Graduate Admissions

MS applicants: If you are applying to our MS in Mechanical Engineering program, you should have an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from an accredited college or university, and if you are applying to our MS in Industrial Engineering program, you should have an undergraduate degree in industrial engineering or a related curriculum from an accredited college or university. MS applicants should have a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a scale of 4.0, based on the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate coursework completed. Interested in master’s-level study in our department? Download our master’s program booklet here.

PhD applicants: Successful applicants for doctoral study should have a master of science degree in their field from an accredited institution and should have completed substantial coursework in the chosen field of study. The department does consider outstanding PhD applicants who have only a bachelor’s degree through a program called “direct admission.” Please see the direct admission section below for more information. PhD applicants should have a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a scale of 4.0, based on the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate coursework completed.

Four-Year PhD Funding Guarantee: PhD students who are admitted into the MIE program with financial support in the form of Teaching or Research Assistantship will receive a funded appointment that includes waiver of tuition and certain fees in fall and spring semesters of their first four years. The students must remain in good academic standing, make satisfactory progress in the PhD program, be in compliance with University/Department policy, and successfully perform the duties of their assistantships. PhD Students are also eligible for summer support.

Master of Energy Engineering applicants: We invite you to visit the Master of Energy Engineering website, which offers all the information you need.

Applicants must meet the requirements of the graduate admissions office and the requirements of the department. In general, applicants should be prepared with the following:

• Admissions application completed online
• Transcripts of all previous undergraduate and graduate work
• English competency test. “Applicants whose native language is not English are required to take an English competency test, please refer to graduate catalog for details.Effective January 21, 2026, the TOEFL iBT will introduce a redesigned scoring scale, which will range from 1 to 6 in 0.5 increments, aligning more closely with the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). It will replace the existing total score range of 0–120 and the section subscores of 0–30.
  The updated TOEFL iBT score requirements for the campus are outlined below. These standards apply to all undergraduate and graduate applicants, although undergraduate applicants must only meet the total score requirement.TOEFL iBT     Minimum Score (New Scale)     Minimum Score (Legacy Scale through Jan 2026)
  
  Total                 4.5                                                             80
  Listening         4                                                               17
  Writing            4.5                                                             21
  Reading           4                                                                19
  Speaking         4.5                                                            20Please note that scores reported under the legacy scale will remain valid for two years from the test date and will continue to be accepted during this period.
• Application for Graduate Appointment form (PhD applicants only). This form is required for PhD applicants who want to be considered for fellowships, assistantships, tuition and fee waivers, and other forms of financial aid.
• A personal statement and three letters of recommendation are required for the application.

Most PhD applicants already have earned (or are about to complete) a master of science degree in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or a related field. However, exceptional applicants who seek to start the PhD with only an undergraduate degree may be considered for what is called “direct admission.” Students who are admitted to the PhD program with only a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, or a related field must complete all 108 credit hours toward the PhD degree (compared with students entering with an MS degree, who can apply 32 earned credits from their master’s degree toward their PhD).

Information about application deadlines is on the Graduate College’s admissions deadlines page.