Best General Engineering Master’s Programs in Colorado
The University of Denver’s Engineering MS is designed for students developing expertise across subjects or moving into a different engineering area. This 2026 ranking of general engineering master’s programs in Colorado reviews its 45-quarter-credit plan, thesis and non-thesis routes, and preparation requirements.
Denver’s broad award still requires a defined engineering core and an approved technical direction. The final work differs by route, with thesis materials for research students and an assembled portfolio for the non-thesis plan. Applicants from outside engineering have an additional assessment rule to examine.
How we ranked general engineering master’s programs in Colorado
This Colorado selection reviews the University of Denver’s current MS in Engineering using the graduate bulletin, exact degree page and Engineering MS tuition-calculator selection. The review keeps the broad award distinct from Denver’s separate Mechanical, Electrical and other specialized engineering degrees.
One program is reviewed here. Denver is included for its cross-disciplinary engineering core, technical electives and clearly described final assessment. The review evaluates those academic features together with the tool requirement, quarter-credit cost basis and the different role of the management concentration.
$1,718 · Per quarter credit, Engineering MS tuition
Cost basis & conditions +
Denver’s exact Engineering MS calculator lists $1,718 per credit for 2026–27 before financial aid. The graduate fee schedule separately lists an $8-per-credit technology fee and applicable quarterly health, activity and transit charges. The 45-credit degree total uses quarter credits; living expenses and other applicable charges are additional.
The Engineering MS page identifies competitive graduate teaching and research assistantships and encourages applicants to apply before the priority admission deadline. An assistantship is an opportunity to compete for, with the actual offer determining support; it is not guaranteed by admission.
Denver’s Engineering MS is designed for students developing expertise in an engineering area that differs from their earlier preparation or crosses disciplinary boundaries. The degree permits a tailored technical direction while requiring graduate-level work, advanced mathematics and a core drawn from more than one engineering subject. Its final assessment gives both completion routes a concrete result: thesis students provide their research and defense materials, while non-thesis students assemble a portfolio of course work and a mini-proposal. That structure makes the broad award more than an open elective list. Applicants changing into engineering from another technical field should also examine the tool-requirement exam attached to the non-thesis route. The optional management concentration follows a distinct non-thesis plan.
Where it stands out
Denver fits applicants with a technical background who want to develop a new engineering direction through a tailored graduate plan. The thesis and portfolio routes provide different ways to demonstrate the resulting work, while the core preserves study across engineering subjects.
What to weigh
The degree uses 45 quarter credits and a private-university per-credit tuition rate, so cost comparisons need a consistent basis. Non-engineering applicants on the non-thesis route face the additional tool exam, and hybrid course availability does not make every plan a fully online degree.
Attendance:The degree uses quarter terms. The bulletin describes late-day or outside-business-hours courses and possible hybrid or Zoom-based options; it does not establish every MS plan as fully online.
The MS requires 45 quarter credits, with at least 36 completed at Denver. Courses at the 1000, 2000 or 3000 level cannot count toward the degree.
The non-management plan includes core work from more than one engineering discipline, advanced mathematics and advisor-approved technical electives. At least half of the technical elective credits must be in engineering.
Graduate Professional Development is required in the first year, and Graduate Assessment is required in the final quarter.
The standard MS has thesis and non-thesis options. The optional Engineering Management concentration follows a non-thesis plan with additional management study.
Areas of focus
Individual interdisciplinary engineering plan
Optional Engineering Management concentration
Research areas
Mechanical and materials engineering
Electrical and computer engineering
Bioengineering
Robotics and computational engineering
Admission & progression
A bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biology or physics is normally expected. Applicants should assess whether additional undergraduate preparation is needed for the intended graduate subjects.
The university minimum for consideration is a 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA or 2.5 for the final 60 semester or 90 quarter credits. Applicants with graduate study have separate published GPA provisions.
The bulletin requires a 3.0 overall GPA for completion of the MS and sets a five-year degree-completion limit.
Non-engineering bachelor’s graduates choosing the non-thesis MS must pass a tool-requirement exam based on Fundamentals of Engineering General Exam topics. Engineering graduates from accredited engineering schools and thesis students are exempt.
Research & project requirements
Thesis students submit the thesis, defense slides, a written self-reflection and their approved degree plan for the final assessment.
Non-thesis students assemble a portfolio including work from at least two core-course projects or assignments, a mini-proposal, presentation slides and the approved degree plan.
What matters in general engineering master’s programs in Colorado
Breadth supported by graduate engineering requirements
The core draws on more than one engineering discipline, and at least half of the technical elective credits must be in engineering. Advanced mathematics supports the intended technical direction.
A concrete result from either completion route
Thesis students submit research and defense materials. Non-thesis students assemble a portfolio of core-course work, a mini-proposal and the approved degree plan.
Entry preparation and quarter-based costs
The additional tool exam affects some non-engineering applicants on the non-thesis route. Tuition must also be assessed against 45 quarter credits and the applicable separate fees.
Build a technical direction within Denver’s broad award
Denver describes the Engineering MS as a route for developing knowledge beyond a student’s previous discipline or entering an emerging interdisciplinary area. Its graduate course possibilities span mechanical, electrical and computer engineering, materials, bioengineering and related technical subjects.
The degree requires 45 quarter credits, with at least 36 completed at Denver. The non-management plan includes core courses from more than one engineering discipline, advanced mathematics and approved technical electives. At least half of those technical elective credits must be in engineering.
Use the intended engineering problem to decide which subjects belong together. A technical elective from mathematics, computing or a physical science should support the proposed direction, and the advisor must approve the plan. The bulletin excludes 1000-, 2000- and 3000-level courses from the graduate degree requirements.
Examine the final work before choosing a thesis route
The standard Engineering MS offers thesis and non-thesis options. All master’s students take Graduate Professional Development in their first year and Graduate Assessment in their final quarter. These requirements make the final documentation part of the degree plan.
Thesis students provide the thesis, defense presentation, a written self-reflection and the completed approved degree plan. Non-thesis students assemble a portfolio containing work from at least two core-course projects or assignments, a mini-proposal, presentation slides and the degree plan.
Denver also offers an Engineering Management concentration within the MS. That concentration follows a non-thesis plan combining engineering and management study. Applicants should use its specific requirements rather than assuming that the standard thesis plan simply adds a few business electives.
Check the additional rule for non-engineering applicants
The program normally expects a bachelor’s degree in engineering, mathematics, chemistry, biology or physics. Denver’s university-wide minimum for consideration is a 2.5 cumulative undergraduate GPA or 2.5 for the last 60 semester or 90 quarter credits, with separate provisions for applicants who already have graduate study.
A student coming from another technical field should assess the preparation needed for the selected graduate engineering courses. The bulletin explains that students who are not adequately prepared may choose additional undergraduate prerequisites. Such preparation is a separate planning issue from the 45 graduate credits.
Non-engineering bachelor’s graduates who choose the non-thesis MS must pass a tool-requirement exam based on Fundamentals of Engineering General Exam topics. Graduates of accredited engineering schools and students completing a thesis are exempt. This is the program’s academic assessment rule; it should not be confused with a promise of professional engineering licensure.
For work involving mechanisms, sensors or control systems, the related Mechatronics Programs resource can help identify the subjects involved. Denver’s actual course plan and available supervision determine whether the broad MS supports the intended combination.
Use quarter credits and the exact Engineering MS tuition rate
Denver’s Engineering MS calculator lists $1,718 per credit for 2026–27 before financial aid. The degree’s 45 credits are quarter credits. When assessing another university’s per-credit price, keep its semester or quarter basis and full degree requirement visible.
The graduate fee schedule separately lists an $8-per-credit technology fee and applicable quarterly activity, transit and health charges. Health insurance and other expenses can depend on enrollment and waiver eligibility. The tuition calculator does not subtract scholarships or other support from its result.
The Engineering MS page identifies competitive teaching and research assistantships and encourages applications before the priority deadline. Use an actual funding offer to determine the support available. The bulletin also allows possible late-day, hybrid or Zoom-based courses, but those options do not establish every plan as fully online.
Does Colorado have a general engineering master’s?+
The University of Denver offers the broad MS in Engineering reviewed here. It requires 45 quarter credits and supports an approved technical direction across engineering subjects, with thesis and non-thesis options.
What completes Denver’s non-thesis Engineering MS?+
Students submit an assembled portfolio including work from at least two core-course projects or assignments, a mini-proposal, presentation slides and their approved degree plan as part of the final assessment.
Who must take Denver’s engineering tool exam?+
The bulletin requires the tool exam for non-engineering bachelor’s graduates completing a non-thesis MS. It is based on Fundamentals of Engineering General Exam topics. Graduates of accredited engineering schools and thesis students are exempt.
Are Denver’s 45 Engineering MS credits semester credits?+
No. They are quarter credits. The 2026–27 exact-program calculator lists tuition at $1,718 per credit before financial aid, with applicable fees and other attendance expenses additional.
How are general engineering master’s programs in Colorado reviewed here?+
This selection evaluates Denver’s verified broad Engineering MS, including its core, final assessment, entry preparation and current tuition basis. It does not claim to include every Colorado graduate engineering degree.
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Read the degree requirements behind each ranking
Use the school reviews to check how each program structures coursework, projects and research. Our methodology explains how we select programs and assess their fit.
