University of Colorado at Boulder Home A to Z Map  

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Graduate Degree Programs

Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering

The Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering is available to students entering graduate studies for the first time as well as those who have completed a Masters degree at another institution. For first time graduate students the course requirements in addition to the M.S. curriculum are MCEN 5040, Methods of Engineering Analysis 2, and MCEN 5208 Intro to Research. Depending upon the area of research the minimum credit requirements range from 30-36 credits. For students with a prior Masters degree, up to 21 hours of course work may be transferred to meet the 30-36 hour requirement. The hours taken at CU Boulder must include MCEN 5020 and MCEN 5040 Engineering Analysis 1 and 2, and MCEN 5208 Intro to Research. See the graduate student handbook for more details.

In addition to the coursework, Ph.D. students are required to take four semesters of Graduate Seminar, MCEN 5027. This class is pass/fail and is attendance based. It does NOT count towards the 30-36 credit hours required for the degree. Attendance is required at 2/3 of the seminars for a passing grade.

In addition to satisfying the department minimum course requirement a student must satisfy additional course requirements of one of the six Focus Areas of studies:

  1. Air Quality (AQ): 36 credits
  2. Bioengineering (BE): 30 credits
  3. Materials (M): 30 credits
  4. Mechanics of Materials (MM): 30 credits
  5. Micro/Nano Systems (MNS): 30 credits
  6. Thermo Fluid Sciences (TFS): 36 credits

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering

The M.S. in Mechanical Engineering consists of 30 credit hours: usually ten three hour courses or eight three hour courses and six hours of thesis.

Tracks Our curriculum consists of a set of nine study tracks designed to provide a balance between modern technological focus and disciplinary depth:

Each track consists of six courses, comprised of a set of 3-5 core courses and 1-3 enrichment courses. The remaining courses are electives, and may include thesis hours. Core courses are taught every year, and enrichment courses are taught at various intervals. Enrichment courses are more specialized and are chosen from a list of approved courses for each track. Additional courses may be approved on a petition basis. Lists of core and enrichment courses for each track are available at the links above.

In addition to the coursework for each track, M.S. students are required to take two semesters of Graduate Seminar, MCEN 5027. This class is pass/fail and is attendance based. It does NOT count towards the 30 credit hours required for the degree. Attendance is required at 2/3 of the seminars for a passing grade.


Please Note: For BS/MS Students the requirement is only one semester of Graduate Seminar.

Master of Engineering Degree

The Master of Engineering is a degree plan designed primarily for working professionals or those who seek exceptional breadth in their educational plan. The Master of Engineering Degree requires 30 credit hours of course work as described below. You have six years to complete these requirements. A GPA of 3.0 must be maintained. Up to nine hours of approved graduate level coursework from other institutions may be transferred. As much as nine hours of Center for Engineering and Technology Education (CAETE) courses taken before application may also be allowed. However, taking CAETE courses does not guarantee admission into a Master of Engineering degree program.
Requirements:
18 credit hours of courses at the 5000 level or above must be taken in Mechanical Engineering subjects.
12 credit hours of courses may be taken in other engineering fields, science, business, etc. 6 of these hours may be at the 4000 level.

In addition to the coursework, M.E. students are required to take two semesters of Graduate Seminar, MCEN 5027. This class is pass/fail and is attendance based. It does NOT count towards the 30 credit hours required for the degree. Attendance is required at 2/3 of the seminars for a passing grade.

BS/MS Concurrent Degree

The Concurrent Bachelor’s/Master’s degree program offers the opportunity of pursuing the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees leading towards the awarding of the degrees at the completion of the joint program. The program is normally a 5-6 year program designed for currently enrolled CU Boulder students. Initial admission to the program typically occurs during the Junior year. Minimum standards for admission require a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 and completion of all MAPS deficiencies. Additional admissions criteria are determined by the individual departments in conjunction with the appropriate school or college deans. Please see below for MCEN admissions criteria.

MCEN REQUIREMENTS:
In order to gain admission to the BS/MS program in Mechanical Engineering a student must meet the following criteria:

  • Have a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher
  • Have completed a minimum of 75 hours
  • Transfer students must have completed a minimum of 24 hours at CU Boulder
  • If admitted to the program the student may not pursue a double degree or double major
  • Students must have completed Four of the following Six courses:
    • Computational Methods
    • Fluids
    • Thermodynamics 1
    • Thermodynamics 2
    • Heat Transfer
    • Component Design

The degrees will be awarded simultaneously when requirements for both degrees are met. If the student wishes to withdraw from the program and only receive the BS degree they may do so by contacting the graduate advisor who will have the graduate school change their status from BS/MS concurrent back to BS.

To comply with Title IV Higher Education regulations, CU-Boulder students pursuing a concurrent BS/MS degree will automatically be changed to graduate status after the completion of 145 credit hours. Students at graduate status are assessed graduate tuition rates and are no longer eligible for COF. In addition, graduate students receiving financial aid are considered “independent” and are no longer eligible for aid requiring undergraduate status.

If you are interested in the BS/MS concurrent degree please stop by and see the graduate advisor for an application.

Certificates

The University of Colorado offers many Graduate Certificates. Information can be found here.