Graduate School,

BS/MS and Honors Programs,

and Other Useful Information

Dr. Robert A. Siston

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
The Ohio State University
 Outline

• Why Graduate School ?

• Grad Program Overview
• Types of Support
• Combined Degree Program
• Undergrad Research Program
• Questions
 What is Graduate School?

• Less structured
• Fewer classes at one time
• Class choices based on your interests
• Work on research in addition to courses
• More time for critical thinking
• One-on-one interaction with faculty
 Why Attend Graduate School?
• Specialize  become an expert
• Flexibility  courses and research of your choice
• Freedom  bring out your creativity
• Design/Research/Manage  career advancement
• Develop writing and public speaking skills
• Improve problem solving skills
 Why Attend Graduate School?
• New and different challenges  wider choice of
employment and business options
• Higher quality employment opportunities
• Increased starting salary and accelerated salary
growth. For example, OSU MAE Graduates make:
Mechanical Aerospace
BS: $59,746 BS: $58,641
MS: $67,546 MS: $69,500
PhD: $77,857 PhD: $88,390
 OSU Mechanical and Aerospace
Engineering
• Full spectrum of educational opportunities
• Top 25 Graduate Programs
• State-of-art research laboratory facilities
• Most students are PAID to go to school
• If planned accordingly, it only takes a little more
time!
• Broad based education from
Computational to Experimental
to Theoretical
 After Graduate School

• OSU MAE Graduates have obtained positions in

both the Professional and Academic fields. Some
examples of where our Graduates have been hired
include:
• Academic positions: Arizona University, University
of Texas, Penn State, University of Pennsylvania
• Professional positions: Boeing, Caterpillar,
ExxonMobil, Ford Motor Co., GM, Honda, Microsoft,
NASA, Nike, Proctor & Gamble, Samsung, Universal
Studios
 Program Information, Size Differences

• Department was established in 1881 and has granted

Graduate degrees since 1915

• Current number of faculty: ~60

• Current number of undergraduate students: 820+
• Current number of MS graduate students: 210+
• Current number of PhD graduate students: 175+

• Largest department in the College in terms of size of

student body
• Number of degrees awarded in the last year : ~340 BS,
~95 MS, ~25 Ph.D.
 Department Focus Areas (Part 1)

• Micro and Nanotechnology

• Nanotribiology, nanomechanics, nanomaterial
processing, microfluidics and nanofluidics

• Advanced Aerospace Systems

• Gas and plasma dynamics

• Advanced Automotive Systems

• Safe, economical, reliable, and environmentally
friendly transportation

• Materials and Manufacturing

• Computational modeling of materials and processes
 Department Focus Areas (Part 2)

• Energy and Environmental Quality

• Water purification, air quality, reactive flows, wind
turbines, thermoelectrics

• Bioengineering
• Movement disorders, rehabilitation, motor control,
sports, impact/trauma

• Nuclear Power
• Application of radiation, radioactive materials and
nuclear fission, safety and risk analysis
 Graduate Funding Opportunities

*Remember that most students are PAID to go to school*

There are numerous ways of funding your Graduate education
including:
• University Fellowships
Typically 1 year, sometimes 2 or 3. Outstanding students nominated
by the department – Intended for PhD Students)
• National Fellowships
National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense
(DoD)
Outstanding students identified by individual faculty and/or
department Faculty/Department assist student in completing
application
• Departmental Support
Graduate Research Associate (GRA)
~Faculty offer on a one by one basis to students, funded
directly from research grants (~50-75% of students are
funded in this manner)

Graduate Teaching Associate (GTA)

 Levels of Graduate Support

GRA / GTA / University Fellowships

Full tuition (which for Grad students is as much
as ~30K/year!)

Monthly Stipend (2011-2012 Academic Year):

i. University Fellowship: ~$1750/month (1 Yr M.S.);
$2100/month (1-2 Yr PhD); ~$2400/month (3 Yr PhD)
(University Fellowship stipend is split by University and Dept.)
i. Department GTA: $1650/month

ii. GRA: ~$1600 - $1800/month (tends to increase as the

student progresses)

National Fellowships Are Typically Somewhat Higher

 Combined Degree Overview

• Gifted OSU undergraduate students are given an

opportunity to apply as many as 12 semester
credit hours (6 for Aero students) from their
undergraduate studies toward a Master of
Science degree.

• You become a graduate student before

completing your BS and you work towards the
completion of both degrees at the same time
(until BS requirements are fulfilled)
 What Courses Count?

• Technical elective courses taken at Ohio State after

acceptance into the combined degree program.
• Only ME/AAE/NE courses 5000-level and above can be
used as long as they meet the course requirements for
the graduate degree being pursued.
• More details online
• Relevant graduate courses in other subjects, such as
Mathematics (as allowed by the ME/AAE technical
electives program) may be included; refer to the
technical electives program for guidelines.
• No more than 12 (or 6) credits may be “double counted”.
 Other Combined Program Notes
• ME undergrad students in the combined program
receive a scholarship to help defray the cost of
grad tuition
• You are responsible for the rest (I’ll come back to this)
• Contingent on satisfactory progress in program
• The first semester is automatic as long as you are pursuing
the thesis option or a PhD
• The second semester is contingent on the submission of a
short research abstract and notification of who your graduate
advisor is
 Other Combined Program Notes

• Once admitted to the program you are eligible for

undergraduate scholarships, undergrad GTA
positions (e.g., FEH), and Grad GRA positions
• Most faculty will wait until you complete your BS degree
before hiring you as a GRA

• After BS graduation, you are eligible for MAE GTAs

• You are not eligible for fellowships until you finish

your MS and start on a PhD

• More information online

 How to Apply the Combined Program?

• Students who are current juniors in ME, AE or

related engineering disciplines, and have a
cumulative GPA of 3.50 or better may apply.

• Applicants should submit an application to the

Graduate Advising Office by the 10th week of the
semester before you plan to start the program,
but no more than two semesters before
completion of their BS degrees

• You need my approval

 Secrets to Dual-Degree Success

• “Double counting” TE classes reduces the number

of classes you need to take in grad school

• Once you “double count” the maximum number,

you can single count classes just towards grad
school

• However, getting graduate school credit before

graduating with your BS does not guarantee
that you will spend less time in grad school
 Key to Grad School
• The selection of a Graduate Advisor, while not
technically required to apply, is highly
recommended and should be a top priority prior
or shortly after admission into the program.

• The role of the graduate advisor is much

stronger than the role at the undergraduate
level (class selection, research topic and thesis
coordination and one-on-one advising and
financial support, i.e., GRA).

• You graduate when the research is finished

 Benefits of Undergrad Research
• "Try out" doing research to see if it would be
something you'd like to do in your future career or in
graduate school.

• Work closely with a faculty member on a project of

mutual interest.
• Better guidance on classes, career, life
• Letters of recommendation

• Work on a topic in greater depth than what you get

in the regular undergraduate curriculum

• Work on something that interests you

 Benefits of Undergrad Research
• Earn technical elective credits

• Improve your technical writing and oral presentation skills

• Get a head start on finding a faculty advisor and project for

the dual degree program

• Work towards graduating with (Honors) Research Distinction

• Potentially earn local scholarships worth several thousands

of dollars and prestigious national fellowships

• Be a better engineer
 Undergrad Research, In Summary

• Get to work on something you want…

• …with a professor you want…
• … on a flexible timeline…
• …for 6 hours of TE credit (out of 12)
• … and we’ll give you a scholarship to do it

• What’s not to like??????

 Honors Research Distinction

• Separate from the dual degree programs, but

complements them very well

• Open to seniors with a 3.4 or greater GPA

• Spend 2-3 semesters working on a project with

your advisor
• Oral defense and written thesis

• Take 6 credits of AAE/ME 4999H as TE credit

 AAE/ME 4999H

• The mechanism through which you earn credit

for doing research

• Counts as technical elective credit

• It’s a class in this department

• Students give presentations about their research
• Learn about topics like:
• Oral communication principles
• Handling “hostile” audiences
• How to give an “Elevator Pitch”
• Good writing practices (a little bit)
Honors Research Distinction 2
 Research Distinction

• Open to seniors with a 3.0 or greater GPA

• Spend 2-3 semesters working on a project with

your advisor
• Oral defense and written thesis

• Take 6 credits of AAE/ME 4999 as TE credit

• Slightly different than Honors Research Distinction

 Undergrad Research Application

• You start by finding an advisor who is doing

something that is of interest to you
• Classes, web pages
• We post a list of projects in April/November

• You then submit a 5-page proposal to the

College of Engineering in Spring or Autumn
• Required to graduate with research distinction
• This enters you into a scholarship competition
• Awards range from a few hundred dollars to full
tuition
 Can I Do Honors and BS/MS?

• Yes!

• Our review of the BS/MS program shows that

those students who did Honors spend less
time in grad school after getting the BS

• Why?
• They got a head start on research
• “Double counting” more courses with BS/MS only
did not translate to a faster time to graduating
with the MS
 When Can I Start Research?

• The senior thesis must be completed before you

graduate, typically in semester of graduation

• You can submit the application and proposal in

either the spring or fall of your junior year
• AU senior year is considered the “last chance”

• You can get started on research at any time

• I have several sophomores and a few freshmen in my
lab
 Applying to Grad School

• Application
• Transcripts
• GRE (if interested in fellowships)
• Resume
• Combined Degree Info Sheet (if applicable)

• Letters of Recommendation
• Statement of Purpose
 Letters of Recommendation

• Need people who can speak to your ability to

take challenging courses and do research in grad
school
• These people should know you very well
• Generic letters do not help you much

• It is preferable that letter writers have a PhD

• Managers at co-ops are ok, but limit them if not PhD

• How do you get good letters?

 Statement of Purpose: Main Parts

• Why do you want to go to grad school?

• Why are you qualified to go to grad school?

• Previous research, project teams, jobs, year-long capstone, other
class work, etc.

• What do you want to do in grad school?

• General area of research
• Preferable to list names of specific faculty

• What do you want to do after grad school?

• Professor, industry, hospital, national lab, etc.

• NO FLUFF
 Contact Us

Rob Siston (Honors and BS/MS Coordinator)

Office: Scott Laboratory – Room E305
E-mail: siston.1@osu.edu

Nick Breckenridge (Master’s Program Administrator)

Office: Scott Laboratory – Room N250H
E-mail: breckenridge.17@osu.edu