Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program at the University of New Mexico

Policy Manual for Current Students

The purpose of this web manual is to outline the requirements and procedures for the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degrees in Mechanical Engineering (ME).

The requirements for the degrees are specified by the department or school; however, some of these requirements are university-wide. The student should carefully study the University of New Mexico's Graduate Catalog that is applicable at the time of admission to become familiar with both general and specific requirements.

It is the student's responsibility to make sure that all requirements are satisfied at the intended time of graduation.

This manual will assist the student in understanding procedures for satisfying the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS) requirements.

The ME Department may change any requirements in this manual, as it deems necessary. Such changes will become effective at a time determined by the Mechanical Engineering faculty.

The student's degree requirements are fixed at the time the M.S. Program of Studies or Ph.D. Advancement to Candidacy Forms are completed and approved by the student's Committee-on-Studies, the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Director, and the Dean of Graduate Studies.

Make-up Courses for Students with a Non-ME BS Degree in Engineering, Physical Sciences, or Math. A typical set of make-up (leveling) courses are prescribed; for details, CLICK HERE.

Guidelines for Credit / No Credit (CR/NC) Grades. No more than 6 credit hours of course work in which a grade of C (2.0), C+ (2.33) or CR (grading option selected by student) was earned may be credited toward a graduate degree. All other courses applied towards a graduate degree (including transfer and non-degree courses) must be taken with the regular grading option; i.e., CR/NC option is not acceptable (with the exception of Seminar, Thesis, and Dissertation credits).

Guidelines for Non-ME Courses. All courses taken toward the satisfaction of the M.S. and Ph.D. degree requirements must be approved by both the ME department and the Office of Graduate Studies (OGS). Before selecting any 300- or 400-level courses, make sure that graduate credit is granted by the corresponding department.

Any elective courses taken outside the department must be of a technical nature. Courses from the following departments are typically acceptable: Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or another department in the School of Engineering; in case of courses from other departments, approval should be sought from the Committee-on-Studies before registering for the course. The Committee-on-Studies shall be concerned about the cohesiveness and relevance of the courses to form a solid foundation of support for the student's thesis or dissertation work. In other words, the MSME and PhD degrees shall not be used as a vehicle to complete a set of unrelated hodgepodge of courses.

Notification of Intent to Graduate. A student must inform the ME Graduate Office, in writing, of the Intent to Graduate. Please submit the Notification of Intent to Graduate Form to the ME Program Advisement Coordinator by July 25th for a Fall graduation, December 10th for a Spring graduation, and May 10th for a summer graduation. Students must be enrolled in a graduate course in the semester of graduation. If all other course work is completed, one (1) hour of ME 551 or 552 may be taken. Students should not register for ME 559 (3 hours) more than once.

Degrees are awarded three times during the year, while commencement exercises are only held in May and December. Graduation is dependent upon the completion of all degree requirements for graduation by November 15 for Fall, April 15 for Spring, or July 15 for Summer. If a student does not complete all degree requirements for graduation in a particular semester, the student must submit a new Intent to Graduate form for graduation in a subsequent semester. Only students who have completed all degree requirements may participate in commencement exercises.

Other Deadlines

Program of Studies (POS) for the Master's Degree

Graduation Semester Spring Summer Fall

Deadline October 1st May 1st July 1st
Announcement of Examination: Two weeks before your defense is scheduled
Thesis/Dissertation Due:

Spring Summer Fall

April 15 July 15 November 15

Graduating GPA Requirements. A student may not graduate if his/her program of studies includes more than six (6) hours of coursework graded C, C+, or CR (ME591/592 is excluded from this limitation). A student's cumulative GPA cannot be below 3.0 at the time of graduation. In addition, the GPA for courses presented in program of studies cannot be below 3.0.

Teaching (TA) and Project (PA) Assistantships. TA positions typically provide recipients with tuition coverage and a salary, requiring 20 hours of work per week. Reduced hours (10 hours per week) may also be available, with salary adjusted accordingly to serve as a grader for a course (PA). The following are the application deadlines:

Spring	Fall
November 15	July 1

Click here for the application form: TA/PA Positions - Application Form (pdf). Please attach an un-official (current) copy of your UNM transcripts and return to ME Graduate Director.

Contract renewal applications, in the case of current TAs and PAs, must be submitted to ME Graduate Director each time (i.e., each semester) a student is requesting to be considered for these positions. Click here for the Questionnaire: TA/PA Positions - Renewals (pdf). Same deadlines (Nov. 15 and July 1) apply; similarly, an un-official (current) copy of your UNM transcripts must be attached. Note: contract renewals are subject to availability of funds as well as student's performance (both academic and job-related).