Policies & Procedures

Students pursuing a master's degree in the Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering are subject to the following policies. For more details and a complete list of policies, view the Master's Student Handbook.

Policies for PhD students are outlined by the College of Arts and Sciences and can be found in the University PhD Policies & Requirements webpage.

Part-time Enrollment

A part-time student is any masters student taking less than the full time course load of 9 credit hours. International masters students must maintain full-time status with the exception of their last semester prior to graduation. In order to maintain a student visa on less than a full course load, the student must complete a reduced course load form provided by the Office of International Student Services (OISS). Students must obtain the approval of their advisor, who confirms that the student will meet the graduation requirement with the specified course load. A copy of the form must be provided to the Graduate Program Coordinator, Green Hall, Room 1101. Students must return the completed form to OISS.

Transfer Graduate Credit from Another Institution

Students who wish to transfer in graduate credits from another institution for a master's degree are required to complete an Application for Graduate Transfer Credits. Please have transcripts sent to McKelveyRegistrar@wustl.edu.

Up to 6 transfer credits may be applied to a master's degree. Students must provide the following information when wanting to transfer credits to the ESE department:

1. Official Transcript with verification that the courses in question were not used for the completion of a bachelor's degree
2. Catalog Description
3. Syllabus
4. Text
5. Matching course at Washington University

All documents must be given to the Graduate Program Coordinator, Green Hall, Room 1101. The student's advisor and department chair need to approve the suggested courses. Students will be notified once the process is complete.

Graduate Independent Study (ESE 500)

Students who wish to take an independent study course in ESE are required to complete the Independent Study form which includes their advisor's approval. Completed forms must be returned to the Graduate Program Coordinator, Green Hall, Room 1101. Students will be notified once they have been registered for the course.

Master's Thesis Option

Students who wish to complete a Master's Thesis are required to complete the Master's Research form which includes their advisor's approval. Completed forms must be given to the Madi Hester, Graduate Program Coordinator, Green Hall, Room 1101. Students will be notified once they have been registered for the course. Students must plan to incorporate six hours of ESE 599 in their plan of study. These hours need not be taken in a single semester. Completing the master's degree with the thesis option often increases the amount of time required to complete the degree. Students choosing a thesis option will be required to do an oral defense (seminar). Students have to choose 3 faculty members from the ESE department to be on their committee. Once the date has been confirmed with their committee for their oral defense (seminar), students will send the date, time, title and abstract to the graduate program coordinator via email. The room will be reserved and a seminar announcement will be prepared. Upon completion of the oral defense (seminar) and approval from the committee, the student is required to follow the directions from Open Scholarship regarding final instructions on how to submit their thesis. After the oral defense (seminar) and electronic submission, 3 final copies of the thesis are to be submitted to Engineering Student Services in Lopata Hall, Room 303, on or before the date stated in the current academic calendar.

Course Option

The course option involves taking 10 classes that meet the requirements for the master's degrees as outlined in the bulletin. Department-approved electives are listed on the ESE webpage for each of the master's degrees.

Skipping a Semester of Enrollment

Once admitted as a graduate student, students must maintain enrollment in all full semesters (spring and fall) until the completion of their degree. Students may request a temporary leave from enrollment by notifying the Graduate Program Coordinator. A copy of this request for leave should also be sent to the student's advisor. Students will be notified once the process is complete.

Adding a Second Master's degree

Current ESE graduate students who wish to add a second master's degree within the ESE department are required to obtain the approval of the program director for the new degree as well as the approval of their advisor. The approvals should then be forwarded to the Graduate Program Coordinator. Students and both advisors will be notified once this has been added.

Current ESE graduate students wishing to obtain a second master's degree outside of ESE or graduate students from other departments wishing to add a second master's degree within ESE must formally apply. Graduate Admissions Application

International students who wish to extend their student visa due to adding a second Masters degree to their plan of study, may need to complete an "F-1 Extension based on adding a second or joint degree" form available on the OISS website. This form requires that the advisor for the newly added Masters degree specify that additional time required in order for the student complete that additional plan of study.

Intent to Graduate

Students are required to file an "Intent to Graduate" online via WebSTAC. The deadlines for filing can be found on the University Registrar's Website. Once the student files the form, the department is notified to consider them as a candidate for their degree. The student's advisor will evaluate the student's record to determine if the student has met the degree requirement. If the student fails to complete degree requirements during the semester for which they filed, the student must re-file the "Intent to Graduate" for the next semester.

Dropping/Withdrawing from a Class During the Fall or Spring Semesters

Students who want to "drop" a course and ensure that it does not show up on their transcript must drop by the deadline date which falls during the second week of the semester.

Students who want to "withdraw" from a course must withdraw by the deadline date which falls during the twelfth week of the semester. The course will be shown on your transcript, but with a "grade" of "W", which does not affect your GPA.