Students seeking admission to a graduate program in the School of Engineering must have received a bachelors degree in engineering, science, mathematics, or a related field from an accredited institution and must satisfy all general university requirements. Information on admission for graduate study may be found at https://www.catholic.edu/admission/graduate/index.html and general information about graduate study at Catholic University can be found at http://graduatestudies.cua.edu (links to the online application are at both sites). There may be specific requirements for admission to particular programs, which can be further discussed with the chair or director of the program. Admission to all graduate degree programs is made by the Dean of the School of Engineering upon the recommendation of the chair/director of the appropriate graduate program.  

In some cases, students not meeting minimum requirements may be admitted on a provisional basis as determined by the department chair in consultation with the graduate committee. Performance of provisional students will be reviewed for transfer to regular admission status.

Students from non-engineering disciplines may be required to take pre-requisite courses (e.g. statics, dynamics, electrical circuits, differential equations, fluid mechanics, etc.) in order to strengthen their academic preparation for graduate study in engineering.

Admission to Master's and Certificate Programs

Admission for those seeking a master's degree or graduate certificate is typically based on undergraduate record and may also consider relevant work experience and motivation towards study in the program in question as demonstrated by the applicant's personal statement. Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is typically required, and students must maintain a 3.0 GPA during graduate study to remain in good standing. Students may choose either a Master's Thesis Option or Non-Thesis Option (see the Graduate Programs page for more information).

Admission to Doctoral Programs

Students are typically admitted to a doctoral program after completing a master's degree in the same field. In exceptional cases, a student may be admitted to a doctoral program directly with only a bachelor's degree, but will still need to complete master's degree requirements as part of the doctoral degree process.

Admissions decisions for doctoral applicants are based not only on undergraduate and prior graduate school performance and on relevant work experience, but also on the fit between the applicant's research interests and those of faculty members in the program. Applicants are encouraged to review the areas of research described on the School of Engineering website and to identify one or more potential doctoral dissertation advisors who have relevant research interests. In addition to coursework, doctoral students are required to complete and defend a dissertation that advances research in their chosen field, and will work closely with the doctoral dissertation advisor to select the topic and conduct the required research.

Application Process

For consideration for admittance to the program, students must submit:

• A completed application for graduate admission.
• Official transcripts of all undergraduate coursework and post secondary studies
• Three (3) official letters of recommendation
• For international students, demonstration of English language proficiency following general Catholic University requirements