Mechanical Engineering, MS

School/College: College of Engineering
Degree(s) Offered: Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy
Graduate Coordinator: Mannur Sundaresan    Email: mannur@ncat.edu  Phone: 336-334-7620
Department Chair:  Samuel Owusu-Ofori  Email: ofori@ncat.edu        Phone: 336-334-7620

The Mechanical Engineering master's program provides advanced level study in distinct areas of specialization such as mechanics and materials, energy and thermal/fluid systems, design and manufacturing, and aerospace. The program prepares the graduate student for Doctoral level studies or for advanced mechanical engineering practice in industry, consulting or government service. The program emphasizes the application of critical thinking skills to solve advanced engineering problems, formulate and clearly communicate technical ideas both orally and in written form, and apply appropriate research methodologies to investigate topics of interest

Additional Admission Requirements

• Unconditional Admission: An applicant may be given unconditional admission to the MSME Program if he/she possesses a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree from an accredited institution with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale. Students admitted on an unconditional basis are expected to have completed “key fundamental courses” listed below as part of their undergraduate program: Strength of Materials, Materials Science and Engineering, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Heat Transfer, and Mechanical Engineering Design
• Conditional Admission: An applicant may be granted conditional admission if he/she has one or more of the following situations:

1. Applicant has a baccalaureate mechanical engineering degree with a GPA of less than 3.0 but has at least a 3.0 GPA in the last four semesters of undergraduate study.
2. Applicant has a baccalaureate degree in engineering with a 3.0 GPA or better on a 4.0 scale but is deficient in key fundamental courses as listed in the previous section. These deficiencies must not exceed 12 credit hours.
3. Applicant has a non-engineering but a closely-related undergraduate degree with substantial engineering science content and a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Background deficiencies should not exceed 12 credit hours

Program Outcomes

• Students will develop advanced critical thinking skills by solving complex and challenging problems in mechanical  engineering, mathematics and the physical sciences
• Students will communicate effectively by conveying their ideas, both orally and in written form, in accordance with acceptable published standards
• Students will demonstrate their ability to perform research by generating a thesis of an original idea and publishing technical papers under the guidance of an academic advisor
• Graduates will engage in professional activities by attending conferences, presenting papers and serving various roles in professional organizations

Degree Requirements

Thesis Option: Students in the Thesis Option must take six (6) credit hours of Master's Thesis in addition to twenty-four (24) credit hours of course work with letter grades. Additional non-graded courses such as seminars and supervised research may be required by the department and the student's advisory committee.  An original research topic must be chosen in conjunction with the student's major advisor and thesis advisory committee culminating in the production of a scholarly thesis.  An oral thesis defense/examination is required. This option is intended for students with strong research interests who may desire to pursue further graduate studies towards a Ph.D. degree. Refer to the current Mechanical Engineering Graduate Catalog for more information.

Project Option: Students in the Project Option must take three (3) credit hours of Master’s Project in addition to twenty-seven (27) credit hours of course work with letter grades. Additional non-graded courses such as seminar and supervised research may be required by the department or the student's advisory committee. The option is intended for students who have substantial engineering experience. An oral examination project defense/examination is required. Refer to the current Mechanical Engineering Graduate Catalog for more information.

Course Work Option: Students in the Course Work Option must thirty (30) credit hours of course work with letter grades. Additional non-graded course such as seminar may be required by the department. Refer to the current Mechanical Engineering Graduate Catalog for more information.

Subject Core Course(s) (12 Credit Hours)

• Graduate Level Mathematics Course (Except MATH 625 and MATH 626(3 credit hours)

and at least 3 of the following

• MEEN 601(3 credit hours)
• MEEN 616(3 credit hours)
• MEEN 631(3 credit hours)
• MEEN 643(3 credit hours)

Electives (12 hours required):

Additional 12 hours of specialty courses are required based on the option selected and the academic advisor’s recommendations to satisfy the degree requirements

Seminar Courses

•           MEEN 792(2 credit hours)

Requirements specific to specializations/program options/tracks:

Project Option:        27 Coursework Hours          3   Project Hours      0 No Option

Thesis Option:         24            Coursework Hours          6   Project Hours      0 No Option   

Additional Details

a. Six (6) credit hours of Masters Supervised Research (MEEN 794) for the Thesis Option

b. Three (3) credit hours of Masters Supervised Research (MEEN 794) for the Project Option

c. Coursework Option is available. Refer to Mechanical Engineering Graduate Handbook for details

Committees

All graduate students must select an academic advisor during their first semester of enrollment and an advisory committee by the end of the first year. The advisory committee shall consist of at least three members, with the academic advisor serving as the chair. The academic advisor and the majority of the committee members must be members of the mechanical engineering graduate faculty. The committee assists the student to define the thesis or project topic and reviews the quality of the student's work. The committee also conducts the oral defense of the student's project or thesis work.

Directory of Faculty

• DeRome O. Dunn, Associate Professor, B.S., M.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Frederick Ferguson, Professor and Director of Center for Aerospace Research, M.S., Kharkov State University; Ph.D., University of Maryland
• Arturo Fernandez, Assistant Professor, B.Eng., Ph.D., Universidad Politecnica de Madrid
• John Kizito, Assistant Professor, B.S., Makerere University, Uganda; M.S., Ph.D., Case Western Reserve University
• Dhananjay Kumar, Associate Professor and ORNL Joint Faculty, B.S., Bhagalpur University; M.S., Magadh University, Ph.D., Indian Institute of Technology
• Samuel P. Owusu-Ofori, Boeing Professor and Interim Chairperson, B.S., University of Science and Technology-Kumasi, Ghana; M.S., Bradley University; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Professional Engineer
• Devdas M. Pai, Professor and, Associate Director, NSF Engineering Research Center, B.Tech., Indian Institute of Technology Madras; M.S., Ph.D., Arizona State University; Professional Engineer
• Messiha Saad, Assistant Professor , B.S., Suez Canal University; M.S., North Carolina A&T State University; Ph.D., North Carolina State University
• Jagannathan Sankar, University Distinguished Professor and Director, NSF Engineering Research Center, B.E., University of Madras; M.E., Concordia University, Ph.D., Lehigh University
• Kunigal N. Shivakumar, Research Professor and Director of Center of Aviation Safety, B.E., Bangalore University; M.E., Ph.D., Indian Institute of Science
• Ronald C. Steed, Assistant Professor, BSc, Duke University, M.E., Ph.D., University of Florida
• Mannur Sundaresan, Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator, B.E , M.E., Bangalore University, Bangalore, India, Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
• Shih-Liang Wang   Professor and Undergraduate Program Director, B.S., National Tsing Hua University; M.S., Ph.D., Ohio State University;         Professional Engineer
• Sun Yi, Assistant Professor, B.S., Seoul National University; M.S., Ph.D., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor