Guide to Pursuing MSE Graduate Studies

  1. Complete the PhD Checklist and Consult with your faculty advisor about fall courses and/or permissions.
  2. Forward the Program Director the correspondence with your advisor approving the selected courses.
  3. Email should include the following information: name, UID, and term courses.
  4. Copy your advisor on the email.
  5. Please note, the hold will not be lifted or permission provided without the above information.

Refund Schedule for Drops for Graduate Students

Students may drop and add courses without penalty provided that the changes are made on the same day and that the total number of credits does not change (even exchange). A percentage charge and/or complete charge will be imposed according to the schedule. Additional information about other refunds and dropping courses can be found here. 

  • Prior to the first day of classes: 100% refund. There will be no charge for courses dropped prior to this date.
  • [Effective Spring 2023] During the first five days of classes: 100% refund. There will be no charge for courses dropped during this period. For Summer, Winter, and 12-week terms view the associated dates and deadlines for the no charge drop period deadlines. For non-standard courses, see non-standard course deadlines for more information.
  • [Effective Spring 2023] After day five of schedule adjustment through the end of schedule adjustment: 80% refund. There will be a 20% charge imposed for courses dropped during this period. For Summer, Winter, and 12-week terms view the associated dates and deadlines for the no charge drop period deadlines. For non-standard courses, see non-standard course deadlines for more information.
  • Anytime after the Schedule Adjustment Period: 0% refund. There will be no refund; students incur the full charge for courses dropped during this period.
     

Four steps must be taken to be advanced to Ph.D. Candidacy:

  1. Passing the Qualifying Examination
  2. Completion of the four core courses with a minimum of 2 grades of A- or higher and 2 grades of B- or higher.
  3. The next steps are to select an advisor (if the student has not already done so), begin thesis research, and prepare for the Ph.D. Proposal Defense.
  4. Complete the application for Admission to Candidacy

Deadlines to submit forms are determined by the Graduate School. Follow this link to the Graduate School website for more information. 

Please find the Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation form, found here.  

Committee criteria:

  • Ph.D. disertation committees require a minimum of five voting members of the Graduate Faculty, including three full members.
  • Doctoral Capstone Examining Committees (e.g., Ed.D, Au.D.) require a minimum of five voting members of Graduate Faculty, including three full members or associate members (two of these three must be full members).
  • The committee chair should be the candidate's advisor. A committee may have co-chairs. A Ph.D. Committee Chair must be a full member of the Graduate Faculty. In the case of a Doctoral Capstone Examining Committees, an associate member can serve as chair under certain conditions. Co-chair requests should be included in the Nomination of Committee form. If the committee has already been approved, please submit a new form.
  • Each committee must have a Dean's Representative as a voting or non-voting member. The Dean's Representative should have a research interest related to that of the student/candidate. The Dean's Rep must also be a tenured member of the Graduate Faculty and must have a tenure home different from the student's program as well as that of the chair and any co-chair.
 

If you include a committee member that is not of the Graduate Faculty, the form of Nomination of Graduate Faculty must be completed in consultation with your advisor and the department. This process can take at least six weeks for approval.

Students are to email the MSE Program Director two weeks in advance to announce the dissertation defense. All items listed below are required for the announcement:

Dissertation Title:
Defense Announcement for:
Date:
Time:
Location:
Abstract:
Committee:
 

  1. Complete the Graduation Application. Follow this link and click on "Graduation Application & Diploma Status."
  2.  Complete the Nomination of Thesis or Dissertation form, found here. 
  3. Email the MSE Program Director one month in advance and inform her you will defend your thesis/dissertation and include the date of your defense. Copy your faculty advisor on the email.
  4. All thesis and dissertation defenses are required to submit the request of the Report of Examining Committee form ten business days before the scheduled defense. Submit the form: go.umd.edu/gs-rrd
  5. Announcement regarding your thesis/dissertation defense with the department should be emailed to the Program Director two weeks in advance. Email the Program Director with the following information: date, time, dissertation title, location, abstract, and committee members.
  6. The members of the Dissertation Examining Committee must receive the dissertation at least ten working days before the scheduled examination. Should the Dissertation Examining Committee deem it reasonable and appropriate, it may require submission of the dissertation more than ten working days in advance of the examination.
  7.  Return your office/lab key to the Business Office in room 2134 Chem/Nuc Building.
  8. Please adhere to all deadlines.
  9.  Doctoral Degree Completion Checklist. View here (resource from the Graduate School).

Yes, the Graduate School requires you to register for ENMA899. To do so, you must go through the Registrar’s Office, which will be processed at the start of classes. The exception is if you want to register for ENMA899 during the summer. For summer registration, please contact summer-sched@umd.edu.

The Registrar's office will register you for the course prior to the start of classes.

You must email the Professor teaching the course in question and ask for permission. If permission is granted, you can forward the email correspondence to nparker1@umd.edu.

You will need to speak with your advisor, inform the Business Office and Program Director. More information about the policy can be found here Complete the leave of absence form found here.  

You will need to speak with your advisor, inform the MSE Business Office and Program Director. Read more information about the policy found here and complete the Waiver of Continuous Registration. Please note: Doctoral Candidates are not eligible for this waiver.

Ph.D. students who would like to receive a M.S. non-thesis option "along the way" may use their Ph.D. proposal as their scholarly paper but must still register and complete ENMA 797. Complete the following steps:

  • Complete the attached form. Program code is ENMA. Choose the non-thesis option. 
  • Dr. Takeuchi will need to sign the form after you complete it and email the form to nparker1@umd.edu.
  • Return the form to the Registrar's office (see the bottom of the form).
  • Complete the Graduation Application. See follow this link and click on "Graduation Application & Diploma Status."

View the Document for the process and to see an example of how to complete the form properly. 

Milestones of the Ph.D. program


Year 1: Complete Core courses and Additional Graduate courses. Find a Ph.D. thesis advisor during the first year, and start participating in research activities.

Summer after Year 1: Qualifying exam (offered in August and January).

The Qualifying Examination (QE) will be offered at the start of the Fall and Spring Semesters of each academic year. All students entering the Materials Science and Engineering Ph.D. program must take the Qualifying Examination the second time it is offered after having joined the Department. Students who enter the program in the Fall semester are expected to take the QE the following August, whereas students who enter in the Spring semester will take the QE the following January. It is also expected that students have joined research groups and are integrated in a group by the beginning of Summer after Year 1. 

Year 2: Complete Additional Graduate courses and schedule your Ph.D. Proposal Defense.

Within 12 to 18 months of passing the QE, the student should select a Ph.D. Thesis Examination Committee and schedule his or her Ph.D. Proposal Defense.

Year 3: Continue with research and start working on Ph.D. thesis defense

Year 4: Ph.D. thesis defense

Year 5: (if applicable) Ph.D. thesis defense

Always consult with your faculty advisor about the milestones.

 

 

 


Top