Why MEng?
The program offers three distinct features to position graduates for higher-level positions and more influence in your organization:
- A cross-disciplinary cohort that covers a core curriculum in engineering leadership.
- The completion of a hands-on capstone project with industry relevance and tangible impact supported by project management, teaming and coaching.
- The benefits of tailored career advising focused on professional development and career placement.
In a 5th-year master’s, you continue to take engineering coursework, but you do not have access to the leadership coursework, integrative capstone experience, or specialized career development services.
The Berkeley MEng is a 2-semester program with 450-600 students that develops leadership and professional skills in engineers. The program allows students to select a technical focus from over 35 concentrations in the College of Engineering, including a Product Design concentration in the Mechanical Engineering department which is focused on design methodologies. The MDes is a 3-semester, interdisciplinary design and innovation program with between 30-45 students per year, offered through both the College of Engineering and College of Environmental Design. Both are professional degree programs for students targeting a career in industry, entrepreneurship, nonprofit or other non-academic positions.
Compare the Berkeley MEng to other UC Berkeley College of Engineering professional degree programs.
IEOR’s Master of Engineering program focuses on engineering leadership. The Master of Analytics program shares core analytical methods courses with the Master of Engineering program, but it offers elective decision analytics courses with industry context in place of the Master of Engineering leadership courses as well as an Analytics Lab – a project oriented course for building analytics solutions from ground up
Whereas Master of Engineering students start the program with a pre-semester boot camp on leadership, Master of Analytics program starts with a 50-hour Python programming language bootcamp.
The Master of Analytics program includes a summer internship to help students with career placement instead of the two-semester Master of Engineering capstone project.
Both programs have a quantitative curriculum, however, the Master of Engineering program may be a better fit for those more interested in developing their leadership skills along with quantitative interests, while the Master of Analytics program may be a better option for those students with more data and quantitative interests along with industry context.
Compare the Berkeley MEng to other UC Berkeley College of Engineering professional degree programs.
The MEng program welcomes experienced professionals who are interested in pursuing their graduate degree at UC Berkeley to stregthen their leadership and technical skillsets. In the selection process, we will be looking for a balance of these two skillsets.
MEng Application
We accept applications once per year for a fall semester program start. The Berkeley MEng application opens in September and is due in early January. Most admitted students will be notified by early April.
Follow your department’s instructions for submitting your letters of recommendation, GRE (not required for BioE, CEE, EECS, ME, MSE, NE and required for IEOR.) and TOEFL/IELTS (for applicants who receive their degree from outside the United States) scores and other supplemental materials. Annual application deadlines are listed here.
MBA/MEng is the only concurrent degree offered for MEng students at UC Berkeley. However, we do have partnerships with two universities where students can build the MEng program into their other degrees:
- ESSEC Business School (France) – A partnership with the MEng program for ESSEC students who are interested in engineering, business, and/or leadership
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain) – A partnership with the MEng program for UPM Madrid students who are interested in engineering, business, and/or leadership
Admissions
Work experience is not required and many students pursuing their MEng degree are recent college graduates and early-career technical professionals.
We strongly encourage Berkeley Engineering undergraduates and alumni to apply given their strong preparatory coursework, although we do not have an official policy giving them preference for admission. We do offer a application waiver for UC Berkeley students and alumni
See: Berkeley MEng application fee waiver for UC Berkeley undergrads and alumni
Upon completion of program requirements, students receive the Master of Engineering (MEng) degree in their chosen technical department; i.e., Civil & Environmental Engineering, Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences, Industrial Engineering & Operations Research, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or Nuclear Engineering. The MEng degree is a STEM degree.
We also offer optional Tech+PLUS certificates to acknowledge additional technical coursework in addition to a student’s technical concentration.
MEng Program
| Class of 2024 Profile for Berkeley MEng Program |
|---|
| Class Size: 448 |
| Average age: 24 |
| 68% International by passport |
| 30% Female-identifying; 69% Male-identifying; 1% Other or declined to answer |
| Cohort by Department: Bioengineering: 57 Civil & Environmental Engineering: 18 Electrical Engineering & Computer Sciences: 72 Industrial Engineering & Operations Research: 88 Materials Science & Engineering: 35 Mechanical Engineering: 158 Nuclear Engineering: 22 |
| Academics |
|---|
| 210 undergraduate schools are represented in the Class of 2024 with a sample of majors including: Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, and Chemical Engineering. The top five undergraduate universities are: Centrale Supélec, University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Davis, University of California, San Diego, and University of Toronto |
| 40 countries and regions are represented. Most predominant are Canada, China, France, India, Taiwan, and United States |
Capstone
The Berkeley MEng capstone experience is unique based on the department and/or concentration. For more information, please visit the capstone selection process.
There are a variety of different project configurations. To learn more about the different examples, please visit the capstone project format.
Our students have worked on a range of project topics – with NASA to build actuators for flexible robots, General Motors (GM) to quantify environmental benefits of autonomous vehicles, and United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to translate patenting behavior into actionable business insights.
To see projects that will be offered in the upcoming academic year, please review our Capstone Projects Preview 2022-23 list.
To see the variety of projects and partners we have had in the past, please review our Project Profiles page.
Career
The Berkeley MEng has a dedicated team to assist you in during your career search: Director of Career Development and Alumni Relations, Julie McShane, Assistant Director of Career Development, Dione Rivera, and Career Services Specialist, Alicia Mandac.
You can expect to participate in targeted workshops, individual career coaching, resume/cover letter consultations, job search planning & strategy, interview assistance, and networking opportunities. You will also have access to industry partners, UC Berkeley Career Center job fairs and workshops,employer information sessions, and alumni networks. Please read about career services/resources for more information.
Find out where our students are employed in this comprehensive MEng Employment Report!
In addition to the Berkeley MEng career development services, the UC Berkeley Career Center has an extensive on-campus recruiting program and numerous programs and workshops for engineering students. Both MEng Career Development and the UC Berkeley Career Center have special programs such as how to approach the job market, resume preparation, how to interview, along with providing opportunities to meet employers. Lastly, you will be with a community of engineering leaders from different industries who will be your instant professional network as well as possible mentors, guiding you in your career journey.
In high-tech settings, the program facilitates a career path leading to positions such as technology manager, director of R&D, director of engineering, vice president of engineering and so forth. Virtually all companies and organizations in today’s global economy rely heavily on technology. This program prepares graduates to play a key strategic role in influencing how technology can be managed to advance business objectives. Take a look at the employment trends for our graduates: This report summarizes postgraduate activities for our graduate students from the Class of 2021.
The Fung Institute Industry Partnership Program fosters meaningful industry collaboration as we train the next generation of technical innovators and leaders. Across the program’s three dimensions–leadership coursework, technical concentration and capstone project–plus career development workshops, you’ll have regular contact with industry leaders and organizations. Guest lecturers will describe what they’ve learned from their successes and failures. Industry partners will help you apply your technical knowledge to real-world challenges and opportunities. We offer a one unit elective Engineering Leadership Speaker Series; view the videos on YouTube. We also have a large and active alumni network that offers mentorship, recruiting opportunities, and industry expertise through career programming.
Every MEng cohort benefits from tailored career development advising and programming through the Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership Career Development Team. These services emphasize professional development and career search support. Both the Master of Engineering Career Development Team and the Cal Career Center have special programs such as how to approach the job market, resume preparation, how to interview, along with providing opportunities to meet employers.
Yes! MEng program graduates are eligible for 12-month Optional Practical Training (OPT) work authorization, with the 24-month STEM extension under current guidelines. For more information, please consult the Berkeley International Office OPT Information.
Financial Aid
Students must enroll in a minimum 6 units per semester to be eligible for financial aid, including federal loans. Part-time MEng program students should be prepared to cover the entire cost of the program through employer support, savings, and loans. Scholarships or grants are not widely available for part-time MEng students.
Student Loans
Federal financial aid, in the form of loans, is available for graduate students who are either US citizens or permanent residents taking six or more units per semester. To apply, file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is also used to determine eligibility for need-based fellowships and departmental funding. UC Berkeley’s institution code for the FAFSA is 001312. You can and should apply for aid before you are admitted to Berkeley.
UC Berkeley participates in the Federal Direct Loan Program, a federally funded, non-credit-based loan program for US citizens and permanent residents. Up to $20,500 may be borrowed annually through a combination of subsidized and unsubsidized loan funds. Students wanting to borrow more than $20,500 can also use the Federal Grad PLUS Loan.
Employer Support
The majority of our part-time students receive some form of employer support to help with tuition and scheduling.
The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) website provides extensive details on the education benefits available to veterans in various statuses, such as vocational/rehabilitation, the Post 9/11 GI Bill, and active duty. Check out the VA’s Benefits Calculator to learn more details about the amounts available to you. Please also check out the BAH Calculator to get an idea of what your housing allowance might be.
Veterans Yellow Ribbon Program
The Berkeley MEng program participates in the VA’s Yellow Ribbon Program (YRP). Students who believe they qualify for 100% of the Post 9/11 GI Bill benefits (also known as Chapter 33) can be considered. The Yellow Ribbon Program provides funding for any gap in tuition and fees not already covered by the VA or other fee-specific award. To be considered for YRP funding, please follow the application instructions on the YRP website. For more information contact the UC Berkeley Veteran’s Benefits unit in the Office of the Registrar.