Best General Engineering Master’s Programs in Montana
Montana Tech awards an MS in General Engineering with a mechanical concentration that gives the broad degree title a defined technical direction. This 2026 ranking of general engineering master’s programs in Montana reviews that option through its research requirements, engineering subjects and graduate cost schedule.
The choice between a 30-credit thesis and a 36-credit non-thesis plan is central to the decision. Both lead to the published general engineering award, but the work, credit total and assessment differ. The review below explains those routes without treating the degree as an unrestricted collection of engineering electives.
How we ranked general engineering master’s programs in Montana
This Montana selection reviews the current MS in General Engineering—Mechanical Concentration at Montana Technological University. The official program page establishes the award, technical concentration and two completion routes. The university’s graduate tuition table supplies the semester cost examples used in the review.
One program is reviewed here. Its value for this category is the combination of a General Engineering award and a clearly described mechanical focus. The review weighs the technical subjects, thesis or special-problems work, entry requirements and residency-sensitive costs. The numbered card identifies this selection; it does not imply a measured difference from an unreviewed institution.
MS in General Engineering — Mechanical Concentration
Butte, MT
Semester credits
30–36
Study format
On campus
2026–27 tuition
$3,712.28 resident tuition and mandatory fees for a nine-credit semester
Cost basis & conditions +
The fall 2026/spring 2027 graduate schedule lists a nine-credit resident total of $3,712.28 and nonresident total of $11,559.92. These are semester charges, not whole-degree prices. Credit load changes the bill, and living expenses are separate.
Montana Tech illustrates why the exact degree title matters in a general engineering ranking. Its award is an MS in General Engineering, but the mechanical concentration gives the graduate work a specific technical direction. Power and machines, energy studies and concurrent engineering define that scope. The thesis and non-thesis routes also involve different credit totals and different culminating work. A student choosing the non-thesis route still completes special-problems credits and a comprehensive assessment. This is therefore a useful option for someone who wants mechanical depth within a broadly titled engineering degree, rather than an unrestricted course plan spanning every engineering department.
Where it stands out
Montana Tech fits applicants interested in the published mechanical concentration who want a choice between a research thesis and a larger non-thesis plan. Its defined subject areas make it easier to assess whether the degree matches a proposed energy, machinery or engineering-design direction.
What to weigh
The General Engineering title should not be read as unlimited freedom to combine disciplines. The selected concentration and graduate committee guide the work. Applicants also need to account for the FE-or-GRE entry requirement, the route-specific credit total and the substantial residency difference in the published semester charges.
What matters in general engineering master’s programs in Montana
A concentration with a useful technical direction
Mechanical power and machines, energy studies and concurrent engineering establish what this graduate route covers. The concentration is part of the review because the General Engineering title alone does not explain the academic work.
Two distinct ways to finish
The thesis route and non-thesis route differ by six credits and by the culminating requirement. We examine special-problems work and the comprehensive assessment alongside the research thesis.
An accurate entry and cost picture
The FE-or-GRE admissions requirement and the resident versus nonresident graduate schedule can change an applicant’s plan. Both deserve attention before selecting courses or estimating a completion date.
Read General Engineering together with the concentration
At Montana Tech, General Engineering is the actual name of the master’s award. The mechanical concentration then narrows the advanced study to a set of engineering subjects. The university also identifies a civil concentration; the review on this page concerns the mechanical route and should not be used as a description of the civil curriculum.
This distinction matters when preparing a research proposal. An applicant interested in machines or energy should examine the mechanical concentration’s faculty and graduate course plan. Someone who wants an individually assembled program across unrelated departments should first establish how much flexibility the graduate committee will approve.
If your intended project combines mechanical devices, sensors and control, the related Mechatronics Programs resource can help you explore that field. Then check the specific Montana Tech courses and supervision available for the proposed work. A related subject interest does not establish a separate mechatronics award or a guaranteed research position.
Choose between the 30-credit thesis and 36-credit non-thesis route
The two routes answer different questions about how you want to demonstrate graduate-level learning. A thesis centers the degree on a supervised research problem. The non-thesis plan requires more credits and includes at least six credits of special problems, followed by an oral and comprehensive examination.
A non-thesis choice therefore still calls for substantial independent technical work and assessment. Ask how the special-problems credits will be organized, what the examination covers and when the graduate committee expects the work to be ready. Those details affect the term-by-term plan just as much as the listed classes.
For either route, start with the proposed technical topic and the committee’s approval process. The published credit minimum is a requirement to plan around, rather than a promise that every student will finish after the same number of semesters. Course availability, research progress and the timing of an examination can change the sequence.
Plan for the FE-or-GRE entry requirement
Montana Tech’s program page asks applicants to have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering examination or to submit GRE results. This is a program admissions condition. Passing the FE by itself is not the same as receiving a professional engineering license, and an applicant should not treat admission to the master’s as a licensing determination.
Prepare the academic background and test documentation around the selected concentration. A clear statement of the engineering work you intend to pursue will make it easier to discuss whether the available subjects and faculty support the plan. If your interests cross into another concentration, establish the approval requirements before counting those courses toward the degree.
Budget with the graduate schedule and your actual residency
The 2026–27 graduate schedule lists a nine-credit semester total of $3,712.28 for residents and $11,559.92 for nonresidents. These are tuition-and-mandatory-fee examples for that enrollment load. They are not prices for the whole MS, and they do not include a student’s full living budget.
Build a budget from the planned credits and semesters, then account for housing, food, books and other personal expenses separately. The 30-credit thesis and 36-credit non-thesis options will not necessarily produce the same tuition total. A resident example should also never be substituted for a nonresident’s bill without an actual residency determination.
Use the national general engineering master’s ranking to examine how Montana Tech’s concentration-based award differs from an online interdisciplinary plan or a research-centered Engineering Sciences MS. Our methodology explains how those academic differences inform the reviews.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Are there general engineering master’s programs in Montana?+
Montana Tech offers an MS in General Engineering with named concentrations. This page reviews the mechanical concentration and preserves that exact degree scope. Its requirements should not be applied automatically to the separate civil concentration.
How many credits does Montana Tech’s general engineering MS require?+
The mechanical concentration lists a 30-credit thesis option and a 36-credit non-thesis option. The non-thesis route includes at least six credits of special problems and an oral and comprehensive examination.
Does the non-thesis route eliminate independent graduate work?+
No. The published non-thesis option still requires special-problems credits and a comprehensive assessment. Discuss the expected work and examination schedule with the graduate committee when preparing the study plan.
What does the published nine-credit graduate cost cover?+
For 2026–27, Montana Tech lists $3,712.28 for residents and $11,559.92 for nonresidents at nine graduate credits in a semester. These totals cover the table’s tuition and mandatory fees; they are not full-degree or living-expense budgets.
Continue your graduate research
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.
