Master of Engineering (MEng) / Doctoral of Engineering (DEng) Academic Policies

2.1 Time Limit:
A student is expected to complete all work within five years from the date of first enrollment in the master’s program. A student who fails to complete requirements within five years may be withdrawn and required to apply for readmission. Students requesting extensions must get approval from their departments. 

For SUGS students, the timeline would begin in the first term of the graduate program. Any courses taken while an undergraduate that will be used toward the SUGS degree (i.e. double counted, etc.) would not influence the time to degree limit.

2.2 Discontinuation:
Graduate Engineering students will be discontinued the fourth week of the first term after a year of unenrollment (not including Sp/Su).

Once a student is discontinued, they will then have to reapply to the College of Engineering, which may involve being held accountable to new admissions standards. Please contact your program/department to receive additional information regarding discontinuation. 

2.3 Readmission:
Students who do not register for classes may have their enrollment discontinued from the College of Engineering. In some cases, students are able to petition for readmission after being discontinued. Students who want to be readmitted, before applying for readmission, should get approval from their program and, in some cases, should also get approval from the Office of the Associate Dean for Graduate & Professional Education (ADGPE). 

2.4 Leave of Absence:
There is no continuous enrollment policy for MEng Master’s students. If an MEng student needs to request a leave of absence, they should communicate their plans with their department. The term in absence would still count toward the five-year timeline to degree completion. 

If a D.Eng. student needs to request a leave of absence, they should reach out directly via email to [email protected], indicating the type of leave they’re seeking and including any necessary documentation. Students should copy their grad coordinator and/or chair on that email for academic record documentation.

2.5 Withdrawals: 

• Before the first day of classes: Students must withdraw through the University of Michigan Office of the Registrar. This may be done in-person at Rm 2200 Student Activities Building; via e-mail ([email protected]); by fax (734-763-9053); by phone (734-647-3507) or by mail (University of Michigan Office of the Registrar, Room 2200 SAB, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1382). The term in question is fully removed from the academic record.
• A student who withdraws after registration shall pay a disenrollment fee according to the rules in effect at the time of withdrawal as found on the Office of the Registrar’s website.
• First day of classes to the third-week deadline: Students must report to the College Registrar’s Office (145A Chrysler Center) or submit an email to [email protected] from their student email account, which requests a term withdrawal and includes the student’s name and UMID number. The term is fully removed from the academic record. No documentation is needed.
• Third-week deadline to the last day of classes: Students must report to the College Registrar’s Office (145A Chrysler Center), or submit an email to [email protected] from their student email account, which requests a term withdrawal and includes the student’s name and UMID number; a “W” will appear for each course.  No documentation is needed.
• After the last day of classes (retroactive): Students must send their detailed retroactive withdrawal request and any supporting documentation to [email protected]. Retroactive Withdrawal Policy and Petition Form can be found here.

2.6 Change of Graduate Program:

The College of Engineering requires students to submit a completely new application if they are changing from one graduate degree program to another (the program can be within Rackham or the College of Engineering).  Students who apply to the College of Engineering from Rackham Graduate School will be charged the full application fee.  The application fee will be reduced for students who are currently in a College of Engineering program and applying for another College of Engineering program. International students seeking to change a program must document availability of sufficient funding if the change will extend the expected study period.

The students who plan to change programs within the College of Engineering or from Rackham to the College of Engineering must successfully complete one term in the original program to which they were matriculated before they may request to change to a new program of study.  Students must complete the Change in Program form and have the Graduate Coordinators or Program Directors from each program sign and approve the requested change in program. Please contact your program’s graduate coordinator for more information.

3.1 Adding and Dropping a Course:
Through the third week of classes in a full term (or the second week of classes in a half term), a student may add or drop a course without a “W” appearing on the transcript. Until the last day of classes in a term, a student may change status from credit to visit (audit), or increase or decrease the credit hours for a course within the range listed in the Time Schedule. The University Registrar’s Office publishes each year’s Drop/Add deadline on its website. Certain graduate programs may have additional deadlines or procedures. Approval by the graduate program is required to change course elections.

After the third week in a full term (or the second week in a half term) and until the last day of classes, students must request a late course drop or add via Wolverine Access. Instructor permission is required to add or drop a course after the third week.

Students who seek to drop the only course for which they are registered must follow procedures for a term withdrawal as outlined on the University Registrar’s website. A student in a Ph.D. program who drops the only course for which he or she is registered will be considered to have withdrawn and be discontinued from the program unless on an approved Leave of Absence or Extramural Study.

A course withdrawal remains on the transcript with a notation of “W” and is not calculated as part of the GPA. A student who registers for a course and either never attends or stops attending—but does not officially drop the course—receives a notation of “ED” (Unofficial Drop). A notation of “ED” is equivalent to a grade of “E” (failure).

3.2 Grades:
3.2.1 Incomplete (I) Grade
A student may receive a grade of Incomplete (“I”) if the work remaining to be done by the end of the term is small and the instructor approves an extension and determines a deadline for final completion of the work. The notation of “I” remains a permanent part of the academic record. When coursework is completed to the satisfaction of the instructor, the grade will appear on the transcript as, for example, “IB+.”

3.2.2 Satisfactory (S) and Unsatisfactory (U)
Departmental programs designate courses for which S/U grading may be elected. With permission from the advisor and the instructor, a student may elect S/U grading in a course that would otherwise be letter graded. With permission from the advisor and the instructor, and up until the final day of classes in the term, a student may elect S/U grading in a course that would otherwise be letter graded. A grade of “S” indicates satisfactory performance and is counted toward the credit requirements of the graduate program. A grade of “S” is considered to be a grade of “B” or better. A grade of “U” is assigned when performance is not acceptable and is not counted toward a student’s required credit hours. Grades of “S” and “U” are not factored into the GPA or Michigan Honors Points.

There is no College designated limit on the number of S/U credits that a student can take.  However, program-specific restrictions on how many can actually count toward the degree may apply. If a student elects more than the maximum allowable number, they just will not be able to be used to fulfill degree requirements.

3.3 Unsatisfactory Academic Standing
College of Engineering will place a notation of “below minimum academic requirements” on the academic record at the end of the term in which a student’s cumulative GPA falls below a B (3.0 on a 4.0 point scale) and contact their academic advisor. A student with unsatisfactory academic standing will not be advanced to candidacy, will not be awarded a degree or graduate certificate, and may change programs and transfer credits only with permission of the admitting program. A master’s student whose cumulative GPA continues to fall below a B (3.0 on a 4.0 point scale), is not making satisfactory progress toward the degree, and is failing to succeed in his or her plan of studies, may be denied permission to register, required to withdraw, or dismissed from the program.

A completed and approved Dual Degree Election Form is required once dual degree students are matriculated into the dual degree programs. Please contact your program’s graduate coordinator for more information.

Double-Counting Credit Hours for Dual Degree Programs:

• The maximum number of credits that may be double-counted is determined by adding the minimum number of credits required for each program and dividing by six, rounding any fraction down to the nearest whole number.
• Double-counted courses must be taken within five years of the first date of enrollment of the current degree program.
• At least half of the minimum required credits for each College of Engineering degree must be earned in the College of Engineering program under a College of Engineering registration and counted solely for that degree. For example, a student enrolled in a 30-hour College of Engineering master’s program may not apply more than a combination of 15 transfer and/or double-counted credits toward the degree requirements.
•  A program may overlap with only one other program for the purpose of double- counting credits. Credits may never be used for three or more programs; if a student seeks a third certificate or degree, it must stand alone.
• Programs may limit credit double-counting below the maximum set by the College of Engineering, but may not allow credit double-counting above this limit. Some programs do not allow credit double-counting.

Credit will be transferred only upon:  written application from the student; receipt of an official transcript from the unit giving the courses; and approval of the program director/advisor. Transferred courses will not carry the grade or honor point to the academic record; thus, they will not affect the student’s cumulative GPA.  Up to six (6) credit hours may be transferred from an accredited institution other than the University of Michigan. A grade of at least “B” in the transferred course(s) is required.  Up to one-half (1/2) the minimum number of credit hours required for a master’s degree program may be transferred to a student’s record from a combination of credits from a non-University of Michigan school (up to six (6) non U-M credits)  along with credits completed in another University of Michigan School or College, e.g., School of Public Health.

Courses will not be transferred if: (a) the student’s overall cumulative G.P.A. is less than a “B” (3.0); (b) the course was taken more than five (5) years before beginning the current master’s program; (c) a grade below a “B” was earned; or (d) credit(s) were used, in whole or in part, to fulfill requirements for a bachelor’s or other degree or certificate: or (e) they will be used, in whole or in part, to fulfill requirements for any degree in the future; or (f) they were extension or continuing education courses.

Courses will be transferred only after a student has completed 9 credit hours with a GPA of at least a B towards the current program.

If you plan to transfer undergraduate credits from institutions other than the University of Michigan, we need an official statement with your transfer credit request that states that the requested transfer courses for your MEng program were not used for your undergraduate degree program requirements. 

If you plan to transfer graduate credits from institutions other than the University of Michigan, we need an official statement with your transfer credit request that states that the requested transfer courses for your MEng program were not used for your M.S. degree program requirements.

Transfer Credit Form 

6.1 Consideration for Admission and Requirements:
Students who are interested in pursuing the Sequential Undergraduate / Graduate Studies (SUGS) educational career path are encouraged to reach out to their Undergraduate Advisor for assistance at the start of their Junior year and are encouraged to make an appointment with the Graduate Coordinator for the SUGS program of study they are most interested in pursuing for graduate studies.  Students need to begin the SUGS application process in the first semester of their Senior year. Students earning dual bachelor’s degrees are NOT eligible for SUGS.

Each SUGS program will determine the number of credit hours of prior approved coursework that can be double counted with the maximum being 9 credit hours. A maximum of 15 credit hours taken outside the MEng career may be allowed, but this number is based on a student’s individual program requirements. This includes credits that are double counted, transferred from the U-M undergraduate program, transferred from outside of U-M. Required undergraduate courses will not be double counted, but courses elected to meet technical or free elective B.S.E. requirements may be double counted. Contact the prospective department for more complete program information.

6.2 Enrollment Information:

• Students will enroll in College of Engineering for any term within 12 months of graduation with the approval of the program. The undergraduate degree can be awarded as soon as the degree requirements are met.
• SUGS students must enroll in College of Engineering only for two full terms minimum, paying full tuition.