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[New] Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

New MAE Graduate Students

Congratulations on your recent admission to the NC State Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program.

Here are the TOP 10 things to do to ensure you are ready to be successful as you start your graduate program.

1. Submit Final Complete Transcripts

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.

2. Explore the MAE Graduate Website

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. We also have a Professional Development and Career Services Hub just for MAE graduate students. 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.

3. Enroll in classes

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.

  • I recommend looking at offered classes using Class Search (https://go.ncsu.edu/course-search) because it shows all classes being offered in a semester and the status (open, waitlist, close) so you can make best decisions. You can look at prior semesters to see what has been offered before. 
  • 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. If it tells you that you do not meet a prerequisite, you may not have the status to enroll in that class (e.g. an undergraduate class, a class in another department that will require manual enrollment by the offering department, or an online class if you are not an online student).
  • Allowable credits for full time enrollment is 9 to 15 credits (6 in the summer). We recommend 3 courses your first semester for full-time enrolled students.
  • You may 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; enrollment in online courses is permitted in the summer only for on-campus students.

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4. Domestic Students: Establish Residency

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). 

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.

5. Transfer Your Prior Credits (If Applicable)

PhD students with a prior completed MS will automatically receive up to 18 credits if non-NC State MS, or up to 30 credits if NC State 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 NC State 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 submit it via the BIG RED BUTTON that says Other Student Requests on the Current MAE Grad Student webpage for DGP approval.  Transfer courses must have a grade of B (not B-) or better.

6. Attend Orientations and the Speak Test

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.

7. Join the MAE GSA

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

8. Check Your Email for Notices

Email from the MAE DGP, Graduate Office, and Graduate School 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.

9. Distance Students Only: Arrange a Proctor

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: [email protected]
Exam E-mail: [email protected]

10. Check Out Helpful University Resources

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)
Graduate Student Resources – from the Graduate Student Association

General NC State Info:

Think and Do the Extraordinary – NC State’s campus-wide campaign
NC State Campus Map
Wolfalert & Campus Emergency Information
NC State Campus Virtual Tour
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 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
NC State Housing – as a Graduate Student you are not required to live on campus. This link also includes information about NC State apartments and villages.
NC State Dining
NC State Dining Locations – including dining on Centennial Campus
NC State Dining Sustainability Programs
Office of Equal Opportunity
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
NC State Graduate Student Association
NC State American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

Health & Wellness:

NC State Health Services
NC State Counseling Center
NC State Embedded Counseling Center – College of Engineering
NC State Recreation
NC State 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:

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