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 these MechSE seminars on held on Tuesdays and Thursdays will count as MechSE department seminars this semester.

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. (i.e., if you complete your Preliminary Exam at any point during a term, you are still required to complete the course successfully for that term.) 

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 and Thursday seminars. Department seminar attendance taken by card swipe can be viewed in the student's MyMechSE portal account. It is the student's responsibility to keep track of seminars attended to ensure successful completion.

If a student has a time conflict with the T/R MechSE ME 590 or TAM 500 department seminars, they must request a registration override (see below for instructions) and still register for ME 590 or TAM 500. Students who receive a registration override due to a course conflict must contact the GPO (Graduate Programs Office) at mechse-grad@illinois.edu to seek approval for alternate arrangements to complete the course. The GPO approval needs to be obtained at the beginning of the term. 

Students from outside the MechSE department and MechSE undergraduate students will need to submit a Seminar Attendance Verification Form  within 7 days of each seminar attended to receive credit for their seminars.

Students who arrive late or leave early from a seminar will not receive credit for attending and may receive additional assignments. 

This is a degree requirement course for both MS and PhD, 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 at mechse-grad@illinois.edu 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. Extra seminars cannot be carried over to count for future terms. All requirements must be met in the current term and grades will be assigned accordingly at the end of each term. All seminar attendance paperwork must be turned in no later than Reading Day. Satisfactory completion of the Seminar Requirement is required for graduation.

Seminar Calendar Schedule

A weekly MechSE department seminar calendar will be emailed to all registered ME 590/TAM 500 students every Friday during the term. 

Seminar Office Hours

Office hours for ME 590/TAM 500 are Tuesdays and Thursdays in 1045 LuMEB from 10am-5pm unless posted otherwise on our door. These are designated hours when you can drop in and ask questions related to this course and seek assistance.

Communication

Please direct any communication or inquiries regarding the MechSE seminar requirement to: mechse-grad@illinois.edu or stop in during our office hours.