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Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between the Engineering Online program and the Master of Engineering degree program?

A: The Engineering Online (EOL) distance education program offers courses to any person in the United States who can successfully complete the course which he or she is taking. Not all EOL students are degree seeking students. The Master of Engineering Degree is an accredited graduate Masters degree from North Carolina State University. The difference is that ALL Master of Engineering students take their courses through the EOL program. However, not all EOL students are seeking a Master of Engineering degree.

Q: Once the Master of Engineering program chair makes a recommendation to accept a student does that mean the student is guaranteed admittance?

A: No. After the recommendation has been made from the program chair, the paperwork is then forwarded to the Graduate School for the final decision.

Q: How would I know if I am to be considered an out-of-state or an in-state student?

A: For matters concerning residency, the potential new student should contact Tara Cowan, the residency officer in the NCSU Graduate School, at: (919) 513-1287or via e-mail at tara_cowan@ncsu.edu.

Q: If I am a graduate student in the Master of Engineering degree program and have to drop my class / classes for the semester, what should I do?

A: NC State University maintains a continuous enrollment policy. If for any reason you cannot attend your current class / classes, you MUST request a leave of absence. Please contact Linda Krute at: (919) 515-5440 for more information. To officially drop a course or withdraw from the university a student must complete the EOL forms found at this location.

Q: How would I receive important information once admitted to the Master of Engineering program?

A: As soon as you are accepted into the Master of Engineering degree program, you will receive a student UNITY account. This account will be used to send e-mail and to access the secured files on the Web. E-mail can be remotely accessed from the Internet at http://webmail.ncsu.edu It is very important to check your UNITY account regularly as important information regarding the Master of Engineering program is sent out periodically.

Q: How do I access my UNITY or EOS e-mail?

A: Your login is generally your first and middle intitial and the first six letters of your last name (all lower case letters). In the event that there is already a user ID created in what would be your name, the computer will automatically add a 1..2..3 or so on until it finds a unique user ID. (i.e: John F. Smith may have the ID jfsmith5 if there are already 4 others with that name on campus). Your password by default is the last four digits of your student ID number followed by the month and date of your birthdate. For example, if a new student's Campus ID is 000001234 and her birthday is July 28, the default Unity password will be 12340728. Students can change their UNITY passwords. More information regarding UNITY accounts is located on the EOL Web Site.