M.S. Degree
The Master of Science degree permits students to earn a Masters degree that offers an introduction to research. A six-credit research thesis is required for this degree, in addition to completing a minimum of 24 credits of coursework. The M.S. degree will generally take most students two years to complete.
Most M.S. students in the AE department are on a research assistantship, although the number of assistantship awards that are available to new students is generally limited, so competition for these awards is high.
Students work closely with their faculty adviser on their research, and the results of most M.S. thesis projects are generally disseminated in one or more journal articles or conference presentations.
Students who do not have an accredited engineering undergraduate degree must pursue the M.S. degree if they plan to enroll in a Masters degree program in Architectural Engineering at Penn State. In addition, students who wish to pursue the Ph.D., but do not have a Masters degree, are generally required to complete the M.S. degree first.