Master of Engineering

The Master of Engineering degree is a graduate professional degree. It provides greater knowledge and deeper understanding in a specific field than does a bachelors degree, and it’s a great stepping-stone for advancing your career. In fact, many companies require a master’s degree for top-level jobs, and engineers holding master’s degrees make at least 12% more per year than do their bachelor’s degree counterparts. And many companies offer educational benefits, paying for advanced coursework, to encourage their employees to pursue a graduate level degree.

Degree Requirements

Degree requirements for the Master of Engineering for our online students are the same as those for all Master of Engineering degrees, except that up to half of your credits toward graduation may come from a participating online graduate engineering consortium (Cardinal Education) university – GMU, ODU, VCU, VSU, VT. Thus, an online ME student will complete an approved program of at least 30 graduate-level credits, with at least 18 credits in the area of major study and up to 15 of which may be transferred in. Specific departments may be slightly more restrictive. Graduate courses with grades of C or better taken for graduate credit at participating institutions may be transferred toward meeting the requirement of the Master of Engineering degree.

Of special note: In general, Transfer credits must be completed at least one semester prior to graduation. See the REQUEST APPROVAL OF TRANSFER CREDITS FORM for further details.

Each of the six departments offering online master’s degrees at UVA has an appointed advisor who consults with students on curriculum and any special circumstances that might arise with participating working professionals. Each student's Plan of Study must be approved by their advisors and the associated department chairs.

Licensure Disclosure

As a member of the State Authorizations Reciprocity Agreement, the University of Virginia (UVA) is authorized to provide curriculum in a distance learning environment to students located in all states in the United States except for California. (34 CFR 668.43(a)(6)& 34 CFR 668.72(n)).

Upon completion of an engineering degree program which prepares graduates for licensure or certification, graduates may be eligible for initial professional licensure in another U.S. state by applying to the licensing board or agency in that state. Please visit the University’s state authorization web pages to make an informed decision regarding which states’ educational requirements for initial licensure are met by this program. (668.43(a)(5) (v)(A) - (C))

Enrolled students who change their current (or mailing) address to a state other than Virginia should update this information immediately in the Student Information System as it may impact their ability to complete internship, practicum, or clinical hours, use Title IV funds, or meet licensure or certification requirements in the new state. (34 CFR 668.402).