Prospective MSE Student FAQ

Yes. You are welcome to send e-mail to meam@seas.upenn.edu.  Be sure to include your name, research area and contact information in the e-mail and we will have a student here at Penn contact you via e-mail.

All applications must be completed online. The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania no longer sends out paper applications. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you. Click here to begin an online application. (Please note that you do not have to fill in the entire application in one sitting. You may come back and modify your application at any point of time before you submit it. When you finish the application please remember to submit your application.)

To complete your application, you must:

1. Complete all relevant sections of the online application.
2. Fill out a personal statement.
3. Send one official transcript for each college or university attended; international students must provide official English translations. These must be sent to: Graduate Admissions, Office of Academic Programs, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6391.
4. Send official score reports from the Educational Testing Service (GRE, TOEFL) as applicable.
5. Submit at least two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a faculty member familiar with your academic performance. Recommendations must be submitted online.
6. Include your application fee.

You do not need to send any additional information than what is stated in the application.  You can choose to send additional information if you think that it would strengthen your application.

Master's Programs have three Application Cycle Deadlines for Fall:

November 15
March 15*

May 15 (for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents Only)

The deadline to apply for Spring is November 1.

In addition, the deadline for Integrated Product Design is February 1.

Applications that are full and complete will be reviewed after each cycle has ended.

Master's Degree
Typically, the department provides no financial aid for master's students. Learn more...

PhD Degree
A single application covers both admission and financial aid. A complete application including admission fee, which partially covers the processing cost of the admission materials, must be submitted by June 1 for fall semester candidates. However the deadline for financial aid consideration is January 2, hence those with financial needs must abide by this earlier application deadline. Learn more...

The Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
The GRE exam is required for applying to the MSE program. The GRE exam will not be waived for any reason. Applicants are expected to score a minimum of 700 on the Quantitative portion of the GRE.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)

Foreign students whose native language is not English are required to submit an official TOEFL examination score of 100, 250 or 600 (depending on which test was taken) or better unless they have spent at least three years at an academic institution in an English speaking country. The requirement can be waived if the candidate has completed at least three years of academic work on a full-time basis at an institution in the United States or in another nation in which English is the official language.

Test Score Reporting Codes
The GRE & TOEFL reporting code is 2888.

You can apply to our graduate program in your senior year of undergraduate studies. You do not need an MSE degree to apply to our PhD degree program.

Master's Degree
MSE students may obtain credit for up to two courses taken at another institution. These courses are referred to as transfer courses. Transfer courses must be graduate level courses in which at least a B grade has been earned. Transfer credit will only be considered for courses taken prior to matriculation in the graduate program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. For further information please check guidelines here.

PhD Degree
A maximum of nine graduate-level course units (out of the 20 required) taken at another university may be accepted provided that the grade received in each course was at least a B, and subject to approval by the Graduate Group Chair and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and in accordance with the rules of the University at the time of admission, as found in the current SEAS catalog. The student who wishes such credit transfer must petition to the Graduate Group Chair. For further information please check guidelines here.

Applicants may reapply to the program in any year. Reapplying applicants will need to fill out a new application. If you wish to reuse prior application documents (such as transcripts) from your previous application please send e-mail to apo@seas.upenn.edu with your request. If you are reapplying, we recommend that you discuss how your qualifications have changed over the past year in your personal statement.

All applicants are required to submit at least two letters of recommendation, one of which must be from a faculty member familiar with your academic performance. If your graduation date was over five years prior to this application you may request a waiver of the faculty recommendation.

Master's Degree
If you were admitted to our MSE degree program, you may request a deferral of admission for up to one year. First you would need to submit the Admission Decision form, pay the acceptance fee, and include a brief letter requesting the deferral of admission. You will be notified in writing if your request is approved.

PhD Degree
Typically we do not grant deferral of admissions if you were admitted to our PhD degree program. All requests for deferral of admission should be sent to the Graduate Group Chair.

If your school does not use the GPA system please include your percentage (marks) and the scale in which it is based.

Yes. Many of our current MSE degree program students are part time. Some courses are offered in the late afternoon or evening to accommodate those who work full-time.

A thesis is NOT required to complete the MEAM MSE degree. To obtain a MSE degree a student should complete a total of ten course units. If you choose to write a thesis, it may count for up to three course units towards the degree.