New MAE Graduate Students

Students are required to provide the Graduate School with official copies of their latest transcript(s) from all universities (official translation required for non-English transcripts) from which the applicant had any degrees awarded, no later than the last day of classes of the first semester they are enrolled. Follow the instructions you received from the Graduate School in your admissions notifications.

The MAE graduate website for contains resources for current students including program roadmaps and the MAE Graduate Handbook. These hold the overall plan for your degree, advisor information, and key policies and milestones. Revisit often!

PhD students should also explore faculty research areas if a research mentor has not already been identified. Even those with first-year funding support will want to connect with a faculty member for research and future funding quickly in their program to ensure continuous funding and efficient progress to degree.

Use the NC State Enrollment Calendar to review when enrollment opens for your admission semester. If it is beyond the open enrollment date, your advising hold should have already been lifted. If you are being notified that you have an advising hold on your account when you attempt to register, contact the MAE Graduate Office to have the hold released. Additional important information regarding registration is available on the Student Services Registering for Classes webpage.

• There are no specific required first semester courses, and you do not need to get advisor permission or approval before enrollment. All incoming graduate students in the program are assumed to meet any undergraduate level prerequisites. However, listed undergraduate prerequisites may be useful in identifying suitable courses that match your background. 
• Allowable credits for full time enrollment is 9 to 15 credits (6 in the summer). We recommend 3 courses your first semester. You may also consider using the Gradient tool to explore course grade distributions. You can use the graduate planner tool and degree audit to plan your courses and ensure that your plan will meet degree requirements.
• Engineering Online courses: – 6## course sections are reserved for Engineering Online distance education (DE) students only. On-campus students cannot register for Engineering Online courses during Fall and Spring semesters.

Need help?

• Advising holds, enrollment logistics, enrollment by permission: Graduate Program Manager: mae_gradoffice@ncsu.edu 
• Enrollment in MAE801 (PhD only): Graduate Program Assistant: mae_gradadmission@ncsu.edu 
• Advice on course selection: Director of Graduate Programs (ksaul@ncsu.edu)

If you are an out-of-state graduate student (US citizenship or permanent resident), you are REQUIRED to establish residency and apply for residency or you will be responsible for out-of-state tuition after the first year. Even if you are on an assistantship that pays tuition, the waiver of out-of-state tuition only applies for the first year of residency. 

You should begin establishing your NC residency immediately upon arrival to NC State. The process is done through the  North Carolina Residency Determination Service (RDS). 

• Update your driver license to a NC license (the DMV is continually backed-up, so try walking in early in the morning or scheduling an appointment soon after you move)
• Register your car in NC
• Register to vote in NC
• File your taxes as a part-year resident rather than a non-resident

Applying for residency: You cannot apply for residency until you have been in North Carolina for 365 days, but should apply as soon as you are eligible.

PhD students with a prior completed MS will automatically receive up to 18 credits if non-NCSU MS, or up to 30 credits if NCSU MS with no break in enrollment between MS and PhD. This will be reflected once the Graduate School has received your final transcript showing that your degree is complete (typical) or a Statement of Degree (some universities). Instructions for applying these credits are here: Previous Master’s Credit and Prior NCSU Credit. 

Graduate students that have completed graduate level coursework that has not been applied toward any other degree may be approved to apply transfer credit toward the completion of the degree (MS, up to 12 credits; PhD, up to 18 credits). Complete the Transfer Credit form and email it to the MAE Graduate Office (mae_gradoffice@ncsu.edu) for DGP approval.  Transfer courses must have a grade of B (not B-) or better.

New Student Orientation will be offered by the Graduate School (see dates and information) and Office of International Students (see dates and information).

The Graduate School offers new TA training in mid-August (see dates and information). There are also SPEAK tests for English Proficiency for international students who plan to TA (see dates and details including exemption information). 

These orientations are separate from MAE orientation which will occur after courses begin, and TA training with the instructors for the class you are teaching, which will be arranged once everyone is on campus at the beginning of the semester.

Our Graduate Student Association represents the graduate student interests, arranges social activities and professional development opportunities. Join to stay updated on events.

Email will be a critical mode of communication that you should check everyday. Weekly newsletters containing important information, deadlines, professional development activities, and job postings are sent on Mondays.

You will be required to nominate a proctor to administer your exams. This does not have to be done immediately but should be done within the first two weeks of the semester. To learn more about the Engineering Online exam procedure, please visit the EOL Exams and Homework webpage.

If you have any questions or concerns about the exam and proctor process, you can contact our Exam Coordinator, Lisa Jessick:

Lisa Jessick, Exam Coordinator

Local Phone: 919.515.3693

E-mail: lisa_jessick@ncsu.edu

Exam E-mail: exams_eol@ncsu.edu

Below are some links and resources we hope you will find helpful during your time as a student at NC State.

Getting Started at NC State as a Graduate Student:

New Graduate Student Survival Guide
Graduate Student Health Services (GSSP)
New Graduate Student Resources – from the Graduate Student Association
Graduate Student Pre-Arrival Guide – all graduate students may find the last page helpful, which includes a list of resources at NC State and throughout Raleigh.

General NC State Info:

Think and Do the Extraordinary – NC State’s campus-wide campaign
NCSU Campus Map
Wolfalert & Campus Emergency Information
Main Campus Virtual Tour
Diversity at NC State
Office of International Services
Local News – WRAL – WRAL is the main news network for Raleigh, and their headquarters is based on Western Blvd across from NC State’s Main Campus

Centennial Campus:

Centennial Campus – the MAE program is primarily located in Engineering Building III (also called “EB3” or “EBIII”) on Centennial Campus
Centennial Campus Interactive Map – includes dining, bus stops, parking, etc
Centennial Campus Virtual Tour
Centennial Campus Food Truck Calendar – food trucks stop at Centennial Campus almost every weekday and can offer some variety to the other dining options on campus

Student Life:

Campus Life General Info
NCSU Housing – as a Graduate Student you are not required to live on campus. This link also includes information about NC State apartments and villages.
NCSU Dining
NCSU Dining Locations – including dining on Centennial Campus
NCSU Dining Sustainability Programs
Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity – OIED includes Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA), the Women’s Center, the African American Cultural Center, the GLBT Center, as well as other resources
Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Spaces – this list is provided by the OIED and includes spaces on Centennial Campus in EB2
MAE Departmental Student Organizations – this list includes organizations for graduate students, undergraduate students, and both together
NCSU Graduate Student Association
NCSU American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) – more information about ASME can be found here

Health & Wellness:

NCSU Health Services
NCSU Counseling Center
NCSU Counseling Center on Centennial Campus (appointments only)
NCSU Recreation
NCSU Recreation Facilities – including those on Centennial Campus. If you are a full-time, on-campus student you are also automatically permitted to use the main recreation facility Carmichael Complex (located on Main Campus).

Things To Do:

NCSU Athletics
NCSU Athletics Student Tickets
Music, Theater, Art, and Dance Performances
Get Involved with NC State Sustainability Initiatives