Student Handbook - Program Information

The M.Eng. in Energy Systems is a self-funded program where students are responsible for paying their tuition and fees. Students in this program are not eligible for Board of Trustee (BOT) tuition-waiver-generating assistantships at the University of Illinois.

Orientation Program

New Student Orientation is offered at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters to introduce incoming graduate students to the M.Eng. in Energy Systems program. All incoming graduate students, both new students to the University and prior graduates of the University of Illinois, are required to attend orientation.

Registration

Incoming graduate students are advised to read relevant portions of this manual regarding M.Eng. degree requirements and prepare a tentative plan for the courses in which they plan to enroll while pursuing the M.Eng. degree, using the Plan of Study Worksheet. Before arriving at the university, students should register for classes through the Student Self-Service Enterprise system. Enrollment modifications can be made through Student Self-Service in the first ten business days of the start of classes. After this period, approval of the course instructor and faculty advisor or program coordinator is needed to add classes. Students may drop classes without approval until the deadline set by the Office of the Registrar.

Students are advised to make an appointment to review the Plan of Study Worksheet with the program coordinator or faculty advisor within the first ten business days of the start of the semester. Students are expected to make advising appointments once a semester to modify the Plan of Study Worksheet as needed.

Full-time students are required to register for a minimum of 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Students must maintain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 3.0 to show satisfactory academic progress toward their degree.

A student who fails to maintain a CGPA of at least 3.0 is placed on academic warning. Please see the Graduate College Handbook for details regarding academic warning and dismissal. A degree candidate must achieve a CGPA of at least 3.0 to graduate.

Credit Restrictions

No courses used to fulfill any degree requirement may be taken using the “Credit/No Credit” option.

Credit Loads

The standard recommended credit load for full-time students is three to four courses, typically 12 to 16 hours, per semester.

Annual Evaluation Process

 All graduate students enrolled in the Energy Systems program for more than one year must complete an annual evaluation. Students in their final semester are not required to complete the evaluation, and students who complete the degree within one year are exempt from this requirement. Every February, students in the program complete their self-evaluation first, which is then used by the program coordinator to complete their evaluation. Students who fail to complete the self-evaluation by the deadline will have an advising hold placed on their record. Students will receive program feedback on their academic progress electronically by the last week of March. Students who have questions about their academic performance should contact the program coordinator or faculty advisor to set up an appointment. Students who do not receive satisfactory reviews on their evaluation will meet with their faculty advisor to develop an academic plan to help assist them to get back on track to successfully complete the program requirements.

Degree List

Students approaching graduation are required to add themselves to the degree list via Student Self-Service by the deadline specified on the Fall Academic Calendar or Spring Academic Calendar. Failure to add to the degree list by the deadline will result in their not graduating until the next semester.