Admission - MSME

Application Deadline

Application Period for Spring 2027 admission: classes begin on January 25, 2027. 

• International students: July 1, 2026 - August 31, 2026.
• Domestic students: July 1, 2026 - October 31st, 2026.

Application Period for Fall 2027 admission: classes begin on August 23, 2027. 

• International students: August 1, 2026 - February 15, 2027.
• Domestic students: August 1, 2026 - May 31, 2027.

Visit Admissions and Recruitment for university admissions details.

Application Process

The application process is centralized at the university and requires two steps as described below:

1. Apply Online at Cal State Apply
   • As of Fall 2021 students are required to upload unofficial academic transcripts as part of the Cal State Apply application.
   • Submit the required official transcripts within three weeks of University application submission.   Please note: If you are a current (or former) Cal State LA student, your Cal State LA transcript does not need to be submitted to the Admission Office.
2. Submit official academic records/transcripts to the Admissions Office within two weeks of university application submission.

• If you have studied at an institution outside of the US, you will need to have your foreign academic work evaluated by the International Education Research Foundation (IERF) or World Education Services (WES) for securing admission into the program
  • IERF - Visit https://apply.ierf.org/ to create an online application requesting the "Detailed Report". The foreign evaluation fee is $165 (USD). When submitting your course work to IERF please make sure to indicate that you were referred by "CSU Los Angeles-Graduate Admissions" and that you would like to have the official agency copy of the evaluation report sent directly to CSU Los Angeles-Graduate Admissions.
  • WES - Visit http://www.wes.org/fees/evaltypes.asp to create an online application. You will need to order the course-by-course evaluation report. The cost is $205 for the WES ICAP.
  • For steps on how to submit your foreign academic records to these agencies, visit the Admissions and Recruitment page on IERF/WES.

Application FAQs

1. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) score is NOT required (for the Mechanical Engineering Program). However, GRE score can be considered in the admission process and can also exempt graduate students from the Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) UNIV 4000 if they have a score of 4 on the analytic writing portion of the GRE or GMAT. (For more information, please visit the following website: WPE)
2. Letters of Recommendation are NOT required (except upon department request for certain circumstances).
3. Applicants must possess a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related field with a GPA of 3.0 or better. A promising applicant with a GPA between 2.5 and 2.99 may be admitted as a special action student. Prerequisite courses may be required for students with a non-Mechanical Engineering bachelor's degree, for students from non-ABET accredited Mechanical Engineering programs, or for special action students.
4. If you do not possess a Bachelor's (or advanced) degree from a postsecondary college/university where English is the only language of instruction, you will need to submit official TOEFL, DET, IELTS, or PTE test scores to the Cal State LA Admissions Office. Be aware that scores are only valid for two years from the exam date. For further information, please visit the following website: /admissions/english-language-proficiency
5. There may be teaching and research assistantships offered through the Department of Mechanical Engineering.  Inquiries can be sent to [email protected].
6. Refer to the Center for Financial Aid for financial assistance available from federal, state and institutional sources at Cal State LA.
7. Go to the University's Graduate Application and Admission page for more detailed information about the university graduate admission.

Blended BS/MS

The Blended BS/MS program in Mechanical Engineering provides an accelerated route for academically excellent upper-division students in the BS program to complete the MS while simultaneously fulfilling the BS requirements.

Program Features

•             Simplified application process

•             BS and MS coursework can be taken concurrently

•             9 double-counted units between BS and MS programs

Admission to the Blended BS/MS Program

The eligibility requirements for admission to the Blended BS/MS program are:

•             Students must have completed a minimum of 90 semester units of coursework.

•             Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the last 60 semester units.

•             Students must have completed the foundational ME required courses (CE 2010/ME 2010, CE 2050/ME 2050, ME 2070, ME 3030, ME 3200, and ME 3260) in the BS degree program with a minimum average GPA of 3.0. 

Admission Application

To apply to the Blended BS/MS program, please meet with the Department Chair during weeks three to seven of the semester prior to the term in which you intend to enter the Blended BS/MS program. Please submit your GS-15 form and transcripts during that meeting, and the chair will provide you with the necessary application materials and timeline for evaluating your application. 

Degree Requirements

•             Successful completion of all requirements for the BS (122 units) and the MS (31 units) degrees with an overlap of 9 units.

•             A minimum 2.0 GPA for courses counting towards the bachelor’s degree and a minimum 3.0 GPA required for courses counting towards the master’s degree.