Advantages of the Program

• There is no application fee and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required for admission to the program. As of 12/2022, the GRE is no longer required for admission to the MSME graduate program, even if you are not applying through the BSMS program.
• Use six hours of electives from your undergraduate curriculum toward both your B.S. and M.S. degrees.
• Only one faculty letter of recommendation is needed, rather than the three required for the regular application.
• There is no obligation to complete your master’s degree if your plans change.
• Students who plan to work on a master's thesis should meet with faculty during their senior year to discuss support for their master’s degree. Support includes a graduate research assistantship (GRA) or a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA), and the appropriate tuition reduction and stipends during graduate school.

Application Requirements and How to Apply

• Students must be an ME or NRE undergraduate student and apply to the Mechanical Engineering (MSME), Nuclear Engineering (MSNE), Medical Physics (MSMP) or Bioengineering (MSBIOE) programs within the Woodruff School. The MS in Robotics is not an option through the BSMS program and students must apply through the regular MS admissions process.
• Requirements to Apply
  • Students must earn 30 credit hours before applying, including transfer and AP credit hours.
  • Students must have received a grade in COE 2001, Statics, before they apply.
  • Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours at Georgia Tech, including degree applicable STEM classes.
  • Students have shown appropriate progress towards their degree program.
  • Obtained a grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or higher (with no rounding) based on classes taken at Georgia Tech. Transfer classes are not included.
• Deadline to Apply
  • Students are encouraged to apply before 75 earned credit hours, including transfer and AP credit hours.
  • Despite that recommendation, all parts of the application must be received before the Withdraw Deadline of the first semester you take ME 3057 (ME students) or NRE 4350 (NRE students). If any parts of the application are received after this time, students must apply to the MS program through the regular process. Students can apply at any time before passing this requirement.
• BSMS Application Elements
  • 1 letter of recommendation from a faculty member in the College of Engineering, College of Computing or College of Science
  • On-line application;
  • Several short essays
  • Transcript from Georgia Tech and all schools attended to date (these can be unofficial transcripts for the application, but official transcripts must be submitted from all schools other than GT by the start of the MS program)
• BSMS Application
  • Use your GTID login to complete the form.
  • For the question asking which semester you plan to take graduate level classes, just give us your best guess. You can take choose to take graduate level classes as an undergraduate before or after this time regardless of how you answer this question. This question is not being used to evaluate your application in the Woodruff school.
  • Your letter of recommendation writer will automatically be sent to whomever you enter in the application. They will receive a link to fill out the recommendation letter directly from the application.
  • For those students interested in BIOE, please apply as an ME student and for students interested in MP, please apply as an NRE student. Once the application is complete and submitted, please contact Mary George in the Office of Student Services to get your major changed in the system.

                   BSMS Application

Program Rules

To maintain eligibility for the BS/MS program after being accepted, students must:

• Graduate with the BS degree with a 3.5 GPA or higher. Your GPA is looked at during the application process and at graduation, and what happens in between is not considered.
• Students must complete their BS degree and then matriculate into the MS program. Students cannot graduate with a BS and MS at the same time.
• Complete their MS degree within two years of graduating with the BS degree.
• Start into the MS program immediately after graduating with their BS degree. The only exception to this is summer semester. Students who graduate in the spring are allowed to take summer semester off and start in the fall semester.
• BSMS students are allowed to do an internship registered through Georgia Tech in their first semester after matriculating into graduate school. International students need to verify all requirements with OIE. Students who neglect to register the internship or co-op through Georgia Tech, forfeit their ability to enter the graduate the program through the BSMS program.

Master’s Degree Options

Participants in the BS/MS Program in the Woodruff School can obtain a master’s degree in mechanical engineering, nuclear and radiological engineering, medical physics or bioengineering. There are two options to consider.

• The non-thesis option:
  • This option is similar to your undergraduate degree in that you simply take classes according to the MS degree requirements.
  • There is little funding available in this case.
  • With proper planning, the MS non-thesis degree can be completed in one year. Well-motivated students can complete the MS in medical physics in one-and-a-half years.
• The thesis option:
  • This option involves working with a faculty member on a project in one of the traditional or cutting edge research areas in the Woodruff School. This will give you hands-on experience in working with a faculty mentor; the chance to work in a laboratory or a research environment; and the chance to perform theoretical and experimental work. These events will foster your career interests and expand your selection of possible employers.
  • If you can find a professor to work with, you may receive a Graduate Research Assistantship including a monthly stipend and a tuition waiver.
  • The time it takes to complete your MS degree depends on your thesis project, your advisor, and your work ethic. In general, you can expect it to take about 2 years.

Starting the MS Program

Here are some key points to remember as you start the MS portion of the BS/MS program:

• All students accepted to the BS/MS program should take some time to review the FAQs.

          BSMS Frequently Asked Questions

• Seniors are strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment with your academic advisor to discuss the program. It is recommended that you begin planning your MS program 2 semesters prior to graduation or before you start taking the electives that will be double counted towards your BS and MS degrees.  Your academic advisor can answer most of your questions and put you in touch with a graduate advisor if necessary.
• Students should carefully plan the classes that will double count towards both the BS degree and the MS degree. Consult the graduate website for graduate program rules and requirements.
  • ME students will generally double count an ME elective and a free elective as long as both classes are eligible to count towards the MS program.
  • NRE students will generally double count the Engineering Elective and Math/Science Elective or Free Elective for the new curriculum. Both classes must be eligible to count towards the MS program.
  • A maximum of 6 hours of 4000/6000 level classes can be double counted from the BS degree towards the MS degree.
  • Students accepted spring '21 and later cannot use undergraduate research (4699), special problems (4903) or VIP towards the MS program. All classes must be approved by the graduate program.
• Students are encouraged to take graduate level classes that count towards the BS degree.  This is not required, just recommended. BS/MS students who want to take graduate level classes will need permission to register for graduate classes.

          Instructions to Register for Graduate Classes

• Well qualified students who will be pursuing a thesis are encouraged to apply for funding.  Funding is generally only available for students who do a PhD or a MS with a thesis. Students should apply for funding the semester before starting the graduate program. For financial aid information including Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA) and Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA), please visit:

          Financial Aid

• Students can move a maximum of 12 hours forward from the BS program to the MS program. Generally, 6 of these 12 hours will be double counted classes. Therefore, a student can take an additional 6 hours of classes while an undergraduate that can move forward to the master's program. These classes cannot be used for the BS degree requirements; they are taken in addition to the BS degree requirements.
• Students who were admitted to the BSMS program, and who decide to go directly for the PhD degree instead of pursuing the MSME degree, may use six hours of electives from their undergraduate curriculum toward both their BSME and PhD degrees. Students who were admitted to the BSMS program, and who decide to pursue both the MSME and the PhD degrees, may use six hours of electives from their undergraduate curriculum toward their BSME, MSME, and PhD degrees.
• Official transcripts from all schools listed on the application need to be submitted to graduate admissions before matriculating into the graduate program. The only exception is the Georgia Tech transcript, which will be downloaded automatically by graduate admissions.