MSE Student Resources

  • Engineering Lab Procedures: Information about working in Keller, Kennedy, and IDC labs.
  • Graduate School Procedures: Information for all graduate students. 
  • MSE Policies and Procedures (see below):
    • Culminating Experiences and Policies
    • Course Policies
      • Undergraduates taking Graduate classes
      • EGR 699 Independent Study
      • EGR 685 Graduate Practicum
      • Remediation Policy
    • International Students
    • Graduate Assistantships

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Hello from your GPD!

MLK day and more

A few things to bring to your attention:

  • Monday, Jan 20th is Martin Luther King Jr Day and there will be no classes. There will be a number of events all next week to commemorate the legacy of Dr King so check those out here.
  • Need a portable tire inflator? A clothes steamer? A step ladder? The Library of Things is a collection of non-traditional materials including gadgets, tools, games, electronics and more - all available to check out for free with your GVSU ID for a one-time project. Check out the collection and all the Things you can borrow here
  • Dates for the Graduate School's Thesis workshops have been released so students taking EGR 695 OR EGR 693, please make plans to attend at least one of these mandatory workshops. Details and registration information can be found here.
  • If you'd like some motivation and dedicated time to work on your Thesis or Project, consider attending the Writing Center's Thesis Boost immersive writing workshop on Feb 22nd & 23rd. Many of your seniors have found the experience rewarding and have got a head start on their thesis or project write up during that weekend. There is a $50 fee that will be covered by the Graduate School if you attend the entire session so it's a win-win. Find out more here.
  • Last but not least - bundle up because it's going to get COLD out there next week! Wear multiple layers, cover your face, hands, and ears to retain heat, and don't stay outdoors for more than 30 minutes to limit your exposure to cold temperatures. 

Stay warm Lakers!

Samhita Rhodes
January 18, 2025

Happy first week of classes!

Welcome to Winter 25 semester! Just a few things for you to begin the semester:

  1. My Winter 25 office hours are from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Mondays and 9:00 – 10:30 am on Wednesday in-person (KEN 253) so please stop by if you have any questions or just to say hello. If you need help outside of office hours please stop by and knock on the door – I’m happy to chat if I’m not in class or in a meeting! I’m also available outside of office hours via zoom if necessary.
  2. Friday, January 10th  at 5:00 pm is the deadline to add or drop classes without penalty! After that there will be a fee and extra paperwork!
  3. Students beginning a thesis or project this semester i.e. those signed up for their first EGR 695 or EGR 693 credits –
    • the Graduate School will be holding workshops that go through the capstone process in detail so please sign up for one of them. Attendance at one of these is mandatory and they are super informative too. Information can be found here.
    • You must have the Thesis/Project Committee form reviewed and approved by the engineering Graduate Committee. You will fill this out with your Thesis/Project advisor, get your committee signatures, and send it to me. The graduate committee will review it and when it’s approved I will submit the EGR 695 forms on your behalf to the Graduate School (EGR 693 are kept in the School of Engineering). Form is two pages and can be found in the Student Resources section.
  4. Students getting ready to finish up your EGR 695 or EGR 693 this semester – congratulations! A few things to keep in mind:
    • Watch the deadline dates for defending and submitting your Thesis (EGR 695) to the Graduate School. These are the same dates to defend and submit your Project (EGR 693) to the School of Engineering.
    • Follow these guidelines when writing your Thesis/Project – use the appropriate title page template (MSE Student Resources), watch formatting, make sure all the sections are included and complete etc.
    • All Theses ONLY are publicly defended so you MUST work with Allyson Albrecht to schedule a date, reserve a room, and send out the announcement at least 1 week BEFORE you plan on defending.
    • After your defense you will address any questions or concerns your committee brings up and get their signatures on the appropriate final approval forms (see attached) before submitting to the Dean (EGR 695) or me (EGR 693). Once all the signatures are in, your advisor will update the grades for ALL your EGR 695/693 credits from X to PS or PD indicating successful completion.
  5. International students please note the following:
    • You must be signed up for 9 credits unless you are in your last semester OR you are taking your culminating experience credits i.e. EGR 693/ EGR 695, or EGR 686 OR you are doing experiential learning credits (EGR 699 Experiential Learning 1 credit or EGR 685 Graduate Practicum).
    • Of those 9 credits, 6 must be in-person and 3 may be online. A hybrid class is counted as in-person if it meets in person at least 25% of the time i.e. 4 weeks in a standard 16 week semester.
  6. Remember, there are a number of student support centers on campus you all have access to – writing center, career center, counseling center etc. So check them out here.
  7. The engineering graduate committee consists of Dr Heidi Jiao, Dr Nabeeh Kandalaft, Dr Farid Jafari, Dr Abishek Balsamy-Kamaraj, and myself so feel free to reach out to any of us with questions. We meet every week on Monday from 9 am – 10 am.

 

Samhita Rhodes
January 8, 2025

MSE Policies (In Progress)

Course Policies

  • Undergraduate students may sign up for a graduate level EGR class using the Dual Level Request Form, if they have completed at least 85 credits and have at least a 3.0 GPA  OR be admitted to the MSE program.
  • Undergraduate students can take an EGR 6xx class with permission from their undergraduate advisor, the course instructor, and the GPD. Furthermore, they will have to decide whether the course will be used for undergraduate credit or towards a future grad degree.
  • Undergraduate students cannot take an EGR 5xx course and have it count towards their undergraduate degree only unless they have already applied, and been accepted, to the Combined BSE/MSE program. In this case two EGR 5xx courses will be counted towards their BSE and MSE degrees.  

 

Independent Study: EGR 699

  • No EGR 699 will be allowed in areas where courses exist and are taught at least once per year.
  • Only graduate degree or certificate-seeking students who have completed the core requirements may take EGR 699. All independent study topics and the amount of credit to be earned must be approved by the faculty member who agrees to supervise the project. A student may take multiple EGR 699 courses but no more than 3 credits in total will apply to their MSE degree.
  • The conditions, meeting times, workload, and subject matter concerned with the project are mutually agreed to by the initiating student and the assenting faculty member and are consistent with standards of quality education.
  • Every EGR 699 course MUST have an approved syllabus before it can be added to the schedule and students can sign up. The syllabus for EGR 699 must be approved, in order, by the curriculum committee (if applicable), and then the graduate committee. Any interdisciplinary syllabi will be approved by the graduate committee who will seek out input from subject matter experts as appropriate. Further, EGR 699s to be offered in the Winter semester must be approved in the preceding Fall, and those to be offered in either the Spring/Summer or Fall semesters must be approved in the preceding Winter semester. 1-credit EGR 699s may be offered in 6-week blocks during the semester.
  • In the academic transcript the course will be displayed as EGR 699 Ind. Study in [17 char].

 

Remediation Policy

There is no separate Remediation Policy for engineering classes since all skills and competencies are assessed in the grade for that course. Currently, there are no assessments that do not contribute to the grade.

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Culminating Experience Practice and Policies

The culminating experience requires permission of the GPD and completion of the Responsible Conduct of Research within the last three years. It can be completed via one of three routes:

1) EGR 695 Master's Thesis (6 cr) OR 2) EGR 693 Master's Project (6 cr)

  • Students typically select EGR 693 or EGR 695, which are equivalent culminating experiences and have similar requirements.
  • Differences between Thesis (EGR 695) and Project (EGR 693) requirements are highlighted below:
    • Thesis and Project are taken in integer number of credits over multiple contiguous semesters until a total of 6 credits have been accumulated.
    • Thesis and Project require the student to plan and perform research under the guidance of an engineering graduate faculty advisor and committee.
    • Thesis and Project require the student to attend the mandatory workshop held each semester by the Graduate School. Workshop must be completed by the time 3 credits of EGR 693 or 695 have been taken. 
    • Thesis and Project scope is determined in consultation with the advisor and the committee
    • Thesis and Project topic and committees must be approved by the engineering Graduate Committee using the approval form template provided. This must be done in the semester the student takes the first EGR 693/695 credits.
      • Thesis committee form is additionally submitted to the Graduate School while the Project committee form is not.
    • Committee makeup:
      • Must have at least 3 members. Faculty on the committee must have Graduate Faculty standing. See here for a list. Applications for Graduate Faculty status may be found here
      • Any external committee members MUST have at least a Master’s degree in engineering to officially serve on your committee.
      • One committee member on a Project committee may be from the company sponsoring the project and must have a Master's degree or higher in engineering. 
    • Student will defend their Thesis/Project by the deadlines posted for each semester by the Graduate School. Student may request an extension of the deadline.
      • For Thesis that request is made to the Graduate School (Trista Beregud)
      • For Project that request is made to the GPD.
    • Defense
      • The Thesis defense is public; students will provide Allyson Albrecht with their Thesis title, committee, and time and date of their defense for public posting.
      • The Project defense is confidential; students must schedule a time to defend with their committee but no public postings are made.
    • Committee signatures on the final Thesis/Project indicate that the student has successfully defended and completed all the requirements for their Thesis/Project
      • The final signature page for the Thesis is signed by the Dean of PCE. It is then sent with the completed Thesis to the Graduate School for the signature by the AVP of the Graduate School.
      • The final signature page for the Project is signed by the GPD. It does not get submitted to the Graduate School.
    • Once all the signatures are in, the faculty advisor will submit a grade change form to covert all EGR 695/693 credits to PD or PS.

3) EGR 686 - Capstone Design Project (3 cr)

  • Single semester, 3 credits, so students can take an extra class.
  • Student works with a single graduate faculty member on a project of mutual interest.
  • Best practices when undertaking an EGR 686 include:
    • Student and faculty should prepare an initial document detailing scope and deliverables of the project.
    • Student should present and submit a final project report to the faculty for a grade.
    • It is recommended that the student be given an opportunity to present/disseminate their work at conferences and/or the GVSU Graduate Showcase and Engineering Project Days.
  • If students need additional time to finish EGR 695/693/686, they must register for EGR 696, a 1-credit continuation course, for every additional semester.  
  • To sign up for EGR 693/695/686 credits,
    • discuss the appropriate number of credits to take with your faculty advisor; 
    • send an email to the GPD, copying your faculty advisor, requesting a permit. 

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Graduate Assistantships

  • Unlike most graduate engineering programs around the country, we have a limited number of funding opportunities for Master's students that are awarded on a merit basis.
  • Graduate Assistants (GAs) support the teaching mission of our program and help with outreach, support our labs, assist professors, and mentor students.
  • Each year faculty are able to request funding for Special Project GAs (SPGAs) to help with research, pedagogical analysis, or targeted outreach. 
  • A full-time GA covers 9 credits of graduate tuition (5xx and 6xx courses only) and offers a stipend of $6500/semester in return for 20 hrs/week of work.
  • A half-time GA covers 4.5 credits of graduate tuition (5xx and 6xx courses only) and offers a stipend of $3250/semester in return for 10 hrs/week of work.
  • All GAs are entitled to a free parking pass worth $210/semester.
  • GAs are assigned each semester and are renewable based on academic performance, supervisor feedback, and the availability of funds.

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International Students (F1 visa)

  • Graduate international students must be enrolled in at least 9 credits each semester - 6 of those in-person - to maintain full time status and be in compliance with the USCIS.
  • Students in their final semester OR in their penultimate semester with an approved program plan that has been discussed with the GPD, can be authorized for Reduced Course Load. 
  • Students enrolled in EGR 693, EGR 695, or EGR 686 are considered full-time.
  • Students can work on campus up to 20 hrs/week during Fall and Winter semesters, and up to 40 hrs/week during breaks (Spring break, Winter break, Spring/Summer semesters) without additional immigration authorization.
  • Students may work off campus BEFORE graduation via Curricular Practical Training (CPT). In engineering, the two classes supporting CPT are:
    • EGR 685 Graduate Practicum (3 credits): Students must be employed full-time (40 hrs/week) as engineers in industry. Students must be supervised by a degreed engineer. This course may only be taken once during the MSE program.
    • EGR 699 Ind Study in Experiential Learning (1 credit): Student must be employed part-time or full-time (5 hrs/week - 40 hrs/week) as engineers in industry. Students must be supervised by a degreed engineer. This course may be taken multiple times but only 3 credits will count towards the MSE degree provided the student has not taken EGR 685.

 

  • CPT, credit load, and GA funding
    • A student enrolled for 0 - 4 credits (excluding EGR 699 Experiential Learning - 1 credit) 
      • is ineligible for full GA funding and can be authorized for up to 40 hrs/week of CPT.
      • is eligible for half GA funding and can be authorized for up to 30 hrs/week of CPT.
    • A student enrolled for 5 or more credits (excluding EGR 699 Experiential Learning - 1 credit)
      • is eligible for full GA funding and can be authorized for up to 5 hrs/week of CPT.
      • is eligible for half GA funding and can be authorized for up to 15 hrs/week of CPT.
      • can be authorized for up to 24 hrs/week of CPT with no GA funding.

 

Visit the International Student Services Request Center for forms and information.

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Page last modified November 18, 2024