Combined B.S./M.S. Program
The five-year Bachelor of Science/Master of Science (B.S./M.S.) degree program in Manufacturing Engineering at WPI is designed to give any qualified WPI undergraduate the opportunity to complete his or her master's degree in just one year beyond the bachelor's degree.
The M.S. degree program in Manufacturing Engineering at WPI normally requires 30 credits beyond the bachelor's degree. Because each course is equal to three credits, and because a reasonable load is usually three courses per semester, full time students normally take two years to complete their master's degrees. However, students in the B.S./M.S. program are permitted and encouraged to count up to four courses taken as undergraduates towards both the bachelors's and master's degrees. Through this program, progress toward the bachelor's degree is not impeded while progress toward the master's degree is accelerated.
After receiving their bachelor's degrees, students who take full advantage of the program need to complete only 18 additional credits to obtain their master's degree. By taking nine credits per semester, the program can realistically be completed in one additional year. Students in the B.S./M.S. program are strongly encouraged to pick a thesis area of research that is closely related to the subject of their Major Qualifying Project. Those students in the B.S./M.S. program who complete their B.S. degrees in May are encouraged to begin their thesis research during the summer immediately following their graduation.
Outstanding WPI undergraduates who wish to continue their studies toward a master's degree at WPI are encouraged to plan a combined program which will speed their progress. The field of study for the M.S. degree is usually, but need not be in the same discipline as that for the B.S. degree. For the MBA combined program, the undergraduate major should be a field of science or engineering.
How the Program Works
Students in the Combined Bachelor's/Master's Program continue to be registered as undergraduates until they have completed all requirements for the B.S. degree. Up to 40% of the credits submitted for candidacy for the graduate degree may be from courses, acceptable for graduate credit, taken while an undergraduate. All courses used to satisfy both the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements will be recorded on both the student's undergraduate and graduate transcripts with grades.
After being admitted to the combined program, the student must satisfy all requirements for the advanced degree in order to obtain that degree. As in the regular Masters Program, departments may require a thesis and/or additional courses for the graduate degree.
Students who fail to maintain a 2.9 average at the end of any semester (3.0 CQPA is required for M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Manufacturing Engineering) will be required to take additional courses as recommended by the dean of Graduate Studies and the department head involved.
Maintained by webmaster@wpi.eduLast modified: October 10, 2006 15:54:22