The 5th Year Masters Program is open only to UC Berkeley undergraduates who have majored in Mechanical Engineering, the Mechanical Engineering/Nuclear Engineering Joint Program, or the Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science & Engineering Joint Program. Graduates earn a Master of Science degree.
The program allows students to broaden their educational experiences at Berkeley by allowing them to expand their knowledge of the major and also take a portion of their courses outside of their major. Specifically, the latter can come from the following categories:
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Statistics
- Biological Sciences
- Physical Sciences
- School of Information
- School of Business
- School of Public Policy
A strong priority is given to courses that are technical in nature. Other courses can be petitioned to the Vice Chair through the MechE Student Services Office.
In contrast to a more traditional engineering masters degree, its requirements are solely coursework and an oral comprehensive exam; it does not have a research component, and it is a two-semester degree (traditional masters are usually 3-4 semesters). Extensions on normative time (i.e. two semesters) will not be given on the basis of research or outside work/internships for this program. This two-semester program is not intended for applicants that desire to continue to the PhD; such individuals are advised to apply directly to the MS/PhD or PhD program. However, graduates of this program are free to apply to PhD programs elsewhere as it is the exact same degree as a traditional master’s.
The 5th Year MS program is a one year (two semester program) geared toward students who would like to spend additional time at UC Berkeley to gain more specific knowledge for their chosen career in industry. It is meant to be a terminal degree, meaning that is it not meant to be undertaken in preparation for a PhD degree. Students who are interested in the PhD degree should apply directly to the MS/PhD or PhD program.
| 5th Year MS Program | M. Eng | Standard MS Program* |
| Normative Time: Two semesters | Normative Time: Two semesters | Normative Time: Three semesters |
| Coursework Only | Coursework + Capstone Project | Coursework + Research |
| Oral Exam | Oral Exam | Written Report + Presentation |
| Only current UCB MechEs can apply | Anyone can apply | Anyone can apply |
| Terminal Degree | Terminal Degree | Better prepares students for the PhD |
| No semester breaks between ugrad/grad program | Breaks allowed | Breaks allowed |
| Standard Academic Masters Fees apply** | Professional Fees Apply** | Standard Academic Masters Fees apply** |
| ** https://registrar.berkeley.edu/tuition-fees-residency/tuition-fees/fee-schedule | *This program will not be open for application in F18 (for admission in F19) | |
Some schools do not distinguish between the undergraduate and graduate components for their 5th Year Masters programs. UC Berkeley does, so it is very important to keep in mind that once you are enrolled in the 5th Year Program, you are, for all intents and purposes, treated as graduate student by the campus and the department. Some of the ramifications of this are:
- Your undergraduate financial aid package will not carry into your graduate career. You will need to refile as a graduate student.
- Your first semester’s enrollment (for Phase I) will be the same as all of the other incoming graduate students (in July). We do not hold seats for this degree.
- Your main governing body moves from the College of Engineering to the Graduate Division. As such, you are subject to Graduate Division policies and procedures regarding adequate progress towards your degree and other matters, which are different than those of the COE.
- You cannot complete undergraduate degree requirements, undergraduate minor requirements, or undergraduate certificate requirements as a graduate student. All undergraduate requirements and other undergraduate co-curricular activities must be completed before you start your graduate program.
- As an undergraduate, you were able to treat both sides of a crosslisted course (ex. ME C85/CE C30) as equivalent. The Graduate Division treats individual course sides differently. An example would be that if you took EL ENG C220B instead of MEC ENG C231A, it would not count towards your MechE-Sponsored 12 unit requirement.
- Graduate students do not have graded research. Therefore, ME H194 and ME 196 cannot count towards graduate degree requirements, and neither can ME 298 or 299.
Other notable differences are:
- As with all graduate students, to make adequate progress towards your degree you must maintain at least a 3.0. For a course to be used towards degree requirements, the lowest grade that can be earned is C- (for undergraduates it’s a D-). To receive a “Pass” or “Satisfactory” grade, you must earn a B- or better (for undergraduates it’s a C-).
- Graduate students are held to higher grading standards in the classroom.
- Graduate courses are not required to observe RRR week.
- Students in this program are generally not allowed to take semesters off to do internships. Admission deferrals due to internships are discouraged and are subject to approval by the Vice Chair of Graduate Studies.
The program is not “professional” in that it does not have professional curricular content. It is industry-driven in that you have the freedom to shape it to provide you more knowledge for your future career trajectory. Those who are looking for professional content specifically should consider the M.Eng Program.
Current costs for the program: under “Graduate: Academic”
UC Berkeley’s Student Budget: under “Graduate Student Budget”.
This is a self-funded program and the department does not offer any financial support for 5th Years. Students are also not allowed to serve as GSIs or Readers in MechE. Students who do choose to serve as GSI/Readers for other departments and then, in turn, request additional semesters to graduate are unlikely to receive them (this has happened in the past). We encourage students to focus on their studies in this program full-time to ensure that you will graduate within normative time (two semesters).
5th Year Masters of Science Degree Requirements
You are also subject to the policies of the Graduate Division. The 5th Year Masters is considered a Plan II program.
Please see: Degree Requirements PDF
The Graduate Division oversees graduate admissions, fellowships, grants, academic employment, preparation for teaching, mentoring activities, professional development, academic progress, and degree milestones. You can find more information about them at.
- This is a terminal, full-time Master’s degree program.
- This is a coursework and comprehensive oral exam only degree.
- This is a two-semester program. Extensions are only granted on extenuating circumstances or through DSP accommodations.
- Admission to the program is highly competitive.
- Graduates earn a Master of Science degree.
- Students in this program are generally not allowed to take semesters off to do internships. Admission deferrals due to internships are also rare and are subject to approval by the Vice Chair of Graduate Studies.
- The program is geared toward students who intend to join industry after receiving their Master’s degree, rather than pursuing a PhD and/or academic career.
- During the duration of the program, students must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 units per semester (these courses cannot include 299 and 298 courses).
- Students must pass an Oral Comprehensive Exam to graduate.
- Degree requirements can be found here.
- This is a self-funded program. Students in the program are not allowed to serve in GSI/Reader Positions in Mechanical Engineering.
- Students in this program are generally not allowed to take semesters off to do internships. Admission deferrals due to internships are also rare and are subject to approval by the Vice Chair of Graduate Studies.
- It is preferred that applicants have a minimum 3.5 GPA at the time of the application.
- As part of the application process, applicants may be interviewed.
- Questions can be directed to the Undergraduate Student Services Advisor. The department also holds a Town Hall on graduate admissions in the Fall.
Application deadline: January 6, 2025
Please complete an application for the 5th year MS program in January. Please submit your application after FALL grades are posted, include an unofficial transcript with FALL grades, include calculations for GPAs that reflect FALL grades during your submission to the application portal.
See sample below:
The Mechanical Engineering department usually holds an informational session on graduate admissions in the Fall. The date will be determined in September and will be announced to students via email.
Applicants must be UC Berkeley undergraduates who have majored in Mechanical Engineering, the Mechanical Engineering/Nuclear Engineering Joint Program, or the Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science & Engineering Joint Program.
Strong preference is given to applicants with a 3.5 cumulative GPA or higher. Junior transfers who are applying should combine their transfer school GPA (the courses that are being used towards their MechE requirements) with their UC Berkeley GPA to calculate this number.
Application Eligibility for 5th Year MS Program
Applications are only reviewed during the fall admission cycle.
If graduating in spring of a given year: you must apply in the preceding fall for admission in the following fall. For example, if graduating in spring 2025, then you must apply in fall 2024 for fall 2025 admission.
If graduating in fall of a given year: you must apply in fall of the previous academic year for admission in fall of your graduating year. We would then defer your admission to the spring immediately following your graduation term. For example, if graduating in fall 2024, then you must apply in fall 2023 for fall 2024 admission, and we would defer your start by one semester. You would officially join the program in spring 2025.
Other deferrals are rarely, if ever, granted.
| Estimated Graduation | Estimated Start | Apply |
| Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 | Fall 2023 |
| Spring 2025 | Fall 2025 | Fall 2024 |
| Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 | Fall 2024 |
| Spring 2026 | Fall 2026 | Fall 2025 |
Application: http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/apply/
Application Requirements
Applications with incomplete documents will be automatically rejected.
| Item | Required |
| Application Instructions | Yes |
| Program Information | Yes |
| Biographical Information | Yes |
| Personal Information | Yes |
| Educational Background | Yes |
| Academic History | Yes – Please include transcripts for all higher institutions (Community Colleges, 4 Year Universities, study-abroad, etc.) |
| Languages | Optional |
| Recommendations |
Yes. We require three (3). We prefer that one of these be from a faculty member in MechE. We recommend that you send your recommenders notifications through the application system long before you submit your application so that they can submit their letters by the 1/06/2025 deadline. |
| Economic Background | Yes |
| Employment | Yes, if applicable |
| Test Scores | GRE is not required, strictly optional. |
| Statement of Purpose | Yes |
| Personal History Statement | Yes |
| Mechanical Engineering Program Page |
Yes Grade Category Definitions MechE Cumulative GPA Definition: Advanced GPA Definition: Major GPA Definition: 2 Year GPA Definition: Please only upload a calculation if you are including non-UCB grades |
| Supporting Materials | This section is optional, but we prefer a CV/Resume to be uploaded. We do not require a writing sample. |
| Information Agreement | Yes |
| Payment | Yes |
| Signature | Yes |
Letters of Recommendation
Letter can come from faculty or industrial supervisor, who knows you well and has seen evidence that you can benefit significantly from a program of this kind. We prefer at least one letter from a UCB MechE faculty member.
Draft Course of Study Plan (in the MechE Program Page)
Please complete the Draft Course of Study Plan and upload it into your online application.
Writable MS Word Template or Non-Writable PDF Version.
We hope to have all of our admissions decisions made by mid-March.
Program Requirements
You are also subject to the policies of the Graduate Division. The 5th Year Masters is considered a Plan II program.
This program requires 24 semester units. 12 of the 24 must come from MechE-Sponsored courses (restrictions apply). The remaining 12 units can come from the following (but can also be from MechE if the student chooses):
- College of Engineering Courses
- Department of Mathematics
- Department of Statistics
- Biological Sciences
- Physical Sciences
- School of Information
- School of Business
- School of Public Policy
A strong priority is given to courses that are technical in nature. Other courses can be petitioned to the Vice Chair through the MechE Student Services Office. Undergraduate research credit cannot be used towards the 5th Year Program, but undergraduates who take graduate course work during their last undergraduate semester may petition to backdate graduate standing in order to receive graduate credit for that course work (for a maximum of 4 units).
Graduate standing may be backdated for only one semester, and students may petition for credit only for course work that was not required for the undergraduate degree. The petition can be found here. If you are planning to take the second part of two-part course, you may want to consider taking the first part of the course as an overload to your last semester and request to backdate this.
Because the oral exam is based (for the large majority of cases) on first semester courses, it behooves you to choose technical courses in your first semester for which you will be able to be tested on in the Spring, taking faculty restrictions into account (please see the Oral Exam section for further details).
All courses need to be approved each semester through the Course Confirmation Form.
The Graduate Adviser for this program is the Vice Chair of Graduate Studies. The staff academic adviser for this program is the Undergraduate Student Services Advisor in 6193 Etcheverry Hall. The Director of Student Services may also be helpful. You can find contact information for all of them on the Student Services people page.
You are subject to the policies of the Graduate Division. The 5th Year Masters is considered a Plan II program.
You must arrange for your Comprehensive Oral Examination when you Advance to Candidacy for the MS Degree during the beginning of your second semester. On the form, please list the date, time, and location of the Comprehensive Examination (top right).
At least one of the members of your Examination Committee has to be from the Mechanical Engineering Department and both have to be members of the Academic Senate (see Who Can Test). Please note that both members of your Oral Exam Committee must be present at the time of the exam.
The Oral Comprehensive Examination must be scheduled at least 45 days before the end of your second semester. The examination is scheduled for 30 minutes. At the conclusion of your examination, the Committee Members will complete your Report on the BS/MS 5 Year Completion Examination Form and you will need to submit it to MechE Student Services.
Should you not pass the examination, you are eligible to retake the exam with the same committee members. Retakes should take place within 2 weeks of your first examination.
When
The Oral Comprehensive Examination must be scheduled at least 45 (!) days before the end of your second semester (graduation degree list semester) but it is a good idea to start the scheduling process no later than the beginning of February as faculty’s schedules start becoming quite congested. It behooves you to begin thinking about who will be testing you in your *first semester* and this definitely should be taken into account when choosing your first semester courses.
What can I be tested on?
Questions will be drawn from upper division 100 and 200 level courses taken during the first semester of your MS program. By exception, second semester courses can be used for the exam, but generally speaking, exceptions should be requested no later than February 10th, and tests should take place a bit later in the semester so you have enough material on which to be tested.
Who can test & choosing courses
Your Examination Committee consists of 2 professors who are members of the Berkeley Academic Senate. Generally speaking, this applies to full faculty (a/an “Assistant/Associate/Full” Professor). It behooves you to begin thinking about who will be testing you in your first semester and this definitely should be taken into account when choosing your first semester courses.
Booking a room
Students can request a testing room through MechE Student Services or may ask their faculty members (in some cases they may have access to testing spaces outside of MechE). When in doubt, ask us.
Completion Form
Once you have completed your Oral Exam, you will need to get signatures from your examiners and bring it to MechE Student Services. The form can be found here and can be signed right after the examination.