Graduate Curriculum
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. Our curriculum consists of a set of eight study tracks designed to provide a balance between modern technological focus and disciplinary depth:
- Air Quality
- Bioengineering
- Design
- Energy & Environment
- Foundation
- Materials
- Mechanics of Materials (Previously Applied Mechanics)
- Microsystems
- Simulation Based Mechanical Engineering Sciences
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.
Master of Engineering Degree
The Master of Engineering is a terminal 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.
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 Engineering Analysis 2, MCEN 5208 Intro to Research, and two additional electives for a total of 42 hours of course work. For students with a prior Masters degree, up to 21 hours of course work may be transferred to meet the 42 hour requirement. The remaining 21 hours 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 42 credit hours required for the degree. Attendance is required at 2/3 of the seminars for a passing grade.