Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E)

OVERVIEW

The Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) from Grand Valley State University focuses on engineering analysis, design, development, manufacturing, and production. Students network with established professionals, work on real-world projects, and choose from the following emphases:

• Biomedical engineering
• Electrical and computer engineering
• Manufacturing engineering
• Mechanical engineering
• Product design and manufacturing engineering

REQUIRED COURSEWORK

The Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) program of study consists of the following basic components, regardless of the emphasis area chosen, which must total at least 33 graduate credit hours:

• Professional Practice Courses (3 courses for 9 credit hours)
• Capstone Experience  (3 or 6 credit hours)
• Emphasis-area Courses (at least 3 courses for at least 9 credit hours)
• Elective Courses

GRADUATE PRACTICUM

Graduate engineering students have the option of satisfying 3 elective credits with a graduate practicum.  The graduate practicum is an opportunity for graduate students to gain highly valuable work experience in a technical position.  The graduate practicum often helps develop research topics useful to thesis development.

THE CAPSTONE

The Capstone experience is required for ALL emphasis areas. It is the culminating activity of the MSE program. It provides the student an opportunity to work on a large-scale project over a period of at least eight months. The project may be any of the following:

• Based on a problem at the student's place of employment or another application setting
  • EGR 692 Masters Project Planning and EGR 693 Masters Project (6 credit hours)
• An academic research problem
• EGR 696 Masters Thesis Research and EGR 697 Masters Thesis (6 credit hours)
• EGR 690 Capstone Design Project (3 credit hours)
• A group project experience plus additional breadth in course work

Students should note the following about the capstone experience:

• The professional practice core and at least two emphasis-area courses should be completed before beginning the capstone experience.
• Consultation with the graduate program director is helpful before registration for a capstone experience.
• Guidance will be provided by a faculty advisor, selected with the guidance of the graduate program director.
• The Project/Thesis Guide should be consulted for capstone course requirements.
• The capstone experience courses are available every semester.

The following restrictions apply to the capstone experience:

• Full-time graduate students must complete the EGR 696/697 capstone.
• Students completing the Manufacturing Operations emphasis depth area may NOT use EGR 690 as the capstone experience.
• Students selecting the EGR 690 capstone must complete at least 36 credit hours of graduate course work.

CAPSTONE EXAMPLES

Here are some titles of recently completed capstone activities:

• Brackenridge, Chad: Product Architecture and Standardization of Worksurfaces and Support Brackets
• Brill, Ryan: Chair Glide Redesign
• Kundrat, Mary:  Utilizing Bioceramics in Spinal Lumbar Prosthetics with the Purpose of Alleviating Spinal Dysfunction
• Maas, Sara:  Procedure for Multi-Project Scheduling and Inventory Management
• Resler, Cory:  Design and Analysis of Winter Athlete Wrist Brace Concepts, Including Parametric Models
• Swisher, Ben:  Helium Induced Cooling of Aluminum Castings in a Permanent Mold Process
• Wiler, Nathan:  Reducing, Scrap, Downtime, and Production Inefficiency with Overall Equipment Effectiveness Analysis

For more information and to apply, visit the GVSU website.