Why should you do it?
Earning a graduate degree will help you develop the skills necessary to get into a better job. For example, entry Federal Government Jobs BS->GS 9, MS->GS 11 (2 pay grades up).
Earning a graduate degree gives you a better chance of you reaching your full potential by advancing to technical leadership positions in your career.
If you hold a GPA > 3.0, then the question becomes, why not?
When to do it?
- Many studies show that it is easier to go straight from undergrad to graduate school.
- Many people find it difficult to go back to school after joining the workforce.
What are the financial concerns?
Spending the time and money to pursue a master’s degree may result in an increase in salary in your field.
The Washington Posts says: "What happens when you break down the ROI by college major? Unsurprisingly, engineering, computer science, and math majors see their life earnings increase, and humanities majors see it fall relative to the average."
Harvard Business Review says: "Twenty-four of HBR’s 100 best-performing CEOs have undergraduate or graduate degrees in engineering, compared with 29 who have MBAs. (Eight CEOs have both degrees.) At technology or science-based companies, it’s not a big surprise to find an engineer at the helm. But engineers thrive at the top of other kinds of firms, too...
What makes an engineering degree useful to people leading a business? 'Studying engineering gives someone a practical, pragmatic orientation,' says Nitin Nohria, the dean of Harvard Business School, who holds an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. 'Engineering is about what works, and it breeds in you an ethos of building things that work—whether it’s a machine or a structure or an organization. Engineering also teaches you to try to do things efficiently and eloquently, with reliable outcomes, and with a margin of safety. It makes you think about costs versus performance. These are principles that can be deeply important when you think about organizations.'"
US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics says:
- Unemployment is lower with a master’s degree graduate than for bachelor’s graduates.
- Median earnings with master’s degree is approximately $12k higher per year than earnings with a bachelor’s degree.
Most MS and PhD engineering students are paid to pursue their degree, not much, but they are paid through assistantships ( how much?).
At WVU, all graduate students on assistantship receive FREE TUITION from the university.
Admission Requirements At a Glance
MS minimum requirements
Undergraduate GPA > 3.0
PhD minimum requirements
MS GPA > 3.3
Direct track to Ph.D. minimum requirements
Undergraduate GPA > 3.5 or attain 3.75 GPA during first two semesters in MMAE's MS program.
Note: Applying to upgrade from MS to Direct-Track PhD program still requires a formal application to the PhD program.
GRE Quantitative > 74%
If previous degree is not from USA
TOEFL > 79 iBT or IELTS > 6.5 but we prefer TOEFL(**). iBT->CBT->PBT conversion
GRE Quantitative > 74%. score -> % conversion
GPA: Convert to U.S. Grade Point Average (scale 2/4) using IGPA-calc
WVU codes: SAT: 5904, ACT: 4540, FAFSA: 003827, TOEFL: 5904, GRE: 5904
Application deadlines
- Summer semester: February 1
- Fall semester: April 1 (scholarship priority deadline: Feb. 1)
- Spring semester: October 1
- Late applications may be considered in some cases.
(**) TOEFL not required for applicants that have a high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree from the United States, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, or Australia. An American MS degree is not enough to satisfy TOEFL requirement. Expired TOEFL score will be accepted as long as the student has been in the US continuously (except short trips abroad) since the TOEFL expired (submit expired TOEFL score report with the application).
Detailed information, including scholarships, can be found on the Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering graduate program page.
Detailed information on admissions.
Send transcripts to:
- US applicants: West Virginia University, Office of Admissions, One Waterfront Place (2nd Floor), Morgantown, WV 26506-6009
- International applicants: West Virginia University, Office of International Admissions, One Waterfront Place (2nd Floor), Morgantown, WV 26506-6009. Note: Do not sent transcripts to a P.O. Box or to Graduate Education and Life.
Paying For Your Degree
| This cell is blank | Fall + Spring | Summer |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $24,462 | $0* |
| Fees | $3,294 | $183# |
| Room + Food | $8,340 | $2,780 |
* assuming enrolled previous Spring semester.
# with minimum Summer enrollment 1 credit hour.
| This cell is blank | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 | 2020-2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS | $1,669-2,170 | $1,694-2,202 | $1,719-2,235 |
| PhD | $2,147-2,791 /month | $2,190-2,847 /month | $2,234-2,904 /month |
^Full tuition waived for students on assistantship.
Learn more about tuition and fees.