Graduate Student Handbook 2023 to 2024

MS in ME Option A requires a minimum of 30 credit hours and a thesis. The thesis must  be supervised by a member of the Graduate Faculty. 

Course Requirements: 

1. 30 credit hours required for a MS degree, where 6 credit hours of MS residency (ME  768) is suggested. Research courses (including ME 790) do not count toward the  required credit hours. 
2. At least 6 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre-approved  math course list, where at least 3 credit hours are from courses with prefixes MA or STA.  See Appendix F for further information. 
3. At least 12 credit hours at the 600-level or greater (ME 790 and ME 768 is excluded). 
4. A maximum of 6 credit hours of ME 780, and a maximum of 6 credit hours of ME 768  may be included. 
5. At least 16 credit hours from courses with the prefix ME excluding ME 768. 6) Students must complete 2 semesters of ME 799 (Graduate Seminar).  

The Graduate School requires that two-thirds of all required coursework  (excluding ME 768) must be in Mechanical Engineering. The DGS may solicit  approval from the Graduate School on courses from another department related to the  student’s major area if approved by student’s advisor and the DGS.  

Registration in ME 748 Masters Thesis Research is limited to MS Option A students who  have completed all course requirements. ME 748 is a zero (0) credit course that  guarantees that a student is considered full-time for the purposes of student financial  aid, loan deferments, insurance coverage, and visa status. The DGS must certify that  the student is working ½ time (i.e., 20 hours per week) on the thesis project.  Registration in ME 748 is limited to a maximum of six (6) semesters (not counting  summer terms). First time registration requires advisor approval prior to enrollment.  

MS Option A students must develop a thesis under the direction of a full or an associate  member of the Graduate Faculty. It must be approved by the thesis director and  advisory committee, the DGS, and the Graduate School. The thesis must conform with  instructions prepared by the Graduate School found here:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/thesis-dissertation-preparation

Option A students must submit a thesis in partial fulfillment of the degree program. A  draft of this thesis must be submitted to the advisor no less than one month prior to the  defense and no less than 2 weeks prior to the defense to the rest of the advisory  committee. The final examination will be automatically canceled if these deadlines are  not met. The Final Examination for an MS Option A student will primarily constitute a  defense of the thesis research as represented in the thesis and provided to the advisory  committee.  

Since the written thesis represents important documentation of completed research, any  MS student participating in a funded research project, or receiving funding from the  department in the form of an assistantship or scholarship will be required to enroll in the  MS Option A and to complete a thesis as part of their degree. 

The thesis in its final form must be received in the Graduate School within 60 days of the Final Examination. Note: If students take final examination late in  the semester, they will have less than 60 days. Theses must be presented to and  accepted in the Graduate School by the last day of the semester if a student plans to  graduate that semester.  

MS in ME Option B requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework. A final  examination administered by the students Advisory Committee must be passed to  complete degree requirements. MS Option B students must have a faculty advisor  throughout their program of study. MS Option B students are not eligible for TA or RA  Support. 

Course Requirements: 

1. 30 credit hours required for a MS degree. MS residency (ME 768) and research courses (including ME 790) do not count toward the required credit hours. 
2. At least 6 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre-approved math course list, where at least 3 credit hours are from courses with prefixes MA or STA. See Appendix F for further information. 
3. At least 15 credit hours at the 600-level or greater (ME 790 and ME 768 is excluded). 4) A maximum of 6 credit hours of ME 780 may be included and is recommended. 5) At least 20 credit hours from courses with the prefix ME. 
4. Students must complete 2 semesters of ME 799 (Graduate Seminar). 

The Graduate School requires two-thirds of all required coursework (20 out of  30 credits) must be in Mechanical Engineering. The DGS may solicit approval from  the Graduate School on courses from another department related to the student’s major  area if approved by student’s advisor and the DGS. 

MS in AER Option A requires a minimum of 30 credit hours and a thesis. The thesis must  be supervised by a member of the Graduate Faculty. 

Course Requirements: 

1. 30 credit hours required for a MS degree, where 6 credit hours of MS residency (AER 768) is suggested. Research courses (including AER 790) do not count toward the required credit hours. 
2. At least 6 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre-approved math course list, where at least 3 credit hours are from courses with prefixes MA or STA. See Appendix F for further information. 
3. At least 12 credit hours at the 600-level or greater (AER 790 and AER 768 is excluded). 
4. A maximum of 6 credit hours of AER 780, and a maximum of 6 credit hours of AER 768 may be included. 
5. At least 16 credit hours from courses with the prefix AER excluding ME 768. 6) Students must complete 2 semesters of AER 799 (Graduate Seminar). 

The Graduate School requires that two-thirds of all required coursework  (excluding AER 768) must be in Aerospace Engineering. The DGS may solicit  approval from the Graduate School on courses from another department related to the  student’s major area if approved by student’s advisor and the DGS.  

Registration in AER 748 Masters Thesis Research is limited to MS Option A students who  have completed all course requirements. AER 748 is a zero (0) credit course that  guarantees that a student is considered full-time for the purposes of student financial  aid, loan deferments, insurance coverage, and visa status. The DGS must certify that  the student is working ½ time (i.e., 20 hours per week) on the thesis project.  Registration in AER 748 is limited to a maximum of six (6) semesters (not counting  summer terms). First time registration requires advisor approval prior to enrollment.  

MS Option A students must develop a thesis under the direction of a full or an associate  member of the Graduate Faculty. It must be approved by the thesis director and  advisory committee, the DGS, and the Graduate School. The thesis must conform with  instructions prepared by the Graduate School found here:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/thesis-dissertation-preparation 

Option A students must submit a thesis in partial fulfillment of the degree program. A  draft of this thesis must be submitted to the advisor no less than one month prior to the  defense and no less than 2 weeks prior to the defense to the rest of the advisory  committee. The final examination will be automatically canceled if these deadlines are  not met. The Final Examination for an MS Option A student will primarily constitute a defense of the thesis research as represented in the thesis and provided to the advisory  committee.  

Since the written thesis represents important documentation of completed research, any  MS student participating in a funded research project, or receiving funding from the  department in the form of an assistantship or scholarship will be required to enroll in the  MS Option A and to complete a thesis as part of their degree. 

The thesis in its final form must be received in the Graduate School within 60 days of the Final Examination. Note: If students take final examination late in  the semester, they will have less than 60 days. Theses must be presented to and  accepted in the Graduate School by the last day of the semester if a student plans to  graduate that semester.  

MS in AER Option B requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of coursework. A final  examination administered by the students Advisory Committee must be passed to  complete degree requirements. MS Option B students must have a faculty advisor throughout their program of study. MS Option B students are not eligible for TA or RA Support. 

Course Requirements: 

1. 30 credit hours required for a MS degree. MS residency (AER 768) and research courses (including AER 790) do not count toward the required credit hours. 
2. At least 6 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre-approved math course list, where at least 3 credit hours are from courses with prefixes MA or STA. See Appendix F for further information. 
3. At least 15 credit hours at the 600-level or greater (AER 790 and AER 768 is excluded). 
4. A maximum of 6 credit hours of AER 780 may be included and is recommended. 5) At least 20 credit hours from courses with the prefix AER. 
5. Students must complete 2 semesters of AER 799 (Graduate Seminar). 

The Graduate School requires two-thirds of all required coursework (20 out of  30 credits) must be in Aerospace Engineering. The DGS may solicit approval from  the Graduate School on courses from another department related to the student’s major  area if approved by student’s advisor and the DGS.  

Transfer of Credits 

The Graduate School allows for some transfer of credit for accepted MS or PhD students.  Transfer of credit may not be requested by students prior to acceptance into the MS or  PhD graduate program. Additionally, transfer of credit, if approved, is limited to a total  of 9 credit hours or 25% of the regular course degree requirements. Students wanting a  transfer of credit must have the permission of the DGS, and the Senior Associate Dean  of the Graduate School makes the final decision. The request form for a transfer of  credit with additional rules is found here:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/studentforms 

Additionally, more details on this and the limitations on what credit is typically approved  for transfer can be found in the Graduate Student Bulletin.  

Advisory Committee  

MS students must select a Faculty advisor within the first semester and form an  advisory committee within the first year of enrolling into the MAE graduate  program. Policies regarding the makeup of the advisory committee is set forth by the  Graduate School bulletin here: 

http://gradschool.uky.edu/graduate-school-bulletin 

The Examining committee must consist of at least three qualified faculty members. At  least two members (including the Chair or Co-Chair) must be members of the Graduate  Faculty, and at least one of the two must be a Full member of the Graduate faculty. It is  expected that at least two members of the committee will be from the student’s  program/department. 

Publication Requirements  

MS Option A students must have submitted at least one conference or journal paper.  Students will not be permitted to sit for their Final Examination unless this requirement  has been met. 

Final Examination 

MS Option B students are not required to prepare a thesis. MS Option B students’ final  examination will cover their general knowledge of the mechanical or aerospace  engineering field. The format of the Option B final examination should follow the guidelines found in Appendix C and must be approved in advance by the examination  committee.  

Both MS Option A and MS Option B students must submit the Request for Final Master’s  Degree Examination Form to schedule their final examination. The instructions and form  is located here:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/degree-forms 

The Request for Final Master’s Degree Examination must be submitted to the Graduate  School at least 2 weeks prior to the exam date. A request for Final Exam cannot be  processed until the student’s advisory committee has been formed and approved by the  DGS and the Graduate School via the same link above.  

In order to be eligible for the Final Exam, students must have completed all coursework  prior to the final exam. Students with missing grades or “I” grades on their transcript  are not eligible to sit for the final examination. Students on academic probation are not  eligible to sit for the final examination.  

Final examinations must be conducted no later than 8 days before the last day of classes  for the degree to be awarded at the end of the term. Students are responsible for  checking the University term dates and deadlines and the Graduate School requirements for precise deadlines on final examinations. Final exams are open to the public.  Refreshments in the final examination are strongly discouraged.

Requirements for Students without an MS Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace  Engineering  

• 36 credit hours required for a PhD degree. Residency (ME 767) and research  courses (including ME 790) do not count toward the required credit hours. 
• At least 6 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre approved math course list, where at least 3 credit hours are from courses with  prefixes MA or STA. See Appendix F for further information. 
• At least 18 credit hours at the 600-level or greater (ME 790 is excluded, and only  3 credit hours of ME 780 may be included). 
• At least 18 credit hours from courses with the prefix ME. 
• Students must complete 4 semesters of ME 799 (Graduate Seminar). 

Requirements for Students with an MS Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace  Engineering 

• 18 credit hours required for a PhD degree. Residency and research courses  (including ME 790) do not count toward the required credit hours. 
• At least 3 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre approved math course list. See Appendix F for further information. 
• At least 9 credit hours at the 600-level or greater (ME 790 is excluded, and only  3 credit hours of ME 780 may be included). 
• At least 9 credit hours from courses with the prefix ME. 
• Students must complete 2 semesters of ME 799 (Graduate Seminar).

Requirements for Students with an MS Degree in another discipline  

Up to 18 credit hours may be waived for the PhD degree course degree requirement  upon the approval of student’s advisor, DGS and graduate school. The student’s PhD  committee determines the course requirements with the approval of DGS. 

• The total number of credit hours the student must take for a PhD will be 36  minus the number of credit hours waived by the department. Residency  and research courses (including ME 790) do not count toward the required credit hours.
• Math requirement: 
  • If at least 3 credit hours were waived for a student from an acceptable  math course, the student must take at least an additional 3 credit hours  from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre-approved math course  list.  
  • If no math courses were waived for a student, the student must take at  least 6 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre approved math course list, where at least 3 credit hours are from courses  with prefixes MA or STA. 
• At least 50% of the required credit hours must be at the 600-level or greater (ME  790 is excluded, and only 3 credit hours of ME 780 may be included). 
• At least 50% of the required credit hours must be from courses with the prefix  ME. 
• Students must complete 2 semesters of ME 799 (Graduate Seminar) 
• Independent work, taken as part of ME 780, cannot be included in the required  coursework when the course material is related to the student’s dissertation  topic.  
• Independent course projects (whether taken as ME 780 or ME 790) require a  course syllabus (including outline of topics and grade requirements) provided to  the DGS for approval prior to enrolling. 

Requirements for Students without an MS Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace  Engineering  

• 36 credit hours required for a PhD degree. Residency (AER 767) and research  courses (including AER 790) do not count toward the required credit hours. 
• At least 6 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre approved math course list, where at least 3 credit hours are from courses with  prefixes MA or STA. See Appendix F for further information. 
• At least 18 credit hours at the 600-level or greater (AER 790 is excluded, and  only 3 credit hours of AER 780 may be included). 
• At least 18 credit hours from courses with the prefix AER. 
• Students must complete 4 semesters of AER 799 (Graduate Seminar). 

Requirements for Students with an MS Degree in Mechanical or Aerospace  Engineering 

• 18 credit hours required for a PhD degree. Residency and research courses  (including AER 790) do not count toward the required credit hours.
• At least 3 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre approved math course list. See Appendix F for further information.  
• At least 9 credit hours at the 600-level or greater (AER 790 is excluded, and only  3 credit hours of AER 780 may be included). 
• At least 9 credit hours from courses with the prefix AER. 
• Students must complete 2 semesters of AER 799 (Graduate Seminar).

Requirements for Students with an MS Degree in another discipline  

Up to 18 credit hours may be waived for the PhD degree course degree requirement  upon the approval of student’s advisor, DGS and graduate school. The student’s PhD  committee determines the course requirements with the approval of DGS. 

• The total number of credit hours the student must take for a PhD will be 36  minus the number of credit hours waived by the department. Residency  and research courses (including AER 790) do not count toward the required credit  hours. 
• Math requirement: 
  • If at least 3 credit hours were waived for a student from an acceptable  math course, the student must take at least an additional 3 credit hours  from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre-approved math course  list.  
  • If no math courses were waived for a student, the student must take at  least 6 credit hours from courses with prefixes MA, STA, or from a pre approved math course list, where at least 3 credit hours are from courses  with prefixes MA or STA. 
• At least 50% of the required credit hours must be at the 600-level or greater  (AER 790 is excluded, and only 3 credit hours of AER 780 may be included). 
• At least 50% of the required credit hours must be from courses with the prefix  AER. 
• Students must complete 2 semesters of AER 799 (Graduate Seminar) 
• Independent work, taken as part of AER 780, cannot be included in the required  coursework when the course material is related to the student’s dissertation  topic.  
• Independent course projects (whether taken as AER 780 or AER 790) require a  course syllabus (including outline of topics and grade requirements) provided to  the DGS for approval prior to enrolling. 

Each student’s program is guided by a major professor and an advisory committee  throughout the student’s graduate career. Their functions are to provide continuity of direction and counsel and to instill intellectual stimulation throughout the entire doctoral  program. PhD students are required to select an advisor within the first semester  (or earlier). Students should also with the help of their advisor select their advisory  committee during the second semester and no later than the completion of 18 credit hours  of graduate work. The Advisory Committee provides advice to the student and sets specific  program requirements (within applicable Department, Graduate School, and University  regulations) which the student must satisfy. The Graduate School determines the  regulations concerning the makeup of the advisory committee. The rules for the advisory  committee are found here in the Graduate School Bulletin:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/graduate-school-bulletin 

Students are required to submit their advisory committee for DGS and Graduate School  approval here. This is required before any exams can be scheduled:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/degree-forms 

The Graduate School requires students fulfill residency requirement within the doctoral  program in order to encourage students to experience contact with the academic  community and the intellectual environment that characterizes a university. Students are  required to complete all required credit hours of coursework prior to the PhD Oral Qualifying  examination, and at least one year (2 semesters) of post-qualifying residency (ME 767, AER  767). Please refer to the Graduate School Bulletin for Residency/Post Residency  requirements. An awarded MS degree from the University of Kentucky or another accredited  school may satisfy up to 18 credit hours of the 36 credit hour pre-qualifying requirement.  Such requests should be made by the Faculty advisor to the DGS and then to the Senior  Associate Dean of the Graduate School.

PhD students are required to take and pass the PhD Written Qualification Examination which  constitutes the written portion of the Qualifying Examination required by the Graduate  School. This written exam tests knowledge in specific required undergraduate topic areas,  but exams will be sufficiently difficult to test mastery of these concepts.  

Students have up to 2 seatings during which they must pass one written exam in  mathematics and two additional exams in other topic areas. The two additional topic area  exams must be selected from the seven listed in Appendix D. Seatings will occur twice a  year: during the first full week in February (spring exams) and during the first full week  after the Labor Day holiday (fall exams). Once a student passes an exam on a topic, they do  not need to retake it. No student will be permitted to take exams in more than 2 seatings.  Failure to pass the math exam and two additional exams by the end of the student’s second  seating will result in the student’s dismissal from the MAE doctoral programs. Failure to  complete the Written Qualification Exam within the specified time limit as outlined in  Appendix D will result in the student’s dismissal from the MAE doctoral programs. 

Exams and exam syllabi are prepared by the corresponding qualifying exam topic area  committees; exams are graded by the same topic area committees. Detailed information on  the written qualifying exam procedures can be found in Appendix D.

PhD students are required to take and pass the PhD Oral Qualifying Examination. This  exam inspects the soundness of the students proposed doctoral dissertation research  plan. A prospectus prepared by the student and submitted to the student’s Advisory  Committee is required at least 2 weeks in advance of the exam. Only those who have  passed the written qualifying exam and have satisfied all course requirements may sit  for this exam. The Graduate School provides the regulations for this exam and the link  for scheduling is here:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/degree-forms

PhD students are expected to have submitted at least three (3) papers to archival  journals, with at least one (1) having been accepted before sitting in their final examination.

This exam is the dissertation defense and is mandated by the Graduate School and all  Graduate School regulations regarding this exam must be met. Graduate School  regulations concerning the final exam are included in the Graduate School bulletin here:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/graduate-school-bulletin 

Students planning on taking the PhD final examination are required to notify the  Graduate School a minimum of eight (8) weeks prior to the intended date here:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/degree-forms 

During that eight week period, the Graduate School will appoint an Outside Examiner  from an outside department on campus. Following the appointment of the Outside  Examiner, students may set the final exam date at least two weeks prior to the  examination via the same link:  

http://gradschool.uky.edu/degree-forms 

Students are expected to provide delivery of the complete dissertation to the students  advisor four (4) weeks prior, and to the committee a minimum of two weeks prior. The  Graduate School will send announcements to of the examination to each advisory  committee member and to the PhD candidate.  

The final exam is open to the public and must take place while classes are in official  session. They may not be scheduled between semesters or between the end of Summer  Session II and the beginning of the Fall semester. Students may not sit for the final  exam until all remaining “I” grades in credit bearing courses have been assigned letter  grades. PhD students must be enrolled to sit for the exam. 

The Graduate Student Coordinator, working with the DGS and the Graduate School, will  provide the Final Exam card prior to the beginning of the Final Examination. If the  examination card has not been received, the Committee Chair or DGS must call the  Associate Dean of the Graduate School to determine whether the examination may  proceed.  

The Final Examination may not begin until all voting members of the Advisory  Committee are present. The names of the voting members will be on the Final  Examination card; names of non-voting members will not be on the card. All committee  members must be present for the entire examination process. If a Committee member  is in contact via electronic means, such as pre-approved telephone or interactive video  (ITV) conference, and the connection is lost, the examination proves must stop until  the connection is reestablished.  

The Final Examination may be cancelled at any time prior to its official start for  substantive reasons with no permanent consequences for the student. The student has  not failed the examination in this case because the exam had never begun. Substantive  reasons for an exam cancellation can include a missing advisory committee member, a  sudden difficulty in the candidate’s personal life that may affect examination  preparation and/or performance, or a late opinion on the part of the one or more  committee members that the dissertation is not ready to defend. In such cases, the  committee should discuss the issues at hand and reach a decision on whether to hold  the examination. The candidate also has the right to cancel the Final Examination prior to its start. If the examination is cancelled, it must be formally rescheduled with the  Graduate School with a minimum 2 week interval.  

The Final Examination must be completed once it has begun. The committee vote must  be recorded on the Examination card, and scores entered on the score sheets, with the  signatures of all voting members. There are only two possible outcomes: Pass or Fail,  and these outcomes must be consistent with the score appearing on the score sheet for  each voting member. The Examination may not be suspended to permit the candidate  to correct deficiencies. The only suspensions that are permitted are short breaks to  allow the candidate or committee to refresh themselves. No refreshments beyond  bottled water will be permitted in the exam without pre-approval by the DGS.

The final copy of the dissertation is prepared and submitted to the Graduate School after  the Final Examination is passed and all committee requirements have been met.  Instructions for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations on the Graduate School  website provides the requirements for dissertation preparation and submittal: 

http://gradschool.uky.edu/thesis-dissertation-preparation 

The dissertation must be received by the Graduate School within 60 days of the Final  Examination. The candidate must be re-examined if this deadline is not met. The  dissertation must be accepted by the Graduate School by the last class day of the  semester in which the candidate will graduate.  

PhD candidates must fill out and submit an ETD form for their dissertation. Please follow  the guidelines and find the form here:

http://gradschool.uky.edu/sites/gradschool.uky.edu/files/Forms/StudentForms/ETDAppro valForm_0.pdf

Harper Industries Achievement Fellowships are available to offset some of the first year  tuition for new University Scholars in the MAE graduate programs. The award is  $1,500.00 for one year, depending on the availability of the funds.  

All students who apply to the University Scholars Program in the Mechanical and  Aerospace Engineering Department at UK are eligible for consideration. Candidates must  have an undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.

The Harper Industries Fellowship provides up to $18,000 for 12 months to an outstanding  student applying to the UK MAE Graduate programs (PhD or MS Option A), depending on  the availability of funds. This fellowship does allow the student to obtain teaching  experience if they so desire. Any new student who has applied to the Graduate program  in the UK MAE Department may be nominated. Candidates must have an undergraduate  cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher. Likewise, candidates must have a GPA of 3.5 or higher  for any graduate work.  

Candidates for the Harper Industries Graduate Fellowship are self-nominated. Eligible  students must submit a letter of self-nomination to the DGS. Nomination letters,  graduate application, and other supporting documents must be received by the March 1st deadline. Nomination letters should include a resume and cover letter that lists special  qualifications (e.g., previous scholarships, honors and awards, service, or volunteer  activities, publications). 

Students interesting in applying for a TVA Fellowship should contact either the Director  of Graduate Studies.

Teaching Assistants provide support to professors in charge of teaching Mechanical and  Aerospace Engineering courses. Their duties may include, but are not limited to:  holding office hours, correcting and grading homework, exams, or reports, conducting  recitation sessions, helping with laboratory experiments or equipment setup, or  devoting 10 hours (part time TA) or 20 hours (full TA) for their major professor.  

TA appointments are made on either a semester or yearly basis. Reappointment  depends upon satisfactory performance in teaching responsibilities, academic  achievement involving coursework and research, and departmental activities (seminar  attendance). Evaluations are performed at the end of each semester when considering  the continuation of assistantship appointments.  

International students must pass the Language Screening examination coordinated by  the Graduate School to be eligible for a TA appointment, and all new TAs, both  domestic and international MAE graduate students, must attend TA departmental and  Graduate School orientations. 

The appointment period for a TA is typically one semester, and renewals are considered  by the DGS each semester based on availability, performance, and available  department funds.  

Stipends for a TA is $800 biweekly.

Research Assistants are responsible for conducting research under the supervision of  their faculty advisor. Their duties may include but are not limited to conducting  experiments, designing and fabricating experimental equipment, computer modeling of  engineering/physical processes, writing proposals, progress reports, conferences,  and/or journal publications. RA appointments are normally for a period of one year.  However, the length may vary depending on availability of outside research funding and  performance of the RA. 

Stipends for an RA ranges from $800 and $1100 biweekly based on experience. 

The rates are based on a full time RA appointment which requires 20 hours per week  devoted to research-related services. Half-time RAs devote 10 hours per week and are  paid half of the stipends of full-time RAs.

All Graduate Assistants shall maintain satisfactory academic records and progress  toward their degrees; assistantships cannot be renewed if academic progress is  unsatisfactory, e.g., scholastic probation, or failure to complete required examinations  within the specified time.  

Appointments cannot be renewed beyond the end of the academic term during which all  degree requirements will be satisfied. Appointments are not renewed if the assistant’s  overall service to the department and University is unsatisfactory. Appointments will  not be renewed if funding is unavailable.  

Teaching and research assistants are not required to work during the following official  University holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day,  Independence Day, Labor Day, Presidential Election Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after  Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Bonus Holidays (Dec. 24th-Jan. 2). However, since  TAs and RAs are classified as temporary employees of the University, they are not  eligible to receive vacation days and sick leave with pay. Students are expected to  devote full-time work to their research projects between semesters, except for the one  week holiday period after Christmas Day.

Any graduate of an ABET accredited Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program may  enter the ME graduate program directly, provided GPA and GRE admission requirements  have been met. However, some graduate courses require knowledge of certain ME  undergraduate work as prerequisites. The DGS may determine whether one or more of  these prerequisites must be taken if they were not part of the students undergraduate ME  program.  

Students with a bachelor’s degree in certain fields may be required to take specific  undergraduate ME courses to attain required prerequisites in their chosen field of study.  Some typical examples are:  

• an engineering major other than Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering, or
• a non-engineering major, such as mathematics, physics, or chemistry. 

Such students must have completed the equivalent of, or must complete with a grade of B  or better within the first year of UK graduate study, one or more of the following courses: 

• ME 321, Thermodynamics II 
• ME 325, Elements of Heat Transfer 
• ME 330, Fluid Mechanics 
• ME 344, Mechanical Design 
• ME 440, Design of Control Systems 

Students lacking the prerequisites for any of these courses which pertain to their graduate  field of study will be given one additional semester to meet the above requirements. 

The Final Examination will be conducted by an examination committee comprised of at least  three (3) MAE faculty members. The chair of this committee must be appointed by the  students first semester, and in accordance with deadlines set forth by the graduate school.  It is the student’s responsibility to obtain the Examination Committee appointment form and  to ask appropriate faculty members to serve on the committee. Unless modified by the  Examination Committee, the following guidelines will be used during the examination:  

There will be two (2) distinct portions of the Final Examination:  

1. Student presentation of a project with faculty questions regarding the project;  and 
2. Faculty questions on subject matter covered during the students MS coursework. 

In order to pass the MS Option B Final exam, students must satisfactorily answer questions  in BOTH of these areas. The Student Project must be selected in consultation with the  Examination Committee and approved, in advance of the examination, by the Examination  Committee chair. The detailed format of the final examination is at the discretion of the  Final Examination Committee and must be in accordance with Graduate School  requirements. However, unless modified by the Examination Committee the following  guidelines are suggested: 

• The Student project presentation should take no more than 30-45 minutes. 
• Since Option B student conduct no formal research project, the project presentation may  be based on an independent self-study project. The primary emphasis of the project  presentation is to assess the student’s communication skills, not the originality or  complexity of the project itself.  
• The first slide of the presentation (before the title slide) should give the students name &  list all courses taken in pursuit of the Option B MS degree (including the semester in which  each course was taken.)  
• The student should bring hard copies of the presentation for each of the committee  members.  
• Questions on coursework should be concept oriented without involved calculations or  lengthy derivations.

PhD students are to be assessed annually. The following assessment is for the current year only. This checklist must be  updated once per year by each PhD student and approved by the students advisory committee at the student’s Annual  Review. The student’s Oral Qualifying exam and PhD Defense should serve as annual review meetings. The student will also provide a two to four page word processed description summarizing progress during the preceding year. In addition, PhD students will be required to give a yearly presentation after their Quals, but the qualifier and defense can  count as presentations for the years in which they occur.