MIE Accelerated Master’s Overview and FAQs

Structure of the Accelerated Master’s Programs 

 To manage all the required courses* for the B.S. and M.S. degrees in five years, students should consider the following provisions: 

  1. Up to four graduate-level courses (500 or 600 level) may be taken during the first four years (typically the senior year), to be later transferred into the M.S. program. Of these, two courses can also be counted towards the B.S. degree i.e. they can be “double-counted." If any of the graduate courses you took as an undergraduate did not count toward any undergraduate requirement, then it can be used for your graduate degree along with any double-counted courses.  
     
  2. Two online or independent study courses may be taken during the summer between the fourth and fifth years or during the fifth year. Students should discuss possible independent study topics with faculty with whom they want to work. 
     
  3. Participants in one of the accelerated master’s programs should review the degree requirements in the MIE Graduate Student Handbook, and if needed, consult with MIE Academic Advisor, Kevin Romani, to ensure that their study plan meets the necessary requirements. 
     
  4. All degree requirements for the B.S. degree and the M.S. degree must be met. While the accelerated master’s program does not affect the requirements for either one of these degree programs, as stated above, two graduate-level courses can be used to satisfy requirements for both the B.S and M.S. degrees. 

* Courses are assumed to be 3 credit hours. 

 

Eligibility Requirements and Fast-Track Admission 

The Accelerated M.S. programs in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Engineering Management are open to all undergraduate students at UMass Amherst who are enrolled as majors in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering and students in related fields, such as other engineering disciplines, physics, mathematics, kinesiology, etc. 

Fast-track admission is available for all students with a minimum GPA of 3.5 based on at least 30 credits of engineering courses or other courses required for the engineering degree. For the GPA requirement, the cumulative GPA at the end of the third year, including all required 300-level MIE courses, is used. 

All admissions into the accelerated programs are conditional. Specifically, admission into the M.S. program through the fast-track process is contingent upon the students completing their B.S. degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. If your GPA is below 3.5 but higher than 2.75, you are still eligible to apply to one of the programs, but you must submit a complete application that includes two letters of recommendation and a statement of purpose/personal statement.  

 

Application and Admission Process 

Please see the following instructions for entering an accelerated program: 

  1. When it comes time to enroll in courses for the fall semester of your senior year, if you are thinking about applying to one of the graduate programs, you should consider registering for graduate courses that can double count towards both your undergraduate and graduate programs. You should find courses that will satisfy both an undergraduate technical elective and one of your graduate course requirements. Please use the following links to help review which classes will work for double counting (note that not all 500+ courses are listed on the two tech elective pages, but if you take a course in MIE that is 500+, it can count towards at least one of your graduate elective courses):  
    ME Technical Electives
    IE Technical Electives 
    MIE Graduate Handbook  

  2. During the fall semester of your senior year, formally apply to one of the MIE MS programs through the Graduate School. Prospective students should apply to the program they are interested in listed as the Accelerated option. All programs are coursework only with no track/concentration. These are the accelerated program options in the MIE department: 

    Accelerated Engineering Management On-Campus (M.S. Eng. Mgt.) 
    Accelerated Engineering Management Off-Campus (M.S. Eng. Mgt.) 
    Accelerated Industrial Engineering & Operations Research (M.S.I.E.O.R) 
    Accelerated Manufacturing Engineering (M.S. MfE) 
    Accelerated Mechanical Engineering (M.S. M.E.) 

  3. Students who meet the fast-track GPA requirements do not have to fill out the otherwise required GRE scores, letters of reference, or provide a personal statement. In the personal statement section, please instead write the following: “I am applying as an accelerated fast-track candidate.” If you are not eligible for fast-track admission, you must provide two letters of recommendation and a personal statement. The GRE is not currently required for any graduate applicant, so you may skip this anyway. All applicants must upload an unofficial copy of their transcript.  
     
  4. Once you apply through the Graduate School, email Kevin Romani (kromani [at] umass [dot] edu) and inform him that you have applied. Fast-track eligible students will be admitted quickly, assuming you meet the GPA requirements. Note that if you miss the application deadline, you might still be able to apply if it is early enough.  
     
  5. If you are a senior graduating in May and plan to start your graduate year during the following fall semester, the application deadline for all programs is January 15th. If you are a senior graduating at the end of the fall semester instead and plan to start your graduate year during the following spring semester, the application deadline for all programs is October 1st.
     

Please note that the term you apply to should be the semester after you complete your undergraduate program. Please also note if you plan to start your graduate program in the spring, you will still need to select the following fall semester as your application term as we do not have a spring application cycle. When you message Kevin, please tell him that you plan on starting your graduate year in the spring so that he can move your start term to spring. 

I am an MIE student and my GPA at the end of the junior year is less than 3.5. Am I still eligible for fast-track admission to an accelerated program?  No, because a GPA of at least 3.5 is required. You may, however, still apply to an accelerated program by submitting a complete application with letters of recommendation and a statement of purpose.​ 

I am a transfer student. Can I apply for an accelerated program?  Yes, if all eligibility requirements are met. 

I am majoring in something other than Mechanical or Industrial Engineering, but I am planning on pursuing an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or Engineering Management. Can I apply for an accelerated master program? Yes, even though the accelerated program is ideally suited to students majoring in Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Engineering, those majoring in related fields, such as other engineering disciplines, physics, mathematics, kinesiology, etc., at one of the Five-Colleges may also apply.  

I have already completed my B.S. in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering. Can I sign up for an accelerated graduate program? No, this program is for current B.S. students. You can apply to the M.S. through the normal graduate school application process. 

I am currently pursuing / have completed my B.S. at one of the Five-Colleges other than the University of Massachusetts Amherst. I would like to do my M.S. at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Can I still apply for an accelerated program? Yes if you are enrolled in a related field, such as other engineering majors, physics, mathematics, kinesiology, etc. at one of the Five-Colleges. Although the program is ideally suited to B.S. students in Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, it can work for other majors.  

 I have been admitted to an accelerated program and I am in my senior year. The GPA for my B.S. degree is going to be below 3.5. Will I be admitted to the M.S. program? No, because the minimum GPA requirement is not met. Contact the Kevin Romani to discuss your situation. 

I missed the deadline to submit my application to the department or to the graduate school. Can I still be considered for the program?  Possibly. Contact Kevin Romani once you have applied. 

Is admission to the program binding? When do I need to decide to enter the program? Admission is not binding. Students may withdraw from the program any time before the start of their first semester in the MS program. 

Can I defer my admission to the program? Yes, students may defer their admission to the program for one year. Contact Kevin Romani if you wish to defer. 

I am having trouble with my application through the Graduate School. What do I do? Contact the Graduate Admissions team at gradadm@grad.umass.edu. The MIE Department does not manage the Graduate School application process. 

 have been admitted to an accelerated program after completing my B.S. degree. Can I transfer a course into the M.S. program that I have used to meet my B.S. requirements? Yes, you may use up to six credits hours i.e. two courses to satisfy degree requirements in both your undergraduate and graduate-level degree programs. These "double counted" classes will be 500 or 600 level classes.  

Can I specialize in a particular area while completing my MS? Yes, there are several topic areas within each program (ME, IE, EM, and MF), and students can choose their courses to deepen their knowledge in these topic areas. See the Graduate Handbook for more details. Students can also complete a Wind Energy Concentration or a Project Management and Leadership Certificate in parallel with the MS degree. All required courses for the concentration or certificate count towards the MS degrees.  However, this is a coursework only program, so you should not select a specific sub-plan when applying and a sub-plan will not be reflected on your diploma. You can specialize in areas on their own, but unless the complete one of the certificates or concentrations offered, the specialization is unofficial.​  

Do all 500 and 600 level classes in the MIE department count as graduate-level classes for double-counting purposes? Yes, any 500 or 600 level MIE class taken as an undergraduate can be double-counted as a graduate level class.  

Can 500 and 600 level classes in other departments be used to satisfy the course requirements?  It depends - 500 or 600 level classes in other departments listed in the Graduate Handbooks can be used. If you believe a course from another department is relevant, but it is not listed in the Graduate Handbook, please send Kevin Romani the course title and syllabus to see if the course can be approved as one of your graduate courses.  

I took more than two 500 and 600 level classes as an undergraduate. Can more than two classes be used for my graduate degree? Only two courses may be double counted from your undergraduate studies. If a graduate course you took as an undergraduate did not count toward any undergraduate requirement, then you could count that course as well. But if you used all three to satisfy some sort of undergraduate requirement, including credit total, you may only apply two of them toward your graduate program. Four total courses may be transferred in: two as double-count and two more that do not satisfy any undergraduate requirement.  

How do I transfer credits for courses taken as an undergraduate for double counting as a graduate student? Use the forms provided by the Graduate School. 

 Do I need to be admitted to the program to take graduate courses while an undergraduate? No, you can take graduate courses at any time while an undergraduate, as long as you have the required pre-requisites. You can only transfer a maximum of four courses from your undergraduate transcript to your graduate program. If the course is at the 600 level, you will need to contact the instructor for permission to take the class as an undergraduate. 

When can I take independent study credit? Up to six credits of independent study can be completed as part of the degree requirements. These credits can be completed during the summer or during the graduate year. Interested students should discuss possible independent study projects with a prospective faculty advisor. 

How do independent study courses work? Independent studies typically consist of joining the research lab of a faculty member and completing a research project. It is not as involved as an MS thesis but will give you a good idea of what research is all about! The research project should also be a good item to list on your resume, a unique experience. If you are interested in completing an independent study in a particular area, you should talk to the faculty members in that field to see if they have any potential projects for you. If you find a good topic of mutual interest, then all you need to do is fill out a form (MIE Grad IS Form) with your project advisor and submit it to Kevin Romani, who will enroll you in the independent study course. You cannot self-register for independent studies in SPIRE. 

Can I take online courses in all the programs? Yes. The ME program includes three elective courses, and you can choose to take some of the online offerings to cover those requirements. The EM program can be fully completed online. Most courses in the IE and MFE programs can be taken online as well. 

Can I take some ME graduate courses as part of my Engineering Management degree?  Absolutely! The best combination is to have engineering depth and management breadth. Taking a couple of courses in your engineering field of specialization is encouraged. 

How do I register for a 600-level class as an undergraduate? First contact the instructor for permission, and then forward the confirmation email to Kevin Romani (kromani@umass.edu) for permission to enroll in any 600-level course. 

When do I start registering for courses? If you are starting in the fall, the Graduate School will contact you in early June with information and instructions for registering for courses. Spring starters should be able to enroll in mid-November. 

How do I enroll in summer UWW courses? If you are starting in the fall, then you are not yet an active student. But you can enroll for summer courses as a non-degree student. If you are already an active graduate student, then you can enroll in UWW courses through Spire by first requesting an enrollment appointment: Enrollment > Summer/Wtr/Non-deg Enroll Appt. If you take a course as a non-degree student, please complete this transfer form after you receive your final grade and send it to Kevin Romani so that the course is added to your Graduate Transcript. 

Can I get financial support for the fifth year? No, the MIE department does not provide support to enrollees in the accelerated programs. However, if a student decides to switch to a PhD program, then they may be eligible for financial support as a teaching assistant (TA), research assistant (RA), or graduate fellow. 

How long does it take to complete the program? It is recommended, but not mandatory, that students complete the M.S. program in one year.​ No accelerated program should take more than two years to complete.  

At the end of my MS program, can I proceed into the PhD program directly, or do I need to re-apply? You may ask the Graduate Program Director to admit you directly. All requests are handled on a case-by-case basis. 

How much does tuition for this program cost? Tuition information is available through the UMass bursar's office.