ADMISSIONS
& FINANCIAL SUPPORT
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers programs leading
to the MS and PhD degrees. Students with a bachelor's or master's
degree in most fields of engineering or science may apply for
the MS or PhD program in Mechanical Engineering. Superior students
may be admitted for graduate study directly from the bachelor's
to the doctoral degree.
All applications are evaluated based on a number of factors
including: undergraduate and/or graduate grades, the results of
the Graduate Record Exam (GRE general test), Statement, and reference
letters. For those of you whose native language is not English
must also supply Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
scores with a Minimum of 600 or higher on the paper-based test,
250 or higher on the computer-based test, and 100 or higher on
the internet-based test. If you wish to be considered for teaching
assistantships you must also score at least 50 on the Test of
Spoken English.
The official application and test scores should be submitted to the Graduate School by December 31 for admission in the following Fall. In order to ensure full consideration, applications should be received by December 31, 2007. Applications received after December 31 will still be considered until all the Fellowship/RA/TA positions are filled.
HOW TO APPLY:
If you are planning to apply to the MS or PhD program in Mechanical
Engineering, you should access the on-line application through
the Graduate School homepage at: http://www.northwestern.edu/graduate/
by clicking on the apply online icon.
We encourage you to visit the M.E. Dept. website at http://www.mech.northwestern.edu/
for faculty research interests and click on graduate study for
further information
The program code for the Ph.D. program in Mechanical Engineering
is M40PH; and for the M.S. program in Mechanical Engineering is
M40MS.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
WITH APPLICATION:
Detailed information about the required documentation is available
in the on-line application. The list below indicates the required
items:
1) Application fee of $75 for all applicants, which cannot be
waived. All checks should be made payable to Northwestern University.
Your name and date of birth must be included with the fee payment.
2) Completed application form (on line)
3) Statement of Purpose (one copy)
4) Resume or curriculum Vitae (one copy)
5) Two letters of recommendation (one signed original of each)
6) Official test scores for GRE, TOEFL (when required), and TSE
(when required). You may submit photocopies of your GRE, TOEFL,
and TSE score reports with your application. However, official
reports must be received before the admission decision is made.
Official scores should be sent to Northwestern University at institution
code 1565.
7) Official college/graduate school transcripts (2 originals
of each)
In addition, you may also provide:
8) Any other information, such as published research papers,
that makes your application strong (optional)
Supporting documents for the online application should be sent
directly to the ME Department in the address given below. If any
documentation must be sent separately from your application, please
clearly mark your name and date of birth on all materials.
Ms. Pat Dyess
Department of Mechanical Engineering
2145 Sheridan Road
Northwestern University
Evanston. IL 60208, USA
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Most full-time graduate students in Mechanical Engineering who
are making satisfactory progress toward their degrees secure continuous
financial support for the duration of their studies. Aid is available
in the form of Fellowships, Research Assistantships, or Teaching
Assistantships; each covers tuition and provides a stipend. Applicants
interested in financial aid should indicate this on the official
application form for admission; no separate application is necessary
for financial aid.
Financial support is generally available only to students intending
to pursue a PhD program. Financial support may be in the form
of fellowships, research assistantships and teaching assistantships,
or combinations of these. The Walter P. Murphy and Royal E. Cabell
Fellowships are endowed fellowships that are available on a competitive
basis to the most outstanding students. Fellowships for underrepresented
minority group members are available for new and continuing students,
both as part of the Murphy Fellowships and through external awards
such as the Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program.
Research assistantships are funded by grants or contracts secured
by individual professors. Research assistants work closely with
their advisors, and the majority of their efforts are devoted
to thesis research. Some new students and most continuing students
are supported through research assistantships.
Teaching Assistantships are offered to well-qualified graduate
students. These are usually temporary assignments requiring about
20 hours per week of student contact, recitation, and grading.
New and continuing students may be considered for teaching assistantships.
Students whose native language is not English must score a minimum
of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) to be considered for
a teaching assistantship.
INFORMATION FOR ADMITTED STUDENTS:
All decisions for Fall quarter admissions will in general be
made by end-March.
Visit: Admitted students are encouraged to visit Northwestern
prior to making a decision on the offer of admission and support.
Visits may be individually scheduled. The purpose of these visits
is to enable prospective students to meet with faculty members,
to get an idea of some of the research activities in the department,
and to explore the Northwestern campus and surroundings.
ADVISOR SELECTION:
In general, admissions are made to the ME department and not
to any individual faculty member or group. The advisor selection
process occurs in the Fall quarter once the students are in residence
at Northwestern University.
In early Fall, every new student will have an opportunity to
meet with all the faculty members in the department to explore
research interests. In addition, faculty will make presentations
on their active research projects. By mid Fall, the students will
indicate their preferences for research advisors. By the end of
the Fall quarter, advisor assignments are made based on these
preferences.
Pre-selection of advisors: The advisor selection process described
above is in the best interests of the student in finding the most
suitable match of research interests. In rare circumstances, where
the interests of a student are very well aligned with that of
a particular group (as demonstrated by prior research activities,
for instance), it may be possible to pre-select an advisor. Please
contact the Director of Graduate Studies if you want to explore
the possibility of pre-selecting an advisor.
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