Mechanical Engineering (MME)

Description

The Mechanical Engineering graduate program is student-centered, providing high-quality instruction in both theory and the latest engineering developments. Graduate faculty members hold doctorates in engineering, and most bring significant industrial experience to the classroom. For the working person, our graduate classes are held in the late afternoon and evening.  The Department of Mechanical Engineering has the following focal areas:

  • Entrepreneurship
  • Manufacturing Systems
  • Mechatronics Systems
  • Thermal/Fluid Systems and Alternative Energy Conversion
  • Vehicle Systems

Students may choose several courses in one focal area or may select a variety of courses across multiple focal areas.

Two graduate degrees are offered:

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  • Program Learning Outcomes

    Master of Mechanical Engineering graduates will have:
    1)   an ability to apply knowledge of advanced mathematics, science, and engineering principles
    2)   an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
    3)   an ability to research, formulate, and solve mechanical engineering problems
    4)   an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice
    5)   an ability to communicate effectively
    6)   an ability to model, analyze, design, and realize physical systems, components or processes 
    7)   an ability to synthesize existing knowledge
    8)   a mastery of their specific field of study
  • Admission Requirements for the Master of Mechanical Engineering

    Students may enter the Master of Mechanical Engineering program in one of two ways:

    Traditional Students

    Students who are not 91传媒 students, or 91传媒 students who do not enroll in the five-year bachelor/master program, or 91传媒 alumni, must apply for graduate school online. Typical minimum requirements include an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 and a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related discipline from an accredited university. Although the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is not required, a strong score on the GRE will strengthen the application. In addition, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), if applicable, while not required as part of the application, is encouraged because its results can be useful in facilitating the admission process.

    Five-Year Bachelor/Master Students

    The five-year bachelor/master degree program is designed to enable completion of both the Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (BME) and the Master of Mechanical Engineering (MME) degrees in five calendar years. The program allows qualified 91传媒 Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering students to take up to three graduate level courses during their final three academic semesters that will meet undergraduate degree requirements while also accruing course credits toward their graduate degree.

    More information on the five-year BME-MME program can be found here.

  • Master of Mechanical Engineering Degree Requirements (30 credit hours)

    The Master of Mechanical Engineering (MME) degree may be completed either through the thesis or the non-thesis option.  At least half (15 credits) of the program must be selected from graduate-level only options.

    MME Thesis Option

    The thesis option includes 24 credit hours of course work and six credit hours of thesis (MENG 5990) effort for a total of 30 credit hours. The thesis effort is a research project conducted under the supervision of a faculty member and is typically spread across two semesters. After a final formal presentation to the College faculty and students, a properly formatted and duly-approved written thesis must be submitted.

    MME Non-Thesis Option

    The non-thesis option consists of 30 credit hours of course work. An attractive option for students wishing to pursue a topic of their interest is the project-based design course Capstone Design (MENG 5980). This course is conducted under the supervision of a faculty member and the guidance of the departmental faculty. The course assesses the student's ability to synthesize material covered in the graduate curriculum, and culminates in a brief presentation to the departmental faculty.

    Course Requirements

    • ENGR 5020 Design of Experiments OR EMGT 5470 Product and Process Improvement: Lean Six Sigma II (has a prereq of Six Sigma I) (3 credits)  Offered at the graduate-level only.
    • ENGR 5300 Advanced Engineering Mathematics, or another advanced mathematics course approved by the department (3 credits)  Offered at the graduate-level only.
    • Six elective courses (18 credits*)
      • All six courses may be taken in MENG, ENGR, and/or AEV*
      • Max of two courses: ELEE and/or MTH
      • Max of one course: EMGT* (any), MPD 5050*, MPD 5100*, MPD 5750*, ENT 5500, ENT 5700
    • Thesis option requirement: MENG 5990 Mechanical Engineering Master's Thesis (6 credits) OR
    • Non-Thesis option requirement: Two additional electives from MENG or ENGR courses. Courses from other areas may be taken if approved by the department. (6 credits)

    *Note: Students must take at least nine elective credits offered as graduate-only (three courses or one course + thesis).  Options include the following: ENGR 5040, ENGR 5060, ENGR 5080, ENGR 5140, ENGR 5480; MENG 5925, MENG 5935, MENG 5945, MENG 5980, MENG 5990 (thesis); AEV-any; EMGT-any; MPD-any;  Others may be taken with advisor/chair approval. Courses noted with * are offered at the graduate-level only.

    Elective Course Options

    Students may choose to complete any of the following optional focal areas:

    Focus in Entrepreneurship

    The Entrepreneurship focus enables students to function in the world of new product development.  This focus is not necessarily geared towards creating entrepreneurs in the traditional sense of venture creation, but instead imbues the student with an entrepreneurial mindset and the associated skillset to be successful value creators in existing enterprises.  Students will be able to: identify and evaluate market opportunities; engage potential customers; develop a business model along with the technology product or service; and, be able to present their work both in engineering as well as business terms.   

    • ENT 5500 Innovation and Creativity (3 credits)
    • ENT 5700 Front and Back Ends of Innovation (3 credits)
    • MENG 5980 Capstone Design (3 credits) *
    • MENG 5990 Mechanical Engineering Master's Thesis (6 credits) *

    Focus in Manufacturing Systems

    The Manufacturing Systems focus allows students to gain knowledge, skills, and practical experiences in modern manufacturing and quality systems, computer integrated manufacturing, and robotics; it may also increase employment opportunities in the manufacturing sector.

    • MENG 5350 Quality Control Systems (3 credits)
    • MENG 5830 Computer Integrated Manufacturing (3 credits)
    • MENG 5900 Robotics (3 credits)
    • MENG 5940 Manufacturing Systems (3 credits)
    • MENG 5980 Capstone Design  (3 credits) *
    • MENG 5990 Mechanical Engineering Master's Thesis (6 credits) *

    Focus in Mechatronics Systems

    The Mechatronic Systems focus enables students to work at the intersection between mechanical and electrical systems.  In this focus, students will be trained to conduct modeling and control of electromechanical systems including electric vehicles at the system level as well as at the component level of sensors and actuators.

    • ENGR 5790 Mechatronics: Modeling and Simulation (3 credits)
    • ENGR 5520 Sensors and Actuators (3 credits)
    • MENG 5900 Robotics (3 credits)
    • MENG 5980 Capstone Design (3 credits) *
    • MENG 5990 Mechanical Engineering Master's Thesis (6 credits) *
    • AEV 5020 Controls Modeling and Design for Advanced Electric Vehicle (3 credits) *
    • AEV 5050 Electric Drives/Electromechanical Energy Conversion (3 credits) *

    Focus in Thermal/Fluid Systems and Alternative Energy Conversion

    The Thermal/Fluid Systems and Alternative Energy Conversion focus enables the graduate to make substantive contributions to the generation, use and conservation of energy. This focus educates students to deal effectively with the complex thermo-fluids topics including computational methods and in-depth topics related to heat transfer and fluid mechanics. Contemporary topics related to alternative energy sources and energy efficiency and sustainability are emphasized.

    • ENGR 5040 Conduction Heat Transfer (3 credits) *
    • ENGR 5060 Convection Heat Transfer (3 credits) *
    • ENGR 5080 Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer (3 credits) *
    • ENGR 5140 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics (3 credits) *
    • ENGR 5480 Advanced Fluid Mechanics (3 credits) *
    • ENGR 5821 Intro to the Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning of Buildings (3 credits)
    • MENG 5810 Alternative Energy Systems (3 credits)
    • MENG 5980 Capstone Design (3 credits) *
    • MENG 5990 Mechanical Engineering Master's Thesis (6 credits) *
    • AEV 5030 Energy Storage Systems (3 credits) *

    Focus in Vehicle Systems

    The Vehicle Systems focus provides students with deep expertise in several key areas related to the application of mechanical engineering to vehicle systems. A focus in Vehicle Systems prepares students to design quality products in today's highly competitive international market.

    • ENGR 5420 Finite Elements (3 credits)
    • MENG 5580 Internal Combustion Engines I (3 credits)
    • MENG 5720 Noise and Vibration (3 credits)
    • MENG 5760 Vehicle Dynamics (3 credits)
    • MENG 5980 Capstone Design (3 credits) *
    • MENG 5990 Mechanical Engineering Master's Thesis (6 credits) *
    • AEV 5010 Intro to Advanced Electric Vehicles (3 credits) *

    Other Courses

    Additional courses are selected (with approval of the student's advisor) from MENG, ENGR, ELEE, MTH, and CSSE. Courses from additional departments may be permissible with approval of the advisor, but no co-op-related courses may be used to meet the program requirements. A partial list of commonly accepted courses other than those listed above is:

    • MENG 5880 Reliability in Design
    • MENG 5920 Computer Aided Engineering
    • Modeling of Complex Systems via SysML Programming *
    • Systems Architecture *
    • Systems Engineering *
    • ENGR 5440 Vibrations
    • ELEE 5200 Autonomous Mobility Robotics

Program Contact Information

Program Chairperson: Nassif Rayess, Ph.D.
Office: Engineering 214
Telephone: 313-993-1402
Email: rayesna@umdercy.edu  

David Pistrui, Ph.D.
Graduate Recruiter and Coordinator
Office: Engineering 270
Telephone: 313-993-3378
Fax: 313-993-1187
Email: esgradprograms@udmercy.edu or pistruda@udmercy.edu