Mechanical Engineering - Graduate

The Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department offers graduate programs in the broad field of mechanical engineering. The program leading to the Master of Science (MS) degree provides the balance of advanced theory and practical knowledge necessary for either practice within the profession or for advancement to a doctoral program. The PhD program prepares students for basic and applied research in mechanical engineering. While there are no officially designated tracks or concentrations, students are required to complete the degree requirements listed below and will choose one of the following areas of emphasis (AOE), based on their interests:

  • Design and Manufacturing - computer-aided design, optimal design, design with reliability, additive manufacturing, micro-and nano-fabrication;
  • Solid Mechanics - mechanics of materials and structures, computational mechanics, biomechanics, waves and vibration, additive manufacturing;
  • Transport Phenomena and Energy - heat and mass transfer in biological/environmental/industrial applications, microfluidics/nanofluidics, complex fluids, interfacial phenomena/wetting, additive manufacturing, energy generation, energy storage, energy efficient space heating and cooling, smart electronics and data center cooling, small-scale power harvesting;
  • Materials - materials characterization, microstructure/property relationships, thin films, computational materials, interfacial phenomena, functional materials, materials processing;
  • Dynamic Systems - multiphysics phenomena, microstructural vibrations, MEMS/NEMS, novel acoustic measurement techniques, noise control, microscale vibrations and acoustics, nonlinear dynamics, sensors and actuators, control systems;

As part of the requirements of the MS degree, students must successfully complete three or four courses (depending on whether the thesis or project option is pursued) from one of the above areas.

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Protocol

Each student in the MS program must select and obtain the consent of a full-time ME faculty member to serve as his or her advisor. Students pursuing the MS project option should decide their AOE and vet their course selection periodically with the director of graduate studies, who serves as their de facto advisor. Students pursuing the MS thesis option should work with their advisor to form a research committee to supervise their work. The research committee is composed of the advisor as chair and two other appropriate members, at least one of whom must be a full-time ME faculty member. An up-to-date biographical sketch must be provided to the director of graduate studies for any proposed committee member who is not a full-time ME faculty member. The processes of advisor selection, study plan creation, and research committee formation should be completed by the end of the student's second semester of full-time study. Part-time students should complete the process of advisor selection, study plan creation and research committee formation before the student has completed three graduate courses.

Degree Requirements - Project Option

The student must complete a minimum of 10 graduate courses. Eight of the 10 courses must be ME courses, as follows:

  • Student selects from ME offerings to satisfy a three-course core curriculum consisting of:
    • An advanced mathematics course (ME 533 or ME 535); 
      • 4+1 BS/MS students must take ME 535.
    • A computational course (ME 517 or ME 541);
    • A mechanics course (ME 511, ME 514, ME 518, ME 520, ME 524 or ME 550).
  • Four of the remaining seven required courses must be ME courses, selected from one AOE.
  • Student completes two technical electives. (These courses may be taken outside of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.)
  • Student completes an ME Project (ME 598) or Industrial Internship (ME 594). Details for this requirement should be discussed with the Graduate Director or Faculty Advisor. This requirement is graded as S/U.

One additional independent study (ME 597) or internship course (ME 594) may be applied to the technical elective requirements. Students must complete 24 graded (A-F) credits to meet the residency requirement (the 4+1 BS/MS residency requirement is 18 credits after completion of the BS degree). Note that independent study (ME 597) and internship (ME 594) courses are generally graded as S/U and cannot be used to meet residency requirements. The student must maintain at least an overall B average (GPA 3.0/4.0) for his or her graduate coursework to be eligible for the MS degree.

Degree Requirements - Thesis Option

The student must complete a minimum of 8 graduate courses and 6 credits of thesis (ME 599). Six of the 8 courses must be mechanical engineering courses, as follows:

  • Student selects from the mechanical engineering (ME) offerings to satisfy a three-course core curriculum of:
    • An advanced mathematics course (ME 533 or ME 535);
    • A computational course (ME 517 or ME 541);
    • A mechanics course (ME 511, ME 514, ME 518, ME 520, ME 524 or ME 550).
  • Three of the remaining five required courses must be ME courses, selected from one AOE.
  • Student completes two advisor-approved technical electives. (These courses may be taken outside of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.)

Students must complete 24 graded (A-F) credits to meet the residency requirement. The student must maintain at least an overall B average (GPA 3.0/4.0) for his or her graduate coursework to be eligible for the MS degree.

Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering

* The PhD program in Materials Science and Engineering is described under Materials Science and Engineering in the Graduate School section of the Bulletin or under Materials Science and Engineering in the Graduate Programs by Department pull-down menu.

The PhD program in Mechanical Engineering requires a minimum of three academic years of full-time graduate level study after the baccalaureate degree, or their equivalent in part-time study.

Obtaining an Advisor

Upon admission to the doctoral program, new students will be advised by the director of graduate studies, who is responsible for:

  • Explaining the department requirements for the PhD degree;
  • Assisting the student in establishing a preliminary course of study;
  • Informing the student of selecting an advisor.

The above actions should be completed during the first semester in residence.

It is the responsibility of the student to select an advisor, select a guidance committee (in consultation with his or her advisor), and prepare a learning contract by the end of the fall semester in the second year.

Guidance Committee

The student, upon selecting an advisor, should identify faculty to serve on the guidance committee. The committee must have a minimum of four members (including the student's advisor); one member can be from outside the department.

The student should submit the first page of the learning contract listing the names of the proposed committee members to the ME Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) for approval. Review of the proposed guidance committee is very thorough, because the guidance committee acts on behalf of the department in monitoring the student's academic progress. When the guidance committee is accepted by the ME GSC, the signed learning contract will be placed in the student's file in the department office as an active document. Any subsequent proposed changes made to the approved guidance committee must be made in writing to the director of graduate studies for approval. The student, upon approval, must submit an amended learning contract to the director of graduate studies.

Learning Contract

Preparation: Every new PhD student should work immediately with his/her advisor to develop a learning contract. The purpose of the learning contract is to define the knowledge and skills appropriate for the student's intended area of research; this document will guide the student's preparation for the comprehensive examination. The learning contract should identify courses and concepts that must be mastered in order to provide breadth of background, as well as specialized courses and concepts which are germane to the proposed area of research. The learning contract will remain an active document in the student's file that charts his/her progress through the various milestones of the PhD process. It is the responsibility of the student to update the learning contract and obtain the appropriate signatures confirming the successful completion of each PhD milestone.

Registering the Learning Contract: A copy of the learning contract will be placed in the student's file and maintained by the secretary to the director of graduate studies.

Course Requirements

Students must complete ME 535, ME 635, and the courses listed in their learning contracts to fulfill their degree requirements. A minimum of 24 graded (A-F) credits are needed to meet the residency requirement.

PhD Qualifying Evaluation

Every PhD student must successfully complete the qualifying evaluation at the end of the spring semester of the first year. Failure to pass Part 1 and Part 2 of the qualifying evaluation is considered sufficient reason for dismissal from the PhD program.

Part 1: Recommendation Letter from Faculty Advisor

This letter, provided by the faculty advisor, will comment on the student's suitability and qualifications for the PhD program. Its content will focus on the student's ability and/or potential for conducting research at a high level. This letter will be sent by the advisor directly to the Graduate Studies Committee.

The Graduate Studies Committee will review the recommendation letter. To successfully pass Part 1, the student's qualifications for the PhD program must be approved by the committee. As needed, the committee may request a meeting with the student's advisor to obtain additional information before making a final decision.

Part 2:  Average Grade for Math and Area of Emphasis (AOE) Courses

An average grade will be calculated using the following courses:

  • ME 535
  • ME 635
  • All AOE classes (at least 2 must be included)

To successfully pass Part 2, the student must obtain an average grade of B+ (GPA 3.3) for this list of courses. Courses associated with each AOE are available on the ME department website. Note that independent study and research credit courses cannot be used to calculate the average grade as part of the qualifying evaluation.

PhD Comprehensive Examination

The comprehensive examination is structured by the guidance committee to cover topics described in the learning contract. Before taking the comprehensive examination, the student must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours in residence on the °®¶¹´«Ã½ campus. The comprehensive exam must be taken by the end of the summer of the second year.

Preparation and Approval of Prospectus

Upon completion of the comprehensive examination, the candidate must write a prospectus, describing the proposed dissertation research in detail. This prospectus is presented and defended in an open colloquium. After successfully defending the prospectus, the final revised prospectus will be placed in the student's file. The prospectus must be completed by the end of the fall semester of the third year.

Admission to Candidacy

Upon passing the comprehensive examination, the student is admitted to candidacy for the PhD degree. A student may only register for full time certification (FTC) credits if they have been admitted to candidacy (i.e., obtained ABD status) by the start of the semester.  This means to be eligible to register for FTC credits, the student must have successfully passed their comprehensive exam and completed all course and credit requirements before the add/drop date of the current semester.

Evidence of Proficiency in Teaching

PhD students must meet the teaching proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

  • Being the instructor of record in an undergraduate course, or
  • Teaching one or more lectures of a course.

Oral Defense of PhD Dissertation

The PhD candidate will be required to orally present his/her dissertation research in an open colloquium. The guidance committee, as well as an outside examiner appointed by the Graduate School, will be present at this colloquium and will also conduct the defense of the dissertation immediately following the oral presentation.

Summary of Minimum Requirements

1. Submission of learning contract;

2. Satisfaction of qualifying evaluation requirement;

3. Satisfaction of comprehensive exam requirement;

4. Submission of prospectus and presentation of proposed research in an open colloquium;

5. Acceptance of prospectus by the guidance committee;

6. Oral presentation and defense of dissertation.

PhD Timeline

Milestone Deadline
Admission Fall (spring admissions revert to the previous fall time datum)
Qualifying Evaluation End of spring semester (Year 1)
Learning Contract Distributed to Dissertation Committee End of fall semester (Year 2)
Comprehensive Exam End of summer (Year 2)
Prospectus Year 3
Dissertation  

Satisfactory Academic Progress

All rules of the Graduate School apply regarding probation and academic jeopardy, except probation, may not last more than two semesters. 

Research

Students pursuing the MS thesis option or PhD in mechanical engineering must complete a research thesis. The written thesis and an oral presentation defending the thesis must be approved by the student's research committee before he or she is eligible for the degree. Publication of the student's research in an archival journal is expected.

List of Faculty