Thesis or Coursework Only Options for ME and IEOR
Incoming students may choose one of the two options for earning their Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering or Master’s of Science in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research: (1) The Thesis option or the (2) Coursework Only option.
Students must declare which option they are pursuing when applying to UMass. Students are not generally permitted to switch from one option to the other; they may only switch options with the permission of the MIE Graduate Program Director.
Thesis Option for both ME and IEOR
All M.S. students who choose the Thesis Option are required to plan and carry out a research, design, or development thesis (MIE 699) of nine credits, and 21 course credits.
M.S. - Thesis students in Mechanical Engineering must also enroll in the 1-cr 689 Graduate Seminar.
As M.S. - Thesis students conduct research through MIE 699, independent studies do not count towards their remaining 7 courses (21 CR), rather can be taken in addition to coursework/thesis.
MS Thesis Defense and Timeline
Coursework Only Option in IEOR