Project Options for MSME?

Graduate School
1

I’m browsing options for grad school for a MS in mechanical engineering. I came across Oregon State which has a “project option” as well as a “thesis option”:

http://mime.oregonstate.edu/academics/grad/me/msme

I’ve never seen a non-thesis option called “project option” and it sounds interesting being able to develop your own project idea. Is this common in other schools? If so, what other schools have it?

If not, is this just another way of saying “non-thesis option”?

Thanks!

2

A number of schools offer this. A project MS is halfway between a coursework-only MS and a thesis MS, in that the project MS will require you to work on some sort of substantial project like a thesis MS, but it won’t be to the same depth as would be required for a thesis MS, and also doesn’t require you to write a thesis, obviously.

Both a project MS and coursework-only MS are types of non-thesis options.