Students navigate the ups and downs of engineering design
First-year Johns Hopkins mechanical engineering students vie to see whose glider will soar to victory in annual design competition.
MoreCheck these “quick reference” pages for help on items important to grad students. Links to websites are blue.
What else would you like to see here? What questions do you and your classmates ask often? Send your ideas to co-webmaster Mike Bernard.
Kevin Adams, Senior Academic Program Coordinator
me-academic@jhu.edu
410-516-5930 | Latrobe 223
Mike Bernard, Academic Program Manager
me-academic@jhu.edu
410-516-7154 | Latrobe 230
Melissa Gibbins, Grants and Contracts Coordinator
mgibbi1@jhu.edu| 410-516-6782 | Latrobe 223
Deana Santoni, Administrative Supervisor
dsantoni@jhu.edu | 410-516-6451 | Latrobe 223
Visit the Student Groups page and select the MEGA tab. Get involved! It’s great fun!
Visit the OIS’s Social Security Number page to find out how to obtain one.
Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is a work authorization that allows an F-1 student to engage in work opportunity that is an integral part of an established curriculum. This is usually not available to Mechanical Engineering students.
Contact the OIS directly for information and to apply.
The Center for Language Education offers course in English language and writing, American culture, and other languages.
In the Master’s Academic Advising Manual:
Responsible Conduct of Research
All students performing research, whether for pay, credit, or otherwise must take the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Course. Most master’s students will take the course online, which lasts about two hours. Some will have to attend the in-person course, depending on the source of research funding. Visit the Whiting School’s RCR page for information.
Laboratory Safety
Visit the Mechanical Engineering – Graduate Academic Advising page. Information on laboratory safety requirements is in the section named “Research Laboratory Safety – Requirements.”
Degree Timelines
Visit the Mechanical Engineering – Graduate Academic Advising page. Info on Degree Timelines is listed with the degree requirements.
Graduation
Visit the “Preparing for Graduation” page for information on confirming graduation eligibility and applying to graduate.
Forms to complete:
The Registrar will contact graduating students several months before Commencement about diploma and commencement arrangements.
Our faculty welcomes master’s student participation in research, which greatly enhances your educational experience beyond coursework. Opportunities are available during the academic semesters, intersession, and summer through the course EN.530.600 MSE Graduate Research or through paid positions.
Three credits of EN.530.600 will count as one of the courses required for an “all-course” master’s degree.
How?
To find research opportunities in Mechanical Engineering, contact the faculty directly to ask.
In the PhD Academic Advising Manual, see Section 4 for the degree requirements, which include the Departmental Qualifying Exam (DQE), the Graduate Board Oral (GBO) exam and the Dissertation Defense. See the section on “Scheduling the DQE, GBO, and Dissertation Defense” for details on these exams.
Responsible Conduct of Research
All PhD students must take the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) course. PhD students will have to attend the in-person course. Visit the Whiting School’s RCR page for information.
Laboratory Safety
Visit the Mechanical Engineering – Graduate Academic Advising page. Information on laboratory safety requirements is in the section named “Research Laboratory Safety – Requirements.”
Degree Timelines
Visit the Mechanical Engineering – Graduate Academic Advising page. Info on Degree Timelines is listed with the degree requirements.
Graduation
MASTER’S – FULL-TIME
To maintain full-time status, all WSE graduate students must be enrolled in at least 9 credits.
Master’s students will be enrolled in at least 9 credits per semester.
Students can achieve full-time status by registering for any combination of courses and seminars, as approved by one’s advisor. SIS is set to select appropriate credits:
MASTER’S – PART-TIME
Master’s students of the Department of Mechanical Engineering may become eligible for part-time status.
“ALL-COURSE” MASTER’S STUDENTS
All “all-course” master’s students must register full-time most or all semesters for a minimum of nine credits. If in a student’s final semester, less than nine credits are needed to complete the degree requirements, students can switch to part-time status.
“ESSAY/THESIS” MASTER’S STUDENTS
After meeting the minimum two-semester “full-time” residency requirement – where a student pays full-time tuition for a minimum of two semesters – Whiting School master’s students who have not yet completed the research to the point where the final and sole activity is essay/thesis writing must maintain their “residency” status, but can register “part-time” by registering for eight credits or less in their final semester.
For each semester where essay/thesis research and writing occurs, students must register for three credits of 530.602 Master’s Thesis Research and Writing.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Visit the Office of International Services’ “Full-Time Study Requirements” page that explains U.S. federal law on maintaining F-1 visas, which requires students to maintain full-time status, unless if in the final semester a courseload less than full-time is needed to complete the degree requirements.
PART-TIME TUITION
Students are charged tuition per-credit, which in the 2018-19 academic year is $1,791 per-credit. The student’s advisor or the department may choose to cover this charge, but that is not guaranteed.
COURSE REGISTRATION
The Mechanical Engineering department requires enrollment in courses:
PART-TIME RESTRICTIONS
HOW TO OBTAIN PART-TIME STATUS
Visit the Whiting School Graduate Credit Hours page for information.
Ph.D. – FULL-TIME
To maintain full-time status, all WSE graduate students must be enrolled in at least 9 credits, but PhD students must be enrolled in at least 20 credits per semester.
Ph.D. students can achieve at least 20 credits by registering for any combination of courses and seminars, as approved by one’s advisor. SIS is set to select appropriate credits:
Ph.D. – PART-TIME
Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. students may switch to part-time status after the successful completion of the Graduate Board Oral examination and the Teaching Assistant requirement, with approval of both the research advisor and the Graduate Program Chair, as well as the Office of International Services for international students.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
Visit the Office of International Services’ “Full-Time Study Requirements” page that explains U.S. federal law on maintaining F-1 visas, which requires students to maintain full-time status, unless if in the final semester a courseload less than full-time is needed to complete the degree requirements.
PART-TIME TUITION
Students are charged tuition per-credit, which in the 2018-19 academic year is $1,791 per-credit. The student’s advisor or the department may choose to cover this charge, but that is not guaranteed.
COURSE REGISTRATION
Part-time students will take three credits of 530.801/802 Graduate Research each semester and some may continue to take the one-credit 530.803/804 Mechanical Engineering Graduate Seminar.
Once a student is on part-time status, the research advisor may excuse the student from the 530.803/804 Mechanical Engineering Graduate Seminar requirement. Part-time students or their advisors will pay the part-time per-credit tuition.
PART-TIME RESTRICTIONS
HOW TO OBTAIN PART-TIME STATUS
Visit the Whiting School Graduate Credit Hours page for information.
Note that non-residency is available only after the research for the essay is completed and the only remaining step is for the essay to be written.
Students are eligible for non-residency status when all degree requirements except the thesis or dissertation are complete.
Non-resident students are automatically enrolled in health insurance, but can waive the insurance, if eligible for waiver by proof of enrollment in another health insurance plan with similar coverage.
Students must apply for non-resident status and to maintain non-resident status will have to register each semester plus provide a letter explaining their progress toward the degree’s completion.
Section 3.3 describes Departmental Qualifying Examinations (DQEs)
Section 3.4 describes Graduate Board Oral examinations (GBOs)
Section 3.5 describes Dissertation Defenses
Credits are now part of Graduate Course Registration
All Whiting School of Engineering graduate students will register for courses with credits. Some things to know:
This “course” does not get graded; it does not receive credit; and cannot be counted toward any degree requirements.
Visit the Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Graduate Student manual for information.
For additional help with graduate student salaries and financial aid that these pages don’t explain, please contact:
The following students are eligible to work on the Homewood Campus, including teaching assistant and hourly-paid positions:
NOTE: American students who are part-time are not eligible for student work.
Teaching Assistant positions are provided to students who grade papers, conduct laboratories and hold office hours. TAs – who can be Ph.D. students, master’s students, junior and senior undergraduate students, and postdocs – are paid according to a formula that quantifies the number of hours required for a particular course, multiplied by an hourly rate, to be determined by the beginning of each semester.
Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. students must act as a Teaching Assistant for two courses during their time at Johns Hopkins. Students can find opportunities with their advisor or other professors in Mechanical Engineering.
Watch your e-mail for position announcements, usually in December and August.
Sr. Academic Program Coordinator Kevin Adams will assist with TA hiring, payments, and payroll concerns.
Sometimes, grad students have positions that are paid hourly. Those hours are reported with time cards.
Hourly Pay
Hourly-paid Graduate Assistants in Mechanical Engineering generally make $16 per hour unless the position specifies a different rate.
NOTE: This is not for a grad student’s research assistantship, departmental fellowship, teaching assistant position, or for outside funding sources like a government fellowship. This is only for hourly-paid positions.
Time Cards
Time Cards must be used to record hours worked. Please use either:
How to Submit Hours
Deadlines
Time cards must be submitted by e-mail to meet the submission deadline of 2:00 p.m. one week before payday.
Visit the Hourly Payroll Submission Deadline Schedule for the deadline in the “Time Entry Cutoff 2:00 p.m.” column.
Hours submitted after the deadline will be paid at the next available pay period.
For information on taxes, including deductions and filing taxes, visit these pages:
Visit ESS, or “Employee Self-Service” to view your pay statement, or pay “stub” as they were called when paper paychecks were the only option before Direct Deposit started.
You can arrange for Direct Deposit of your salary to any bank account. Visit ESS, or “Employee Self-Service” to set up Direct Deposit or change accounts anytime.
Visit the Student Health Benefits page for information on graduate student health insurance benefits.
View the Whiting School’s Graduate Student Assistant Leave Guidelines for information on paid vacation, illness, and holidays.
Visit our Careers and Life page for career exploration, networking, and to find internships and jobs!
There are specific rules and guidelines that the University requires for purchases to be made, whether that is for a research project, a club, or any other purchase where University funds are used in either a grant or in department funding.
Visit the Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Graduate Student manual for information.
Typically, you can send a web link with the item you would like to purchase to:
If you do not have the link, the following information is necessary to make an order:
Johns Hopkins University
3910 Keswick Road
Latrobe Hall, Room 217 – Attention: (recipient)
Baltimore, Maryland 21211
In order to comply with federal and JHU auditing policies we are required to collect and file all packing slips from items purchased by our department. The packing slip is our proof the item was received.
When receiving a package in Latrobe 217, everyone must take these steps:
At the end of each week the packing slips will be collected, scanned, and matched with the order in accordance with audit policies. Failure to properly retain and submit packing slips will result in the loss of ordering privileges.
Please contact Grants and Contracts Coordinator Shawna O’Brien or Administrator Marty Devaney in Latrobe 223 for help.
Packages larger than the mailboxes will be stored and registered in Latrobe 217 and recipients will be notified. They should not be picked up until the packages are logged in.
Laboratory Safety is the responsibility of all who use, maintain, or visit the labs within the Mechanical Engineering department. Laboratory researchers are responsible for working with the principal investigator to become familiar with the appropriate hazard information and safety policies before performing any work.
Students in select laboratories will be issued lab coats and goggles, depending on the type of materials used in the labs.
Visit the Mechanical Engineering – Graduate Academic Advising page. Information on laboratory safety requirements is in the section named “Research Laboratory Safety – Requirements.”
Resources
Visit the Whiting School’s Manufacturing page for information on machine shop services, maker space, training, and student access to machining and tools.
You are welcome to use the computer facilities throughout campus, especially in the Milton S. Eisenhower Library and the Brody Learning Commons.
Laptops, pads, and software are available at a discount student rate when purchased through Hopkins.
Canon Printer iR_ADV 6265 – Latrobe 217
Large Format Printer – Latrobe Hall, 3rd Floor
The printer in the back of the administrative office is only for use by staff and faculty. Please do not connect to or use that printer.
Mobile Printing
The University provides mobile printing options at a cost.
Visit the Johns Hopkins Library page for information about our libraries.
You have a librarian! Contact Engineering Librarian Steve Stich at 410-516-8357 or sstich@jhu.edu. He can help you find research resources and show you how to use the library’s resources and services.
The International Travel Registry provides an easy-to-use way for those traveling internationally on university-related business to register their travel plans.
In partnership with International SOS, registered travelers will receive assistance with pre-travel preparations, including notifications about the destination country, risks, and prevention measures.
Be sure to create your own Travel Profile so staff can contact and support you in the event that there is a natural disaster, political unrest or other emergency situation in locations where you travel.
The Mechanical Engineering department has 30 laboratories throughout the Homewood campus. With the depth and breadth of our research, labs can be as simple as a laptop on an office desk to as complex as a full laboratory with elaborate equipment and potentially dangerous situations and substances that need vigilant maintenance.
Inevitably, there will be problems with offices, facilities, and equipment that need attention beyond our department’s ability to address them. There is a central reporting tool that the department uses to vet, record, and refer such problems to get the appropriate help.
Visit the Mechanical Engineering Department Facilities Concerns site to report your problem, no matter what type or size.
Contact Grants and Contracts Coordinator Shawna O’Brien to reserve Latrobe 106 or Latrobe 320.
Occasionally, students may feel overwhelmed by the rigors of education, especially if coupled with outside stresses like health and family concerns. Johns Hopkins offers a host of resources where you can ask for and receive help.
If you need someone to listen, you can talk to your advisor, Academic Program Manager Mike Bernard or Academic Program Coordinator Kevin Adams. Sometimes, venting to someone may be all you need.
Sometimes, though, you may want to talk to someone who is trained to help people in distress. View these pages for information and hours:
First-year Johns Hopkins mechanical engineering students vie to see whose glider will soar to victory in annual design competition.
MoreAshutosh Dutta, Michael Miller, and Tza-Huei (Jeff) Wang were recognized for outstanding contributions to IEEE fields of interest.
MoreLike cars, cells need to metabolize energy to move- – but how much energy they consume to generate movement has never been studied in detail because measuring the metabolic activity of a single cell is extremely difficult to accomplish. In a paper published in PNAS, Professor Sean Sun and team explore the underlying mechanisms of cell movement.
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