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Graduate Programs

• Degree Programs– Master of Engineering or M.E. (thesis option)

– Master of Science or M.S. (non-thesis option)

– Doctor of Philosophy or Ph.D.

• APOGEE ProgramAPOGEE uses distance education technology to enable students earn graduate credit/degrees while maintaining full-time employment.

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Admission Requirements

• Applicants should have a B.S. and a GPA of 3.0/4.0 or better from an ABET accredited mechanical engineering program. Others, if admitted, may be required to take certain undergraduate courses.

• Applicants from non-accredited or non-mechanical engineering programs must take the General Test of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and receive minimum scores of 450 verbal, 700 quantitative, and 500 analytical.

• All applicants whose native language is not English must take TOEFL and score 600 or above.

• Two reference letters are required.

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Degree Requirements• Master of Engineering (M.E.)

– 30 credit hours of broad-based, graded course work

• Master of Science (M.S.)– 24 credit hours of broad-based, graded course work– A written thesis and a thesis defense

• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)– Qualifying exam in the 1st spring semester– 18 credit hours of graded course work beyond a

master’s degree (or 30 hours of extra course work)– Comprehensive Exam within 24 months of admission

(36 months for APOGEE students)– A written dissertation and a dissertation defense

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Graduate Course Requirements• All courses must be at 500 or above

• Half of the courses must be at 700 or above

• No grades lower than C are allowed

• At most 12 credits with grade C and/or C+

• Average grade must be B or better overall and for courses at 700 or above

• The maximum period allowed for M.S./M.E. degree course work is six years

• The maximum period allowed for Ph.D. degree course work is eight years

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Focus Areas for M.S. and M.E.• Seven focus areas

– (1) Math (including engineering analysis methods)– (2) Design and Manufacturing– (3) Dynamics and Control– (4) Heat Transfer and Thermodynamics– (5) Fluids– (6) Solids– (7) Materials

• Course requirements for M.S./M.E. students– Take at least 3 courses from a main focus area– Take at least 1 course each from 3 combination focus

areas outside the main focus area (1, 2&3, 4&5, 6&7)– Remaining courses must be from an approved list

(including up to 9 credits in management/business)

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Ph.D. Qualifying Exam• Conducted once a year, in the spring semester

• Ph.D. students must take the exam in the 1st spring semester after admission to the program

• Each student will be examined in 8 out of 12 undergraduate subject areas

• To stay in the program, a student must show sufficient knowledge in at least 5 areas. The student must stand additional exams in areas of insufficient knowledge and take remedial courses in these areas if necessary

• A student will be admitted to Ph.D. Candidacy after passing the qualifying exam

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Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam• Ph.D. students must take the comprehensive

exam within 24 months (36 months for APOGEE students) of admission to the Ph.D. program and 12 months prior to graduation

• The comprehensive exam is focused on a student’s proposed dissertation work and consists of a written part and an oral part

• To pass the written exam, a student must write a dissertation proposal to the satisfaction of the student’s dissertation committee

• To pass the oral exam, a student must present and defend the dissertation proposal to the satisfaction of the dissertation committee

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Thesis/Dissertation Requirements

• M.S. Thesis

– A M.S. student must write a thesis based on original research work by the student and to the satisfaction of the student’s Thesis Committee

– A M.S. student must present and defend the thesis work to the satisfaction of the Thesis Committee

• Ph.D. Dissertation

– A Ph.D. student must write a dissertation based on original research work by the student and to the satisfaction of the student’s Dissertation Committee

– A Ph.D. student must present and defend the dissertation work to the satisfaction of the Dissertation Committee

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Educational Objectives1. The graduates shall have expertise in a core subject area

of mechanical engineering.

2. The graduates shall have a working knowledge of various areas of mechanical engineering and in allied fields, including other engineering disciplines, the sciences, and mathematics.

3. The graduates with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees shall gain exposure to advances at the frontiers of knowledge in mechanical engineering.

4. The graduates with M.S. and Ph.D. degrees shall have the ability to identify pertinent research problems, to formulate and execute a research plan, to generate and analyze original research results, and to communicate those results through oral presentations and written publications.

5. The graduates shall have the basic skills needed for life-long learning and professional development.