The course requirements for each of the department's graduate degrees are very flexible. The programs seek to accommodate students from a variety of engineering and science disciplines, and there is no attempt to force every student through the same mold.
Each student, with the assistance of the course/research adviser and the approval of the committee, designs an individualized Plan of Study. Courses are selected to support the research area, broaden the student's understanding of problems, and to develop specialized skills suited to the student's special talents and career objectives.
The formal mechanism for preparing a customized program is to complete a Plan of Study form. Approval of a Plan of Study by a student's committee and the Department's Graduate Advisor signifies agreement that satisfactory completion of the courses included in the plan will fulfill the course requirements for the degree sought. Other requirements for a degree include the submission of an acceptable thesis or special problem report (master's degree) or a dissertation (doctoral degree) on the approved topic and a satisfactory performance on the final and any other exams.
Departmental policy is that the Plan of Study should be completed during the second term of full-time study or after 15 credit-hours of part-time study; the School of Engineering requires the Plan of Study be submitted early in your second term. Click here for complete instructions.
The Plan of Study must be a logical selection of courses that support research and professional interests, and not simply a list of randomly selected courses or a historical record of courses completed. In some cases, the student may be asked to explain to members of the committee the rationale for the plan and the reasons for inclusion or exclusion of certain courses. Students must avoid duplication of coursework taken as undergraduates.
Students are encouraged to take appropriate courses from other programs and departments on campus. Each degree program has a limit on how many non-ARCE/CE/CMGT courses will be accepted, and what level courses are required.
It is generally not possible for an adviser, or other faculty or staff member, to state with absolute certainty that a course will count toward a degree in the absence of an approved Plan of Study. Some choices are obviously quite acceptable, while others may be questionable. If there is any doubt, the adviser must be consulted. However, recognize that the full committee and others must approve the Plan of Study in its entirety. No procedure exists for approving individual courses for credit toward a degree outside the context of the Plan of Study.
Students, especially part-time students, sometimes delay submission of their Plan of Study due to uncertainty over the availability of future course offerings. Such students are advised to complete a Plan of Study using the best information currently available. Recent fall and spring Timetables, available on-line, are usually the best sources of this information.
The Plan of Study can be revised by updating it online. Changes require approval of your course/research adviser, your committee, and the CEAE graduate adviser. You should consult your course/research adviser in person before submitting change requests.
