General Graduate Information

Degree Programs

Stevens Institute of Technology offers complete graduate programs in engineering, science, systems engineering and management. Programs lead to one of over 50 different advanced degree designations from the Master's to the Doctor of Philosophy degree. The graduate programs are intended to enable professionals to advance in industries increasingly influenced by technology and also to enable scholars to explore the frontiers of their disciplines. Concentrations that can be tailored to the specific needs of the graduate student are available within almost all degree designations. Interdisciplinary degree programs can be fashioned to meet the specific needs of the student and are administered by the Dean of Graduate Academics. Graduate Certificates carry graduate credit and are also available for those interested in a focused area of study.

Students now enrolled in graduate programs at Stevens represent hundreds of undergraduate institutions from all parts of the United States and throughout the world. Stevens has an enrollment of over 3,800 graduate students in engineering, systems engineering, management, and the sciences. Students may attend graduate courses on a full-time or part-time basis, with many students attending off-campus corporate sites. Stevens' involvement in research activities contributes to the vitality of the college's education process. The faculty is composed of some 120 full-time professors, over 90 percent of whom hold doctoral degrees. Faculty members are actively engaged in research projects in which graduate students have opportunities to become extensively involved.

Graduate studies at Stevens are intended to provide advanced educational opportunities to both the working professional and the developing scholar. Students may complete a prescribed course sequence or engage in a research activity that generates new knowledge in pursuit of an advanced degree. In all cases, a faculty advisor is assigned to assist students in the development of a plan of study that satisfies particular educational needs.

Stevens operates primarily on a semester system with graduate courses offered on the Hoboken campus, online through Webcampus.Stevens, and certain off-campus sites in the late afternoon or early evening. Most courses are offered on weekday evenings and on Saturdays. A list of the off-campus programs and locations appears in this catalog. Courses are three credits with the exception of some specialized seminars, special problems, theses, dissertations, projects, or laboratory offerings. Most degree programs are a 30- or 36-credit Master of Science, a 30-credit Master of Engineering, a 60-credit Engineer degree, or a 84-credit Doctor of Philosophy. The Doctor of Philosophy programs include dissertation requirements accounting for at least 30 credits. The Engineer degree programs typically include projects accounting for 8 to 15 credits. Graduate Certificate programs provide specialization in a particular area and generally require four courses, which may be applied toward a further graduate degree.

Master's Programs

A master's program may be thought of as an extension or completion of the higher level of education already achieved in undergraduate studies; it may be an exploration in some depth of a particular area of science, engineering, computer science, information systems, or management, or it may be intended as a first step toward the doctorate. Since the master's degree carries with it the designation of the department in which it is earned, you must follow a plan of study that your faculty advisor approves as satisfactory for the requirements of the degree and adequate to your particular needs. The Dean of Graduate Academics, at your request, may arrange an interdisciplinary program designating at least two professors to supervise the major areas of study.

For the master's degree, you must earn no less than 30 credits, of which 15 must be in your major department. Additional requirements may be imposed by the department offering the program. Interdisciplinary programs are exempt from the requirements of 15 credits in one department. Thesis requirements, if any, vary with the department. In general, a master's thesis is optional for part-time students, but required by some departments of full-time students who are supported graduate assistants or are continuing on to the doctorate. In order to receive a degree from Stevens, you must have an average of "B" (3.0 GPA) in your major area of study and an overall average of "B" (3.0 GPA), exclusive of transfer credits, in the courses required for the degree. Up to 9 transfer credits may be accepted by the School of Engineering and Science and the School of Systems and Enterprises, or 12 transfer credits may be accepted by the School of Technology Management if these credits have not already been used to obtain an academic degree. All credits for transfer must show grades of "B" (3.0 GPA) or better, and the courses must be approved by the appropriate departments and submitted to the Registrar's Office. A maximum of six years is allowed for completion of the degree, unless an extension has been requested by the student and granted by the Dean of Graduate Academics.

Engineer Programs

The Engineers degree is a terminal professional degree beyond the master's degree. The purpose of the Engineer program is to advance the training of engineers beyond the master's level and to provide modern education for engineers whose master's degrees are not recent. A design project carrying from 8 to 15 credits is required. Five programs, each of 60 credits, are offered, leading to the degrees of:

• Chemical Engineer
• Civil Engineer
• Computer Engineer
• Computer Science Engineer
• Electrical Engineer
• Mechanical Engineer
• Physics

Doctoral Programs

A doctoral program is specifically intended to lead to an independent investigation of a problem in your field, so that you may make a significant contribution to that body of knowledge. Although a part of your task is the acquisition of the existing knowledge in your field, your fundamental objective is to develop your own skills and capacity to conduct original research. The preliminary requirements for the doctorate, therefore, are regarded not as ends in themselves, but as preparation for the dissertation in which you demonstrate this ability.

Since, as a doctoral student, you will pursue research in a particular field of science, engineering, or management, you will develop your study plan in preliminary conferences with a faculty advisor from the department of your choice and with other members of the faculty who may be concerned. In addition to the general admissions requirements, you must satisfy the standards for qualification established by your particular department. Such approval is not usually given unless you have completed work equivalent to the master's degree.

A prior master's degree may be transferred for up to 30 credits without specific course descriptions with approval of the department and the Dean of Graduate Academics. Up to one-third of additional course credits may be transferred with the approval of the thesis committee and the Dean of Graduate Academics. The grade of "B" (3.0 GPA) or better is required for such courses and such courses may not have been already used to obtain an academic degree.

The Dean of Graduate Academics, at the request of the student, may arrange an interdisciplinary program. To oversee and approve such a program, the Dean of Graduate Academics, on the advice of faculty responsible for the programs involved, will designate a professor from each of the pertinent disciplinary areas to serve on a special supervisory committee. The committee chairpersons will ordinarily be the professors who will supervise your research. Examination requirements for interdisciplinary programs will be tailored appropriately and administered through the Dean of Graduate Academics.

Individual departments may require proficiency in a foreign language appropriate to the area of a doctoral candidate's proposed dissertation. This proficiency will be tested by an examination set by the department at least one year before graduation. Individual departments may require an additional language.

Before a department approves a candidate for the doctorate, the candidate must have demonstrated to the Dean of Graduate Academics that the language requirements, if any, have been satisfied; that the qualifying or comprehensive and preliminary examinations in the major and minor areas of study have been passed; and that the research program for a dissertation has been approved. 

Within six months of becoming a doctoral candidate, the student needs to select a Research Advisor and agree upon a research topic. The Research Advisor will request that the Department Director nominate additional members of the Advisory Committee. A dissertation committee is composed of at least four persons, one of whom must be a Stevens professor from another department or program. It is permissible and desirable to have as a committee member a highly qualified person from outside Stevens. The chair or co-chair must be a tenure track, full-time professor, professor emeritus, or a person employed in an academic capacity at Stevens who has been approved through a process determined by the particular school of his/her employment. A Dissertation Advisory Committee Appointment form is completed and submitted to the Dean of Graduate Academics for approval. Usually, the student's Research Advisor serves as Chairman of the Advisory Committee. The student and the Advisory Committee must meet at least once a year and report to the Dean of Graduate Academics that the meeting was held.

Upon appointment of the Advisory Committee the candidate will prepare and defend a research proposal.  Concurrently the candidate will take the Stevens “Signature” course PRV961 which is intended to broaden the PhD educational experience.

Within two weeks after the beginning of the semester in which you expect to complete the requirements for the doctorate, you are required to file an application for candidacy for the degree at the Registrar's Office. A dissertation, in which you present the results of your research in a form worthy of publication, must be submitted to the committee at least six weeks before the date on which you expect to receive your degree. After the advisory committee accepts your dissertation, a date will be set for a public oral examination to defend it. The defense must take place at least two weeks before commencement. At the time of the defense, at least one manuscript based on dissertation work must be submitted for publication.

Graduate Certificate Programs

Courses leading to Graduate Certificates are organized for practicing engineers, applied scientists, and managers to keep abreast of the newest techniques and their applications in selected disciplines. Most graduate certificates consist of four graduate courses often of an applied nature, and the information and understanding gained in the courses can be immediately applied to the solution of on-the-job problems. One course, with faculty approval, may be transferred to the graduate certificate. The grade of "B" (3.0 GPA) or better is required for such a course, and it may not have been already used to obtain an academic degree. A Graduate Certificate is awarded upon satisfactory completion (i.e. a 3.0 GPA in the courses of the program not including a transferred course) of the graduate courses required for the program. In most instances, these courses may be applied towards a graduate degree.

Online Programs

WebCampus

Stevens students can take courses online for graduate credit and non-credit at www.stevens.edu/webcampus. Designed for those who, because of distance or other commitments, cannot attend class at either Stevens' Hoboken campus or at off-campus corporate locations, WebCampus courses are delivered worldwide by the same superior faculty who teach in conventional classroom settings. An M.B.A. in Technology Management, 13 Master's Degrees, 36 Graduate Certificates, and non-credit e-seminars are available online.

Stevens has been at the forefront of distance learning for a number of years, offering courses that utilize the benefits of webconferencing, Internet, and other advanced instructional technologies. Experience with these innovations makes it possible for you to receive the finest graduate education using rich Web features, such as threaded discussions, chat rooms, bulletin boards, e-mail, file sharing, streaming video, whiteboards, and workgroups, for in-depth "classroom" participation. You'll also have library privileges, with instant search and retrieval of important databases. WebCampus online graduate courses are co-sponsored by AACEI, ACM, AIChE, ASCE, ASME, IEEE, NECA, NSPE, and SNAME. WebCampus is also a member of the Global Wireless Education Consortium (GWEC), and is supported, in part, by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

English Language Program

The College of Arts and Letters administers the English Language and Communication Program. The Office of International Student and Scholar Services administers the English Language Program. International students coming from countries where English is not the first language have an opportunity to master written and oral forms of American English. All incoming international students are required to have their English skills evaluated upon arrival. Students who are identified as needing assistance in their English skills are required to initially register for one of three levels.

Academic Standing

Academic grades are designated by letter grades: A, A-,B+,B-,C+,C,C-,F, the lowest passing grade for graduate courses; and "F" is failure. "IP" is used as an interim grade for work in progress, such as special problems, theses, engineer projects, and doctoral dissertations. Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for complete information on grading.

Students must maintain a "B" (3.0) grade point average to remain in satisfactory academic standing in the graduate programs. Students who have less than a "B" average, have received a "C" and/or a C- in three or more courses, or have received an "F" in a course that has not been improved by repeating it will be placed on probation until the above issues have been corrected. Please refer to the Probation and Dismissal Guidelines on the Office of the Registrar Website. 

Students are expected to maintain continuity of enrollment, except for summer sessions. If this cannot be done, the student must apply in writing for a leave of absence, which is subject to the approval of the Dean of Graduate Academics.