Best Mechanical Engineering Master’s Programs in Nebraska
Nebraska awards an MS in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, with room for a focused specialty or an individually designed interdisciplinary plan. The thesis option pairs graduate courses with a supervised investigation and oral examination. Our 2026 selection of the best mechanical engineering master’s programs in Nebraska examines that campus research route at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
The full program lists different credit totals across its options. This review focuses on the verified thirty-credit minimum for thesis Option A and the rules that shape its coursework, supporting study and final document. Compare that route with the research and professional options in our national mechanical master’s ranking.
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Inside this ranking
How we ranked mechanical engineering master’s programs in Nebraska
We select mechanical engineering master’s programs in Nebraska using the university’s current graduate degree description, departmental program guidance and assistantship policy. The Lincoln MS offers a clear mechanical and applied-mechanics award, multiple technical areas and an explicit thesis structure. This is an editorial recommendation based on those substantive features, rather than a catalog of every engineering credential.
Nebraska earns this selection for the ability to connect a mechanical specialty with supporting technical study while retaining major-credit and graduate-only course requirements. We also consider the importance of advisor identification and the conditions attached to tuition remission. Our ranking methodology explains how those academic and financial details inform the assessment.
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics
Lincoln, NE
Semester credits
30
Study format
Campus
Funding & assistantships
Qualifying assistantships provide up to twelve credits of tuition remission per semester and reduced-cost individual health insurance. Eligibility includes continuous employment for four months, required hours and a minimum stipend. Ending the appointment before 120 days can remove tuition and health benefits and leave the student responsible for those charges.
Nebraska’s Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics MS permits a focused specialty or an individually designed interdisciplinary plan. The reviewed thesis route combines regular coursework with six to ten thesis credits and includes a formal oral examination and submission process. We include Lincoln for applicants who want to connect mechanical research with areas such as materials, manufacturing, computational methods or biomedical engineering under a faculty-approved program of study.
Where it stands out
Look closely at Nebraska if the proposed research crosses a mechanical specialty and a supporting technical field. Its listed areas and approved supporting coursework can help frame that discussion, while the major-credit and graduate-only requirements preserve an identifiable mechanical graduate foundation.
What to weigh
The university lists different credit totals across MS options, so this review’s thirty-credit minimum applies specifically to the thesis route. Advisor identification is strongly encouraged before admission. Assistantship tuition and insurance benefits also depend on continuous employment and other conditions; an early end to the appointment can create a substantial repayment obligation.
Attendance:This review focuses on the thesis Option A within the campus Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics MS. The university lists thirty to thirty-six credits across the program’s options.
The thesis Option A requires at least thirty credits, combining twenty to twenty-four regular-course credits with six to ten thesis credits.
At least half the degree credits, including thesis, must be in the major; at least eight non-thesis credits must meet the graduate-only course rule.
Students may pursue a focused specialty or an individually designed interdisciplinary program, with supporting coursework approved for the plan.
Research areas
Thermal Sciences
Fluid Mechanics
Solid Mechanics
Systems, Design and Controls
Dynamics and Vibrations
Computational Methods
Materials Engineering
Manufacturing
Biomedical Engineering
Admission & progression
The department accepts mechanical engineering and closely related bachelor’s backgrounds, including suitable engineering, physics or mathematics preparation.
Applicants from US institutions are expected to have at least a 3.2 bachelor’s GPA or 3.3 in prior master’s coursework. GRE scores are optional.
The application includes a research-focused statement, resume or CV, three recommendations and academic records. Applicants are strongly encouraged to identify a faculty advisor.
Research & project requirements
Thesis students complete an oral examination and the Graduate Studies thesis approval and electronic submission process.
The department offers a separate twelve-credit Additive Manufacturing certificate requiring its own admission and approved study plan.
What matters in mechanical engineering master’s programs in Nebraska
An identifiable thesis route
Option A requires at least thirty credits, including six to ten credits of thesis work and twenty to twenty-four credits of regular coursework.
Breadth with formal boundaries
Supporting courses can extend the plan, but at least half the degree credits must remain in the major and graduate-only coursework has its own minimum.
Funding tied to sustained employment
Qualifying assistantships offer tuition and health benefits under specific appointment conditions, including a continuous four-month employment requirement.
Thesis routes in mechanical engineering master’s programs in Nebraska
The thesis Option A is designed for research, scholarly work or further academic study. Its six-to-ten-credit thesis range lets the approved plan determine the balance with regular coursework, subject to the thirty-credit minimum. That is a reason to discuss the proposed investigation with an advisor early. The research scope and the course preparation should develop together rather than compete for the remaining credits near graduation.
At least half of the required degree credits, including thesis, must belong to the major. At least eight non-thesis credits must also meet the graduate-only rule, which includes appropriate nine-hundred-level courses or eight-hundred-level courses without a four-hundred-level counterpart. These rules prevent an otherwise interesting collection of classes from becoming a valid plan by default. Check both classifications when choosing electives.
Choose a Nebraska mechanical specialty and supporting study
The department lists thermal sciences, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, systems and controls, dynamics and vibrations, computational methods, materials, manufacturing and biomedical engineering among its MS areas. A plan may concentrate in one field or be individually designed across disciplines. The useful question is which methods and faculty expertise are needed for the problem you intend to study.
Supporting courses may form an approved minor of at least nine credits under the Option A framework. A minor should serve the research or technical direction, and the relevant department must approve it. For an interest in intelligent mechanical systems, compare controls, dynamics and computation as parts of a coherent plan; the related mechatronics program guides can help explain that overlap before you select a particular graduate specialty.
Separate Nebraska’s MS from additional credentials
The department also offers a twelve-credit graduate certificate in Additive Manufacturing. It requires its own admission and approved study plan, with Additive Manufacturing as the required course and three choices from a defined list involving quality control, heat transfer, finite elements and materials. It may be relevant to an applicant’s interests, but it is a separate credential and should not be assumed to fit automatically inside the MS.
Students intending to earn a master’s while pursuing a doctorate are directed to select the combined MS/PhD option when applying. A terminal thesis applicant should use the MS application and requirements appropriate to that objective. The thesis itself ends with an oral examination and the Graduate Studies approval and electronic submission process. Leave time for advisor approval, committee review and the final formatting and deposit requirements.
Admission and funding for mechanical engineering master’s programs in Nebraska
The department accepts mechanical engineering or closely related preparation, including suitable engineering, physics or mathematics backgrounds. For applicants from US institutions, it expects at least a three-point-two bachelor’s GPA or three-point-three in prior master’s courses. GRE scores are optional. The research-focused statement, resume, three recommendations and academic records should demonstrate preparation for the proposed work; identifying a faculty advisor is strongly encouraged.
Qualifying assistantships provide up to twelve credits of tuition remission per semester and reduced-cost individual health coverage. Those benefits depend on appointment hours, a minimum stipend and continuous employment for four months. Ending the appointment before one hundred twenty days can remove the tuition and insurance benefits and make the student responsible for the charges. Use the engineering degree cost guide to compare a written offer, required enrollment and the expenses it leaves uncovered.
Questions, answered
What else should you know?
Are all mechanical engineering master’s programs in Nebraska thirty credits?+
The reviewed Nebraska program lists thirty to thirty-six credits across its options. This page examines thesis Option A, which has a thirty-credit minimum with a defined coursework and thesis allocation.
Can I combine mechanical engineering with another technical area?+
The department permits individually designed interdisciplinary study and approved supporting coursework. The plan still must meet the major-credit and graduate-only course requirements, and any minor requires the relevant department’s approval.
Is Nebraska’s Additive Manufacturing certificate included in the MS?+
It is a separate twelve-credit credential with its own admission and study-plan process. Discuss any proposed overlap with both programs before assuming the courses will satisfy both awards.
What happens if an assistantship ends early?+
The university’s policy ties tuition and health benefits to continuous employment for at least one hundred twenty days and other conditions. An earlier end can remove those benefits and create a bill for the student.
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.
