Graduate School Admissions FAQ

Apply online. You may access the OSU Graduate School application directly through the Graduate School at: http://admissions.oregonstate.edu/apply-choose-application#grad. The online application process is self-guided. The online application for each fall term is due December 31 at 11:59:59 pm, Pacific Standard Time to be considered for priority review by MIME.

Degrees Offered

The School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering (MIME) offers the following graduate degrees:

• The Master of Engineering (MEng) degree is a coursework-only (non-thesis) degree. The course requirements for this degree may be completed in one calendar year.

• The Master of Science (MS) degree involves a combination of graduate level coursework and research in the form of a project or thesis. Typically, MS degrees take two years to complete.

• The PhD degree involves additional coursework beyond the Master's degree and a focus on fundamental research that culminates in a doctoral dissertation. The dissertation can be composed in either a conventional format or a manuscript-based format that includes three or more peer-reviewed publications as part of the dissertation document.

• An MS degree is not required for admission into our PhD programs.

• Typically, PhD degrees take three to five years to complete.

For Mechanical Engineering applicants, to be eligible for graduate studies at Oregon State, you must have a baccalaureate or master’s degree in science, mathematics, or engineering.

For Industrial Engineering applicants, to be eligible for graduate studies at Oregon State, you must have a baccalaureate or master’s degree in science, mathematics, engineering, computer science, or business. Non-engineering students must have had at least one course in each of the following preparatory areas: linear algebra, statistics, engineering economy and computer programming.

For Robotics applicants, to be eligible for graduate studies at Oregon State, you must have a baccalaureate or master’s degree in science, mathematics, engineering, or computer science.

If Oregon State University is your preferred choice for graduate study, and you believe that you have superior qualifications, then we encourage you to apply. Admission to the School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering is very competitive. In past years, most successful applicants have had:

• GPAs above 3.50 on a 4.00 scale
• Published articles as authors or co-authors in academic publications

All Mechanical Engineering (ME), Industrial Engineering (IE), and Robotics (ROB) graduate program applicants must meet the Oregon State University-wide graduate admissions requirements.

Please see the following OSU Graduate School webpage for the answer to this question: http://gradschool.oregonstate.edu/admissions/process.

The priority application deadline for the MIME for fall term is December 15 at 11:59:59 pm, Pacific Standard Time.  
Applications for each fall term admission submitted after this deadline will be considered following the end of the priority application review; they will NOT receive priority review.

MIME offers graduate research assistantships (GRA) and graduate teaching assistantships (GTA) to highly qualified applicants. It is important to note that all GRA and GTA positions are allocated by individual faculty members, and are therefore dependent on individual faculty members’ funded research activities. Students who wish to be considered for GTA or GRA positions must apply by the MIME priority deadline (December 31).

Decisions on GRA and GTA positions are separate from admissions decisions.

All applicants meeting the priority deadline are given full consideration for assistantships – you do not need to apply separately.

Decisions about assistantship positions for fall admission are typically made in early March. However, new funding becomes available throughout the calendar year and thus additional assistantship positions may be offered in the months prior to the start of fall term. After being accepted into the graduate program, it would be appropriate to contact faculty members whose research matches you interests to inquire whether they have funding available.

To be admitted to a MIME graduate program, all students must apply through the Oregon State Graduate School's online application system. The login to this system is here.

Each year after the priority application deadline our graduate faculty set aside time to focus their attention on reviewing the hundreds of applications for the following academic year. If they are looking for students to bring into their research programs, they will make it a priority to look in this group of applicants first.

All applicants meeting the priority deadline are given full consideration for assistantships – you do not need to apply separately.

Decisions on GRA and GTA positions are separate from admissions decisions. Decisions about assistantship positions for fall admission are typically made in March or April. However, new funding becomes available throughout the calendar year and thus additional assistantship positions may be offered in the months prior to the start of fall term. After being accepted into the graduate program, it would be appropriate to contact faculty members whose research matches you interests to inquire whether they have funding available.

The GRE is NOT REQUIRED for applicants to any of our graduate programs: Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Robotics.

English language requirements for international applicants to this program are the same as the standard Graduate School requirements.

Students who wish to be considered for graduate teaching assistantships must meet some additional language proficiency requirements.

MIME requires a minimum “B” average (3.00 GPA on a 4.00 scale) on the last two years of undergraduate work and any work completed thereafter.

All Mechanical Engineering (ME), Industrial Engineering (IE), and Robotics (ROB) graduate program applicants also must meet the University-wide graduate admissions requirements.

For the initial departmental review, required application documents may be scanned copies of official documents that were issued by your school's Registrar or ETS scores website for TOEFL. 
Copies of unofficial transcripts are not acceptable. 

For priority review, all supporting data, such as transcripts, and TOEFL scores, must be uploaded to your application no later than December 15. 

These can be uploaded to the “Documents” section of the grad school application. 

If you are admitted, the Graduate School will notify you about how to deliver final official transcripts directly to Oregon State University.  You will need to make arrangements with ETS to have your official TOEFL scores sent directly to Oregon State by ETS.

The MIME will not accept scanned copies of recommendation letters; they must be received by way of the OSU Graduate School's online application system. 

We do not accept paper versions of letters of recommendation; we only accept electronic versions.

As part of your application, you must provide the names and e-mail addresses of three individuals willing to supply a professional reference on your behalf. These individuals will then be contacted directly by the application system with instructions for submitting their reference electronically.

In compiling your professional references listing, consider former professors or employers most familiar with your technical abilities. We particularly value letters that assess an applicant's preparation and ability to complete a research project. If you have a master's degree, please include your major professor as a reference.

The visa process does not begin until after an applicant has been admitted by both MIME and the OSU Graduate School.

All visa questions should be addressed to the OSU International Programs Office

International Student and Advising Services

Oregon State University

1600 SW Western Blvd - Suite 130

Corvallis, Oregon 97331

United States

Phone: 541-737-6310

Fax: 541-737-6226

The visa application process can be confusing at times, and it requires a lot of planning, research, and energy. Please do not get discouraged! The opportunities that await you in your graduate studies at Oregon State are worth the effort. The office of International Student & Faculty Services (ISFS) has advisors and on-line resources to assist you in applying and maintaining your visa status.

On the morning of January 1 each year, we freeze and download all applications and begin to review them for admission for the following fall term. Whatever is included in a student’s application at that time will be considered for their admission. Anything missing at that time will jeopardize the applicant’s chances for acceptance, or possibly the offer of a fellowship or assistantship support. Official TOEFL scores, if applicable, should be at OSU by this time.

If you previously applied and your application was rejected, we encourage you to reapply if you have made successful progress with your language scores, have an improved GPA, or have additional work or research experience. Offers of admission are made on a case-by-case basis by MIME faculty.

If you previously applied and your application was accepted but you declined the offer that term, you are encouraged to reapply for a future term. You will be considered for admission with all applicants for that term.

To re-apply you must submit the application and update any documents that are now incomplete or expired. The Graduate School retains application materials for two (2) years.

All questions regarding documents previously submitted must be directed to the Graduate School.

If you submitted your application by the December 15 priority deadline, you may expect to hear an admission decision between January and early March, but may be as late as the end of March. Decisions about funding are made separate from admission decisions, so you may not hear about that at the same time.

If you submitted your application after the December 15 priority deadline, you may expect a delay in hearing an admission decision as we are committed to processing all applications which met the priority deadline before processing those that did not. Generally, we aim to process late applications by late February.

In compiling your professional references, consider former professors or employers most familiar with your technical abilities. We particularly value letters that assess an applicant's preparation and ability to complete a research project. If you have a master's degree, please include your major professor as a reference.

If you wish to apply for more than one major, even though the programs are both within MIME, you must complete two separate applications and submit two separate application fees.

If the information in this FAQ does not answer your question, please email mime.gradinfo@oregonstate.edu.

The Oregon State University Graduate School has an FAQ page, which also may help with your questions.

Oregon State’s academic year starts in late September and has three 11-week terms before completing early to mid-June each year. Students may only apply to begin studies during fall term in MIME, with the exception of students in our fully online engineering management program.

These are the program-specific questions that the major Mechanical Engineering asks (other programs ask similar questions):

1. Research is one aspect that significantly differentiate the undergraduate and graduate student experience. What is your understanding of what research entails and why are you interested in it? Please comment on your previous research experiences, if any. List any previous research papers, posters or oral presentations (including: titles, co-authors, dates, conference names, etc.) [1-2 paragraphs recommended]
2. Graduate school is challenging in many aspects and requires many skills beyond good grades and test scores. Please discuss what other skills you think would be important to obtain a graduate degree and give examples of times in your life where you have demonstrated these skills (e.g., working on a team project, working on a research project or as an intern to identify project requirements and needs, officer position a student organization, etc.). [1-2 paragraphs recommended]
3. Oregon State University is committed to improving diversity, equity and inclusion on our campus. Please discuss why you think diversity, equity and inclusion are important in science and engineering. Give any examples in which you have been an advocate for diversity, equity and/or inclusion in your personal or academic communities (e.g., outreach activities through student clubs or community organizations, mentoring disadvantaged youth, participation in SWE, NSBE, SHPE, local chapters of the NAACP) [1-2 paragraphs recommended]

The following link will direct you to our Robotics program "Graduate Application Advice" page: https://robotics.oregonstate.edu/graduate-application-advice

No. Applications for our master's and doctoral programs are considered separately. If you wish to be considered for both a master's and PhD, you must fill out - and pay for - two applications.