Students seeking regular admission to the NMSU Graduate School must hold an undergraduate or advanced degree from an accredited institution with an overall grade point average of 3.0. Students with other equivalent backgrounds may be admitted if they meet the prerequisites stated below. Formal application is required of all prospective domestic students, including graduates of New Mexico State University, who seek admission to the Graduate School. The application is included in the Admission Packet. Directions are provided for completing the application online or by mail. There are three sections to the packet: an application form, transcript request forms and application checklist. The application form can be filled out on-line, however no action on the application will be taken until all required paperwork is complete. Follow the step-by-step instructions on completing and mailing the application paperwork found on the checklist form. It takes up to 2-3 months for the admission process to complete.

The application form is also available in the Graduate School Catalog, as an insert in the View book, from the Graduate School Web page, or from the front desk personnel at the Graduate School of New Mexico State University. After receiving a completed application and an official transcript from each college at which the student was previously enrolled, the Graduate School will forward application materials and transcripts to the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department for review. The student will be notified regarding his or her acceptance by the Graduate School.

No material is to be forwarded to the department for review until the Graduate School has received all required application materials.

Admission to the Graduate School is no guarantee that the student will ultimately be accepted as a doctoral candidate, as that depends on the applicant’s meeting the individual requirements of the degree-granting department as well as the requirements of the Graduate School. In addition, doctoral candidates are not fully admitted until they have passed the qualifying examination and have satisfied all departmental qualifications.

Prospective students should review the Admission section of the Graduate Catalog.

Domestic Applicants

Applicants should submit the application form, the nonrefundable $30 application fee, and official transcripts to the Graduate School. Applicants should also contact the department to which they are applying to request any additional application materials required by the department. No student will be officially admitted into a graduate program at NMSU until the Graduate School has issued a Certificate for Registration. Although the Graduate School considers this certificate valid for a period of one year, departments may require a student to reapply if not enrolled in the semester noted in the certificate.

International Applicants

International students must apply through International Programs by completing the International Application for Admission form (available through the Admission Packet) and paying the nonrefundable application fee of $50. Request information from International Programs, MSC 3567, New Mexico State University, P O Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001, (575) 646-2855, or email isss@nmsu.edu to request an application packet. To be considered for admission to New Mexico State University, all international students must submit an official score of 550 or above on the paper-based, or 79 on the internet-based, Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) except as described below. Only scores from exams taken within the previous two years and reported directly from the Educational Testing Service to New Mexico State University will be accepted. The TOEFL requirements may be waived for students who hold a degree from an accredited university in the United States or from a country on a list maintained by the Graduate School. The TOEFL requirement may also be waived for students who have a current and official IELTS score of 6.5 or above.

Potential applicants wishing to improve their English proficiency are directed to NMSU’s Intensive English Programs. International Programs can provide information about these resources.

The MAE Department admission requirements listed below supplement the Graduate School requirements. Please note: only minimum requirements are listed here for reference purpose. Meeting the minimum requirements does NOT guarantee admission.

All students applying for admission to the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program must take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE). Only scores from exams taken within the previous two years and reported directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to New Mexico State University will be accepted. The suggested GRE score for students applying for graduate program is: Verbal + Quantitative > 294 (new scale) or > 1000 (old scale). The department graduate screening committee will not review application materials with GRE scores reported. The test scores need to send directly to the Graduate School.