Mechanical Engineering Building
Acoustics Program
Program of Study
Acoustical principles are required to model and predict the distributed motion of any continuous medium. The broad interdisciplinary scope of acoustics and its fundamental importance to a wide range of technologies make it a unique combination of engineering and science. The Acoustics Program at the University of Texas offers excellent opportunities to learn the fundamentals of acoustics and use them in basic and applied research projects. Former graduate students occupy a variety of positions in government laboratories, industry, consulting firms, and universities. Extensive laboratory facilities are also available.
Degrees
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering: Students generally follow the thesis option, which requires thirty semester hours of credit, including six hours in the thesis course. Students who are appointed as teaching assistants or research assistants are expected to choose the thesis option. The report option requires thirty-three semester hours, including three hours in the report course. The option without thesis or report requires thirty-six hours of coursework. At least eighteen hours (including the thesis or report, if any) should be in the major area; at least six hours should be in a supporting area. The supporting courses may be in mechanical engineering but must represent a specialty distinct from the major courses. Some areas of study have required core courses.
Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering: The student must pass oral and written qualifying examinations administered by faculty members in the area of specialty. After passing the qualifying examinations, the student applies for candidacy by submitting a Program of Work that includes a proposed dissertation topic and a suggested dissertation committee. The dissertation committee recommends courses to be taken as part of the Program of Work, which should include at least eighteen hours (for students with a master's degree) or forty-eight hours (for students without a master's degree) of graduate coursework in the area of specialization. This coursework must be taken on the letter-grade basis. The Program of Work must be approved by the chairman of the Graduate Studies Committee. Application for candidacy must be submitted before the student completes fifty hours of credit toward the doctoral degree.
Research Requirements
Graduate students who are pursuing a doctoral degree are required to conduct research supervised by a faculty member within the Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering. This research is to form the basis of the student's doctoral dissertation. Students pursuing a master's degree with financial support from The University are expected to conduct research under the supervision of a faculty member within the Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering. This research is to form the basis of the student's master's thesis. Both master's and doctoral students are expected to establish a relationship with an Acoustics Area Faculty member for supervision of their research within their first semester in the graduate program.
Doctoral Qualifying Exams
Written doctoral qualifying exams are administered semiannually. Contact the Acoustics Area Graduate Student Adviser for more information.
Application For Doctoral Degree Candidacy
After passing the written Doctoral Qualifying Exams, a graduate student should apply for doctoral candidacy. An Application for Candidacy requires formation of a dissertation committee and submission of a Certification of Academic Credentials to the Graduate School. In addition, a Program of Work must be approved by the dissertation committee and the Acoustics Area faculty.
Dissertation Proposal
Within six months of being accepted to the doctoral candidacy, a graduate student should provide a written proposal for his/her dissertation topic and orally present that proposal to the dissertation committee. Prior to this presentation, the candidate should complete the Doctoral Dissertation Proposal Application and submit it to the Acoustics Area Administrative Associate, Cindy Raman.