Dec 05, 2025

2025-2026 Graduate Catalog

Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

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This Ph.D. program is one of the most successful programs in the nation. The majority of students are supported by their own companies, by faculty research grants or by the department through graduate assistant fellowships.

Admission Requirements

An M.S. degree in mechanical engineering or in a closely related discipline from a U.S. college or university accredited by a regional accrediting association or completion of an international degree that is equivalent to a U.S. master’s degree from a college or university of recognized standing.
Excellent academic performance in all completed coursework, with a GPA of at least 3.000 on a 4.000 scale.
Submission of a complete application, including a statement of purpose, official transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate studies, and payment of appropriate application fee.
Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the applicant’s potential success as a doctoral student.
All international students whose native language is not English and who have not graduated from an American university must comply with the university’s English Language Proficiency requirements.

Direct Ph.D. Program

The Mechanical Engineering Department offers direct admission into its doctoral program for outstanding students with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering who have demonstrated excellence in their undergraduate (UG) career and are well prepared to excel in their graduate coursework and research. This program allows a student to apply up to 18 credit hours from the coursework hours requirement to the dissertation hours requirement while retaining the 78 credit hours required past the Bachelor’s degree. The minimum number of dissertation hours remains at 24 credit hours. The expected program of study for most students in this track is 36 credit hours of coursework and 42 credit hours of dissertation and research special topics. A minimum of 36 credit hours of the coursework must be from regularly scheduled, graduate-level courses, and cannot be one-on-one, directed study-type courses. Additionally, students must satisfy the core course requirement for the Ph.D. degree.

Admission Requirements for Direct Ph.D. Program

This program is open only to outstanding students who have demonstrated excellence in their undergraduate (UG) career and who are well prepared to excel in their graduate coursework and research.

To be considered for admission to this program, applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

An undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from a reputable program,
An UG GPA of 3.3 or higher,
Strong letters of recommendation supporting the student’s direct admission into a fast-track program, and
A written statement of purpose that projects maturity, purpose, commitment, and a demonstrated standard of excellence.

The Lyle School will consider outstanding applicants who have specifically applied to the fast-track program and will determine their admission into this program. A direct admission student who earns a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 on their core courses or fails to complete the core requirement in two successive regular semesters is suspended from the direct doctoral program and switched to the regular Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program. No readmission into the direct Ph.D. program is allowed.

Degree Requirements

In addition to meeting the Lyle School of Engineering requirements for the Ph.D. degree, candidates are required to satisfy the following:

The successful completion of eight graduate-level courses (24 credit hours) for Ph.D. students beyond the master’s degree, or twelve graduate-level courses (36 credit hours) for direct Ph.D. students.
Core course requirement: All incoming Ph.D. students are required to complete the two core courses from their major research area within the first two terms of admission to the Ph.D. program. Deviations from the core course requirement or timing due to limitations of course offerings must be approved by the department’s Ph.D. Graduate Committee and the department chair within the first two terms of study toward the Ph.D. degree.
Students must complete six credit hours of dissertation or special topics during the first year, focusing on their major research area.
Minimum of 24 credit hours of dissertation work is required for all Ph.D. students.

Core Courses:

Dynamics and Controls:

Mechanics and Manufacturing:

Thermo-fluids:

Digital Twin technology and Advanced Manufacturing:

Energy Technology and Innovations:

Note:

Students focusing on emerging and non-traditional ME research areas may request a waiver for the core course requirement, subject to approval from their academic adviser, the Ph.D. Graduate Committee, and the department chair.

Students can choose the remaining coursework for their major and minor areas from ME or other graduate courses within the Lyle School, with written approval from their advisor. Additionally, any mathematics course at the 6000 level or above can be counted toward the course requirement.

When selecting these courses, the aim should be to reinforce or teach the fundamentals related to the student’s research area.

Qualifying Examination:

The qualifying examination for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree has two parts:

A. Research-Aptitude and Core Knowledge (RACK) Exam:

The exam will be conducted by the RACK Committee of at least three tenured or tenure-track faculty members, two of whom must be from the ME Department. The entire supervisory committee is not required for this exam.

At the beginning of the second year of commencing the PhD program, the student will submit a written report (at least 1 week before the oral exam) describing the research results/review from the first year research credit hours followed by an oral presentation and exam. Deviations from the timing must be approved by the department’s Ph.D. Graduate Committee and the department chair.

During the oral presentation, the RACK Committee will ask the student questions about their research results, as well as fundamental topics related to the research area. The committee will evaluate the student’s research abilities and their knowledge of the fundamental concepts necessary for this research. The outcome of the exam will be “Pass/Conditional Pass/Fail”.

If the student has successfully passed the exam, the student may continue in the PhD program with the approval of the Department Chair. The Committee may also recommend specific courses for the student to improve their chances of success in the PhD program.

If the Committee determines that a student has Conditionally Passed, they can recommend retaking the exam whole or partially. This retake must occur no later than the end of the semester following the original examination. Only one retake of the RACK exam will be permitted. If the student is not successful at the retake, they will not be approved to move forward in the PhD program.

B. Dissertation Proposal Examination:

The exam will be taken after the student has completed most of the required coursework, no later than 12 months after completion of all required coursework for the degree. The exam will be administered by the student’s entire supervisory committee.

The focus of the Dissertation Proposal will be on the research the students propose to conduct for their dissertation. The student is expected to write up a description of the research problem, the previous results, the approach(es) they propose to consider in the investigation, the significance and originality of the research, expected results and their impact on the current state of the art in the main research area, and the time schedule.

The written proposal must be made available to the supervisory committee at least one week before the scheduled date of the oral exam.

The oral portion of the Dissertation Proposal Examination is conducted by the supervisory committee to evaluate the student’s ability to discuss their research area and their readiness to pursue their proposed dissertation topic. Additionally, a written exam in the student’s major specialization may be required by their advisor.

The student will be admitted to candidacy upon passing the Dissertation Proposal Examination.

If a student fails the Dissertation Proposal Exam, the Supervisory Committee may recommend a re-examination, subject to approval by the Department Chair and the Associate Dean, only in those cases in which the Supervisory Committee believes the student has the necessary potential but needs some additional time for preparation.

Field of study:

If a student significantly changes their area of research or if there are substantial changes to the supervisory committee’s composition, they may be required to take additional courses and retake all or part of the qualifying examination. These changes must be approved by the department’s Ph.D. Graduate Committee and the Department Chair.

Dissertation:

Upon completion of all other requirements, the student is required to take a final examination conducted by their supervisory committee, in which the student will present and defend a dissertation. The dissertation must be original and of a scholarly level and must have the potential of being published in a leading technical journal in the field of interest.

The student should provide copies of the complete draft version of the dissertation to the supervisory committee at least two weeks before the date of the final exam. It is recommended that students submit the results of their research for publication at conferences or in journals before taking the final exam.

The supervisory committee may ask questions and make comments or require changes in the dissertation to satisfy itself that the quality of the work is in keeping with the highest standards of research. If the dissertation requires substantial changes, the student should submit the revised dissertation to the supervisory committee for re-examination.

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