As a discipline, mechanical engineering encompasses concepts and technologies with the power to transform the futures of organizations and industries. The curriculum in the online Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program prepares engineers to lead those changes by covering a variety of fields and topics including fluid mechanics, energy, dynamics and control, robotics, additive manufacturing, biomechanics, autonomous vehicles, thermodynamics and cyrogenics.
In this rigorous and mathematically intensive online curriculum, engineers apply analytical methods to complex problems and identify ways to improve industrial processes. Online students may prepare for the quantitative demands of the rest of the program by first completing ME 800 Mechanical Engineering Analysis.
The online master’s in mechanical engineering program offers a selection of two in-demand tracks:
- Thermal Fluids Science and Engineering
- Expand your understanding of heat transfer, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. Solve crucial problems in fields such as power generation.
- Mechanics, Dynamics, and Manufacturing
- Delve into the theoretical concepts behind forces and motion, exploring how these principles can be put to work in improving manufacturing processes.
Online M.S. in Mechanical Engineering Program Requirements
- Total credit requirement: 30 credits
- Students must complete a minimum of 21 credits (7 courses) in classes at the 800 level or above.
- A maximum of 4 credits from independent study can count toward graduation requirements.
- Students may earn a maximum of 9 credits from courses outside of Mechanical Engineering and a maximum of 9 credits from courses in any department at the 400 level.
- Online Mechanical Engineering students must also complete at least one graduate-level course (3 credits each) from three of the following graduate education and research groups:
- Thermal Sciences: ME80x (except ME 800) or ME81x courses, or ME 822 6.
- Solid and Structural Mechanics: ME82x courses, except ME 822
- Fluid Mechanics: ME83x and ME84x courses
- Dynamical Systems: ME85x or ME86x courses
Suggested Course Progression
For Students Pursuing Track 1: Thermal Fluids Science and Engineering
YEAR 1
ME 800 Mechanical Engineering Analysis
ME 830 Fluid Mechanics I or ME 812 Conduction Heat Transfer
ME 830 Fluid Mechanics I or ME 812 Conduction Heat Transfer
ME 810 Advanced Thermodynamics
ME 819 Combustion or ME 814 Convection Heat Transfer (students who do not have an ME undergraduate degree may wish to complete ME410 Heat Transfer prior to enrolling in ME 814)
ME 819 Combustion or ME 814 Convection Heat Transfer (students who do not have an ME undergraduate degree may wish to complete ME410 Heat Transfer prior to enrolling in ME 814)
ME 860 Theory of Vibrations
YEAR 2
ME 812 Conduction Heat Transfer or ME 830 Fluid Mechanics I
STT 861 Theory of Probability and Statistics I
STT 861 Theory of Probability and Statistics I
ME 840 Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer
ME 821 Linear Elasticity
ME 821 Linear Elasticity
ME 891 Foundations of Materials Science and Engineering
For Students Pursuing Track 2: Mechanics, Dynamics, and Manufacturing
YEAR 1
ME 800 Mechanical Engineering Analysis
ME 820 Continuum Mechanics
ME 820 Continuum Mechanics
ME 821 Linear Elasticity
ME 810 Advanced Thermodynamics
ME 810 Advanced Thermodynamics
ME 860 Theory of Vibrations
YEAR 2
ME 826 Laminated Composites
ME 851 Linear Systems and Control
ME 851 Linear Systems and Control
ME 891 Additive Manufacturing
ME 872 Finite Element Method
ME 872 Finite Element Method
ME 465 Computer Aided Optimal Design
Graduate Mechanical Engineering Course Descriptions
Note: Not all courses are available every semester. Contact an Admission Counselor for more information on course availability and to discuss your desired academic plan.
Fundamentals of isotropic linear elasticity. Solution of plane elasticity problems. St. Venant bending and torsion. Singular solutions. Basic three-dimensional solutions.
Dynamics of systems of particles and rigid bodies. Energy and momentum principles. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods. Euler angles. Applications in system dynamics and vibrations.
Modeling for mechanical design optimization. Algorithms for constrained and unconstrained optimization. Optimality criteria. Optimization using finite element models. Design projects.
Use of analytical methods of mathematics in engineering applications. Applications of partial differential equations to thermal-fluid and vibration problems, vector calculus and tensor analysis in fluid and solid mechanics, and analytical function theory in mechanics.
Postulational treatment of the laws of thermodynamics. Equilibrium and maximum entropy postulates. Principles for general systems.
Theory of steady and unsteady heat conduction. Derivation of describing equations and boundary conditions. Numerical methods. Nonlinear problems.
Analysis of convective transfer of heat, mass and momentum in boundary layers and ducts. Thermal instability. Free convection.
Mathematical tools of continuum mechanics, stress principles, kinematics of deformation and motion, fundamental laws and equations. Applications in linear elasticity and classical fluids.
Fundamentals of isotropic linear elasticity. Solution of plane elasticity problems. St. Venant bending and torsion. Singular solutions. Basic three-dimensional solutions.
Prerequisite: ME 820
Fundamentals of anisotropic elasticity and their application to laminated composite plates. Unique states of deformation, stress, and failure not encountered in isotropic, homogeneous materials.
Fundamentals of anisotropic elasticity and their application to laminated composite plates. Unique states of deformation, stress, and failure not encountered in isotropic, homogeneous materials.
Integral and differential conservation laws, Navier-Stokes’ equations, and exact solutions. Laminar boundary layer theory, similarity solutions, and approximate methods. Thermal effects and instability phenomena.
Theory and application of finite difference and finite volume methods to selected fluid mechanics and heat transfer models including the full potential flow model, the systems of Euler and Navier-Stokes equations, and turbulence. Grid generation techniques.
State models and their stability, controllability, and observability properties. Finding minimal realizations of transfer functions. Design of state and output feedback controllers. Design of state observers. LQ regulator and the Kalman filter. Time-varying systems.
Dynamics of systems of particles and rigid bodies. Energy and momentum principles. Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods. Euler angles. Applications in system dynamics and vibrations.
Theory and application of the finite element method to the solution of continuum type problems in heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and stress analysis.
Discrete systems and continua. Analytical mechanics. Variational principles. Modal analysis. Function spaces. Eigenfunction expansions. Integral transforms. Stability. Approximations. Perturbations.
Brief overview of selected manufacturing processes that form the foundation of the current additive manufacturing processes. Understanding of the fundamentals of additive processes classified according to ASTM F2792-12a Standard on Additive Manufacturing Terminologies. Processes to be covered: Binder Jetting, Directed Energy Deposition, Material Extrusion and Jetting, Powder Bed Fusion, Vat Polymerization and Sheet lamination. Overview of materials processed additively: Metals, Ceramics, Polymers, Composites and Human Cells and Tissues.
Material and fluid properties specific to cryogenics. Cryogenic cycle fundamentals. Application of heat transfer and fluid mechanics to cryogenic process systems. Exergy analysis and introduction to cycle analysis. Applications to 4.5 K and 2 K helium systems supporting particle accelerators.
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