GRADUATE LEVEL COURSES AND FAST TRACK
The Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME) offers bachelor’s degree-seeking students the opportunity to take graduate level courses through the Fast Track program, with no obligation to enroll in the graduate program. Benefits of the Fast Track program include:
- » More course options to develop skills in areas of interest
- » Enrollment in smaller classes with more opportunities to interact with your professor
- » Differentiation in a competitive job market
- » Reduced time/cost of a non-thesis master’s degree
- » Reduced course load during a thesis-based master’s or doctoral program
Taking graduate courses while seeking a bachelor’s degree can provide the student a head start but does not commit the student to pursue graduate school.
The ME Fast Track program allows the graduate level courses taken while completing a bachelor’s degree to count toward both undergraduate and graduate degrees at
UT Dallas. The Fast Track program provides the following additional benefits:
- » Easy admission to the UT Dallas mechanical engineering master’s program
- » Up to 15 credit hours of graduate course work can count toward both degrees
ME Fast Track Requirements
Undergraduate students will be admitted to the Fast Track program and can take graduate level mechanical engineering courses if they meet the following requirements:
- 1 Have completed 90 credit hours, of which at least 36 must be in the core curriculum
- 2 Have an overall GPA of at least 3.0
- 3 Have completed 15 credit hours of MECH 3000-level courses, earning a grade of B or higher in each of these courses
Please note: Students must maintain at least a 3.0 GPA in both their undergraduate and graduate course work to stay in the Fast Track program.
Admission to the ME Fast Track Program
Apply Now- Before October 15 (Fall)
- Before March 15 (Spring)
While there is no deadline to apply for the ME Fast Track program, students are encouraged to apply before October 15 during the fall and before March 15 during the spring.
Options Available when Registering for Graduate Courses
At the time of registration, the student must declare how each approved graduate course will apply to their undergraduate/graduate degree by choosing one of the three options from the table below (Option A, B or C). Once applied, the choice cannot be changed. If completing more than one graduate course, the student can choose a different option for each course.
| Option | Description | Maximum Hours | Key Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option A Undergraduate Only |
Credit accrues to undergraduate transcript | 12 hours | A cumulative 3.0 GPA is required for each registration request |
| Option B Fast Track |
Credit accrues to undergraduate and graduate transcripts | 15 hours | A cumulative 3.0 GPA is required for admission into the ME Fast Track program Students can only Fast Track into one graduate degree |
| Option C Reserved for Graduate Use Only |
Courses will not affect undergraduate GPA | 12 hours | A cumulative 3.0 GPA is required for each registration request |
For Options A, B and C
- » Course selection will be approved by the graduate program after a review of the student’s undergraduate degree progress and future academic goals.
- » For concurrent courses, offered as undergraduate- and graduate-level courses, student cannot take the graduate course if they have already completed the undergraduate course.
- » When enrolling in graduate level courses, students should remember that three graduate classes within a single semester is considered a full load for graduate students. Therefore, students are encouraged to take a maximum of two graduate classes if enrolled in a total of 16 or more credit hours and a maximum of three graduate classes if enrolled in a total of less than 16 credit hours. The total includes both undergraduate and graduate credits.
- » The graduate course drop policy applies to all graduate courses. Students should consult the academic calendar for those dates.
- » Undergraduate students enrolling in graduate courses will be evaluated in the same manner as graduate students.
- » Graduate level courses can only be repeated one time, and only three are allowed to be repeated. Withdrawals included. Repeats will accumulate to a graduate transcript.
For Option B – Fast Track
- » Graduate courses taken by Fast Track students will appear on both the undergraduate and graduate transcripts and will count in the cumulative earned hours and GPA for both undergraduate and graduate careers.
- » Courses must be well chosen to satisfy the requirements of the BS and intended MS or PhD degree.
- » Students can take the Fast Track courses as substitutes for technical electives and/or free electives.
Admission to ME Graduate Program after Fast Track
Only students completing coursework as Fast Track (Option B) are eligible to automatically be matriculated into the corresponding graduate degree upon graduation. If students are only completing coursework as undergraduate-credit-only (Option A) or as graduate-credit-only (Option C), they will be required to submit an admission application to the graduate program.
- Students may delay entering the graduate program after completing their undergraduate degree for up to one year. If students do not return within a year, they will need to apply to the graduate program, and previously completed Fast Track courses will no longer apply to the graduate degree.
- All graduate coursework expires within 72 months from the semester taken.
- Matriculation into the graduate program will be automatically generated for students upon completion of their bachelor’s degree. There is no need to apply for graduate admission or utilize the graduate quick admit option.
Visit the mechanical engineering graduate program webpages to learn more.
The graduate level courses and Fast Track program webpages provide information about all graduate class opportunities within the Jonsson School.
Recommended Fast Track Courses
While Fast Track students are eligible to take any ME graduate-level course, the following graduate level courses have been identified as particularly well-suited for Fast Track students. Courses in the list below that are bolded are core courses for the ME graduate program.
Dynamic Systems and Control (DCS)
- MECH 6300: Linear Systems
- MECH 6314: Engineering Systems: Modeling and Simulation
- MECH 6V29: Vehicle Dynamics and Control
- MECH 6V29: Principles, Modeling, and Control of Wind Energy Systems
Manufacturing and Design Innovation (MDI)
- MECH 6303: CAD
- MECH 6318: Engineering Optimization
- MECH 6331: Design for Manufacturing and Assembly
- MECH 6333: Materials Design and Manufacturing
- MECH 6335: Flexible Manufacturing Systems
- MECH 6336: Manufacturing and Characterization of Functional Materials
- MECH 6337: Systems Engineering, Architecture, and Design
- MECH 6339: Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
Mechanics and Materials (MM)
- MECH 6350: Advanced Solid Mechanics
- MECH 6351: Finite Element Techniques I
- MECH 6354: Experimental Mechanics
Thermal and Fluid Sciences (TFS)
- MECH 6370: Incompressible Fluid Mechanics
- MECH 6373: Convective Heat Transfer
- MECH 6374: Conductive & Radiative Heat Transfer
- MECH 6V95: Aerosol Science and Measurements
- MECH 6V48: Transport Phenomena in Medicine
- MECH 6V89: Intro. Numerical Methods for Thermal Mgmt.
Ready to Apply?
Start the journey toward advanced mechanical engineering coursework today.
Apply for Fast Track Program