Advising

General Information for Graduate Students

Find more information about graduate study at SJSU at College of Graduate Studies web site.  

Graduate Student Handbook

This is an all inclusive guide for graduate students to navigating students' journey at San Jose State University. Review the handbook.

MSE program course requirements

As shown on this SJSU catalog page, MSE program requires 10 courses (30 units).  This set of 10 courses includes 4 required courses and 6 elective courses.The 4 required courses are:

  • ENGR 201 Engineering Analysis
  • ENGR 202 Systems Engineering (GWAR)
  • ENGR 295A Master Project I
  • ENGR 295B Master Project II

The 6 elective courses require an MSE advisor's approval. MSE students propose the elective courses using the Program of Study Proposal Form as explained below. 

Program of Study Proposal Form

MSE students are required to complete 10 courses (30 units). Among these 10 courses, students can propose six. The Program of Study Proposal Form [docx] is the form for proposing these six courses. MSE students should submit this form to an MSE advisor before the end of the 1st semester at SJSU.

Before meeting the advisor, students should try to fill out the form as much as possible. Information regarding how to select courses and how to fill out this form can be found in the FAQ section below and on the 2nd page of the form. 

Candidacy Form

Candidacy Form [pdf] is the official document that shows the approved and required courses for graduation with a MSE degree.  This form is used by the Registrar's office for checking eligibility for graduation.  MSE students should submit the candidacy forms to an MSE advisor in the beginning of the semester before the graduation semester.   For example, for spring graduation, the candidacy form should be submitted in the beginning of the fall semester. 

Review a more detailed conditions and deadlines for filing Candidacy Form. If a student wish to change a course on an already approved Candidacy form, the student should file a Course Substitution Form via an MSE advisor.

Graduation 

Students should apply for graduation one semester before the graduation semester.   For example, the deadline for applying for spring graduation is typically October 1st of the previous year.    From complete and up-to-date information on application for graduation can be found on this page: Application Process and Deadline [pdf].

For International Students

Information on CPT, OPT,  Reduced Unit Load Petition and other information pertaining to international students can be found on the International Students Advising web site. Specifically, the web page about CPT and OPT forms and application procedure. Note that a new online process will be used starting in Fall 2021. 

Academic Disqualification and Probation

All graduate students must maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. If at any point during a student’s academic career at SJSU, the overall GPA falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on academic probation. If this situation does not improve the following consecutive semester, the student will be disqualified from the university.

Complete policy on disqualification and probation and other policies and procedures.

MSE Academic Advising

For academic advising, send an email to the Graduate advisor, Prof. Ahmed Hambaba (ahmed.hambaba@sjsu.edu) or Director of Interdisciplinary  Engineering, Prof. Jack Warecki (jack.warecki@sjsu.edu) for an appointment.

Got a question? Visit our Frequently Ask Questions page.