154 Hour Combined BS/MS Program

This program is an opportunity for top ME undergraduates to obtain BS and MS degrees with 154 credit hours of course work. Normally, the BS degree requires 129 hours and the MS requires 31 hours, for a total of 160 hours of work.

ME students in the final semester of junior year who have a cumulative (non-grade replaced) average above 3.2 may be considered for the program. Students in this program will follow the existing undergraduate curriculum for the first seven semester. During the final semester, they may take two graduate (500 level) courses instead of the two ME electives listed in the undergraduate curriculum. The student receives a B.S. degree at this point. Approximately one additional year of study, including one summer, then leads to the M.S. degree.

Listed below are the courses to be taken in the final undergraduate year and during the graduate part of the program, for a May graduate pursuing the thesis option. The graduate curriculum below is an example. A student's actual program will vary according to wether the student is enrolled for summer classes, and which Master's option is chosen (thesis or report).

5 Year BS/MS Degree Program

Fourth Year
Fall
Gen Ed HT&B                            3    Graduate "Year" (typically 15 months)        
ME 425 Design of Machine Elements      3    Summer I or Summer II                        
ME 426 Design Project Laboratory I     3    1 graduate course                      3     
ME 445 Experimental Methods II         3                                                 
ME 449 Senior Seminar                  1    Fall                                         
Gen Ed VWW Econ                        3    2 graduate courses                     6     
                               Total  16    ME 591 Seminar                         1     
Spring                                      ME 599 (Thesis)                        3     
Math elective                          3                                   Total  10     
Graduate Course (BS/MS students)       3                                                 
Graduate Course (BS/MS students)       3    Spring                                       
ME 427 Design Project Laboratory II    3    3 graduate courses                     9     
Gen Ed VWW                             3    ME 599 (Thesis)                        3     
                               Total  15                                   Total  12     
            
                                                                                         
                   Total credits taken during graduate year:  25

Additional credits of ME 599 must be taken if the student is supported by the department as a half-time TA or RA.

Total hours: 154 (148 hours of formal coursework plus 6 hours of thesis.)

Admission to Program

Admission occurs in two steps. First, students will apply to the ME department for admission to the BS/MS program during the final semester of the junior year (i.e., when taking ME 326); see attached application form. Admission to the program will be based on the cumulative (non-grade replaced) grade point average (>3.2) and personal recommendations by faculty listed on the departmental application. Once the ME department has notified the applicant of acceptance, the applicant must then apply to the graduate school (www.gradschool.nmsu.edu/) for formal admission; this application to the graduate school is made during the semester of BSME graduation.

Additional Information on the 154 hour program

The department provides some type of financial support to many of its graduate students. There are two main types of support available:

1. Teaching Assistantship (TA): Graduate students are hired to help with undergraduate instructional duties. Examples of TA duties include grading homework for undergraduate classes, conducting help sessions, and conducting laboratory sessions in one of the undergraduate laboratories.
2. Research Assistantship (RA): Here the student is paid to work on a grant or contract under the direction of the faculty member who has been funded to do the research. Generally, this work will contribute directly to the student's Masters thesis. For most students the RA position is preferable, because the student's job is to conduct research that becomes part of the thesis.

All students admitted to the 154 Hour program will automatically be considered for open teaching assistant (TA) slots. In general, research assistantships (RA's) are awarded by individual faculty members. Interested students should contact mechanical engineering faculty in the area of interest to the student to indicate interest in being considered for an RA position that may be open. Stipends for beginning students are at level 1 (see Guidelines for Graduate Assistantships at http://gradschool.nmsu.edu)

Other Requirements

During the graduate year all students in this program will be subject to the same policies and procedures that apply generally to mechanical engineering graduate students.

Benefits

A graduate student receiving quarter-time (10 hours/week) or half-time (20 hours/week) support from the department (TA or RA) qualifies for reduced medical insurance rates; out of state students will receive in- state tuition rates. Students will be required to attend a mandatory benefits orientation that will explain all the benefits for which the student qualifies.

Admission

Departmental admission into the 154 hour BS/MS program will be based on undergraduate grade point average, GRE scores, and faculty recommendations.

The minimum cumulative (non grade replaced) grade point average required for admission is 3.2. Students having a grade point average below 3.2 may be admitted on a case by case basis, depending on GRE scores and faculty recommendations. Students having a cumulative (non-grade replaced) grade point average above 3.5 are not required to take the GRE exam.