Students take outdoor noise measures.
 

Master of Engineering

The Master of Engineering degree is based on graduate course work, but candidates are also required to submit to the Graduate Program in Acoustics Program Office a capstone paper which is 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. The capstone paper can be developed from some previous work of the student, such as a term paper or a technical report. It is not comprised of student research, and it is free of any formal requirements of the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School. The students is expected to use the Graduate Program in Acoustics M ENG Paper Guide as an example of the appropriate format and the Graduate School Thesis Guide as reference. 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 a PDF of the completed capstone paper for retention by the Program. 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 M.Eng. capstone paper is a paper involving at least one acoustics topic 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. It does not need to be comprised of student research and it is free of any formal requirements of the Fox Graduate School. The student is expected to use the Graduate Program in Acoustics M.Eng. Paper Guide as an example of the appropriate format and the Fox Graduate School Thesis Guide as reference. The paper must be approved for its technical content and style by the student’s adviser and for its format by the Acoustics Program Office. The paper must also be signed by the program director.  

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.

Each student shall deliver a PDF of the completed capstone paper to the Program Office for retention by the program.

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.

 
 

About

Founded in 1965, Penn State's Graduate Program in Acoustics has become the leading resource for graduate education in acoustics in the United States. The interdisciplinary program leads to the degrees: Master of Engineering in Acoustics (M.Eng.), Master of Science in Acoustics (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy in Acoustics (Ph.D.)

Graduate Program in Acoustics

College of Engineering

The Pennsylvania State University

201 Applied Science Building

University Park, PA 16802