skip to content

Bulletin Archive

This archived information is dated to the 2011-12 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Master of Science in the School of Engineering

The M.S. degree is conferred on graduate students in engineering according to the University regulations stated in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin, and is described in the various department listings. A minimum of 45 units is usually required in M.S. programs in the School of Engineering. The presentation of a thesis is not a school requirement. Further information is found in departmental listings.

Master of Science in Engineering

The M.S. in Engineering is available to students who wish to follow an interdisciplinary program of study that does not conform to a normal graduate program in a department. There are three school requirements for the M.S. degree in Engineering:

  1. The student's program must be a coherent one with a well-defined objective and must be approved by a department within the school which has experience with graduate-level teaching and advising in the program area.
  2. The student's program must include at least 21 units of courses within the School of Engineering with catalog numbers of 200 or above in which the student receives letter grades.
  3. The program must include a total of at least 45 units.

Each student's program is administered by the particular department in which it is lodged and must meet the standard of quality of that department. Transfer into this program is possible from any graduate program by application through the appropriate department; the department will then recommend approval to the Office of Student Affairs in the School of Engineering. The application should be submitted before completing 18 units of the proposed program; it should include a statement describing the objectives of the program, the coherence of the proposed coursework, and why this course of study cannot conform to existing graduate programs. Normally, it will include the approval of at least one faculty member willing to serve as advisor. (A co-advising team may be appropriate for interdisciplinary programs.) The actual transfer will be accomplished through the Graduate Authorization Petition process.

© Stanford University - Office of the Registrar. Archive of the Stanford Bulletin 2011-12. Terms of Use | Copyright Complaints