Academic Requirements for M.S. Students

Engineering M.S. student's degree requirements are outlined in the Graduate Record.

Programs may require specific course enrollment options.

M.S. students must complete a minimum of 24 graded engineering graduate-level credits (5000 level and above), and a total of 30 credits consisting of graded coursework and research to satisfy the Engineering School’s academic requirements while maintaining a minimum grade point average of 3.0.  The student’s department may require specific courses. These requirements are outlined in the Graduate Record and are part of the Academic Requirements report in SIS. Please check with your graduate coordinator about department-specific requirements.

Enroll in courses, research, or affiliated status - Students must be enrolled in a degree-granting program for the semester in which they expect to graduate.

Steps to Graduation for Engineering Master of Science Degree Beyond Course Requirements

Your department may require additional or earlier steps; check with your advisor or departmental graduate coordinator.

  • Apply for graduation in SIS at the beginning of the semester in which you plan to graduate (by October 1 for December graduation, by February 1 for May graduation, and by June 1 for August graduation).
  • Enroll in courses, research, or affiliated status - Students must be enrolled in a UVA degree-granting program for the semester in which they expect to graduate.
  • En Route Master’s Degree - 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.

Request the appointment of your Final Examination (Defense) Committee by sending the Appointment of Final Examination Committee form to your departmental Graduate Coordinator for approval, then it is submitted by the Graduate Coordinator to the Graduate Registrar’s Office and approved at least two weeks prior to your defense. 

Prepare and successfully complete your Final Thesis Defense. Complete and have signed by your defense committee the Report on Thesis Final Examination form and accompanying assessment form.  Submit these forms to your departmental Graduate Coordinator, who then submits them to the Graduate Registrar’s Office.

  • Verify that your title is correct before submitting the form. Any changes to your title require the approval of your entire committee.
  • If requesting a dissertation embargo, the approved embargo request form must be submitted at the same time as the Report on Dissertation Examination and assessment.

After your successful defense, ensure that any corrections required by your thesis committee are made to your thesis, and the title matches what was on the submitted Report on Thesis Final Examination form. 

Prepare your thesis for the Libra upload. Incorporate a title and approval page into your thesis by inserting them at the beginning of your thesis. A template for the Thesis/Dissertation Cover and Approval Pages is provided on our website for your use. If you choose to create your own, be sure that the date of your thesis matches the degree-granting month and year. For example, if you defend in March but graduate in May, your dissertation should be dated May and the year, not when you defend. Also, the committee members names should be typed, not signed. You should include your own signature, however. Consult with your advisor and committee regarding the Libra “Access and Visibility Options” for electronic theses and dissertations which include Public Access, Limited Access, and Embargo. Your thesis and title may not be changed once it has been uploaded.

Review the Libra web site for formatting and instructions on the upload process. Then upload your thesis to the University Library’s online repository, Libra. Questions or concerns regarding the Libra upload should be directed to them via email: libra@virginia.edu.  

If students do not complete required corrections to their dissertation and/or do not upload it by the deadline to upload the dissertation to Libra, they must request to delay their graduation until the following semester by contacting the Graduate Registrar’s Office. 

Verify in SIS that there are no outstanding tuition or fees due.  The University Registrar will not confer a degree if any monies are due to the University.

Verify in SIS that your academic requirements for your degree program have been satisfied.  Students are responsible for verifying the accuracy of their UVA transcripts and that there are no blank or incomplete grades.  Transcripts and grades cannot be amended after degree conferral.  The University Registrar will not confer a degree if there are any blank or incomplete grades.