Mechanical Engineering | Graduate Catalog

The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers degree programs leading Master of Science (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.

To determine the appropriate course requirements the student must first choose one of the two areas of concentration in the Mechanical Engineering Department: Systems and Mechanics or Thermal and Fluid Sciences. The specific core course requirements for each of these areas differ as listed below.

Systems and Mechanics Core Course Requirements: ME 5105, 5150, 5155, 5160, 5180, 5190, and 5420.

Thermal and Fluid Sciences Core Course Requirements: ME 5110, 5120, 5130, 5140, 5311, and 6170.

M.S. Degree Requirements

The M.S. degree may be earned under either Plan A (thesis option) or Plan B (non-thesis option). Plan A emphasizes problem-solving through research, and involves close interactions with mechanical engineering faculty members, while Plan B focuses on graduate level course work in mechanical engineering topics.

A total of 30 credit hours after the B.S. is required. In Mechanical Engineering, Plan A requires 21 credits of advanced course work and successful completion of a thesis. Thesis work for the Plan A option is equivalent to nine credit hours. The thesis must be an original and significant contribution to the field of engineering science and must be defended orally according to Graduate School requirements. Plan B requires at least 30 credits of advanced course work. After completion of at least 24 credits, the student must take and successfully pass an oral examination in compliance with Graduate School requirements.

At most, six credit hours or two classes may be transferred from other institutions, subject to department approval through a Graduate Petition and to the Graduate School regulations outlined in the Graduate Catalog.

At most, three credit hours of course work can be in University of Connecticut 3-4000 level courses that are not required for the undergraduate Mechanical Engineering degree and are not open to sophomore students.

Plan of Study. The plan of study should be prepared with the aid and approval of the advisory committee and be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Executive Committee of the Graduate Council. All students must have a plan of study on file at the Graduate School and the Mechanical Engineering Department. For Mechanical Engineering M.S. students, the plan of study must include the following coursework:

Four Mechanical Engineering core courses chosen from the student’s area of concentration.
One mathematics, computational, engineering analysis or statistics course.
ME 6340 Graduate Seminar for at least three semesters enrolled as a full-time student. A student is required to attend at least five ME seminars during the semester to pass ME 6340.
Two elective courses with at least one in Mechanical Engineering (Plan A), or five elective courses with at least three in Mechanical Engineering (Plan B). Elective courses outside of engineering, science or mathematics must be approved by the student’s advisory committee in advance. Courses that are specific for the Master of Engineering (MENG) program, including ENGR 5311, 5312, and 5314, may not be used toward the M.S. degree.
Nine credits of GRAD 5950, as stipulated in the Graduate Catalog (Plan A).

If a student has completed equivalent courses in a well-established graduate program, they can apply for a waiver by petitioning the Department Head by the end of the first semester. If a waiver is granted, the student may substitute elective graduate course credits for the waived course credits. However, at least two of the required core courses must be taken at the University of Connecticut.

At most two independent study courses may be applied toward course work requirements. For students under Plan A, only one independent study course can be taken with the student’s major advisor as instructor.

For students under Plan A, an oral examination, often called the thesis defense, is conducted based on thesis research. The decision as to whether the student passes the examination is based on a vote of the advisory committee.

For students under Plan B, the format and content of the final examination is determined by the advisory committee. A student must indicate the intention of graduation at least four weeks before the end of the graduate study to the major advisor who will make arrangement for the final examination. The decision as to whether the student passes the examination is based on a vote of the advisory committee.

Ph.D. Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. is primarily a research degree and may be undertaken after the M.S. or following the B.S. To be awarded the Ph.D., the student must satisfy all requirements of the Mechanical Engineering Department and all requirements of the Graduate School. These requirements are more extensive than those associated with the M.S. degree and the major ones are as follows.

The Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. Qualifying Examination consists of the written part and the oral part. The student must take the written part of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination for the first time immediately following their first semester of the Ph.D. program at the University of Connecticut. In the event of an unsuccessful first attempt, the student must re-take the examination at its next offering in the following semester. After successfully passing the written part of the exam, the candidate must schedule a 45-minute presentation, which is the oral part of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination, with their Ph.D. advisory committee no later than six months following the written topical examinations. This presentation should focus on a particular research area and should discuss relevant literature including no fewer than 10 journal articles. The advisory committee makes a final pass/fail decision for the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination based on this presentation, which can be repeated once if necessary and at the discretion of the committee.

Before the Ph.D. dissertation is well under way, the student must file a prospectus of the proposed research, according to Graduate School regulations. The student’s advisory committee and the Mechanical Engineering Director of Graduate Studies must approve the prospectus.

The most important part of the study for the Ph.D. degree is the dissertation. A dissertation must be an original and significant contribution to the field of engineering science and must be defended orally according to Graduate School requirements. A copy of the dissertation must be made available to the advisory committee at least two weeks prior to the final examination. Other requirements are described in the Graduate Catalog.

The final examination, an oral examination often called the dissertation defense, deals mainly with the subject matter of the dissertation. At least five members of the faculty including all members of the advisory committee must be present for the final examination. The dissertation defense is open to the public. The decision as to whether the student passes the examination is based on a vote of the advisory committee.

The student must have submitted a minimum of two papers for publication in the archival literature (journals), and have at least one of these papers published or accepted for publication at the time of the Ph.D. defense. These papers must be based on the student’s dissertation research and must be co-authored by the student’s faculty advisor from the Mechanical Engineering Department.

For the Ph.D. following the M.S. degree, a minimum of 21 credit hours after the M.S. (excluding requirements for dissertation, language and minor area) is required. In exceptional cases, and for students with substantial post- M.S. graduate work elsewhere, the total after the M.S. may be reduced to 18 credit hours taken at the Mechanical Engineering Department Ph.D. program upon successful petition to the Department Head.

For the Ph.D. following the B.S. degree, a minimum of 42 credit hours after the B.S. (excluding requirements for dissertation, language and minor area) is required. In exceptional cases, and for students with substantial post B.S. graduate work elsewhere, the total of credit hours after B.S. may be reduced upon successful petition to the Department Head.

The student’s plan of study should be prepared with the aid and approval of the advisory committee and be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies and the Executive Committee of the Graduate Council. All students must have a plan of study on file at the Graduate School and the Mechanical Engineering Department. The Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering does not have a related area or foreign language requirement. For Mechanical Engineering students, the plan of study must include the following coursework:

Ph.D. following a B.S.

Four Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. core courses in the student’s area of concentration.
Two advanced graduate courses in mathematics, computational or engineering analysis, or statistics.
Eight elective courses, at least five of which must be in Mechanical Engineering. Elective courses outside of engineering, science or mathematics must be approved by the student’s advisor and advisory committee in advance. Courses that are specific for the Master of Engineering M.Eng. program, including ENGR 5311, 5312, and 5314, may not be used towards the Ph.D. degree.
ME 6340 Graduate Seminar for at least six semesters enrolled in the Ph.D. program as a full-time student (part-time students must have attended and passed the ME 6340 course for a minimum of two semesters during their one-year residency period). A student is required to attend at least five ME seminars during the semester to pass ME 6340.
Fifteen GRAD 6950 course credits, as described in the Graduate Catalog.

Ph.D. following an M.S.

Four Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. core courses in the student’s area of. If the M.S. degree was obtained from the University of Connecticut and the student has already taken the four core classes, they may be replaced with four Mechanical Engineering elective courses.
One advanced graduate course in mathematics, computational or engineering analysis, or statistics.
Two elective courses. Elective courses outside of engineering, science or mathematics must be approved by the student’s advisor and advisory committee in advance. Courses that are specific for the Master of Engineering M.Eng. program, including ENGR 5311, 5312, and 5314, may not be used towards the Ph.D. degree.
ME 6340 Graduate Seminar for at least five semesters enrolled in the Ph.D. program as a full-time student (part-time students must have attended and passed the ME 6340 course for a minimum of two semesters during their one-year residency period). A student is required to attend at least five ME seminars during the semester to pass ME 6340.
Fifteen GRAD 6950 course credits, as described in the Graduate Catalog.

If a student has completed equivalent courses in a well-established graduate program, they can apply for a waiver by petitioning the ME Department Head by the end of the first semester. If a waiver is granted, the student may substitute an equal or greater number of elective graduate course credits for the waived course credits. However, at least two of the required ME core courses must be taken at the University of Connecticut.

At most two independent study courses can be applied towards course work requirements and only one independent study course can be taken with the student’s major advisor as instructor.

The programs are offered by the School of Engineering.