<p>I have a couple questions, and if I get any responses to this I will post more.</p>
<p>Is it common to be offered a full ride + stipend for a MS in Mechanical Engineering? If so, where?</p>
<p>Thank you.</p>
<p>-Dan</p>
<p>No, it is not common... certainly NOT at a top school...
Most engineering graduate programs reserve their best financial resources for students committing to a PhD program. In fact, terminal MS programs in engineering are seen more as professional degrees rather than academic degrees... and the expectation is that you will get a high-paying job in engineering to pay-off your student loans...</p>
<p>Some schools may offer you a TA position to offset tuition and provide a small stipend... or if a particular professor really wants you, they may offer a RA position. But a full-ride plus stipend for just a MS? Good luck finding such a program.</p>
<p>Would you consider Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering a top school? Will I be expected to TA there?</p>
<p>Some top schools have arrangements with certain companies provide means for employees to get their MS degrees on a part-time basis. For example, I know that the GE Aircraft Engines division had an arrangement with MIT where employees could get their Master's in aero/astro engineering on a part-time basis, fully funded by GE. I know that several Silicon Valley companies have a similar part-time arrangement with Stanford. One could think of this as something like a full ride + stipend (in the sense that your employer covers everything).</p>
<p>So, if I were to find such an offer, it would definitely be worth taking?</p>
<p>Well, no, I wouldn't say that. It all depends on the details involved. Many companies will lock you in for a set number of years as a condition for paying for your degree (I don't know if GE does this). And you also have to seriously consider the time commitment involved. A master's degree, particularly from an elite school, is no small potatoes.</p>
<p>Ok, I might be able to get full tuition + stipend with just the school and no company involved. I wasn't sure if this offer was common, and if I should look at other schools expecting the same deal.</p>
<p>From the way this thread is going, I feel like I wouldn't find it anywhere else.</p>
<p>I don't think you'll find similar deal, dsack23. But did you find an advisor for your MS? Thayer is a really small school and chances are you won't find an advisor for what you want to do...<br>
And I hate to break it to you but Thayer's reputation in engineering is not high. All depends on what you want to do after you get MS, like which field to work in, etc.</p>