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Dual Degree Applicants

Mechanical Engineering MSE with any Other Rackham Master’s or Ph.D. Program

The Rackham Graduate School provides students the opportunity to combine two graduate or graduate-professional programs.  In order to apply for admission to ME Program as a Dual Degree student, you must:

  • Be a current Rackham student.
  • Have completed at least one semester of coursework at University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
  • Have completed at least 6 credits of Mechanical Engineering (MECHENG) coursework.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.60 or higher.

Applying for the dual degree requires the following:

  • Meet with your current program advisor or graduate coordinator prior to submitting the application to add a degree or certificate.
  • Complete the Pre-Approval Form for Dual Admission and obtain a signature of approval from the authorized signer in your current graduate program before you apply. Without approval and an authorized signature on the form, your application will not be processed and the application fee of $10 will not be refunded. You will be required to upload the completed and signed Pre-Approval Form in the online application.
  • Online Rackham Add a Degree Application. For more information about the application, please visit Rackham’s Dual Admission webpage.
    • Statement of Purpose (1-3 pages) – a concise, well-written statement about an applicant’s academic and research background, career goals, and how the ME Program will help meet career and educational objectives.
    • Curriculum Vitae/Resume (uploaded to the add a degree application)
    • New letters of recommendation are not required, however you are welcome to submit one or more if you wish.

Dual degree requests from students currently in the Robotics Graduate Program who wish to add a degree in Mechanical Engineering will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Please contact the ME Graduate Coordinator for additional information.

If you have any questions, please contact the ME Graduate Coordinator at me-grad-coordinator@umich.edu.

Deadlines for Admission:

Fall Admission: February 15th

Winter Admission: October 15th

Double-counting Policy:

The term “double-counting” refers to the use of a limited number of credit hours toward the requirements of two separate master’s degrees or certificate programs. The principle of double-counting allows the student to earn two degrees for fewer total credit hours than would normally be required if both programs were taken independently. The general Rackham maximum for the number of hours that may be double-counted is determined as follows: Add together the minimum number of hours required for each of the two programs independently, and divide the sum by six. For example: Minimum credits required in field A = 30 Minimum credits required in field B = 36 Sum = 66 Sum divided by 6 = 11, which is the maximum number of credit hours that may be double-counted under the most favorable circumstances. Any resulting fraction is rounded down to the nearest whole number of credit hours. Credit hours for a single course may not be split; a course must be double-counted in its entirety or not at all.  A student must complete a Dual Degree Election Form no later than one term prior to completing the second degree.

Engineering Sustainable Systems

Launched in the fall of 2007, the Engineering Sustainable Systems dual degree confers a master of science (MS) degree from the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) and a master of science in engineering (MSE) from the College of Engineering (CoE). Global climate change, energy security, ecological degradation, environmental threats to human health and resource scarcity are critical sustainability challenges for the 21st century. Sustainability is based upon the ability to meet societal needs within the context of economical and ecological constraints. The program trains graduate students to protect, restore, and create engineered and natural systems that are socially, environmentally, and economically sustainable. Graduates have the engineering and sustainability foundations to command jobs domestically and internationally with engineering consulting firms, research and development labs in the private and public sectors (e.g. Fortune 500 corporations), government agencies, and NGOs.

This is a 54 credit program. While the SEAS master’s degree is a 42 credit program and the ME master’s degree is a 30 credit program for a total of 72 credits, students in the dual-degree program can double-count 18 credits reducing the total credit requirement to 54 credits.

For a summary of the degree requirements, please review the Dual-Master’s Degree Program requirements document.

Mechanical Engineering MSE with a non-Rackham Master’s Program

If a student in a non-Rackham Master’s or PhD program wishes to add the ME Master’s, they must follow the normal deadlines, procedure, and application as any other external applicant outlined on the Admission page.  Double-counting and/or transfer credit possibilities will be discussed upon admission.MM & MSE Dual Degree Information

If a student is interested in earning a Masters of Management (MM) in conjunction with the Mechanical Engineering MSE, applicants must submit the Rackham application and the Ross Business School Management application and be admitted to both programs. More information can be found here. Please apply to both programs separately. If admitted into both programs, staff will assist you in setting up the dual degree.

Deadlines for Admission:

Fall Admission: January 15th

Winter Admission: August 1st