Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Master of Science (M.S.) Degree
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers both a thesis option and a non-thesis (project) option leading to the M.S. degree. Both options require a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate work.
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 M.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering will be able to:
- An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate physical and/or numerical experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- An ability to read, analyze, and critically assess scientific literature.
- An ability to effectively communicate advanced mechanical engineering concepts in writing and orally at a professional level and an ability to articulate and address critical issues in their field of study.
- An ability to independently acquire new information, learn new concepts, and build new skills.
- An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities.
Standard Admission Requirements for all Graduate Programs
- All applicants must meet the requirements outlined in the Admission to Graduate Study policy.
- Bachelor’s degree: A copy of official transcripts showing proof of a bachelor's degree (and any post-bachelor’s coursework or degrees) from a regionally accredited institution, or a foreign university with equivalent bachelor's degree requirements is required.
- English proficiency: Proof of English proficiency for non-native or non-native-like English speakers is required. There are two bands of English proficiency, including Admission and Full proficiency. For applicants to online programs, Full proficiency is required.
Admission Requirements
To qualify for graduate study in any of the graduate programs in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, a student generally must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited mechanical engineering program. However, a student with good preparation in some other engineering discipline or a related program, such as physics, may qualify by taking appropriate undergraduate courses specified by the Mechanical Engineering Department Graduate Admissions Committee. Application information can be found at the graduate admissions website.
Minimum English Proficiency Requirements
These guidelines are subject to change by official action of the appropriate Graduate School governance bodies. Visit the full English Proficiency Requirements for Admission to Graduate Study policy for the current requirements.
GTA and GRA Eligibility
Graduate teaching and research assistant eligibility requirements are distinct from admission requirements. Additional information on eligibility for graduate teaching assistants and graduate research assistants may be found in the GTA, GRA, and GA Appointments: General Guidelines and Eligibility.
Contact Information
Please contact the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program Coordinator at kume@ku.edu or +1 (785) 864-3181, to schedule a visit or to ask questions about the application process.
The University of Kansas
Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program
3138 Learned Hall
1530 W. 15th Street
Lawrence, KS 66045
Master of Science (M.S.) Degree Requirements
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers both a thesis and a non-thesis option leading to the M.S. degree. Both options require a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate work. The thesis option must include a thesis for six hours of credit (ME 899) and 24 credit hours of coursework. The non-thesis option must include three-credit hours of independent investigation (ME 860 or ME 899) and 27 credit hours of coursework.
Academic Preparation
Depending on a student’s academic background and proposed Plan of Study, additional undergraduate prerequisite courses may be required to meet the requirements for graduate study. Courses either required or used for a B.S. degree may not be used to fulfill M.S. degree requirements.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering Graduate Core | ||
| Students select 4 graduate-level ME department core courses, which includes all ME 700-level and above courses. | 12 | |
| Advanced Mathematics | ||
| Select one advanced mathematics course from the pre-approved list below. Additional math and statistics courses not listed may be allowed with approval of the Graduate Director. | 3 | |
| Graduate Electives | ||
| Select three graduate-level courses, at the 700-level or above, in Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Mathematics, or other KU graduate departments as approved by the ME Graduate Director. | 9 | |
| Completion Option | ||
| Students select from the following completion options: | 6 | |
Thesis (Option A): ME 899 (6 hours) | ||
OR | ||
| Total Hours | 30 | |
Curriculum Notes
A maximum of 6 hours of mechanical engineering courses numbered between 500 and 699 may be included in the program. Other courses outside of mechanical engineering (besides mathematics) between 500 and 699 require approval by the Graduate Director prior to enrolling. Courses either required or used for the B.S. degree may not be used to fulfill M.S. degree requirements.
Plan of Study
The M.S. degree student selects an advisor in the first semester of graduate study. The student and the student’s advisory committee determine a program of study during the first semester of enrollment. The program of study must include (1) a minimum of 12 credit hours in a major selected from Mechanical Engineering courses (excluding credit for mathematics and the independent investigation or thesis) and (2) no fewer than three credit hours dealing with advanced mathematics. The complete plan of study must be approved by the Advisory Committee and the Graduate Director before the beginning of the second semester of graduate enrollment and filed electronically with the Department and the Graduate Division of the School of Engineering. Students complete an online Plan of Study.
The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (thesis option) requires 30 hours of course work, including:
-
Four ME core courses 12 credit hours, including all ME 700 and above courses.
-
One advanced math course from the approved list (3 hours).
-
Three elective courses (9 credit hours).
-
Six total hours of research (ME 899).
Advanced Electives
Advanced electives include 700+ level courses in Mechanical Engineering, Advanced Mathematics, or other KU graduate departments as approved by the Graduate Director. A maximum of 6 hours of non-mathematics courses numbered between 500 and 699 may be included in the program as advanced electives or mechanical engineering courses.
Completion Options
There are two available options for achieving an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering. Option A is a thesis option, and Option B is a project based option. If the thesis option (A) is selected, six credit hours of ME 899 are required for the degree. If the project option (B) is selected, three credit hours of ME 899 or ME 860 are required for the degree.
Option A: Thesis
Option A requires in-person research, a written thesis, and final oral defense presentation to a committee of three faculty members. Students enrolled in Option A are considered for departmental research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships.
Option B: Project-Based
Option B is a project-only option that does not require a final thesis. A final presentation and report to a committee of three faculty members is required. Students enrolled in Option B are considered for departmental research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships.
Thesis Defense for Option A
A thesis-option student is expected to do original work that would be the basis of a paper suitable for publication in a refereed journal. This work should be submitted to the thesis committee as a thesis document. The thesis committee, which is normally the advisory committee, must consist of at least three members of the Graduate Faculty and at least two must be Mechanical Engineering Faculty. An examination must be scheduled with department program coordinator and thesis committee. The request to schedule the examination must be submitted to the Mechanical Engineering Department at least three weeks prior to the examination date. Unbound or electronic thesis copies are to be submitted to the examination committee two weeks before the examination. For every scheduled examination, the department will report a grade of honors, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory as decided upon by the committee. Only two attempts to pass the Master’s examination are allowed. If the examination is not passed in two attempts, the student will be terminated from the program and will not receive the degree.
After the final oral examination has been passed, and after any changes required by the examination committee have been made in the thesis, the thesis should be submitted electronically in PDF Format to ProQuest/UMI on or before the date specified by the Graduate Studies Office. View graduate student deadlines from KU Graduate Studies. Supplementary materials may be added in other formats.
The student is responsible for submitting any bound copies that may be required by the department and/or advisor. Recommended binding services for personal or departmental copies may be found here. Formatting requirements for the thesis are presented here.
Final Project Examination for Option B
A non-thesis option student must do an analytical or experimental study acceptable to the advisory committee. An oral presentation of the results of the independent investigation before Mechanical Engineering graduate students and faculty is required. A typed unbound project report must also be provided to the advisory committee. The request to schedule the examination must be submitted to the Mechanical Engineering Department at least three weeks prior to the examination date. The project report should be submitted to the examination committee two weeks before the examination. For every scheduled examination, the department will report a grade of honors, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory as decided upon by the committee. Only two attempts to pass the Master’s examination are allowed. If the examination is not passed in two attempts, the student will be terminated from the program and will not receive the degree.
Program Time Constraints
University policies on maximum time to degree can be found in the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs Master's Degree Program Time Constraints Policy.
Credit by Transfer
At the discretion of the major department and the Graduate Division, up to nine (9) hours of graduate credit taken at a regionally-accredited graduate school may be transferred and applied to a KU master’s degree plan if the credits were taken prior to the final semester of enrollment at KU. Policies guiding transfer credits for a master’s degree can be found in the Office of Graduate & Postdoctoral Affairs Graduate Credit Policy.
Mechanical Engineering Graduate Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ME 696 | Design for Manufacturability | 3 |
| ME 801 | Responsible Conduct of Research in Engineering | 1 |
| ME 702 | Mechanical Engineering Analysis | 3 |
| ME 708 | Mechatronics | 3 |
| ME 712 | Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics | 3 |
| ME 716 | Introduction to Surface and Interface Science | 3 |
| ME 718 | Fundamentals of Fuel Cells | 3 |
| ME 722 | Modeling Dynamics of Mechanical Systems | 3 |
| ME 733 | Gas Dynamics | 3 |
| ME 736 | Catalytic Exhaust Aftertreatment Modeling | 3 |
| ME 750 | Biomechanics of Human Motion | 3 |
| ME 751 | Experimental Methods in Biomechanics | 3 |
| ME 752 | Acoustics | 3 |
| ME 753 | Bone Biomechanics | 3 |
| ME 754 | Medical Imaging | 3 |
| ME 755 | Computer Simulation in Biomechanics | 3 |
| ME 757 | Biomechanical Systems | 3 |
| ME 765 | Biomaterials | 3 |
| ME 788 | Optimal Estimation | 3 |
| ME 789 | Energy Storage Systems and Control | 3 |
| ME 790 | Special Topics: _____ | 1-5 |
| ME 797 | Materials for Energy Applications | 3 |
| ME 798 | Manufacturing for Energy Applications | 3 |
| ME 810 | Advanced Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| ME 840 | Continuum Mechanics I | 3 |
| ME 841 | Continuum Mechanics II | 3 |
| ME 854 | Continuum Mechanics for Soft Tissues | 3 |
| ME 860 | Advanced Mechanical Engineering Problems | 1-3 |
| ME 861 | Theory of the Finite Element Method | 3 |
| ME 862 | Finite Element Method for Transient Analysis | 3 |
| ME 882 | Advanced Control Systems | 3 |
| ME 890 | Special Topics: _____ | 1-5 |
Advanced Mathematics Course List
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ME 702 | Mechanical Engineering Analysis | 3 |
| PHSX 718 | Mathematical Methods in Physical Sciences | 3 |
| MATH 590 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 591 | Applied Numerical Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 601 | Algebraic Topics in Computing: _____ | 3 |
| MATH 605 | Applied Regression Analysis | 3 |
| MATH 611 | Time Series Analysis | 3 |
| MATH 627 | Probability | 3 |
| MATH 628 | Mathematical Theory of Statistics | 3 |
| MATH 630 | Actuarial Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 646 | Complex Variable and Applications | 3 |
| MATH 647 | Applied Partial Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH 648 | Calculus of Variations and Integral Equations | 3 |
| MATH 650 | Nonlinear Dynamical Systems | 3 |
| MATH 660 | Geometry I | 3 |
| MATH 661 | Geometry II | 3 |
| MATH 717 | Nonparametric Statistics | 3 |
| MATH 727 | Probability Theory | 3 |
| MATH 728 | Statistical Theory | 3 |
| MATH 750 | Stochastic Adaptive Control | 3 |
| MATH 765 | Mathematical Analysis I | 3 |
| MATH 766 | Mathematical Analysis II | 3 |
| MATH 783 | Applied Numerical Methods for Partial Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH 790 | Linear Algebra II | 3 |
| MATH 791 | Modern Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 865 | Stochastic Processes I | 3 |
| MATH 724 | Combinatorial Mathematics | 3 |
| MATH 725 | Graph Theory | 3 |
| MATH 781 | Numerical Analysis I | 3 |
| MATH 782 | Numerical Analysis II | 3 |
| MATH 830 | Abstract Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 831 | Abstract Algebra II | 3 |
| MATH 840 | Differentiable Manifolds | 3 |
| MATH 850 | Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems | 3 |
| MATH 851 | Topics in Dynamical Systems: _____ | 3 |
| MATH 866 | Stochastic Processes II | 3 |
| MATH 881 | Topics in Advanced Numerical Linear Algebra: _____ | 3 |
| MATH 882 | Topics in Advanced Numerical Differential Equations: _____ | 3 |
| MATH 890 | Fourier Analysis | 3 |
| BIOS 720 | Analysis of Variance | 3 |
| BIOS 725 | Applied Nonparametric Statistics | 3 |
| BIOS 730 | Applied Linear Regression | 3 |
| BIOS 735 | Categorical Data and Survival Analysis | 3 |
| BIOS 740 | Applied Multivariate Methods | 3 |
| BIOS 825 | Nonparametric Methods | 3 |
| BIOS 830 | Experimental Design | 3 |
| BIOS 835 | Categorical Data Analysis | 3 |
| BIOS 840 | Linear Regression | 3 |
| BIOS 845 | Survival Analysis | 3 |
| BIOS 850 | Multivariate Statistics | 3 |
| BIOS 871 | Mathematical Statistics | 3 |
| BIOS 872 | Mathematical Statistics II | 3 |
| BIOS 880 | Data Mining and Analytics | 3 |
| BIOS 900 | Linear Models | 3 |
| BIOS 902 | Bayesian Statistics | 3 |
| BIOS 905 | Theory of Statistical Inference | 3 |
Sample Degree Plan
Below are sample completion plans for students in the M.S. program based on the thesis or project option. The sample semester enrollments below are not reflective of all possible paths to the M.S. degree.
M.S. in Mechancial Engineering - Option A, Thesis Option
| Year 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ME Graduate Core Course #1 | 3 | Advanced Mathematics Course | 3 |
| ME Graduate Core Course #2 | 3 | ME Graduate Core Course #4 | 3 |
| ME Graduate Core Course #3 | 3 | ENGR Graduate Elective #1 | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGR Graduate Elective #2 | 3 | ME 899 (Thesis) | 6 |
| ENGR Graduate Elective #3 | 3 | ||
| 6 | 6 | ||
| Total Hours 30 | |||
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering - Option B, Project Option
| Year 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ME Graduate Core Course #1 | 3 | Advanced Mathematics Course | 3 |
| ME Graduate Core Course #2 | 3 | ME Graduate Core Course #4 | 3 |
| ME Graduate Core Course #3 | 3 | ENGR Graduate Elective #1 | 3 |
| 9 | 9 | ||
| Year 2 | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGR Graduate Elective #2 | 3 | ME 899 or 860 (Project) | 3 |
| ENGR Graduate Elective #3 | 3 | ENGR Graduate Elective #4 | 3 |
| 6 | 6 | ||
| Total Hours 30 | |||
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- Develop and conduct appropriate physical and/or numerical experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- Read, analyze, and critically assess scientific literature.
- Effectively communicate advanced mechanical engineering concepts in writing and orally at a professional level and an ability to articulate and address critical issues in their field of study.
- Independently acquire new information, learn new concepts, and build new skills.
- Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities.