Mechanical Engineering

Graduate Study in Mechanical Engineering

The department offers master of science (MS), master of engineering (ME) and doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree programs to students whose career plans include advanced practice, research and development and/or teaching at the college or university level.

Master of Science (MS) Degree

The MS in mechanical engineering consists of 30 credit hours: usually ten 3 credit hour courses or eight 3 credit hour courses plus six credit hours of thesis.

Tracks. Our curriculum consists of a set of nine study tracks designed to provide a balance between modern technological focus and disciplinary depth:

• Air Quality
• Bioengineering
• Design
• Energy and Environment
• Foundation
• Materials
• Mechanics of Materials
• Microsystems
• Simulation Based Mechanical Engineering Sciences

Each track consists of six courses, comprised of a set of three to five core courses and one to four enrichment courses. The remaining courses are electives, and may include thesis hours. Core courses are taught every year, and enrichment courses are taught at various intervals. Enrichment courses are more specialized and are chosen from a list of approved courses for each track. Additional courses may be approved on a petition basis. Lists of core and enrichment courses for each track are available at www.me.colorado.edu/#!degree-programs/c5dq.

In addition to the course work for each track, MS students are required to take two semesters of MCEN 5027 (Graduate Seminar). This class is pass/fail and is attendance-based. It does NOT count towards the 30 credit hours required for the degree. Attendance is required at 10 seminar meetings for a passing grade. NOTE: For BS/MS students the requirement is only one semester of Graduate Seminar.

Master of Engineering (ME) Degree

The Master of Engineering is a degree plan designed primarily for working professionals or those who seek exceptional breadth in their educational plan. The ME requires 30 semster hours of course work as described below. Students have six years to complete these requirements. A GPA of 3.00 must be maintained. Up to 9 semester hours of approved graduate level course work from other institutions may be transferred.

Requirements

• 18 credit hours of courses at the 5000 level or above must be taken in mechanical engineering subjects.
• 12 credit hours of courses may be taken in other engineering fields, science, business, etc. Six of these hours may be at the 4000 level.
• In addition to the course work, ME students are required to take two semesters of MCEN 5027 Graduate Seminar. This class is pass/fail and is attendance-based. It does NOT count towards the 30 credit hours required for the degree. Attendance is required at 10 seminar meetings for a passing grade.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Degree

A student pursuing the PhD in mechanical engineering must complete a minimum of 30-42 semester credit hours in courses numbered 5000 or above (6 of these credits must include MCEN 5020 and 5040), as well as 30 semester hours of dissertation credit. In addition, all PhD students are required to take MCEN 5208, Introduction to Research (Pass/Fail). Up to 21 semester hours of graduate course work may be transferred from another accredited institution; there is no credit limit for appropriate courses taken at the University of Colorado, such as those taken for the master of science degree.

Every student desiring to pursue the PhD degree must pass a preliminary examination. As a part of this evaluation, students must pass a written math examination as well as two oral exams designed to test research and fundamental mechanical engineering competency. They must also pass a research presentation given to a committee of at least three faculty members. Overall performance in the required examinations will determine pass/fail status.

After passing the preliminary examination, students continue their course work and prepare a written thesis prospectus. When ready, they take an oral comprehensive examination covering the graduate course work and the thesis prospectus. After passing the comprehensive examination, students are admitted into the PhD program and conduct original research required to satisfy the thesis requirement. This research culminates in the writing of the thesis, which students defend in a final examination.

PhD students are matched with an academic advisor to review their progress toward the degree. Students are expected to meet with the advisor at least once each semester prior to registration. Once students have selected a research topic for the thesis, academic advising is done by their thesis advisor. Additional information on graduate study may be found in the Graduate School section.

Graduate Research

Research activities are concentrated in three contemporary themes: micro/nano scale engineering, energy/environment and bioengineering. Faculty engage in these theme areas through three disciplinary areas of mechanical engineering: fluid mechanics/thermal sciences, solid mechanics/material sciences and design/manufacturing. Faculty and students collaborate with universities and laboratories across the United States and throughout the world.

Example research efforts in micro/nano systems include: design and reliability of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), nanosystems, carbon nanotubes, mechanical properties of nanowires, nanomaterial processing, nanocomposites, disk drive shock analysis, microporous membranes, polymer derived ceramics, active materials and structures, multi-scale computational fluids modeling and MEMS/electronics packaging.

Example research efforts in energy/environment include: urban air quality modeling, indoor air pollution, aerosol particle characterization and health effects, energy policies and climate impacts and theoretical/computational fluid dynamics.

Example research efforts in bioengineering include: optical biopsy of prostate cancer, shape memory polymers/alloys, cardiovascular fluid/bio mechanics, MEMS-based biosensing, ultrasound imaging, device design, nanoparticle diagnostics and metallic/polymer biomaterials. These efforts are facilitated by collaborations with the Anschutz Medical Campus of the University of Colorado Denver, the Children’s Hospital and the Colorado State Veterinary College.

Department research activities are supported by a wide range of industrial and federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Institute of Health (NIH), Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and Defense Agency Research Project Association (DARPA). Some research activities are carried out through interdisciplinary department research centers including the Collaboratory for Air Quality Research (CAQR) and Membrane Applied Science and Technology (MAST) Center.