Graduate Engineering at Rochester (GEAR)
GEAR is a program that guarantees exceptional undergraduates admission to any of the Hajim School master's programs at the ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ.
Students are accepted into GEAR as incoming first-year students, and provided they stay in the Hajim School and have a 3.3 GPA in their senior year, will be automatically accepted to the graduate program here as well. They are often able to take graduate courses during their senior year of undergraduate study, allowing them reduced time in graduate school and potentially complete both a BS and MS in five years.
This program is valuable for many students because they can spend the time they would have used to apply to graduate school to push themselves further academically, and the chance of finishing both degrees at an accelerated pace allows students to find gainful employment more quickly as well.
Students who meet the stated criteria (Hajim School major and 3.3 GPA) receive a 50% tuition waiver for their master's program. Undergraduate GEAR students are also able to take and transfer up to 10 credits of graduate work towards their master's program. The graduate programs usually take one year (including a summer), but can vary depending on if students choose the research option.
Applying to Graduate School for GEAR Students
Each spring, the Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) office will send out a call to students eligible to continue in the master’s program beginning that fall. Students will be provided a link to complete an expedited application. On the advice of the academic department in which the students wishes to enroll, students will be admitted to their graduate program. GEPA will issue an offer letter to the student, stating the terms of admission (including the requirement to maintain a specified GPA), and will notify academic departments.
Students with a GPA significantly below 3.3 will be unable to apply to graduate programs through GEAR; however, they can still complete the full application including official GRE scores and letters of recommendation.
For more information contact Academic Advisor Nate Trieste by email at n.trieste@rochester.edu.