Mechanical Science and Engineering

Head of the Department: Huseyin Sehitoglu
Associate Head for Graduate Programs: Quinn Brewster
168 Mechanical Engineering Building
1206 West Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-3416
E-mail: mechse-grad@uiuc.edu

Associate Head for Mechanics Programs: James Phillips
125 Mechanical Engineering Building
1206 West Green Street
Urbana , IL 61801
(217) 333-4388
E-mail: mechse-mechanics@uiuc.edu

Graduate Degree Programs

The Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering offers studies leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering and Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. Details outlining specific degree requirements are included in brochures available from the graduate programs coordinator, whose address is listed above.

Admission

An applicant for admission to the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering must (1) be a graduate of an institution awarding a baccalaureate degree equivalent to that granted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; (2) be adequately prepared for advanced study as demonstrated by his or her previous program of study and scholastic record; and (3) be recommended for admission by the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. An unofficial minimum grade point average of 3.25 (A = 4.0) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate study is required and a 3.5 (A = 4.0) for any previous graduate work completed. Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test are required of all applicants. All applicants whose native language is not English must submit a TOEFL score of at least 613 (paper-based), 257 (computer-based), or 104 (iBT). Applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL if certain criteria are met. Based upon the previous preparation of the student, prerequisite courses may be specified by the advisor, but the credit may not be applied toward a degree.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program.

Master of Science

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering. A total of 32 graduate hours is required for the thesis option including 24 hours of formal graded coursework and 8 hours of ME 599. Of the 24 hours of formal graded coursework in the thesis option, 8 hours must be at the 500 level with 4 of these hours in the major field. No more than 8 hours of ME 599 credit can be applied towards the degree. For those students terminating their studies with the MS degree, a non-thesis option is also available upon consent of the advisor and approval by departmental petition. Those pursuing the non-thesis option are required to complete a minimum of 36 graduate hours including 32 hours of formal graded coursework and 4 hours of ME 597 Independent Study (4 hours maximum allowed towards the MS degree), since each student is required to show evidence of the ability to do independent research. Of the 32 hours of formal graded coursework in the non-thesis option, 8 hours must be at the 500 level with 4 of these hours in the major field. Continuous registration is required in ME 590 Graduate Seminar, throughout the Master’s program. Also as part of the requirements to obtain the MS degree, students should register for, and take, MSE 492 Fundamentals of Laboratory Safety. Credit obtained in this course may not be used toward a degree.

Master of Science in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. A total of 32 graduate hours are required for the thesis option including 24 hours of formal graded coursework, 8 hours of Thesis Research Credit (TAM 599), and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (A=4.0). Students are required to register for the seminar in engineering mechanics (TAM 500). If students elect not to present a thesis, 36 hours of graded graduate coursework are required. 12 graduate hours must be at the 500 level, and 8 of the 12 must be in theoretical and applied mechanics. A full-time student can usually complete the program requirements in one academic year of study. A student who has an assistantship can usually complete the requirements in one calendar year.

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering. For those students entering the program with a master’s degree, a total of 32 graduate hours of formal graded coursework is required. Of these 32 hours, 16 must be at the 500 level. A maximum of 4 hours of ME 597 Independent Study may be used to satisfy the 500 level coursework requirement. Thirty-two hours of ME 599 thesis research credit is required in addition to the 32 graduate hours of coursework. Qualifying examinations are required and should be taken no later than the second calendar semester after initial enrollment.

A student entering with a bachelor’s degree has the option of a direct PhD program. A total of 56 graduate hours of formal graded coursework (including 24 at the 500 level) is required in addition to 40 graduate hours, minimum, of thesis research credit. Qualifying examinations should be taken as early as possible, generally no later than the third semester. As part of the requirements to obtain a PhD degree, students must register for, and take, MSE 492 Fundamentals of Laboratory Safety. Credit for this course may not be used towards the degree. Students must also maintain continuous registration throughout the program in ME 590 Graduate Seminar.

For the PhD program, a preliminary examination is taken after the qualifying examination. A minimum of six months should elapse between the successful completion of the doctoral preliminary examination and the doctoral final examination (oral dissertation defense).

Doctor of Philosophy in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics . Candidates for the doctor of philosophy degree are required to complete a minimum of 16 graduate hours of coursework (depending upon preparation) beyond the master’s degree with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. The coursework must include a core of master’s level courses in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, and solid mechanics taken at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign or elsewhere. In addition, one course (or the equivalent) is required from each of the following major areas in the department: applied mathematics, dynamics and vibrations, fluid mechanics, materials engineering, and solid mechanics. Students are required to register for the seminar in engineering mechanics. Acceptance into the doctoral program requires good academic standing and the successful defense of a scholarly work, such as a master’s thesis. A student must also pass an oral preliminary examination based on the proposed thesis work. The thesis research usually constitutes about half of the work beyond the master’s degree. A full-time student can usually complete the doctoral program in two years of study beyond the master’s degree.

Research Areas

Research in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering is broadly based, following the traditional disciplines of mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics on the one hand and encompassing areas that are at the cutting edge of the profession on the other. The activities reflect not only the interests and creativity of our faculty and students, but also their responsiveness to societal problems. While the generation of new knowledge remains a basic function, a number of ongoing research projects have been prompted by the current needs of the state of Illinois and of the nation.

Analytical, computational, and experimental research is conducted in the following areas: automotive systems, biomechanical engineering, combustion and propulsion, computational science and engineering, control systems, dynamic systems and control, energy systems and thermodynamics, engineering mechanics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, manufacturing, materials behavior, materials processing, MEMS, solid mechanics, surface science, tribology, and nano-, micro-, and meso-technology.

Research in the areas associated with thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics covers a wide range of topics, including micro-fluidics, combustion in IC engines and gas turbines, laser diagnostics, energetic materials, bio-fluids, micro-scale heat transfer, kinetics of chemical processes, two-phase flow, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, meshless methods, detonation, deflagration-to-detonation transition, shock propagation, reacting flows, continual eddies, turbulent boundary layers, turbulent wakes, stratified turbulence, turbulence simulation, instability modes, vortex dynamics, coating flows, void growth, flow separation, mantle convection, three-dimensional foams, direct numerical simulation, and particle-image velocimetry .

Research in the areas of solid mechanics, materials behavior and materials processing includes bio-materials, casting processes, composite materials, creep, fatigue, fracture, high-temperature material behavior, phase transformations, polymer processing, ceramic-matrix composites, thin films, deformation processes, crystal plasticity, micro-scale phenomena, non-linear dynamics, continuum mechanics, ferroelectric ceramics, shape-memory alloys, composite interfaces, woven laminates, electronic packaging, energetic materials, corn-based composites, orientable elastomers, thermoelasticity, dynamic plasticity, residual stresses, martensitic microstructure, surface crack growth, brittle-to-ductile transition, pure shear failure, shear-band measurements, damage evolution, creep resistance, hydrogen embrittlement, and powder consolidation . In wave mechanics, research includes surface waves, wave scattering, crack detection, vibration transport, diffuse waves, stochastic waves, and reverberant ultrasound.

In dynamic systems and controls research includes autonomous networked vehicle control, non-linear phenomena, experimental and analytical modal analysis, and control theory (non-linear, adaptive, robust, optimal, and distributed) with application to mechanical and electromechanical systems.

The department has a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research, and works closely with other departments: the Department of Aerospace Engineering in the fields of fluid dynamics and combustion; the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering in controls and MEMs; the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in materials properties and processing; and the new Bioengineering Department in tissue and cell mechanics. Cooperation with the Coordinated Science Laboratory, the Materials Research Laboratory, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), the Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) program, and the Beckman Institute also lends diversity to our research.

Research Facilities

The department has several center-based research activities, including two NSF-funded research centers: the Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (Nano-CEMMS) and the Water CAMPWS, an NSF science and technology center dedicated to processes and materials for water purification. In addition, the department has the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center (ACRC), the Center for Machine Tool Systems Research (CMTSR), the Fracture Control Program, the Continuous Casting Consortium, the Center for Bio-fuel Combustion Engines (GATE, a DOE-funded Graduate Automotive Technical Education program) and a Multi-disciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) on Cooperative Networked Control of Dynamical Peer-to-Peer Vehicle Systems.

Research facilities include laboratories for advanced automation, air conditioning and refrigeration, combustion, computer-integrated manufacturing, control systems, design for manufacturing, gas dynamics, heat transfer, high-temperature materials, human factors and simulation of human-machine interaction, human dynamics and controls, intracellular mechanics, cell and molecular mechanics, internal-combustion engines, laser diagnostics for combustion, opto-electronic materials , machining and machine tool systems, mechanical behavior of materials, metrology, micromachining, microtribodynamics, polymer and composite materials processing, propulsion, rapid prototyping, robotics, short-pulse laser-ablation technology, thermal processing of materials, thermal radiation, tribology, and vehicle dynamics. Special facilities include a micro-fabrication facility with its own clean room for silicon and CMOS-based micro-fabrication, test facilities for refrigeration and air-conditioning systems and components, low- and high-speed wind tunnels, and laboratories for study of combustion, quantitative visualization, complete specimen-scale mechanical testing equipment including an environmental testing chamber, thermomechanical and multiaxial loading capabilities. The department has a machine shop staffed with skilled instrument makers.

Financial Aid

Financial assistance is available to students who are admitted and includes fellowships, research and teaching assistantships, and/or waivers of tuition and fees. Assistantship stipends vary with one’s entry level into the program. All applicants, regardless of U.S. citizenship, whose native language is not English and who wish to be considered for teaching assistantships must take the Test of Spoken English (TSE) and achieve a score of 50.