The minimum course requirement for the M.S. Degree is 45 credits, including 9 credits of the optional M.S. Thesis. Students may transfer not more than 15 credits (equivalent to 10 semester-credits) from approved institutions, provided they follow the rules and regulations described in the Drexel University's Graduate Curricula. These 45 credits consist of the required 9 credits of applied mathematics, the required 12 credits of core area courses, and the remaining 24 credits of technical elective courses, as tabulated below.

The 9 credits of applied mathematics may be fulfilled by taking either the applied mathematics course sequences or any other approved equivalent mathematical courses. The 12 credits of core area courses may be fulfilled by taking any two-core course sequences, each from a different core area.

Of the remaining 24 technical elective credits, at least 12 must be taken from within the MEM Department. The rest may be taken from the College of Engineering or one of the other colleges at Drexel University if the courses are consistent with the student's Plan of Study and the student has been given advance written approval by his/her Advisor. At least 15 of these 24 elective credits must be exclusive of Independent Study courses or Thesis.

The M.S. Thesis is optional. If the Thesis Option is chosen, the student should register for a total of 9 Thesis credits. The work for an M.S. Thesis will generally be completed under the supervision of a faculty advisor who will direct the research work, assign grades for the Thesis credit, and review the final Thesis document. The Thesis must be approved by the faculty advisor before the student can be cleared for graduation.

M.S. Plan of Study
Upon approval by their Advisors, students in the M.S. Program must file a Plan of Study, the MEM GR-1 Form, with the Graduate Advisor prior to the third quarter of study. This plan of study should clearly indicate how the course requirements cited above are satisfied, whether or not the M.S. Thesis option is chosen, and must also indicate any applicable transfer of credits. Students holding a Bachelor's degree in a Science Department or Engineering Department other than Mechanical Engineering are typically advised to take several undergraduate courses as preparation for graduate studies in MEM Department. Though these courses are not counted toward the required 45 credits for M.S. Degree, they also must be listed in the plan of study.

Clearance of M.S. Candidate for Graduation
At the beginning of the expected quarter of graduation, the M.S. candidate will file the completed MEM GR-2 Form "Clearance for M.S. Degree Applicant" with the Graduate Advisor. If the M.S. Thesis option has been pursued then the MEM GR-2A Form "Clearance for M.S. Thesis" must also be filed. When these forms show that all departmental requirements have been satisfied, the Graduate Advisor will clear the student for graduation.