Cornell University Registrar

Program Description

The one-year M.Eng. degree program provides future professional geoscientists or engineers with the geoscience and engineering background they will need to analyze and solve engineering problems that involve Earth System variables and concepts. Individual programs are developed within several established options: Remote Sensing, Subsurface Resources and Energy Systems, Applied and Environmental Geophysics and Atmospheric Science.

Program Information

• Program Mode of Delivery: In Person

• Program Location: Ithaca, NY
• Minimum Credits for Degree: 30

Program Requirements

The Earth Science and Engineering M.Eng. program is intended to extend and broaden your background and to develop competence in a defined number of subject categories. Students typically take about 4 courses a semester, with the remaining credit hours involving their research project.

1. The curriculum must include a minimum of 30 credit hours in technical coursework at the 5000 level or higher. No more than two credits may be graded on an S/U basis. At least 21 of the credits must be from Cornell.
2. Students must take at least 15 credit hours from engineering programs outside of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EAS). The students may petition to take less than 15 engineering credits outside of EAS, but 10 credits must be taken from engineering programs outside of EAS to satisfy the design requirement of the M.Eng. program. The petition requests are assessed by the M.Eng. Director.
3. It is required to take a minimum of six credit hours of EAS 5000, which is a project design class offered by the student’s M.Eng. advisor. Work done under EAS 5000 must furthermore involve a distinct design component. The topic of the M.Eng. project is at the discretion of the M.Eng. advisor, but it is often discussed between the student and the advisor before the student starts their degree.
4. A minimum of 12 credit hours must be taken from the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, including coursework, M.Eng. project, ad seminar classes.

Additional rules apply, and students are encouraged to meet with the M.Eng. director to review them.

Example relevant courses

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Elective Courses
AEP 5100	Introductory Mathematical Physics	4
BEE 5270	Water Measurement and Analysis Methods	3
BEE 6310	Environmental Statistics and Learning	4
CEE 5795	Sensors for the Built and Natural Environments	3
CEE 6000	Numerical Methods for Engineers	3
CEE 6755	Finite Element Method: Theory and Applications in Mechanics and Multiphysics	3
CHEME 6440	Colloids and Aerosols	3
CHEME 6780	Global Food, Energy, and Water Nexus – Engage the US, China, and India for Sustainable Future	3-4
EAS 5010	Fundamentals of Energy and Mineral Resources	3
EAS 5051	Climate Dynamics	3
EAS 5720	Fundamentals of Glaciology	3
EAS 5850	Global Geophysics	3
EAS 5870	Introduction to Radar Remote Sensing	3
EAS 6370	Field Geophysics	3
EAS 6540	Ocean Satellite Remote Sensing	3
EAS 6710	Introduction to Groundwater	3
EAS 6800	Atmospheric Chemistry: From Air Pollution to Global Change	3
EAS 6820	Seismology	3
EAS 6920	Special Topics in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences	1-6
MAE 5010	Future Energy Systems	3
MAE 5230	Intermediate Fluid Dynamics with CFD	4
MSE 5810	Materials Chemistry	3

University Graduation Requirements

Requirements for All Students

In order to receive a Cornell degree, a student must satisfy academic and non-academic requirements.

Academic Requirements

A student’s college determines degree requirements such as residency, number of credits, distribution of credits, and grade averages. It is the student’s responsibility to be aware of the specific major, degree, distribution, college, and graduation requirements for completing their chosen program of study. See the individual requirements listed by each college or school or contact the college registrar’s office for more information.

Non-academic Requirements

Conduct Matters. Students must satisfy any outstanding sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed or agreed to under the Student Code of Conduct (Code) or Policy 6.4. Where a formal complaint under the Code or Policy 6.4 is pending, the University will withhold awarding a degree otherwise earned until the adjudication process set forth in those procedures is complete, including the satisfaction of any sanctions, penalties or remedies imposed.

Financial Obligations. Outstanding financial obligations will not impact the awarding of a degree otherwise earned or a student’s ability to access their official transcript. However, the University may withhold issuing a diploma until any outstanding financial obligations owing to the University are satisfied.

Graduation Requirements for Master of Engineering Degree (M.Eng.) Programs

Requirements

The following are general requirements for graduation that apply to all Master of Engineering degrees offered on the Ithaca campus. The individual program pages provide additional information about discipline-specific requirements.

Credits and Residency Units

• Satisfactory completion of 30 technical credits, of which:
  • At least 21 credits must be earned at Cornell. (Some M.Eng. programs allow up to 9 transfer credits of letter-graded coursework completed outside of Cornell to be applied to the M.Eng. degree.)
  • At least 12 credit hours must be in coursework from the home M.Eng. program (as determined by the program).
  • A maximum of two credit hours graded on an S/U basis may be included.
• The credit hours of any course in which a student receives a grade below C- will not count toward the Master of Engineering degree.
• Students must maintain a course load of at least 12 credit-bearing hours¹ each semester.
• Students may not enroll in more than 20 credit-bearing hours per semester.
• Students must complete two full-time residency units¹ (semesters) as registered M.Eng. students. Winter and summer sessions do not count as residency units.

¹

Course load and residency unit exceptions apply for Distance Learning program students, employee degree program students, and Industrial Partnership Program students. The residency unit requirement is one full-time registered semester for Early Admit M.Eng. students and certain Cornell MPS/MS/PhD student transfers.

Courses

• Only program-approved courses at the 5000 level and above may count toward the M.Eng. degree.
• Courses covering subject matter previously taken at Cornell may not be repeated for credit.
• Satisfactory completion of an engineering design project bearing 3 or more credit hours and including a formal written report.

Other Requirements

• A grade-point average of 2.50 or above is required across all Cornell courses which count for credit towards the M.Eng. degree.
• Students must complete all degree requirements within four calendar years of their first enrollment in the M.Eng. program (six years for distance learning students), inclusive of any leaves of absence.
• Students must complete the M.Eng. Exit Survey prior to graduation.

Learning Outcomes

• Highly individualized program tailored to each student’s needs, depending on their backgrounds
• Acquisition of core knowledge in one of Remote Sensing, Subsurface Resources and Energy Systems, Applied and Environmental Geophysics and Atmospheric Science
• Communication skills demonstrated via a written project
• Develop professional experience and network

Admissions

Application Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadlines

Fall start, May 17; Spring start, October 15

Requirements Summary

• All Graduate School Requirements, including the English Language Proficiency Requirement
• Three letters of recommendation
• Academic Statement of Purpose
• Personal Statement
• Resume or CV

Admissions Contact Information

Email:easgradprograms@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-8737
Website: https://www.duffield.cornell.edu/eas/meng/