The QEs are offered twice yearly (January and May) over a two-day period. A student whose highest degree (at entry to the graduate program) is a Bachelor’s degree, must take the QE (for the first time) no later than the end of 5 regular semesters (fall and spring). A student entering the graduate program with a Master’s degree must take the QE no later than the end of 3 regular semesters (fall and spring). Only students admitted to the MechE graduate (SM/PhD) program can take the PhD qualifying exam.

In rare and extraordinary circumstances, a student may be granted one extra semester by the Graduate Officer. Students who have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic may petition for such an extension. Petitions require a letter of support from the student’s thesis supervisor. Students who wish to discuss sensitive matters should feel free to contact the Graduate Officer directly or via the Graduate Student Ambassador, Professor Betar Gallant.

The QE consists of three components:

1. SQE: two subject examinations exploring the student’s breadth of knowledge in selected MechE disciplines,
2. RQE (Part I): a subject examination exploring the student’s depth of knowledge in the student’s chosen area of research, and
3. RQE (Part II): an examination of the student’s research skills.

The QE takes place over two days and is organized as follows:

• Day 1: The student takes three subject examinations, each consisting of a 30-minute oral exam. Two of these exams will be in two subject areas selected by the candidate and will comprise the student’s SQE. The third examination will be in the student’s chosen area of research and will comprise Part I of the student’s RQE.
• Day 2: The student takes the Research Qualifying Examination-Part II, consisting of one 45-minute oral examination in the candidate’s field of research that explores the student’s research skills.

For the subject examinations, the student must pick 3 distinct areas from the approved lists below, choosing at least 2 from the C (core)-list and not more than 1 from the S (specialized)-list. The student must also indicate the one area that the RQE (Part-I and Part- II) is to be in. New subject areas may be added to these lists with one semester’s advanced notice; existing subjects may be removed, but only with a minimum of two years’ notice.

Core subject areas: C-List
The subject or subjects most suitable for preparation for these exams are included in parentheses.

• Dynamics (2.032)
• Fluids (2.25) or Hydrodynamics (2.20), not both
• Heat Transfer (2.55 or 2.51+2.52J)
• Machine Design (2.72) or Product Design (2.744 or 2.739J), not both Manufacturing (2.810)
• Micro and Nano Engineering–Theory (2.37)
• Solid Mechanics (2.071) or Structures (2.080J), not both
• Stochastic Dynamical Systems (2.122)
• System Dynamics & Controls (2.140 and 2.151)
• Thermodynamics (2.42)

Specialized subjects/fields: S-List

• Acoustics (2.066)¹
• Biomechanical Engineering (2.788 or 2.795J or 2.798J). 2.795J will not be accepted starting January 2026.
• Computational Engineering (2.097J or 2.29)
• Micro and Nano Engineering–Experiment (2.675), cannot be chosen with Micro and Nano Engineering–Theory
• Optics (2.710 or 2.717 or 2.719 or 2.C67)
• Robotics (2.120)², cannot be chosen with System Dynamics & Controls

¹For candidates in the Joint MIT/WHOI program, Acoustics is considered a Core subject
²For candidates in the Joint MIT/WHOI program, Robotics is considered a Core subject

During Part II of the RQE the student will:

• Make a 25-min presentation of the student’s original research (such as work for a previously completed SM thesis (at MIT or elsewhere) or initial work at MIT towards a doctoral thesis).
• Respond to questions on that research for 20 minutes.

The student’s advisor can be present during the both parts of the RQE but is not permitted to participate in Part II of the exam. They may, however, participate in Part I.

At least 2 weeks before the RQE, the student must provide the Graduate Office with a brief one-page abstract of the research presentation. This will help the faculty participating in the RQE anticipate and prepare for the specific knowledge domain(s) that will arise during each student’s exam.

The MechE Department faculty as a whole review and discuss each student’s performance in the qualifying examinations, together with their GPA and other holistic aspects of their performance in the graduate program at MIT, and make decisions regarding passing, being allowed to repeat the exams, or failing. Prior to review by the department faculty, scores are assigned by the exam committees for each student for each exam taken, with a score of 7/10 being a pass. Passing the QE requires passing Part II of the RQE, as well as any 2 (or more) of the 3 subject area examinations. In the case of borderline failing performance, other aspects of student performance in the graduate program, any special circumstances that may have adversely affected student performance in the exam, as well as the best interest of the student are typically taken into account in making the decision. Advisors who are not in MechE are also invited to these meetings, but they cannot participate in decision-making.

A student who does not pass the doctoral qualifying examination may be permitted to retake all or part of the exam. They must do so the next time the exams are offered. In no case is a candidate allowed to repeat more than once.

Feedback will be provided to the student after the results of the exam have been decided upon. For students who pass the QE, scores are not shared, but written feedback is provided on RQE Part II. Students who do not pass the QE can obtain feedback and scores from the Graduate Officer or their advisor; they are also encouraged to reach out to their QE examiners for additional feedback.

Subject specific information on the qualifying examination can be found in the document “Qualifying Exams: Guidelines and Formats”. Questions from previous years can be found here.