Course Levels

Courses are labeled with letter prefixes having the following meaning:

100 - Introductory (Freshman level)
200 - Intermediate (Sophomore level)
300 - Advanced (Junior, Senior, and Graduate level)
400 & 500 - Graduate level

Grades

Credit for the MS or PhD degree will be given only for courses in which a grade of A, B, or C has been received. No P/N registration will be accepted. A student whose overall grade average is below B is not meeting academic standards and will be placed on probation. Failure to remedy that situation may lead to dismissal by The Graduate School.

An incomplete grade (Y) for any course except Projects (499) must be removed within one year of the official ending of the course. Post-Candidacy Research (590), may be graded as incomplete (K) until the research is finished. The time limit for removal of incomplete research grades is 5 years

Financial Aid and Registration

Recipients of financial aid must be fully registered. Full registration, according to The Graduate School regulations, means 3-4 courses per quarter. Several types of financial aid are available. Fellowships generally provide a monthly stipend and tuition for full-time study and research. Most fellowships are only available to US citizens and are awarded on a competitive basis by the department. Research assistantships involve participation in ongoing funded research projects and are awarded at the discretion of the faculty advisor. Research assistantships provide a monthly stipend out of which the student pays a tuition fee.

A very limited number of teaching assistantships are available. A teaching assistant has responsibility for running the laboratory portion of a course or for grading papers and holding office hours. Teaching assistantships cover tuition, provide a monthly stipend, and are arranged by the department. Fellowship, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships are subject to income tax.

Full-time graduate students in good academic standing are eligible to apply for low-cost student loans. More information is available at the Student Loans and Veterans Office at 1801 Hinman (3rd floor).

Registration as a Full-Time Student

All students using departmental facilities in any quarter must be registered or must be employees of the University. During the fall, winter or spring quarters, a full-time registration of 3-4 units of courses and research normally should be elected. For MS students this is achieved by registering for a combination of course units and ME-499 Projects. Preferable registration is for a total of 4 units per quarter for three quarters to meet the residency requirement and to fulfill the 12 required units for the MS degree within three quarters.

Students who need to continue their research after having completed the required 12 units should register for 890-588 Resident Masters Study, described below. PhD candidates who have not achieved candidacy (passed the qualifying exam) should maintain a full-time registration of 3-4 units of courses and ME-590 Research. Full-time registration for 6 quarters beyond the MS degree or 9 quarters beyond the BS is necessary to meet the residency requirement and to fulfill the course requirements (9 courses beyond MS degree).

Students who need to continue their research but take no classes prior to candidacy may register for 890-598 Resident Doctoral Study at a reduced tuition level, but this registration does not accumulate residency and is discouraged.

After candidacy and residency, PhD students should register for 890-599 Post-Candidacy Research for three quarters. After three quarters of 599 registration, students should register for 890-503 Resident Research Continuation. No classes may be taken with 588, 598, 599, or 503 registration. Only one registration in 588 or 598 is normally permitted for a student unless granted approval by The Graduate School. Registration for the summer quarter should be discussed with your advisor.

MS research/project registration is summarized below:

499 Projects--Available to master's degree students to pursue research for their MS project. Typical registration is for 1 to 3 499 units in addition to courses to achieve a total of 4 units for full-time registration. A maximum of 3 499 units may be used for fulfilling the MS degree requirements. 499 units may not be used toward the requirements of a PhD.

588 Residents Master's Study--Available to master's degree students who have completed residency requirements and are pursuing research, need to use university facilities, are receiving financial aid, or hold F-1 or J-1 visa status. Requests for more than one 588 registration will be reviewed by The Graduate School. Provides full-time status, but allows no accumulation of credit or residency toward the master's degree. No courses including ME-512 Seminar may be taken with 588 registration. Tuition is substantially lower for 588 registration than for full-time registration.

PhD research/project registration is summarized below:

590 Research--Available to PhD students to pursue research for their PhD prior to candidacy and completing residency requirements. Typical registration is for 1 to 4 590 units in addition to courses to achieve a total of 3-4 units for full-time registration until residency is completed.

598 Resident Doctoral Study--Available to doctoral students who are receiving financial aid, have completed at least three quarters of full-time study toward the Ph.D. degree, and who wish to pursue research, use University facilities, or maintain F-1 or J-1 visa status. Requests for more than one 598 registration will be reviewed by The Graduate School. Provides full-time status, but allows no accumulation of credit or residency toward the Ph.D. degree. No courses including ME-512 Seminar may be taken with 598 registration. Tuition is substantially lower for 598 registration than for full-time registration.

599 Post-Candidacy Research--Three units are required for all students who have completed the minimum residency requirement and have been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Provides full-time status to students who are pursuing research, need to use University facilities, are receiving financial aid, or hold F-1 or J-1 visas. No courses including ME-512 Seminar may be taken with 599 registration. Tuition is substantially lower for 599 registration than for full-time registration.

503 Resident Research Continuation--Available to doctoral students who have been admitted to candidacy, completed all residency requirements and three quarters of 599 Post-Candidacy Research, and need to use University facilities to complete a dissertation. Also appropriate for students receiving financial aid or on F-1 and J-1 visas. Provides full-time status, but is not a required registration. No courses may be taken with 503 registration. Tuition is substantially lower for 503 registration than for full-time registration.

	Resid. Credit	Candidacy	Tuition rate	Use
ME 590	yes	pre	full	In 1st few years while satisfying residency requirements
ME 598	no	pre	reduced	Only as needed, usually post-residency, pre-candidacy
ME 599	no	post	reduced	3 quarters required after admission to candidacy and completion of residency
ME 503	no	post	reduced	As needed after 3 quarters of 599 to maintain student status until thesis is handed in

Where and When to Register

Graduate students register in person for courses including research units (ME-499, ME-590) at Parkes Hall (south side of the Millar Chapel, 1870 Sheridan Road, near the corner of Sheridan Road and Chicago Ave.). There is an advance registration period for the fall quarter at the end of the spring quarter and a regular registration period a day or two before the current quarter begins. See the Class Schedule booklet for detailed information about registration and courses being offered. To register, incoming graduate students will get an admission ticket with registration materials at the Graduate School prior to the start of classes. Returning students must also stop at the Graduate School Office at the Crown Center and pick up an admission ticket. Bring the admission ticket and your NU ID to Parkes Hall to register.

Finding an Advisor

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.

The research advisor directs the student's research by providing research guidance, background information, computer resources, laboratory facilities, and, often, research assistantship support. The advisor is on the student's oral examination committee and is usually the chair of the committee. The advisor also closely reviews the research report, thesis, or dissertation and is co-author on publications arising from the research project. In seeking a research advisor students should consider many questions. Is the research project of interest? Can the advisor provide reasonable facilities to complete the research project? Is the advisor a person that the student can work with over a long period of time?

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.

PhD Advisory Committee Guidelines

The role of the PhD advisory committee is one of guidance as well as examination. Members of the advisory committee will follow and help direct the PhD student's research efforts and will also serve as the examining committee for the qualifying exam and the thesis exam. Any faculty member who requests membership on this committee will be granted that privilege. In order to enhance the student's progress the following guidelines should be followed:

• The advisory committee for the student should be formed no later than the end of the second quarter after the MS degree; or the end of the second year after the BS degree.
• The student should meet individually and collectively with the members of the advisory committee on a regular basis: quarterly or biannually is suggested.
• In addition to the regular meetings, the student should meet with all the advisory committee members before the proposal exam and thesis exam are scheduled; consultation 2-3 months prior to the exam date will allow time for advice to be incorporated into research before the exam.
• It is strongly recommended that the student give presentations on their work at every opportunity. A final thesis presentation (several weeks prior to the examination date) to a larger audience is particularly advised. The Mechanical Engineering Seminar Series provides an excellent forum for these presentations.
• The thesis proposal and the thesis should be completed and distributed to the advisory committee at least one week prior to each scheduled exam date.