Master's Admissions

Master's Program Deadlines

Admission Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the department, applicants must:

• Have earned, or be in the process of earning, a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, physics, or a comparable science program. 
• Submit all application materials no later than the application deadline.
• Meet minimum TOEFL requirements, if applicable. Review the Required Exams on the Graduate Admissions website for more information.

All students interested in pursuing a Masters in Mechanical Engineering must use the Stanford Graduate Admissions Application. A complete application includes all of the materials listed below and must be received by Stanford by the application deadline. 

Graduate application checklist

• Online Application
• Application Fee
• Statement of Purpose
• Resume/CV
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• Official Transcripts from All Colleges and/or Universities Attended
• Official GRE Test Scores
• Official TOEFL results* (if applicable)

Statement of purpose

Your statement of purpose should identify personal and professional goals. It should also discuss your development to date and your intentions regarding graduate study and life beyond Stanford. The ME Graduate Admissions Committee reads your statement of purpose with interest because, along with the letters of recommendation, it offers insight into who you are as an individual. Your statement of purpose should not exceed two pages in length (single spaced).

Letters of recommendation

Three letters of recommendation are required — one letter must come from an academic source, although we prefer at least two. If your background includes industrial experience or involvement in leadership, public service, or entrepreneurial activities, you may wish to include one reference who can comment on that part of your experience. Recommendations must be submitted online. Please see the "Recommendations" section of the online application for information.

Transcripts

One original, official transcript from ALL colleges and/or universities attended full time for at least one year are required. Review the Graduate Admissions website for official transcript policies. We accept official transcripts sent directly from the institution via mail or secure electronic submission. We do not accept transcripts as email attachments. Transcripts can be mailed to:

Mechanical Engineering Graduate Admissions 
440 Escondido Mall
Building 530, Room 125
Stanford, CA 94305-3030

Official electronic transcripts can be sent to Mechanical@stanford.edu.

GRE Test Scores

GRE general results must be from an examination taken within five years of the application deadline. Official results must be sent electronically by ETS to Stanford. Our institution code for ETS reporting is 4704. No department code is needed. For more information on GRE requirements, please see the Required Exams and Frequently Asked Questions sections on the Graduate Admissions website. To meet the December deadline, we recommend that applicants take the GRE no later than October 31.

We do not require GRE subject tests.

TOEFL results

TOEFL results must be from an examination taken within 18 months of the application deadline. The Stanford institution code for ETS reporting is 4704. No department code is needed. For more information on TOEFL requirements, please see the Required Exams and Frequently Asked Questions sections on the Graduate Admissions website.

Application Status Inquiries

After submitting the online application, applicants will have access to an online checklist which will track all required application materials. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we are not able to confirm with individual applicants when documents have been recieved. All applicants should monitor the online checklist to track individual documents. It is the applicant's responsibility to monitor the checklist and ensure that all documents are received by the deadline. Please allow 2-6 weeks for application materials to be added to the application and appear in the checklist. 

Admission decisions will be released electronically by mid-late March. 

Reapplying

Reapplicants must submit new supporting documents and complete the online application as outlined above in the Graduate Application Checklist. Only official test scores can be reactivated if they have been taken within 5 years of the application deadline.

Knight-Hennessy Scholars

This Stanford scholarship program awards up to 100 high-achieving students every year with full funding to pursue a graduate education at Stanford. To be considered, you must apply to Knight-Hennessy Scholars by September 27, 2017, and separately apply to the Mechanical Engineering department by November 15, 2017.

Masters of Science in Engineering — Design Impact

MS Design Impact is a distinct degree from the MS Mechanical Engineering, with a separate application process. This two-year degree addresses thematic challenges using design thinking. The current themes are (1) Empathic Autonomy: Personalizing healthcare in the digital age; and (2) Empowering Power: Giving people control of their own energy resources. Design Impact will teach Stanford’s empathy-driven design process and also foster a growth mindset, teaching subjects such as Creative Confidence, Needfinding, Smart Products, and Design Experiments. Second-year coursework tackles “the last mile of design” — bringing projects from classrooms and research labs out into the world, to make a positive impact. You can learn more about the program at http://designimpact.stanford.edu/. Navigate to the “How to Apply” page to review the application procedure.

The selection of MS students admitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering is based on an individualized, holistic review of each application, including (but not limited to) the applicant’s academic record, the letters of recommendation, the scores on General GRE (Graduate Record Examination), the statement of purpose, personal qualities and characteristics, and past accomplishments.