance will count toward a degree. An application for graduate study should be submitted as soon as possible to ensure that courses taken are compatible with degree requirements. Performance in graduate courses taken before acceptance to a graduate program does not change admission requirements.

Advising — Each student accepted into a master's program is assigned an academic advisor. A change of academic advisor is permissible upon request of the student. The academic advisor shall be a member of the program faculty and be approved by the department chair or program director, and the Associate Dean of Graduate Engineering Programs and Research. The academic advisor will assist the student in preparing a plan of study.

Plan of study — Each student must complete a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate work. The specific courses should be itemized and approved on a Plan of Study form to be submitted to the Office of Graduate Engineering Programs and Research, prior to registration for the tenth graduate semester hour (excluding transfer credits), or before registration for the third semester. It is the student's responsibility to obtain approval from the academic advisor for any changes made to the plan of study and to submit to the academic advisor all deletions and additions in writing before the fourth week of the student's final semester. The plan of study and any amendments must be approved by the student's academic advisor, the department chair or program director, and the Associate Dean of Graduate Engineering Programs and Research.

Transfer of credit — Up to 6 semester hours, or the equivalent, of graduate studies outside the University of Dayton may be accepted toward the master's degree. The transfer credit must be of B or higher grade level, cannot have been used to satisfy the requirements of an undergraduate degree, and must be verified by an official transcript from the granting institution. It is the responsibility of the student to have the transcript(s) sent to the Office of Graduate Applications & Records.

Thesis — Each student whose plan of study requires a thesis must prepare it in accordance with the format outlined in A Manual for the Preparation of Graduate Theses and Dissertations, copies of which are available in the Office of Graduate Applications & Records, and in the Office of Graduate Engineering Programs and Research. The thesis must be based on the student's own work. Joint authorship is not permitted. The thesis advisor is responsibile for supervising and approving the work, and assisting in forming the thesis committee and scheduling a defense. The thesis advisor may or may not be the academic advisor. The thesis defense may  be either oral or written or both. The thesis must be presented to and approved by a committee of at least three members, at least two of whom are on the graduate faculty. The committee must receive the thesis at least one week prior to an oral defense. No student shall be allowed to defend the thesis more than twice.

A pass/fail grade will be assigned to the quality of the work. A final approved copy of the thesis is due in the Office of Graduate Engineering Programs and Research no later than one week before graduation.

Academic standards — Master's degree students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of a B (3.0) in coursework, with no more than six semester hours of C. Grades received from a thesis are Pass/Fail, and do not count toward the minimum grade point average of 3.0. Students who fail to meet these standards are placed on academic probation or dismissed from the program.

Time limit — all requirements for a master's degree must be satisfied within seven calendar years from the time of matriculation.

Accelerated master's program — University of Dayton students who have demonstrated above-average scholastic achievement during their first three years of undergraduate work are eligible to participate in an accelerated program leading to a master's degree. The student may take graduate courses that satisfy master's degree requirements while finishing the bachelor's degree. All other School of Engineering and department/program requirements apply to the accelerated master's program. Undergraduate students who are interested in this program should contact their department chair.

Additional requirements — Any other specific requirements and sequences are described in the following sections or in departmental and program documents.