The Haslam College of Business and the Tickle College of Engineering offer an integrated program leading to the conferral of the Master of Business Administration degree with a major in Business Administration and the Master of Science with a major Mechanical Engineering.

The establishment of the dual degree program addresses the critical need for personnel trained in both engineering and management who can integrate an increasingly complex body of knowledge for rapid introduction of new products to the marketplace. The objective of the dual degree program is to prepare graduates to take a leading management role in companies that must react quickly to a dynamic market where forces of competition require rapid changes via short cycles in design, manufacturing, and product development.

Options Available

Mechanical Engineering — Thesis,  Project

Business Administration — Course Only without Comprehensive Exam 

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• Applicants for the MBA-MS program must make separate applications to and be accepted by Graduate Admissions for the Master of Business Administration, and Graduate Admissions for the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
• Students who are accepted into the MBA-MS program will be assigned an advisor in each of the two majors, who will be responsible for course approval and supervision of the students’ progress through the dual program.
• Applications by United States citizens and permanent residents received after the MBA application deadline (February 1) will be considered as space allows. Additional information is required and different application dates are established by Graduate Admissions for international students.

Academic Standards

• Dual degree candidates must satisfy the curriculum and graduation requirements of the Haslam College of Business and the Tickle College of Engineering.

Credit Hours Required

• 60 or 63 graduate credit hours
  • 36 credit hours of course work in the Haslam College of Business.
  • 24 or 27 credit hours in the Mechanical Engineering curriculum depending on the option chosen for the Master of Science:
    • Thesis Option (27 credit hours): 21 credit hours of course work plus 6 credit hours of ME 500 .
    • Project Option (24 credit hours): 21 credit hours of course work plus 3 credit hours of ME 590 .
    • Course Only without Comprehensive Exam Option (24 credit hours): 24 credit hours of course work.

Required Courses

• Students meet the degree requirements as defined in the Master of Business Administration major  and the Master of Science in the Mechanical Engineering major , including
  • Thesis Option: ME 500  (6 credit hours)
  • Project Option: ME 590  (3 credit hours)

Non-Course Requirements

• Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
  • Thesis Option – write and defend the thesis in ME 500  
  • Project Option – culminating experience in ME 590  
• The student’s guidance committee should have representation from both the Mechanical Engineering and Business faculty to ensure that degree requirements for both the MBA and MS are fully met.