Graduate Student Handbook
Academic Progress
As a graduate student, you are expected to maintain timely and sufficient progress towards your degree. The Graduate Record houses official academic rules and requirements. Below are select links you may find helpful.
- Academic Calendar provides important dates throughout the academic year.
- MSE Course Catalog provides a list of MSE courses and descriptions.
- Time Limit to Degree
- All requirements for the Ph.D., M.E., M.C.S., and M.M.S.E. degree must be completed within seven years of matriculation to the graduate program.
- All requirements for the M.S. degree must be completed within five years of matriculation to the graduate program. Time limits are inclusive of semester(s) spent on Affiliated Status.
- Students are appointed an advisor for consultation and academic planning, and for degrees that require a thesis or dissertation for research advising. Advisors must be UVA faculty.
Student Status and Residency Requirements
- For students coming into a Ph.D. program with a master’s degree, at least two fall or spring semesters beyond the master’s degree must be in full residence at UVA in Charlottesville. For students coming into a Ph.D. program with a bachelor’s degree, at least three regular semesters in full residence at UVA in Charlottesville are required. For M.S. students, at least one semester in residence at UVA in Charlottesville as a full-time student is required. Students carrying out their research at the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) are excepted from the residency requirements.
Transfer of Credit is typically allowed provided certain requirements are met.
Grade Appeals, Changes, and Incomplete
- Grade Appeals
- Students who wish to appeal a grade should first attempt to resolve the matter with the Instructor. If the grading dispute cannot be resolved with the Instructor, the student may petition the UVA Engineering Graduate Studies Committee within 30 days of the grade posting in SIS.
- Grading Basis Changes
- The grading basis for a course cannot be changed after the semester add deadline.
- Grade Changes
- Students should consult “Grading System – Grade Changes” in the University Regulations—Academic section of the Record for policies that govern requests for changes to a grade after it has been submitted to UREG. Requests for grade changes should be made to the Associate Dean for Graduate Education.
- Incomplete Grades
- Students should consult “Grading System” in the University Regulations—Academic section of the record for policies that govern incomplete grades. Graduate students’ incomplete grades in graduate engineering courses automatically lapse 200 days after the end of the semester they receive the IN grade.
- Graduate students may incur academic probation any fall or spring semester in which they fail to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0. Students on academic probation have one semester to increase their cumulative grade point average to 3.0 or above, or they will be placed on academic suspension. Non-degree and VEO students have two semesters to increase their cumulative grade point average.
- For the 2023-24 and 2024-25 application years, UVA has adopted a Test Optional admission policy that includes international students. Students whose first language is not English or who have attended an English-speaking school for fewer than two years are encouraged to provide evidence of their English proficiency by submitting the results of the TOEFL or the IELTS.
- We strongly encourage all applicants whose first language is not English to participate in an English language assessment, regardless of their secondary school education.
- CAELC provides the English as a Second Language (ESL) services at the University of Virginia. CAELC serves to provide leadership on issues related to ESL/intercultural communication and to help members of the UVA community attain the level of linguistic and cultural proficiency needed for success at a research university in the United States.
Safety in Labs (under construction)
- Safety Policy
- Safety Manual
- Safety Seminar 2024
- All Ph.D. and M.S. students must register for research credits in their advisor’s research section. Credits are assigned to this course in such a way that the total number of credits for which the student is registered reflects the fraction of time devoted to progress toward a degree. Full-time graduate research assistants (GRAs) may not carry a load of more than 9 credits of lecture-laboratory courses and must register each semester for enough additional credits of research to maintain full-time student enrollment.
- M.S. students should sign up for MSE 8999 credits. Ph.D. students should sign up for MSE 9999 credits under their advisor's supervision. Students who are performing TA duties will sign up for 1 credit of MSE 8900.
- Students who are appointed to Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) may not carry a load of more than 9 credits of lecture-laboratory courses and must register each semester for enough teaching credit to maintain full-time student status. GTAs should determine the number of teaching credits to enroll in by using their appointment hours in accordance with Provost Policy 022: Determination and Assignation of Academic Credit to determine the maximum hours of teaching credit. GTA assignments that are a full graduate assistantship (20 hours per week) cannot enroll in excess of 6 teaching credits per semester, and GTA assignments that are half of a full graduate assistantship (10 hours per week) cannot enroll in excess of 3 teaching credits per semester.
To obtain a graduate degree in the School of Engineering, a student must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on all graded graduate course work taken while a graduate student, and all graduate courses taken as an undergraduate at the University of Virginia if the courses are part of a program of study and are used to satisfy program degree requirements. No grade lower than a C is acceptable toward meeting degree requirements.
Ph.D in Materials Science and Engineering
M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering
Master's Of Materials Science and Engineering
- A doctoral student may request approval to earn a master’s degree (thesis or non-thesis) within their home department. The departmentally approved request must be submitted to the Graduate Registrar’s Office by the dates for applying to graduate (February 1 for May; June 1 for August; October 1 for December). En route master’s candidates should NOT apply for graduation in SIS. The registrar will add them to the degree list once their master's plan has been created. Before requesting the en route master’s, students must verify that the master’s academic requirements will be completed by the semester they intend to earn the master’s degree. Credits used to satisfy the en route master’s degree cannot have been used to satisfy requirements toward a previous degree. A student may not earn a Ph.D. and en route masters in the same semester.
Starting in Fall, 2024, DMSE Ph.D. stipends will be increased by 4% above the current base stipends. This increase is on top of the 2% increase that was implemented in January 2024, representing a total increase from Fall, 2023 of 6%.
New stipends:
Starting: $31,905
Olsen Fellow Starting: $33,905
After Passing Qualifier Exam (+$2,000): $33,905 ($35,905 for Olsen)
After Passing PhD Proposal (+$1,000): $34,905 ($36,905 for Olsen)
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is an increase to account for increases in the cost of living. These increases are assessed annually by the department.
Stipends vs. Wages
Stipends (Typically paid to students on Fellowships)
Fellowships or scholarships awarded as direct aid are usually in the form of a stipend. Stipends are an amount given directly to a student to support the pursuit of study or training. Stipend awards can be a one-time only award, but are usually provided monthly over a period of time.
- Students who are receiving stipends from their departments can see the amount and disbursement dates of the stipends in the Student Information System (SIS). Detailed instructions are below.
- Signing up for direct deposit is a safe and easy way to receive your refunds more quickly!
- International students not claiming Treaty Benefits will have 14% deducted for taxes prior to refund generation.
- Withholding for tax purposes is not done for U.S. students and green card holders
Wages (Typically paid to students on Graduate Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships)
Students earn wages in exchange for instructional, administrative, or research services in a graduate assistantship. Wages are not a form of stipend.
Assistantship wages for GTAs and GRAs are paid on a bi-weekly schedule using the University’s payroll system. Of the twenty-six bi-weekly pay periods, ten occur during the fall term, ten occur during the spring term, and six occur during the summer. Federal Work Study employees are also paid on a bi-weekly schedule.
The wage payment schedule for students receiving wages as a Federal Work Study employee or as a Graduate Assistant can be found at https://payroll.vpfinance.virginia.edu/academic-payroll-and-leave-calendar under the payroll calendar for the appropriate year. The ‘payroll payment date’ listed in the bi-weekly payroll table is the date by which you should see your paycheck in your bank account.
GradBridge Funding
- The GradBridge loan provides support to graduate students transitioning from fellowship stipends to wage assistantships or other related employment statuses. To request a GradBridge loan, contact sfs@virginia.edu or (434) 982-6000 to speak with one of the staff. They'll help you understand how the process works and get your loan started.
- They'll send you a DocuSign form for you to complete, and you can borrow up to $2,500 per term. Once you have completed the form, you should generally expect to receive your funds within 7 days. If you have set up direct deposit, you will likely receive your funds sooner than that. If you do not set up direct deposit, they will send a paper check to your current mailing address in SIS. They highly recommend you set up direct deposit!
- You'll have until the end of the term to pay off the loan completely, and you can make partial payments along the way on your balance due.
The University requires all students to have health insurance. Graduate students may be eligible to receive a Health Insurance Subsidy which is a payment made by a school or unit of the University to the University on behalf of a graduate student to cover the cost of the Aetna Student Health plan.
If you receive a Health Insurance Subsidy as part of your departmental aid award, you will need to enroll with the UVA Student Health Insurance plan and follow the enrollment instructions
Graduate students receiving the Health Insurance Subsidy must enroll in the University’s student health insurance plan each year. Graduate students may enroll starting in early to mid July, and are encouraged to do so as soon as possible to ensure adequate coverage.
- The MSE department pays for the health insurance of each GRA/TRA.
- Graduate students can request an insurance waiver through the online waiver process.
The MSE department does not pay for student dental insurance, however, it is available.