Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree

The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers a dissertation option for a Doctor of Philosophy degree. Areas of study in Mechanical Engineering include:

  1. Biomechanics and Biomaterials: biomechanics of human motion, biomaterials, orthopedic biomechanics and biomedical product design, transport phenomena, and drug delivery.
  2. Computational Mechanics and Mathematics of Computations: computational mechanics, finite element analysis, finite element methods and software
  3. Thermal-Fluid Systems and Heat Transfer: energy and thermal-power system design, heat transfer and computational fluid dynamics
  4. Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Microprocessor Applications: computer-aided mechanical design, continuum mechanics, computer-integrated manufacturing, computational mechanics, finite element analysis, machine stress analysis, microcomputer applications, and automatic control systems

Mission

The broad discipline of mechanical engineering enables students to have productive and rewarding careers, and to develop and improve new technologies in both traditional and emerging fields. Mechanical engineers apply fundamental principles to develop, design, manufacture, and test machines and other mechanical devices. Such devices include, but are not limited to power-producing machines, as well as power-consuming machines. Mechanical engineers are employed in diverse areas, including but not limited to the energy and power industries, the automotive and aerospace industries, and industrial manufacturing. Mechanical Engineering graduates also have careers in medicine and medical device development, patent law, engineering and corporate management, forensic engineering, and engineering sales.

The mission of the Mechanical Engineering Department is to provide our students with a high-quality education, to generate and apply knowledge, and to serve both society and the engineering profession.

 

Graduates holding the Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering will be able to:

  1. Conduct independent, publishable, impactful research on a topic or topics related to mechanical engineering.
  2. Demonstrate the ability to learn new concepts and build new skills relevant to the discipline of mechanical engineering.
  3. Demonstrate expertise in at least one area of mechanical engineering.
  4. Effectively communicate advanced mechanical engineering concepts, both in writing and orally, at a professional level.