Incoming Students

Newly admitted MSE students should learn about the university graduate studies requirements and MSE program requirements (follow the Academic Programs link above). This is particularly important if students’ original major objective is not MSE.   

Incoming MSE students should enroll in classes before arriving on campus. Students will be able to see their enrollment appointment date/time in their MySJSU sometime in June for fall admission. Most new MSE students take ENGR201 and two elective course in the first semester at SJSU. Students should try to enroll in these classes before arriving on campus. Students can discuss the selection of the elective course with the MSE Director or MSE advisor by email or in-person soon after they arrive. Students can adjust their class selection before the add/drop deadline which is at least a week after the first day of class. Conditionally admitted students should take the pre-requisite course(s) as stated in their admission condition in their first semester study at SJSU. 

New MSE students are encouraged to plan out their program of study for the MSE program before arriving on campus. However, it is not always possible or necessary to finalize this plan in such an early stage given that various classes may not be available every semester. Students should fill out the MSE Program of Study Proposal Form and discuss it with the Program Director before the end of the first semester at SJSU.

A new MSE student orientation/advising session is held typically a week before the start of the semester. The time/room is announced by email to all newly admitted students and on the MSE web site. In this session, a MSE advisor will explain the MSE degree requirements and  answer any question students might have. There is also a separate university level new graduate student orientation for which students need to register. Visit International Student and Scholar Services for more information. 

FAQ for Incoming MSE students 

• How many courses or units should I enroll in for my first semester at SJSU?
  • If you are an international student holding F1 visa, you are required to take at least 9 units (3 courses). US resident students can take anywhere from 3 to 16 units. Most graduate students take 3 courses (9 units).   
• What courses should I enroll in for the first semester?
  • Conditionally admitted students should set up an appointment with a MSE advisor regarding the prerequisite classes. Regular admitted MSE students should take ENGR201 and two elective course in the first semester. The elective course must be within the general scope of the student's eduational goal.  Students are advised to discuss their elective courses choices with a MSE advisor before arriving on campus.   
• Any general advice about selecting the elective course for my 1st semester?

  • Select courses from the class schedule for the coming semester, not from the university course catalog. Not all courses in the catalog are offered every semester.
    Select courses that are within the scope of students' eduational goal.

    Select courses that you have the proper background for.   
    Students are advised to discuss their elective course choices with the Program Director by email before arriving on campus.   

• When can/should I register for classes?

  • Incoming MSE students (and current MSE students too) will be able to see their enrollment appointment date/time in their MySJSU accounts sometime in June for fall semester. Students can register for classes online after their appointment date/time. Students should register for courses as soon as they can, i.e., on and after the enrollment appointment date.

• Will I always be able to enroll in the classes of my choice? 

  • Not necessaily. You can always enroll in classes offered by the General Engineering program (with prefix ENGR).   Some departments (in particlar, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, and Computer Science) give registration priority to their own major students. For such classes, you can send an email to the instructor and attend the first class meeting asking for a permission code. There is no guarantee that you will get the permission code, however.

• Can I change my major after being admitted to MSE?

  • You can petition for change of major after school starts.  Fill pout the online Change of Program petition form. Such petition is rarely granted to requests for changing into a high-demand program such as Computer Science or Computer Engineering, however.

• I was admitted to another g radudate program. What do I have to do to change major to MSE?   

  • You should make an appointment with a MSE advisor. If you are qualify for changing major to MSE, you should submit a petition for changing major program after school starts. In the meantime, you should plan for taking classes that are required by MSE. Fill pout the online Change of Program petition form.

• Are there any scholarship opportunities in MSE?

  • Currently, MSE does not offer scholarships to students. There are student assistant positions and other on-campus work opportunities. However, these opportunities are typically only offered to current students, not incoming students.