Mechanical Engineering
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Admission
Students seeking admission to the graduate program in mechanical engineering must meet the admission standards set by the Graduate School and have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or its equivalent. A student whose undergraduate training is deficient may be required to take coursework without graduate credit.
This program requires a nonrefundable $65 application fee that must be submitted with the application for Admissions to Graduate Study in Mechanical Engineering. Applicants must pay this fee by credit card. The application form can be obtained from the Department.
Requirements
Each student majoring in mechanical engineering will develop a program of study with a graduate adviser and establish a graduate committee of at least three members at the earliest possible date. A student may, with the approval of a graduate faculty committee and the department chair, also take courses in other branches of engineering, or in areas of science and business, such as physics, geology, chemistry, mathematics, life science, administrative sciences, or computer science. A thesis committee of at least three members will approve the thesis and the comprehensive oral exam.
For a student who wishes to complete the requirements of the master’s degree with a thesis, a minimum of thirty semester hours of acceptable graduate credit is required. Of this total, eighteen semester hours must be earned in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes. A minimum of 15 hours of coursework at the 500-level (excluding thesis) is required. Each candidate is also required to pass a comprehensive oral examination covering all of the student’s graduate work including thesis.
If a student prefers the non-thesis option, a minimum of thirty-six semester hours of acceptable graduate credit is required. The student is expected to take at least twenty-one semester hours within the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy Processes including no more than three semester hours of the appropriate 592 course to be devoted to the preparation of a research paper. A minimum of 15 hours of coursework at the 500-level (excluding thesis) is required. In addition, each candidate is required to pass a written comprehensive examination. An oral presentation of the paper may be required.
Each non-thesis student will select a minimum of three engineering graduate faculty members to serve as a graduate committee, subject to the approval of the chair of the department. The committee must include at least one member from one of the other engineering departments and will:
- approve the student’s program of study,
- approve the student’s research paper topic,
- approve the completed research paper, and
- administer and approve the written comprehensive examination.