M.S. Mechanical Engineering
This program emphasizes design and application in three main areas of specialization: mechanical systems, dynamics and control, and thermal-fluid systems.
Faculty research interests focus on these and other areas including air pollution, bioengineering, composite structures, computational fluid dynamics, energy processes, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, computer-aided design and manufacturing, and mechatronics. Practicing engineers can choose from many elective courses to meet their professional needs.
The Mechanical Engineering Department has multiple design and simulation laboratories as well as a subsonic wind tunnel, a manufacturing facility, an industrial autoclave, and an oven. All laboratories employ advanced Computer-Aided Engineering tools to provide the students with real-world design experiences.
Students receiving a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering will be able to:
- Understand and apply advanced engineering mathematics, particularly to problems requiring matrix analysis and solutions of differential equations
- Apply modern computational tools to attain solutions of complex mechanical engineering problems in one of the emphasis areas
- Demonstrate achievement of the specific learning outcomes assigned to their chosen emphasis area
- 听apply for all applicants.
- For admission, a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering with a 3.0 or higher overall grade point average is required. Applicants with an overall grade point average between 2.5 and 3.0 will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.
- For admission with a baccalaureate degree other than Mechanical Engineering, applicants must have an overall grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Qualified applicants without a baccalaureate degree in Mechanical Engineering will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis. Additional preparatory coursework should be anticipated.
- Approval by the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the department graduate coordinator.
- A Statement of Purpose, two recommendation letters from professional references, and a resume are required. The Statement of Purpose should describe the applicant鈥檚 prior design and/or research project experiences, the emphasis area within the program that they intend to pursue, the track (thesis project or comprehensive exam) within the program they intend to pursue, and their long-term career goals.
- International student applicants must meet the听听of the University policies and procedures.
- To be considered for admission, the grades received in the undergraduate program and cumulative GPA must be available on a four-point letter grade scale of A-F. This admission requirement applies to applicants whose undergraduate (or other) institution does not report course grades in a letter format corresponding to a four-point numerical scale (A = 4, B = 3, C = 2, D = 1, F = 0) equivalent to the grading system used at 快活林性息.
- Students interested in the M.S. in Mechanical Engineering degree program who do not have an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering should contact the graduate coordinator regarding prerequisite requirements. The 鈥淧rerequisites鈥� courses or their equivalents (including 400-level courses) are required if they have not been taken previously, but they do not count as part of the M.S. program.
Completion of 31 units under the 鈥楾hesis Plan鈥� or the 鈥楥omprehensive Examination Plan鈥� is required, as outlined below. All coursework taken at 快活林性息 in the student鈥檚 graduate program must be completed with a grade of C or better. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 GPA in the program. A maximum of 6 units (two graduate courses) completed outside of the program with grades of B or higher may be approved for transfer credit. Approval of credit transfer is considered for courses equivalent to those listed below, as well as on a case-by-case basis, by the graduate coordinator.
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1. Required Core (15 units)
Math Analysis
- ME 501A Seminar in Engineering Analysis (3)
Breadth Requirement
- ME 530 Mechanical Analysis of Solids (3)
- ME 575 Applied Heat and Mass Transfer (3)
- ME 584 Modeling and Simulation of Dynamic Systems (3)
- ME 590 Advanced Fluid Dynamics (3)
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2. Culminating Experience (1 unit) [CR/NC only]
A. Thesis Plan
- ME 698D Thesis (1)
B. Comprehensive Exam Plan
- ME 697D Directed Comprehensive Studies/Exam (1)
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3. Electives (15 units)
A. Thesis Plan
- ME 696C Directed Graduate Research (3 units per semester for two semesters, totaling 6 units)
- Three elective courses (9 units) relevant to the thesis topic and approved by the thesis faculty committee chair.
B. Comprehensive Exam Plan
- Five elective courses (15 units) with at least three courses (9 units) selected from a single emphasis area.
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Emphasis Areas
Mechanical System Design
- ME 501B Seminar in Engineering Analysis (3)
- ME 515 Dynamics of Machines (3)
- ME 532 Mechanics of Polymers (3)
- ME 536 Mechanical Design with Composites (3)
- ME 595SMS Design of Smart Mechanical Systems (3)
- ME 630 Computer-Aided Design of Machinery (3)
- MSE 527/L Mechanical Behavior of Materials and Lab (2/1)
System Dynamics and Control
- ME 501B Seminar in Engineering Analysis (3)
- ME 515 Dynamics of Machines (3)
- ME 520 Robot Mechanics and Control (3)
- ME 522 Autonomous Intelligent Vehicle (3)
- ME 595ICS Intelligent Control Systems (3)
- ME 684 Design and Control of Dynamic Systems (3)
Thermal-Fluid Systems
- ME 501B Seminar in Engineering Analysis (3)
- ME 583 Thermal-Fluids System Design (3)
- ME 593 Compressible Flow (3)
- ME 595COM Fundamentals of Combustion (3)
- ME 670 Advanced Topics in Thermodynamics (3)
- ME 675A Conductive and Radiative Heat Transfer (3)
- ME 675B Convective Heat and Mass Transfer (3)
- ME 692 Computational Fluid Dynamics (3)
Total Units Required for the M.S. Degree: 31
Please refer to the 快活林性息 Catalog for course descriptions.
Areas of Emphasis
Student Learning Objectives
- Students will identify the characteristics of advanced machine design, and be able to investigate design problems using analytical techniques.
- Students will apply modern computational tools for the solution of complex mechanical design problems.听
- Students will develop and assess system level design using advanced methodologies, including optimization.
Faculty听听 |
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Dr. Peter L BishayResearch Interests: Structures and Materials, Applied Mechanics, Biomechanical Engineering, Computer-Aided Engineering Design |
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听Dr. Jamie BoothResearch Interests: His research seeks to examine the extraordinary mechanical properties of natural systems, uncovering key principles which facilitate the design of novel, multifunctional, engineering materials. He is particularly interested in the modeling of fracture in complex systems for enhancement of toughness and adhesion. |
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听Dr. Melih PapilaResearch Interests: Advanced composite manufacturing techniques |
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听Dr. Maya PishvarResearch Interests: Novel Composite Fabrication techniques and multifunctional composites |
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Dr. Christoph SchaalResearch Interests: Wave propagation, Nondestructive testing, Composites, Experimental mechanics, Robotics |
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Dr. Natalie SchaalResearch Interests: Frictional Sliding on Heterogeneous Interfaces and Engineering Education Research |
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Student Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to select mathematical models for the development of complex dynamic systems within physical domains
- Students will apply control theory and modern simulation techniques to analyze and modify systems鈥� behavior
- Students will design feedforward and feedback controllers to meet system and tracking requirements
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Dr. Nhut Tan HoResearch Interest: Human Systems Integration, Design of Automation, Human Automation Teamwork Curriculum reform and design, Change management |
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Dr. Vidya K NandikollaResearch Interests: Dr. Vidya Nandikolla鈥檚 research is in robotics, autonomous system, biomedical modeling and control, hybrid control techniques, mechatronics and assistive robotics. Currently she is focusing on the following hands on research projects: (1) model, design and develop a multiple DOF mobile robotic hand with dexterous gripper system, (2) develop kinematics and dynamics of the robot for path planning and navigation, (3) integrate the BCI hybrid control to the autonomous smart wheelchair, and (4) develop the BCI pattern recognition machine learning model for a robotic system. |
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Dr. Stewart P PrinceResearch Interests: Automotive Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing, Robust control systems |
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Dr. Tohid SardarmehniResearch Interests: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Autonomous and Connected Vehicles, Machine Learning and Deep Learning, Optimal Control Theory and Application |
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Student Learning Objectives
- Students will be able to evaluate and analyze behavior of fluid flow and energy transfer in multidisciplinary engineering processes.
- Students will further develop their problem-solving skills to examine complex thermal-fluids听problems using experimental, analytical or advanced computational techniques.
- Students will be able to utilize appropriate design and analysis methodologies to investigate and improve thermal-fluid systems.
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Dr. Hamid JohariResearch Interests: Aerodynamics, Turbulent Mixing, Parachute Systems |
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Dr. Shadi MahjoobResearch Interest: Biomechanical Engineering, Energy Systems, Heat Transfer, Combustion |
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Dr. Abhijit MukherjeeResearch Interest: Boiling and two phase flow, Micro Scale Heat Transfer, Fuel Cells, Renewable Energy Systems |
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Dr. Vinicius Maron SauerResearch Interest: Energy Systems, Heat Transfer, Combustion, Propulsion and Power |
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Recent Thesis Projects
The department offers a diverse range of thesis projects spanning research areas such as composite materials engineering, smart structures, robotics, brain-computer interfaces, biomimetic designs, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing. To explore our most recent thesis publications, please visit our ScholarWorks feed for the most up-to-date feed of all completed thesis submissions.