The basic admission requirement to enter the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program is the possession of a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, Civil, or Chemical Engineering. Students with undergraduate backgrounds in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mathematics or Chemistry may enter the program contingent upon fulfilling a minimum number of undergraduate prerequisites to be determined upon an examination of their credentials. See the Core Curriculum to better understand the graduate course requirements.
The Admissions Process
Please refer to the UMBC Graduate School website for complete information on applying to graduate school at UMBC.
If you wish to contact the Department concerning the status of your application, please submit your request to megrad@umbc.edu.
Note: for best consideration for assistantship funding, apply by February 1 for Fall admission or by September 1 for Spring admission. The regular deadline for applications for Fall admission is July 15; for Spring admission it is November 15. International students should be aware of the time needed to obtain any travel documents and adjust their application submission schedule to accommodate those needs. The UMBC International Education Services website has some helpful information.
Ph.D. Program
The following minimum levels of achievement are required for admission into the Ph.D. program.
Overall GPA > 3.3 on the 4 point system.
International students whose Universities do not mark on this system should either rank in the top 10% of their class or graduate in the high first division with distinction; also you are encouraged to use the free GPA Calculator from WES before submitting your application.
U.S. students whose overall GPA is >3.0 but <3.3 may be admitted as a non-degree seeking student to demonstrate academic performance in up to two core courses.
GRE The GRE is not required for either international or domestic students with GPA above 3.3. If your GPA falls below that minimum, a GRE Quantitative score above 153 must be officially reported to UMBC along with your application.
TOEFL >80, or IELTS >6.5, or Duolingo >115. The TOEFL (or IELTS or Duolingo) is mandatory for international students. TOEFL is not required for domestic students. International Students who completed their education in an English-speaking country or institution may be exempt from this requirement, per the guidelines listed here
M.S. Program
The following minimum levels of achievement are required for admission into the M.S. program.
Overall GPA > 3.0 on the 4 point system.
International students whose Universities do not mark on this system should either rank in the top 20% of their class or graduate in at least the first division; also you are encouraged to use the free GPA Calculator from WES before submitting your application..
U.S. students whose overall GPA is >2.5 but <3.0 may be admitted as a non-degree seeking student to demonstrate academic performance in up to two core courses.
GRE The GRE is not required for either international or domestic students with GPA above 3.0. If your GPA falls below that minimum, a GRE Quantitative score above 148 must be officially reported to UMBC along with your application
TOEFL >80, or IELTS >6.5, or Duolingo >115. The TOEFL (or IELTS or Duolingo) is mandatory for international students. TOEFL is not required for domestic students. International Students who completed their education in an English-speaking country or institution may be exempt from this requirement, per the guidelines listed here
Mechanical Engineering students from UMBC applying to the MS program, or applicants who submit their MS application within one year of graduating from Mechanical Engineering at UMBC, may submit only one letter of recommendation in their application. Students requesting to transfer from the MS program to the PhD program, or those applying directly to the PhD program, must submit 3 letters of recommendation.
Application Evaluation
For any degree or student status, the student’s application and supporting credentials will be carefully reviewed by a selection committee who will consider not only the above criteria, but also the student’s performance in technical projects, especially research. The committee also weighs recommendations from faculty or professional peers. For those seeking to pursue the Ph.D. degree, particular emphasis will be given to prior research experience.
For those students already holding an M.S. degree, the above criteria will be applied primarily to their graduate school performance.
For additional information on the application process contact the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Course Equivalency and Transfer of Credits
The Mechanical Engineering Department and the UMBC Graduate School must approve all credit transfer requests. Incoming graduate students who have already completed an M.S. or equivalent degree, either at UMBC or elsewhere, may request to be exempt from no more than two of the required graduate core courses. The review for core courses to establish equivalency to courses offered at UMBC should be conducted by the Department upon the student’s entry into the graduate program.
Course offerings at the nearby University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) and the University of Maryland at Baltimore (UMAB) are available for credit at UMBC.