Course and Tuition FAQs

What are the expectations on completing courses beyond my work schedule?

Courses are designed with your busy schedule in mind, providing the flexibility you need to study at the times most convenient to you.  Courses are delivered asynchronously via streaming video over the internet to students around the globe shortly after they are taught live in a classroom on campus.   Our classes use the same faculty who teach in our on-campus programs, and for the larger course sections, additional teaching assistants will provide further resources for the students.

All of your course activities, assignments, and exams must be completed by their respective due dates.  You will need to view course lectures regularly to keep current.  The typical length of our courses is 16 weeks (8 weeks in the summer).  Some courses may also contain online group work that you need to take into consideration. 

Be realistic about the time commitment that is required to fit graduate studies into your already demanding life and then prepares to make a plan to achieve a healthy balance.  As a general rule of thumb, plan to spend 9-12 hours per week of study time for each 3-credit course.  However, some courses won’t require as much of your time, and others may require more. 

Most Purdue students complete a master’s degree in three-plus years by taking one course per semester and occasionally taking a course during the summer term. However, if you’re highly motivated you may take two courses a semester and complete the master’s degree in well under three years. How quickly you complete our degree program depends on many factors such as job demands, travel, or family obligations. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your course schedule, please notify us.

How many courses are offered each semester in my desired program?

Please see our “Course Catalog” for information regarding courses by semester.  This is a tentative schedule and subject to change with the possibility of deletion or addition of courses.  Courses are automatically sorted by Course Number, with, for example, the IE-specific courses beginning with the IE prefix. 

What loan options do I have as an International student?

There are no loan options available through "Purdue University Online, College of Engineering". You can try to contact the financial aid or bursar's office.

What is the cost for a course?

Tuition costs can vary slightly depending on program.  Please visit the relevant program page to view our current tuition rates.

Is there any way the application fee can be waived?

Waived application fees depend to which program you're applying. There are no fees waived for Purdue University Online, College of Engineering.

How do I go about finding professors to be on my advising committee?

Until you're admitted, this really isn't something you need to worry about. Once you start your plan of study, you can begin the process of planning your advising committee.

I'm a student at IUPUI, can I take a distance class that you offer? What are the costs? 

You can take a distance course at a reduced cost upon approval from your advisor. Send an email to proed@purdue.edu to inquire about the details.

My GPA is 2.4 but I have work experience ... would I still be able to be admitted into the program?

Across all graduate programs at Purdue, there is a 3.0 minimum GPA requirement and we're mainly focused on academic record. We take into account your application in its entirety, but since you're applying to a graduate program, we really try to assess your learning abilities. Besides the cumulative GPA, we also look at individual course performances, how you progressed through your undergraduate program, etc.