Master of Engineering
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Applications Close
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
@ 8:59pm PST
FAQ
Prospective Students
If you are looking for a professional degree program, apply for the MAnalytics or MEng program. For more information about the differences between the MAnalytics and MEng programs, please see the FAQ on either program’s page.
The MS and PhD programs are considered academic programs. The MS is a technical and full-time master's degree program. The PhD is a research-oriented academic program for those who have a clear research goal in mind. If you apply for the PhD without an MS degree, you will earn an MS degree while progressing to the doctorate degree.
Note: The MAnalytics, MEng, and MS programs are considered terminal degree programs, and students in these programs will not be allowed to continue on for the PhD. Prospective students who are interested in earning a PhD degree should apply to enter the PhD program even if they do not yet have a master’s degree.
For a breakdown of the similarities and differences between the Master’s degree programs, please see below:
While these two programs share some core technical courses, the IEOR Master of Engineering program prepares students for engineering leadership and offers a curriculum with a balance of management and technical content. On the other hand, the Master of Analytics focuses on building data-driven solutions for industry challenges.
Master of Analytics students begin the program with a 50-hour Python programming language bootcamp, whereas Master of Engineering students begin the program with a pre-semester bootcamp on leadership.
The Analytics program offers elective decision analytics courses with industry context in place of the Master of Engineering leadership courses. The Master of Analytics also offers an Analytics Lab – a project-oriented course for building analytics solutions in teams starting from raw data. IEOR’s Master of Engineering program focuses on engineering leadership.
The Master of Analytics program includes a summer internship to help students gain hands-on experience instead of the two-semester Master of Engineering capstone project.
Both programs have a quantitative curriculum, however, the Master of Engineering program may be a better fit for those more interested in developing leadership skills, while the Master of Analytics program may be a better option for those students with data and quantitative interests along with industry context.
Additionally, a comparison of the prerequisites for the Master of Analytics program and the three concentrations within the Master of Engineering program can be seen below:
The GRE is required for all applicants except for those who:
- have earned their University of California (UC) degree with a 3.5 or higher cumulative or advanced GPA; or
- are current University of California (UC) students who have, at the time of application submission, a 3.5 or higher cumulative or advanced GPA; or
- are/were transfer students to a University of California (UC) with a 3.5 or higher advanced GPA
Applicants are expected to have their bachelor's degree conferred by the start of the intended MEng IEOR start term, not by the application deadline.
If you received your bachelor's degree from a domestic institution, please report Cumulative GPA (CGPA) and Advanced GPA (all courses completed after your second year for your bachelor’s degree) from the degree granting institution. All other GPAs listed on the online Graduate Application are not required.
If you received your bachelor's degree from an international institution, please report only the Cumulative GPA (CGPA) from the degree granting institution. For international institutions that did not grade on a 4.0 scale, please include the Cumulative GPA as it reads on the transcript in “Other Scale GPA”; you may ignore the CGPA field. All other GPAs listed on the online Graduate Application are not required.
*Note: The IEOR department doesn’t require a GPA calculation worksheet; however, we require the transcript grading scale.
It is strongly recommended that all prerequisites be completed with grades at the time of application submission. Online and/or extension courses from accredited colleges/universities are acceptable.
Completing programming coursework at an accredited institution is preferred and strongly encouraged, but feel free to submit certificates from other programs, such as Lynda, EdX, or Coursera.
We review applications holistically, and all application materials are taken into consideration. However, we want to see sufficient academic preparation.
Letters of recommendation provide the admissions committee with third party, qualitative accounts of your potential for success in our program.
Please select individuals who know you well and who will take the time to write thorough and thoughtful letters on your behalf. The title of those you select is not important. What does matter is how closely your letter writers have worked with you and whether they can attest to your value as an employee or student, your professional accomplishments, and your personal qualities. We have found the most helpful letters to be recent, relevant, and written specifically for this application. We discourage letters of recommendation from subordinates, family, or friends.
*Note: We require two letters of recommendation.
Your resume provides the admissions committee with a more in-depth understanding about your academic and professional experiences. We value a diversity of backgrounds and accept candidates with a wide range of experiences. The admissions committee is not looking at quantity but rather the quality, range, and substance of your experiences.
Treat your resume like a snapshot of your experiences, and then use your essays to delve deeper. Here are some tips for writing your resume:
- Be organized: Remember to be clear and concise with your resume. A resume should not exceed 1-2 pages and should be organized, ideally chronologically.
- Be to the point: Outline your experiences in a well-written (no acronyms) and succinct way that accounts honestly for your accomplishments. You do not need to elaborate on each position held on your resume. Your Statement of Purpose will allow you to dive deeper into these experiences and where you plan to go from here.
- Show clear advancement towards your goals: Your resume should highlight your career progression. Showcase a timeline from the beginning to now. Remember, your Statement of Purpose will fill in where you plan to go from here.
Once your application is submitted, you may check the status of your GRE and TOEFL scores on your online application status page. When the scores are received and matched they will show as “verified.” Scores must be verified by the application deadline in order for the application to be considered complete.
*TIP: Ensure the name and email used for the GRE matches the name used for UC Berkeley’s application.
GRE and TOEFL score reports typically take up to 5-15 days to be received and verified in UC Berkeley’s application system after they are sent to UC Berkeley. If it has been over 15 days and your status still shows “awaiting,” please contact us at gradadmissions-ieor@berkeley.edu, and we will conduct a manual search for your score report.
In your email, please include 1) the email address you used to register for the exam, 2) your full name as it appears on your exam and your application, 3) the date when your test score was sent, and 4) confirmation that your score was sent to institution code 4833 for Graduate Organizations (the department code is not needed and may be ignored).
*Note: the IEOR department will not take requests to verify GRE and TOEFL score reports after Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
No. Do not be alarmed if you are not invited to interview. If the admissions committee needs more information from the applicant, they will recommend an interview; however, it does not guarantee admission.
Enrolling in a second MEng degree program would not be allowed as it would be considered a duplicate degree. While the departments would be different, the degrees would not be differentiated enough. See section F4.3 of the Guide to Graduate Policy.
Please see the UC Berkeley Housing website for information about housing options for graduate students. Please note that housing is an additional cost and students are responsible for finding housing.
Unfortunately, we cannot expedite application review for individual applicants.
Current Students
Students who believe that completion of INDENG 240 and INDENG 241 would be a repetition of previously completed coursework may request to enroll in an approved alternative course. Please follow these instructions.
Please contact the FinTech faculty.
Students may not apply independent study or research courses toward their MEng degree requirements.
Students interested in participating in such courses may do so with the understanding that the coursework would be above and beyond the minimum degree requirements.
The full-time MEng program is currently a lock-step, two-semester degree program. Students are expected to graduate in two semesters, and exceptions are only considered in truly extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control. We cannot accommodate requests for planned or voluntary program extensions for non-academic reasons.
Yes. Students are welcome to take courses above and beyond the minimum requirements given the following conditions:
- There is space available in the additional courses to allow for enrollment.
- Students do not overload themselves causing their grades to drop and potentially jeopardizing graduation.
Students may take courses outside of IEOR that are above and beyond the minimum requirements for the degree.
EECS courses will not count toward the IEOR MEng degree.
Many EECS courses are impacted, and students may have difficulty enrolling.
The Academic Calendar outlines the deadlines by which students must finalize their registration.
While not recommended, graduate students may be eligible to drop classes late into the term. If a class is dropped late, a “W” will not appear on their transcript. However, we recommend that students discuss their specific situation, including the date in which they intend to drop, the course they intend to drop, and their student status, with the Registrar's Office directly before making a decision.
In addition, dropping courses should always be discussed with the IEOR MEng Graduate Advisors prior to taking action to ensure that the student remains on track for graduation.
International students must also consider visa requirements related to full-time enrollment. In their final term, students may petition for a reduced course load with the Berkeley International Office. Petitions must be approved before classes that would drop a student below full-time enrollment are processed.