Minimum Requirements
Applicants must have a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering or a closely related field from an accredited college in the United States or an approved institution of higher learning abroad in order to be eligible to apply. Applicants with a bachelor degree in math or physics may apply.
GPA Requirements
Previous Undergraduate Study
3.25/4.0 (or equivalent) for the last 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours
Previous Graduate Study (if applicable）3.5/4.0 (or equivalent)

TOEFL/IELTS Requirements for International applicants* **

TOEFL - full status admission minimum
103 (internet based test)
613 (paper based test)
257 (computer based test)
TOEFL - limited status admission minimum - offered to applicants with truly outstanding academic records who do not meet the minimum TOEFL requirement
90 (internet based test)
577 (paper based test)
233 (computer based test)
IELTS- full status admission minimum
7 total (minimum score of 6 for each sub-section
IELTS - limited status admission minimum - offered to applicants with truly outstanding academic records who do not meet the minimum IELTS requirement
6.5 total (minimum score of 6 for each sub-section)
TOEFL/IELTS scores are valid for two years prior to the proposed term of entry. It is recommended that applicants complete the TOEFL/IELTS exam at least two months prior to the application deadline. Expired scores cannot be considered.
*English requirements for admission differ from English requirements for teaching assistantship (TA) eligibility. In order to be eligible for a TA and any type of funding that includes a TA, all non-native English speakers, regardless of US Citizenship or prior enrollment at Illinois, must have a minimum of 24 on the speaking portion of the TOEFL or at least an 8 on the speaking portion of the IELTS. TOEFL and IELTS scores must be taken within 2 years of the proposed term of entry. This policy is required by the State of Illinois. Please be aware that meeting these requirements is not an automatic award of a TA.
** See if you qualify for a TOEFL/IELTS waiver for admission. Important: MechSE strongly urges all International applicants to provide TOEFL/IELTS scores regardless of waiver eligibility because TOEFL/IELTS scores are required for TA eligibility.
UPDATE 8/15/17: Due to a change in Graduate College policies, applicants to the Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering program qualify for a TOEFL/IELTS waiver if they have completed at least two years of full-time professional work experience in a country where English is the primary language within five years of the proposed term of enrollment at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  At this time, the work experience waiver is not an option for MechSE MS and PHD applicants.

The Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering offers thesis and non-thesis based MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Both are academic degrees that require completion of a research project. The MS degree in Mechanical Engineering typically requires 1.5-2 years to complete, with many students then choosing to proceed with their PhD studies. Most MS students in Mechanical Engineering, in collaboration with their research advisor, choose the thesis option, and the majority of MS students are supported on research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or fellowships. Requirements for the MS degree in Mechanical Engineering are summarized below.
THESIS OPTION
COURSEWORK REQUIREMENT
24 credit hours of formal, graded, graduate-level coursework*
8 hours must be 500-level (4 of which must be in ME or TAM)
8 graduate level hours in ME or TAM (400- or 500-level)
THESIS REQUIREMENT
8 hours of ME 599 Thesis Research**
OTHER REQUIREMENT(S)
MSE 492 Fundamentals of Laboratory Safety is required and students are expected to complete the course within their first academic year.
NON-THESIS OPTION
At the time of admission all students are considered to be thesis-track students. If a student decides to pursue the non-thesis MSME, they must submit the departmental “non-thesis” petition to request to switch to non-thesis.
COURSEWORK REQUIREMENT
32 credit hours of formal, graded, graduate-level coursework*
8 hours must be 500-level (4 of which must be in ME or TAM)
8 graduate level hours in ME or TAM (400- or 500-level)
PROJECT REQUIREMENT
4 hours of ME 597 Independent Study**
OTHER REQUIREMENT(S)
MSE 492 Fundamentals of Laboratory Safety is required and students are expected to complete the course within their first academic year.
SEMINAR REQUIREMENT
Continuous registration in ME 590 is required. Seminar credit cannot be counted toward coursework requirements. Students are required to attend a minimum of 4 seminars in the semester. The seminar schedule is e-mailed to students at the beginning of each semester.
Students enrolled in a course that conflicts with ME 590 or TAM 500 still need to register for ME 590/TAM 500 and are required to attend alternate seminars.
To complete seminar registration with a conflict:
1. Request a registration override by contacting the Undergraduate Programs Office at mechse-ug-advise@illinois.edu. Include your name, UIN, and the course you are enrolled in that is in conflict with the seminar.
2. You will receive an email when the override is entered.
3. You must register for ME 590 after the override is entered.
To receive credit for alternate seminars:
1. Alternate seminars include ME 591 MIG, ME 591 BIG, TAM 539, and other seminars in Engineering, Math, or Physics.
2. Download the Attendance Verification Form and have it signed by the seminar host (not the speaker), and return it to GPO no later than 5 business days after the date of the seminar. If an attendance verification form is not received, you will not receive credit for attending.
*Courses applied toward the degree must be approved by the Associate Head for Graduate Programs
**No more than 8 hours of ME 599 (thesis option) can be applied toward the degree. No more than 4 hours of ME 597 (non-thesis option) can be applied toward the degree. No more than 8 hours of transfer credit from an outside institution may be applied towards the MS. If you are considering transfer credit, you should submit a complete syllabus of the course(s) to have it evaluated for acceptability towards the MS degree.