1. What is the Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program (CGEP)?
CGEP is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s statewide, distance education program in graduate engineering. UVA, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion University, and George Mason University participate in the program, offering a set of non-research masters degrees to students in Virginia and beyond.

2. What UVA departments offer degrees through CGEP?
UVA currently offers six Masters of Engineering degrees through CGEP in:
Chemical Engineering,
Civil Engineering,
Electrical Engineering,
Materials Science and Engineering,
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, and
Systems & Information Engineering.
In addition to the degrees offered by UVA, the other CGEP schools offer a set of degrees through the program. The list of degrees offered by UVA and other participating CGEP schools can be found at: http://www.cgep.virginia.gov/degrees.

3. How many courses do I need to take to earn my UVA Masters of Engineering degree? What are the course requirements?
A student must complete 10 graduate courses to earn a UVA Masters of Engineering degree in any of the six degree offering department. Systems Engineering requires one additional 2-credit supervised research project course (thus, 32 credits rather than 30 total credits). No research thesis is required for the Masters of Engineering degree. To understand the particular course requirements for any one of the UVA degree programs, students should consult with the appropriate departmental advisor for distance education. Prior to taking courses towards a degree, students are encouraged to apply for admission and discuss academic plans and intentions with the appropriate advisor.  Development of an approved Plan of Study will help to ensure that as many courses as possible, including transfer credits, are counted towards a student’s degree.

4. What courses can I take for my distance education Masters of Engineering degree from UVA? Can I take courses at schools other than UVA and count those courses towards my UVA degree?
For your UVA CGEP Masters of Engineering degree, you can take courses offered by UVA and the other CGEP schools. The distance education courses to be offered by all CGEP schools can be found at: http://cgep.virginia.gov (Go to “Course Schedule ” or “Browse Courses” ). At least half of one’s coursework must come from UVA. Thus there is a limit of non-UVA allowable courses.

5. How does UVA make its courses available to students in the distance environment?
UVA courses are taught in an online, synchronous (real time) or asynchronous (recordings) environment, depending on the course, using Blackboard Collaborate. Students may access the courses from their own computer, using a reliable Internet connection and a set of headphones with a microphone for communication with the instructor and classmates. Class sessions are also recorded and available to students for later viewing or reviewing.

6. What are the pre-requisites for getting into the program (e.g., types of undergrad degrees acceptable, required undergraduate courses, etc.)? Is there a provisional status for an applicant who may not meet all of the admission requirements?
The overall UVA Engineering School graduate admission requirements can be found at the following web address: http://www.seas.virginia.edu/admissions/graduate.php. In addition to these specific requirements, students entering the degree program of a particular discipline should consult with the departmental advisor. Once a student is accepted into a UVA distance education graduate engineering degree program, the department advisor and the student will work together to determine appropriate coursework to count towards the degree. The planned coursework for the degree is one’s Plan of Study. Proper prerequisite preparation is important to academic success. Students may be encouraged to consider additional academic preparation before enrolling in certain classes. The UVA engineering school admissions team will review the full application of each prospective student. When a portion of a student’s record is below the normal admissions requirements, the student is strongly encouraged to include an explanation describing why his or her application should be considered and share any special circumstances. Alternatively, a student may take a class or two as a non-degree seeking student and apply to the degree after achieving success in the class(es).

7. How do I make an application to the UVA online ME degree programs?
A specific list of materials and documents required for an application to the UVA distance education Masters of Engineering program can be found at the following address: http://cgep.virginia.edu/requirements/.

8. Can an applicant enroll as a non-degree student in the UVA distance education graduate engineering program? If so, how many courses can be taken prior to making an official degree application?

Yes. An applicant can enroll as a non-degree student. The procedure for enrolling is found at the following web address: http://www.cgep.virginia.edu/how-to-apply/
If a student knows that he or she plans to enroll in a degree program, an official degree application is strongly encouraged no later than the end of the first semester of classes. It is possible for a student to continue beyond the first semester of coursework as a non-degree student before making a degree program application. However, such a plan of action will not initiate student advising by a UVA faculty member. As a result, a student could find at a later date that one or more courses taken as a non-degree student may not be accepted into an approved Plan of Study towards the desired UVA degree.

9. What is UVA’s GRE policy and timeline (i.e., When does one have to take the test.)? How will the GRE scores be used in the decision process?
For applicants to UVA’s distance education graduate engineering program, the General GRE must be taken before a student can be accepted. Students are allowed to start their coursework and degree program application at the same time. For example, a student can begin to take a course in August while simultaneously completing the degree application. In this example, taking the GRE’s in October is completely acceptable. There is no specific rule about how GRE scores will factor into a degree program application process. UVA engineering recruits students with strong academic records. GRE scores are only one way of measuring academic potential. Students are encouraged to do their best when taking the GREs.

10. Who are the UVA points of contact for engineering distance education administrative and advising questions?
Jennifer Mauller, Administrative Lead and Academic Programs Manager
Office of Educational Innovation
UVA School of Engineering & Applied Science
85 Engineer’s Way – Rice Hall 015
P.O. Box 400235
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4235
Ph: 434-924-4051
Fx: 434-924-4086
Em: jab3z@virginia.edu

OR –

Will Guilford, Director of Educational Innovation
UVA School of Engineering & Applied Science
85 Engineer’s Way
P.O. Box 400235
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4235
Ph: 434-924-4051
Fx: 434-924-4086
Em: whg2n@virginia.edu

For advising in a particular discipline, please contact the UVA faculty member listed on the following web page: http://www.cgep.virginia.edu/advisor.html

11. What is the effect on a student’s admission status if he or she has to miss one or more semesters due to a work or personal situation?
None. A student will not be dismissed from the UVA distance education program for missing one or more semesters due to extenuating circumstances or for any reason. Notice of a student’s absence is helpful, however, to prevent system updates that may make it harder to return.  The university requires that graduate degrees be completed within seven years, from first class through completion (graduation). Thus, students are encouraged to continue timely progress towards their degree goals.

12. What days and times will the UVA distance education graduate engineering courses be taught?
Courses for the UVA engineering distance education program will be taught either on Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday. Each class session typically lasts for 1 hr and 15 minutes. The earliest expected start time for any class is 11:00 am. The latest expected start time for any class is 6:30pm. During the fall semester, classes generally start around Labor Day and run until the first or second week of December. During the spring semester classes generally start in the middle of January and run until the first or second week of May. There are certain holidays during each semester to be expected. The program typically does not offer courses during the summer.

13. Will UVA professors provide a complete syllabus (including required texts/materials, class times, etc.) prior to course registration?
Yes. A complete course syllabus is expected from each instructor before the start of the class.

14. How do I register and pay to take a UVA distance education graduate engineering class?
The registration for and payment of CGEP classes is handled through the School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) through the spring 2017 term. Starting fall 2017, the Office of Educational Innovation will manage all registrations for CGEP class sections. If you are uncertain about how to submit your registration and payment for a course, please contact us.