Mechanical & Materials Engineering Master’s, Doctorate & Graduate Certificate Admission Details

The Mechanical & Materials Engineering graduate programs are multi-faceted, offering a strong educational experience steeped in a variety of research areas, which include additive manufacturing, controls, electronic packaging, indoor air quality, materials testing, mechatronics, mechanical design, microfluidics, microgravity fluid management, nanofabrication and synthesis, and wind energy, among others.

Admission Requirements

Master of Science (M.S.) in Mechanical Engineering or Materials Science & Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering

To be considered for admission to the master’s or doctoral programs, all applicants must be eligible for admission to Portland State University.

Doctoral Applicants: Applicants to the doctoral program in Mechanical Engineering will typically have completed a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field. Admission directly to the Ph.D. program from a bachelor's degree program is possible but students are usually encouraged to start with the master’s program. Students are normally only admitted to our program if a faculty member has agreed to serve as the adviser. Before applying to our PhD program, you should contact faculty working in an area of research that is of interest to you. Your adviser will stay the same throughout your time in the doctoral program. The department has many ongoing research programs and supporting research laboratories. Funding is not guaranteed but an applicant can contact a faculty member in their research area to inquire about potential funding.

Graduate Certificates

Applicants to Healthy & Efficient Buildings and Semiconductor Materials & Manufacturing Graduate Certificate programs must meet the following requirements:

• Eligible for admission to Portland State University
• Hold a Bachelor of Science in an engineering or science field

Students currently enrolled in a Mechanical Engineering or Materials Science & Engineering graduate program can submit the Graduate Office 19 Request for Change of Program form to add a graduate certificate.

Deadlines

The Mechanical & Materials Engineering Department admits students for fall, winter, and spring terms. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and notified within 6-8 weeks of receiving a completed application. Completed graduate certificate applications must be submitted by the application deadline, there is no deadline for supplemental materials.

Application Materials

Below is the list of the materials and information you will need to provide as part of your application. We recommend preparing these materials in advance of submitting your application. The master’s program does not offer application fee waivers. Doctoral applicants who have a confirmed faculty advisor prior to submitting the application are eligible for an application fee waiver, contact mmedept@pdx.edu to get the fee waived.

• Statement of Purpose: The Statement of Purpose should be 1–2 pages and contain the following information:
  • Your purpose in graduate study
  • The area of study in which you wish to specialize
  • Your intended future use of your graduate study
  • Your unique preparation and fitness for study in the field
  • Any problems or inconsistencies in your records or scores, such as a bad term/semester
  • Any special conditions that are not revealed elsewhere in the application, such as a significant (35 hour per week) workload outside of school
  • Why you wish to attend this school
  • Above all, this statement should contain information about you as a person
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae
• Contact information for three references

Other Resources

• Mechanical Engineering MS/PHD
• Materials Science & Engineering MS
• Healthy And Efficient Buildings Graduate Certificate
• Semiconductor Materials & Manufacturing Graduate Certificate