ME Bachelor's - Master's (BS-MS) Pathway

There are two (2) tracks to consider:

(1) The original BS-MS program is now BS+1 MS Professional Traineeship track under the ME MS (Non-thesis Option):
You take two-additional graduate-level courses (during senior year – no double-counting) to be transferred to graduate-degree program (6 Credit Hours (CHs)). Take required summer internship in industry or approved research laboratories while taking the internship course (3 CHs). Returning to school to take 2 sponsored project courses (with industry or research lab partners - 6 CHs) plus 5 more graduate-level courses (15 CHs) to graduate in two semesters with your master's degree.

Advantages: You will earn a total of 30 CHs just like the traditional MS non-thesis students except you earn industrial traineeship and project experiences. Tuition waivers and assistantship/internship stipends are guaranteed through your BS-MS study (with good academic standing and availability of funds). Also, you can establish good professional development skills to be included in your employment portfolio. You get your BS & MS degrees in 4+1 years.

Disadvantages: you take more CHs as compared to the option 2. You need to work harder during your senior years since two additional graduate-level courses are required.

(2) New combined BS-MS program:
The current BS-MS Pathway program allows for double counting courses taking during the senior year. You will take up to 4 graduate-level courses during your senior years (with special approval). These courses could be counted toward both your technical-electives and your graduate-level credit requirements (up to 12 CHs maximum). Therefore, you will only need 18 CHs (6 courses) of graduate-level courses to fulfill your 30 CHs MS non-thesis requirement. You can complete these course requirements in two semesters.

Advantages: Fewer course requirement as compared to option 1 due to double counting. You might be able to transfer some (typical no more 6 CHs if it is allowed) to other graduate schools should you decide to go to other programs. You can get your BS-MS degrees in 4+1 years.

Disadvantages: Fewer courses taken for your professional preparation. You do not get the benefits of guaranteed tuition waivers and stipends although you can always request funding from faculty members should they have research grants and/or teach assistant needs to support MS non-thesis students (although it is highly unlikely since emphasis has been placed on PhD program).

Note: admission to either program will require high academic standard (GPA 3.2 or higher with more emphasis on advanced-level course grades). GRE might be waived depending on GPA level.

Admission Criteria and Operating Procedures

People Studying

Students are recruited in the Spring semester of their junior year. A special information session is arranged for all interested students before they submit their application package. The admission standard is based on the following criteria: (1) GPA of 3.2 or higher; and (2) successful completion of the junior-level core courses. More emphasis is placed on the engineering GPA (by excluding pre-engineering and non-technical courses taken during early academic years). Applications are reviewed by a committee consisting of BS-MS coordinator, Graduate Committee Chair and the Department Chair. Provisional admission to the pathway will be granted to selected students who satisfy the academic criteria.

Subsequently, students will be advised by the BS-MS coordinator and the graduate pathway coordinator after the preliminary admission. They will need to take up to four graduate-level (5000 or higher) courses during their Senior year while maintaining a 3.0 or better GPA. At least three of these courses (a total of 9 credit hours) would have to be Mechanical Engineering courses while one course could be from outside ME, provided it is approved by the graduate committee chair. The same set of four courses could be used to fulfill their undergraduate Technical Electives requirement (in the spirit of double-counting). They will apply for the graduate school during the Spring semester of their Senior year with required credentials, before being formally admitted into the MS pathway, in the Summer term, immediately after receiving their BS degree.

They will return to school in the following Summer, Fall and/or Spring semesters to complete their MS degree requirements (taking 6 graduate-level courses) for a total of 18 credit hours (or more, if they have not taken 4 graduate-level courses during their Senior year). In all, BS-MS students will complete 30 graduate credit hours with a maximum of 12 double counting credit hours toward their BS degree requirements (replacing four Technical Elective courses).

Qualified students may complete the online application form.

Application Form

Curriculum

BS requirements: The ME BS-MS pathway allows double counting up to 12 credit hours. Therefore, the students will satisfy all BS requirements by completing 128 hours (with 12 double-counting graduate-level courses) to satisfy ABET requirements within their four years of undergraduate study. They will still take all required core courses and the graduate-level courses will replace the four technical electives. Therefore, they will fulfill all BS requirements as compared to their peers.

MS requirements: They are required to take up to four graduate-level courses during their Senior year. They will return to school in the following Summer, Fall and/or Spring semesters to complete their MS degree requirements (taking 6 additional MS-level courses) for a total of 18 credit hours (or more, if they have not taken 4 graduate-level courses earlier). They will have taken 30 hours of graduate-level courses while maintaining 3.0 or better GPA.

In all, BS-MS students will complete 30 graduate-level credit hours with a maximum of 12 credit hours be double counted toward their BS degree requirements.

Pathway Requirements

The BS-MS pathway is a combined undergraduate-graduate pathway. This pathway is designed for five years of full time study. It provides students with a unique opportunity to combine advanced undergraduate and graduate studies in mechanical engineering with practical, real- world, product-oriented experience in the engineering of mechanical systems.

The BS-MS pathway is designed for admission from within the College of Engineering student body. Well-qualified students, who are expected to have a GPA of 3.2 or better in engineering studies, are invited to apply for the pathway during the spring semester of their third year in the College. Qualified students may complete the online application form.

Fall Semester

EML 4551C - Senior Design Project I (3)
Graduate Course or Undergraduate Technical Elective (3)
Graduate Course or Undergraduate Technical Elective (3)

Spring Semester

EML 4552C - Senior Design Project II (3)
Graduate Course or Undergraduate Technical Elective (3)
Graduate Course or Undergraduate Technical Elective (3)

Registering for Graduate Courses

To register for a graduate course, student must complete a Request to Take Graduate Courses form. The form is available in the Registrar's Office. The form must be submitted to the university no later than the third day of classes. Students must earn a 'B' grade or better in each graduate level course taken.

Admission to the Graduate Pathway

BS-MS students must apply for admission to the graduate pathway. The application is available online at https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp/. Students must apply for the summer term. Applications are due March 1. Letters of recommendation are not required for BS-MS students. However, students should submit all other required documents. See Graduate Admissions page for more details.

GRE

The Revised GRE is required for admission to graduate pathways. BS-MS students should take the GRE no later than February 15 to meet the March 1 application deadline. Departmental standards require that the applicant earn at least a score of 150 (44th percentile) on the GRE Verbal and a score of at least 155 (61st percentile) on the GRE Quantitative. Since the BSMS pathway is classified as a non-thesis (course based) master's degree, the GRE requirement will be waived for outstanding applicants meeting ONE of the following criteria:

A completed Master's or PhD degree with a GPA of 3.0/4 or higher from a regionally accredited institution.
Passed the FE and/or PE exam and an undergraduate GPA of 3.0/4 or higher from a regionally accredited institution.
Three years of professional experience working in an engineering or engineering related field and a 3.0/4 or higher upper-division engineering (or related) undergraduate GPA from a regionally accredited institution.
FAMU or FSU undergraduate students with an upper-division engineering GPA of 3.2/4 or higher.

Graduate Curriculum

All BS-MS students must take the following distribution of courses for a total of thirty (30) credit hours. Up to twelve (12) of the thirty (30) credit hours may be taken during the senior year of the student's BS degree pathway. The remaining credit hours are taken as part of the MS pathway.

Undergraduate Curriculum (Senior Year)