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Academics
The Materials Engineering concentration in Mechanical Engineering includes an Undergraduate Technical Option Area as well as a rigorous Graduate Program encompassing the fields of materials development, characterization, processing, and structure-property-performance relationships. Areas of study include ceramics, physical metallurgy, mechanical behavior, fuel cells, high-energy density batteries, new materials development, nanomaterials and nanotechnology, and microelectronics packaging. Extensive laboratory facilities are also available. These include scanning and transmission electron microscopes; X-ray scattering, metallography, laser processing, thermal analysis, and thin film characterization facilities; mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and electrochemical property measurement equipment. The department is also a primary participant in the interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Materials Engineering.
Degrees
Master of Science in Engineering 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 Engineering 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 ME 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. Eligibility to take the exams requires a minimum graduate GPA of 3.3. Contact the ME 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 ME 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 ME Area Administrative Associate, Barbara Espinoza.