Sample Doctoral in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Program Overview

The Doctor of Engineering degree is granted in recognition of high achievement in scholarship and an ability to apply engineering fundamentals to the solution of complex technical problems. Students are expected to pursue a broad program of study, pass all prescribed examinations, and submit an innovative, high-quality applied-engineering dissertation as described in the section on Degree Requirements.

                         

Admission Requirements

Prerequisites: Bachelor's or Master's degree with at least one degree in engineering. In exceptional cases, applicants may be considered without an engineering degree if they have a strong foundation in math and science. 

Minimum G.P.A: 

• A GPA of at least 3.25 is required for students entering the doctoral program without a Master's degree in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering.
• students who have a Master's degree in either discipline must have a graduate GPA of at least 3.25.

GRE Requirement: The GRE General section is required of all applicants.  Minimum scores at the 80th percentile on the Quantitative section and 3.5 on the Analytical Writing section are usually required depending on the specialization area.

TOEFL Requirement: Required for international students. If an English language proficiency examination is required, then a TOEFL score of at least 550 on the paper-based exam, 78 on the internet exam (including at least 20 in reading, 21 in listening, 17 in writing, and 20 in speaking), 6.0 on the IELTS exam, 5.0 on the iTEP exam, or 213 on the computer-based exam, is required.  Students who do not satisfy these requirements but who do satisfy the University's TOEFL requirements, will be tested upon arrival at CSU by the English as a Second Language Program.  Depending on test results, students may be required to take a writing (ESL 502) and/or speaking (ESL 503) course.

Letters of Recommendation: Two letters of recommendation from individuals familar with the student's previous academic work are required.  Applicants are required to submit a two-page personal statement of their research interests.

Degree Completion Requirements

A minimum of 39 credits of coursework is required with the following distribution:

ENGINEERING CORE REQUIREMENTS (15 CREDIT HOURS)

1. Advanced engineering mathematics (minimum of two courses, 6 credit hours)
2. Research Communication (one course, 3 credit hours)
3. Graduate courses from outside engineering (minimum of two courses, 6 credit hours)

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SPECIALIZATION REQUIREMENTS (12 CREDIT HOURS)

Specialization tracks A, B and C (Mechanical Tracks)

• Students without a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering must take MCE 501 Mechanical Engineering Analysis and two courses selected from a single specialization track as listed below.

Specialization track D (Industrial Engineering Track)

• Students without a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering must take:
  1. IME 560 Manufacturing Systems Engineering
  2. IME 666 Systems engineering, Analysis and Management
  3. One additional course from the Industrial Engineering track listed below

Students with a Master's degree in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering may transfer 12 graduate credit hours to meet the specialization core requirement.

Elective Courses (12 credit hours)

• Students without a Master's degree in Industrial or Mechanical Engineering must choose three 600- or 700-level electives from the same or different tracks, under the guidance of the advisor.
• Students entering the program with a Master's degree in Industrial or Mechanical Engineering must choose two 600- or 700-level electives from a single track.  Three graduate credit hours may be transferred from their Master's degree to meet the 12 elective hours.

 

THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT OFFERS ELECTIVE COURSES IN THE BROAD SUBJECT AREAS AS DESCRIBED BELOW (PARTIAL COURSE LISTING).

A: SYSTEM DYNAMICS, CONTROL AND MECHATRONICS TRACK

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• MCE 503 - Modeling and Simulation of Mechatronic Systems
• MCE 512 - Advanced Vibrations I
• MCE 545 - Modern Controls
• MCE 550 - Advanced Dynamics
• MCE 603 - Interfacing and Control of Mechatronic Systems
• MCE 655 - Acoustics
• MCE 670 - Turbomachinery Rotordynamics
• MCE 647 - Robot Dynamics and Control

B: MACHINE DESIGN AND SOLID MECHANICS TRACK

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• MCE 504 - Continuum Mechanics
• MCE 565 - Advanced Machine Analysis
• MCE 566 - Machine Design II
• MCE 580 - Finite Element Analysis I
• MCE 618 - Engineering Plasticity
• MCE 654 - Computer Aided Design & Optimizatn
• MCE 660 - Lubrication
• MCE 680 - Finite Element Analysis II

C: THERMOFLUID SCIENCES TRACK

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• MCE 521 - Applied Thermodynamics
• MCE 544 - Applied Combustion Proc
• MCE 580 - Finite Element Analysis I
• MCE 622 - Energy Conversion
• MCE 610 - Computational Fluid Flow & Heat transfer
• MCE 632 - Gas Dynamics
• MCE 638 - Viscous Flow I
• MCE 639 - Viscous Flow II
• MCE 641 - Convection Heat Transfer
• MCE 642 - Advanced Conduction Heat Transfer
• MCE 643 - Radiation Heat Transfer
• MCE 644 - Heat Transfer With Phase Change
• MCE 680 - Finite Element Analysis II

D: INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT TRACK

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• IME 510 - Advanced Engineering Statistics
• IME 520 - Applied Engineering Design
• IME 530 - Operations Research I
• IME 560 - Manufacturing Systems Engineering
• IME 666 - Systems Engineering, Analysis and Management
• IME 678 - New Product Development, Marketing, and Management
• IME 663 - Lean Enterprise
• IME 679 - Technology Management for Engineers
• ESC 704 - Stochastic Systems

Dissertation Defense and Degree Completion

One paper from the student's dissertation research must be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, prior to the dissertation defense.  The dissertation defense is a public presentation of the dissertation, followed by an oral examination by the dissertation committee which is closed to the public.  The dissertation committee determines pass or failure.

The doctoral program director ensures that all program requirements are satisfied before signing the degree completion (including: course and research credits, successful completion of qualifying, candidacy and dissertation defense exams, publication requirements, and all program assessments).  The Notice of Completion is signed by the dissertation committee chair, the department chair of the program of specialization, and the doctoral program director.