Applicants who wish to pursue an advanced degree but whose bachelor’s degree is in a field other than engineering should consult the Director of Graduate Studies of their prospective graduate program for any special admission requirements.
Applicants Without a BS Degree in Engineering
Applicants will be required to take a set of core undergraduate courses necessary to attain required prerequisites in their chosen field of study.
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Students who enter an M.S. or Ph.D. program but do not have a suitable B.S. degree in an engineering discipline, as determined by the Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Department’s Graduate Committee, are required to complete a program of coursework that will provide them with a baseline of knowledge and competencies that are consistent with B.S. engineering graduates.
Biomedical Engineering
The prerequisite for admission is completion of a bachelor’s degree from an ABET-accredited undergraduate engineering program or equivalent. Students often find that prior experience with physiology helps with the physiology core course (PGY-412G). PGY-206, or equivalent, may help students to better understand the material covered in the PGY-412G course. Other undergraduate courses may be beneficial to specific biomedical specialties. Discuss these courses with your future graduate advisor or the Director of Graduate studies on an individual basis.
Chemical and Materials Engineering
The Chemical Engineering and Materials Science graduate programs encourage students with B.S. degrees in chemistry or physics to apply. Depending upon the background of the student, direct admission to either the M.S. or Ph.D. degree program is possible. Minimum requirements for consideration include mathematics preparation through differential equations, and two semesters of university-level physics. Upon enrollment, a series of undergraduate courses are required to provide the necessary engineering fundamentals.
- CME 200 Process Principles
- CME 320 Engineering Thermodynamics
- CME 330 Fluid Mechanics
- CME 415 Separation Processes
- CME 420 Process Modeling
- CME 425 Heat & Mass Transfer
- CME Reactor Design
Civil Engineering
Applicants who have been awarded bachelor degrees in fields other than engineering, such as physical sciences, should contact the Director of Graduate Studies for consultation. These students may be able to get admitted to the CE graduate program; however, they should be aware that they may not be able to obtain a professional Engineer (PE) license with their MSCE. Students with an undergraduate major other than Civil Engineering must also take undergraduate remedial courses (see Section I-3e), and consult with the appropriate Board of Registration regarding their licensing prospects.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Consult the Director of Graduate Studies for a specific list of remedial undergraduate courses.
Computer Science
Graduate students entering computer science graduate degree programs are expected to demonstrate knowledge of computing, competency in scientific applications, and mathematical maturity. Applicants may demonstrate computing knowledge by extensive experience in the use of high-level programming languages and acquaintance with assembly language. Students should also have studied data structures and possess knowledge of computing systems, numerical methods, and theoretical computer science. Additionally, all incoming graduate students should demonstrate competency in scientific applications in a variety of ways; experience in applied mathematics, engineering, or any of the sciences is usually sufficient.
Often students with a background in mathematics or engineering instead of computer science spend a portion of their first semester taking these courses, students may be required to take some of the following courses and post-baccalaureate before being admitted.
- CS 215 - INTRODUCTION TO PROGRAM DESIGN, ABSTRACTION, AND PROBLEM SOLVING
- CS 270 - SYSTEMS PROGRAMMING
- CS 315 - ALGORITHM DESIGN AND ANALYSIS
- CS275 - DISCRETE MATHEMATICS
- CS216 - INTRODUCTION TO SOFTWARE ENGINEERING TECHNIQUES
- CS405 - INTRODUCTION TO DATABASE SYSTEMS
Mechanical Engineering
Any graduate of an ABET accredited Mechanical Engineering program may enter the ME graduate program directly, provided GPA and GRE admission requirements have been met. However, some graduate courses require knowledge of certain ME undergraduate work as prerequisites. The DGS may determine whether one or more of these prerequisites must be taken if they were not part of the student’s undergraduate ME program.
Students with a bachelor’s degree in certain fields may be required to take specific undergraduate ME courses to attain required prerequisites in their chosen field of study. Some typical examples are:
- an engineering major other than Mechanical Engineering, or
- a non-engineering technical field, such as mathematics, physics, or chemistry.
Such students must have completed the equivalent of, or must complete with a grade of B or better within the first year of UK graduate study, one or more of the following courses:
- ME 321 Thermodynamics II
- ME 325 Elements of Heat Transfer
- ME 330 Fluid Mechanics
- ME 344 Mechanical Design
- ME 440 Design of Control Systems
Mining Engineering
A student may not be able to begin immediately a full graduate program leading to the degree; it may be necessary to satisfy prerequisites omitted in undergraduate curricula. Deficiencies are determined by the faculty advisor and the DGS. All master’s candidates will be held responsible for the following undergraduate courses:
- MNG 463 – Surface Mine Design and Environmental Issues
Plus at least two from the following:
- MNG 301 – Minerals Processing
- MNG 341- Mine Ventilation
- MNG 431 – Mining Engineering Economics
- MNG 551 – Rock Mechanics