The Grainger College of Engineering
Mechanical Science & Engineering

Seminar Requirement

Continuous registration in ME 590 or TAM 500 is required for all MS and PhD students during  the fall and spring terms. Seminar credit cannot be counted toward coursework requirements.

For Spring 2025, ME students should register for the ME 590 section T with CRN 37499. TAM students should register for TAM 500 section T using CRN 36380. Both are listed at T/R from 3:00 - 4:50pm and will be held in 4100 LuMEB. Please note that the seminars on held on Tuesdays will count as MechSE department seminars. (Thursday seminars are considered "alternate" seminars)

Attendance

Students are required to attend a minimum of 4 seminars per semester to receive a satisfactory grade. MS students must enroll during each semester they are in residence, and PhD students must enroll each semester until after the term they have successfully passed their Preliminary Exam. Three of the required four seminars must be MechSE department seminars. To receive credit for department seminars, attendance will be recorded via card swipe at the Tuesday seminars. Department seminar attendance taken by card swipe can be viewed in the student's MyMechSE portal account. 

Students who are enrolled in a course that conflicts with ME 590 or TAM 500 must request a registration override, register for ME 590 or TAM 500, and can attend alternate seminars with the approval of the GPO (Graduate Programs Office) which should be obtained at the beginning of the term. Students who arrive late or leave early from a seminar will not receive credit for attending.

If a student has have a time conflict with the Tuesday department seminar meeting time, it is the student's responsibility to contact GPO at mechse-grad@illinois.edu at the beginning of the semester to inquire if alternate arrangements can be made. This is a degree requirement course, so it is  important that students successfully complete this course.

Alternate Seminars

Alternate seminars include MechSE Fluids seminar series (TAM 539),  Manufacturing Interest Group seminar series (MFIG), any other MechSE seminars not within the MechSE Seminar Series (ME 590/ TAM 500) and any other seminars in Engineering, Math, or Physics. Students may attend as many alternate seminars as they choose; however, only ONE alternate seminar can be counted towards the seminar requirement each term. Students who intend to receive credit for alternative seminars MUST submit a  completed Seminar Attendance Verification form signed by the seminar's host to the Graduate Programs Office at mechse-grad@illinois.edu within 7 days of the seminar event. Since there will not be card scanning at alternative seminars, this is the only way of verifying your attendance. If a completed Seminar Attendance Verification form is not submitted within the 7-day period, no credit will be awarded. 

To register for ME 590/TAM 500 with a schedule conflict:

  1. Request a registration override by contacting the Undergraduate Programs Office at: mechse-ug-advise@illinois.edu. Include your name, UIN, and the course you are enrolled in that is in conflict with the seminar.
  2. You will receive an email when the override is entered.
  3. You must register for ME 590 or TAM 500 after the override is entered.
  4. If you receive an override and will not be able to attend the required department scheduled seminars, you must contact the GPO and seek approval for alternate seminars within the first two weeks of the term. 

Grades

ME 590 and TAM 500 use the S/U grading mode. Students will receive an "S" (satisfactory) if all course requirements are completed as instructed or a "U" (unsatisfactory) if the course requirements are not completed. 

A weekly MechSE department seminar calendar will be emailed to registered ME 590/TAM 500 students every Friday during the term. Please direct any communication or inquires regarding the MechSE seminar requirement to: mechse-grad@illinois.edu.