Best General Engineering Master’s Programs in Tennessee
Tennessee State’s current Engineering MS combines a common graduate framework with several technical concentrations. This 2026 ranking of general engineering master’s programs in Tennessee reviews the updated award, its 30-credit thesis and non-thesis routes, admission requirements and candidacy process.
The 2026–27 catalog is the starting point for this selection. It identifies the MS requirements and the available concentrations, allowing applicants to plan the actual degree they would enter.
How we ranked general engineering master’s programs in Tennessee
This Tennessee selection reviews Tennessee State’s current MS in Engineering using the 2026–27 college and concentration catalogs. The degree’s common requirements are read alongside the mechanical and electrical concentration plans and the university’s 2026–27 graduate attendance budget.
One verified program is reviewed here. Tennessee State is included for its broad engineering MS structure with defined technical concentrations, equal-credit thesis and non-thesis routes, and an explicit candidacy step. The review retains the current degree title and active concentration choices.
$12,204 · Annual estimated resident graduate tuition and fees
Cost basis & conditions +
Tennessee State’s 2026–27 estimated attendance budget lists $12,204 in-state or $26,104 out-of-state graduate tuition and fees. Housing, meals, transportation, books and personal expenses are separate budget categories. These university graduate estimates are not a fixed 30-credit engineering degree price; the actual registration and applicable charges determine the bill.
Tennessee State’s current Engineering MS gives a common graduate structure to several technical concentrations. The 2026–27 catalog identifies the award as an MS, updated in 2025, and establishes 30-credit thesis and non-thesis routes. Both preserve mathematics and concentration coursework; the difference is whether six credits go into thesis research or additional electives. Mechanical and electrical concentration requirements show how the shared award develops different technical directions. The candidacy step after nine credits also requires attention early in the degree. For applicants, the useful starting point is the current MS catalog and the selected concentration, followed by a faculty-approved plan for the research or coursework route.
Where it stands out
Tennessee State fits applicants who want a defined technical concentration within a common engineering MS structure. The equal-credit thesis and non-thesis choices make it possible to choose the final academic work according to research interests and professional learning goals.
What to weigh
The catalog lists Biomedical Engineering on hiatus, so it is excluded from the active concentration choices here. Students should also use the updated MS requirements when preparing their application and course plan, and allow for prerequisite work or additional time needed to complete the final research.
Attendance:The current catalog places the engineering MS concentrations within the engineering departments in Nashville. The program includes a candidacy step after nine graduate credits in residence.
The 2026–27 catalog identifies the current award as the MS in Engineering, updated in 2025. Its active concentrations share common requirements and add discipline-specific coursework.
The thesis plan requires 30 credits: six in mathematics, twelve in the concentration, six adviser-approved electives and six thesis research credits.
The non-thesis plan also requires 30 credits, replacing the six thesis credits with six additional adviser-approved electives.
Mechanical concentration subjects cover machine design and thermal sciences. The electrical concentration includes computer structures, intelligent systems and machine learning, networks and distributed processing, and modeling and simulation.
Areas of focus
Civil Engineering
Computer Information and Systems Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Environmental Engineering
Manufacturing Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Admission & progression
Unconditional admission requires an engineering or science bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, completed prerequisites and a minimum 3.0 undergraduate GPA.
Applicants with a GPA of 2.75–2.99 may be considered for conditional admission when they meet the degree and prerequisite conditions.
Prescribed undergraduate deficiency courses do not count toward the engineering MS. Applicants submit the Graduate School application and official transcripts; the college also requests three references through its application process.
The current concentration catalogs list July 1, November 1 and April 1 application deadlines for fall, spring and summer entry, respectively.
Research & project requirements
The thesis route includes six credits of research, while the non-thesis route expands the approved electives. The concentration and faculty adviser determine the detailed plan.
Students advance to candidacy after completing nine graduate credits in residence. The program describes about four semesters of coursework, with additional time sometimes needed to finish the report or thesis.
What matters in general engineering master’s programs in Tennessee
The current award and concentration are verified
The catalog identifies the Engineering MS as updated in 2025. It lists a common degree structure and discipline-specific concentrations, with Biomedical Engineering currently on hiatus.
The thesis and elective allocations are clear
Both routes require 30 credits. Six mathematics credits and twelve concentration credits remain in each, while the thesis route assigns six credits to research instead of additional electives.
Preparation and candidacy support progress
Prerequisite deficiencies must be addressed, and students advance to candidacy after nine graduate credits. These requirements affect the plan from the first terms of study.
Use the current Engineering MS and its active concentrations
Tennessee State’s 2026–27 catalog identifies the award as the Master of Science in Engineering and explains that the program was updated in 2025. Applicants may still encounter older department material describing a Master of Engineering. The current MS catalog should guide the entering student’s plan.
The active choices listed in this review are Civil, Computer Information and Systems, Electrical, Environmental, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering. The catalog also names Biomedical Engineering but explicitly marks it as being on hiatus. Applicants interested in that area should establish its current availability before planning an application around it.
Each concentration is administered by the relevant engineering department. The common degree requirements give the broader award a shared structure, while the chosen concentration supplies technical depth. Discuss both parts of the plan with the adviser so the intended courses and final work support the same goal.
Decide how the 30-credit degree will use research and electives
The thesis option requires six mathematics credits, twelve concentration credits, six adviser-approved elective credits and six thesis research credits. The non-thesis route has the same 30-credit total, replacing thesis research with six additional elective credits.
The difference is therefore the type of final academic work, rather than a smaller non-thesis degree. Students choosing research need an appropriate faculty adviser and a feasible thesis question. Students choosing coursework should use the larger elective allowance to develop a coherent technical sequence.
Concentration-course substitutions require the adviser’s and department head’s consent. The current catalog describes a typical coursework period of four semesters, while the report or thesis can sometimes require one or two additional semesters. Treat that duration as planning guidance, with the actual research and course availability determining progress.
Examine the mechanical and electrical course requirements
The mechanical concentration organizes subjects around machine design and thermal sciences. The catalog lists areas such as vibrations, elasticity, dynamics, finite element analysis, heat transfer, thermodynamics and computational fluid dynamics. The approved selection should match the student’s intended technical direction.
The electrical concentration’s required courses cover computer structures, intelligent systems and machine learning, networks and distributed processing, and modeling and simulation of engineering systems. Its elective list extends into signal processing, renewable energy, control systems, robotics and cyber-physical systems.
For readers interested in work that combines mechanisms, electronics and control, Mechatronics Programs offers related subject background. The concentration and approved electives at Tennessee State determine how those connections can be studied within the engineering MS.
Plan for prerequisite work, candidacy and the graduate budget
Unconditional admission requires an engineering or science bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, the necessary prerequisites and a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0. Applicants with a 2.75–2.99 GPA may be considered conditionally when they meet the other degree and preparation conditions.
Undergraduate courses used to address deficiencies do not count toward the MS. Students also need to advance to candidacy after nine graduate credits in residence. The Civil department’s published candidacy guidance requires the approved Program of Study before exceeding fifteen credits and states that candidacy cannot be achieved in the same semester as graduation.
The university’s 2026–27 attendance estimate lists $12,204 in-state or $26,104 out-of-state graduate tuition and fees. Housing, meals, transportation, books and personal expenses are separate. Use the actual registration and charges to refine this university budget for the engineering plan, including any preparation or additional research term.
What is Tennessee State’s current engineering master’s award?+
The 2026–27 catalog identifies it as the Master of Science in Engineering and notes a 2025 update. The current MS has thesis and non-thesis routes within its technical concentrations.
How many credits does Tennessee State’s engineering MS require?+
Both the thesis and non-thesis options require 30 graduate semester credits. The thesis route includes six research credits; the non-thesis route uses six additional adviser-approved elective credits instead.
Is Biomedical Engineering an active MS concentration at Tennessee State?+
The current catalog lists Biomedical Engineering but explicitly marks it as being on hiatus. This review includes the other listed active concentrations and advises applicants to confirm availability before applying to a paused option.
How are general engineering master’s programs in Tennessee reviewed here?+
This selection reviews Tennessee State’s verified current Engineering MS, its concentration structure, thesis and coursework options, entry preparation, candidacy process and published graduate budget.
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.
