Master of Engineering

The Master of Engineering degree is based on graduate course work, but candidates are also required to submit to the Acoustics Program Office a scholarly written report or a developmental study involving at least one area represented in the course work. Normally, such a report represents a study of a particular topic that is more limited than that necessary for a thesis. Often this report can be developed from some previous work of the student, such as a term paper or a technical report. The report is free of any formal requirements of the Graduate School, but it is expected that the student will use the Thesis Guide as an example of the appropriate format. The report must be approved for its technical content and style by the student's advisor and for its format by the Acoustics Program Office. The report must also be signed by the Program Chair. Each student shall deliver to the Program Office one bound copy of this report for retention by the Program. Additional bound copies may be required by the advisor. All work for the degree must be completed within eight years from the date of admission to the program.

Course Requirements

The graduate course credits for the M.Eng. degree must meet the following criteria:

• Total number of course credits required for M.Eng. Degree – 30
• Number of core course credits required – 18
• Maximum number of Individual Study (ACS 596) credits – 6

The 12 non-core course credits may be selected from the “Required and Approved” list of courses issued by the Acoustics Program Office. Students may take more than one credit of Colloquium (ACS 590) and more than six credits of Individual Study (ACS 596), but such credits cannot be applied to the total number of course credits required. Master of Engineering students may not apply research credits (ACS 600) to the total number of course credits required.

Capstone Paper

The Master of Engineering degree is based on graduate course work, but the candidate is also required to submit to the Acoustics Program Office a paper, which is the degree capstone. The paper is most easily understood as a scholarly written report or a developmental study involving at least 1 area represented in the course work. Normally, such a paper represents a study of a particular topic that is more limited than that necessary for a thesis. Often this paper can be developed from some previous work of the student such as a term paper or a technical report. The paper is free of any formal requirements of the Graduate School, but the Acoustics Program requires the student to use the Thesis Guide as an example of the appropriate format. The paper must be approved for its technical content and style by the student's advisor and for its format by the Acoustics Program Office. The report must be signed by the advisor and the Program Head. To meet Program requirements for graduation, each student must provide to the Program Office 1 bound copy of this paper for retention by the Program. Additional bound copies may be required by the advisor. The student must obtain binding specifications from the Acoustics Program Office before final preparation of the bound copy of the paper. All work for the degree, including acceptance of the paper, must be completed within 8 years from admission to the program.

As all M.Eng. papers must be placed in the public domain, if a student’s work is funded wholly or in part by an employer, the student must fulfill the employer’s internal proprietary requirements while meeting the Acoustics Program’s requirement for public access to the paper. At least one copy of the paper must be submitted to the employee’s supervisor. The student/employee must provide the Acoustics Program with a release of information, on company letterhead, from an authorized representative of the employer.

Time-to-Degree Completion

The M.Eng. degree is designed so that a Distance Education student could complete the degree in five (5) years, by taking one 3-credit course per semester and working on the capstone paper during summer months between semesters. Many students complete the degree within a shorter period by taking two courses in a semester, though the work-load for two courses can be challenging on top of a full-time job and family responsibilities. All requirements for the M.Eng. degree must be completed within eight (8) years of being admitted to the Acoustics Program as a degree student.

In certain circumstances, extensions beyond the eight-year limit may be granted by the Director of Graduate Enrollment Services. Students seeking an extension must petition the Acoustics Program Director, Dr. Victor Sparrow, who if circumstances warrant, will request an extension from Graduate Enrollment Services. The student's petition must include an explanation for why the extension is needed, a timeline for degree completion, and a supporting letter from the student’s adviser. Under only the most extraordinary circumstances will the Acoustics Program consider an extension of more than two years.