Mechanical Engineering, M.S.M.E.

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Priority Admission Application Deadlines: http://www.grad.usf.edu/majors

Also offered as a Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway

Contact Information

College: Engineering
Department: Mechanical Engineering

Contact Information: http://www.grad.usf.edu/majors

The Department offers graduate majors leading to the M.S.M.E. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. Research opportunities are available in the following areas: Mechanism Design, Kinematics, System Dynamics and Vibrations, Mechanical Controls, Tribology, Mechanical Design, Robotics, Rehabilitation Engineering, Composite Materials, Solid Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Thermal Energy Systems, Microelectronic Device Thermal Management, Clean and Renewable Energy Systems, Micro and Nano scale materials and systems, MEMS, Biosensors, Biofluids, Biomedical Engineering, and Engineering Education Cellular Mechanotransduction and Biomaterials, Autonomy, Control, Information, and Systems.

Department facilities include the following laboratories: Computational Fluid Dynamics, Computational Solid Mechanics, Computer-Aided Design, Dynamic Systems, Hydraulics, Rehabilitation Engineering, Robotics, Biofuel cells and Biomimetics, Nanomaterials and Thin Films, Advanced Materials Processing and Characterization, Biofluids and Biosensors, Microelectronic Thermal Management and Heat Transfer, and Compliant Mechanisms.

Accreditation:

The department is ABET accredited.

Major Research areas:

Robotics, Rehabilitation Engineering, Controls, Solid Mechanics, Fluid Dynamics, Micro and Nano scale materials and systems Biomedical Engineering, and Engineering Education.

Admission Information

Must meet University Admission and English Proficiency requirements as well as requirements for admission to the major, listed below.

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or a closely related field from an accredited engineering program required.
GRE required, with minimum percentile rank of 50% on the quantitative portion and a minimum average percentile rank of 50% in verbal and quantitative.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.00/4.00 for the last two years of coursework from an ABET accredited engineering major for admission. Graduates of non-ABET accredited majors are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Minimum of two recommendation letters is required.
A one-page Statement of Purpose/Research Interest must also be included in the application package.
The following prerequisite courses must be successfully completed before admission to the Ph.D. Program: Calculus I, II, III, Differential Equations, Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Solid Mechanics, and Machine Design.

Curriculum Requirements

Total Minimum Hours: 30 credit hours

Core - 6 credit hours
Other required courses - 6 hours
Electives - 12 credit hours
Thesis/non-thesis - 6 credit hours

Core Requirements (6 Credit Hours)

EML 6105 Advanced Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics Credit Hours: 3
EML 6653 Applied Elasticity Credit Hours: 3

Other required courses (6 Credit Hours)

All Master’s Major students must complete a total of 9 core credit hours from two categories. Students should choose 3 credit hours of course work from each of the following specialization areas:

EML 6069 Advanced Mathematics for Mechanical Engineers Credit Hours: 3
EML 6060 Advanced Engineering Math II Credit Hours: 3
Must successfully complete one of the following four courses:
EML 6273 Advanced Dynamics of Machinery Credit Hours: 3
EML 6223 Synthesis of Vibrating Systems Credit Hours: 3
EML 6801 Robotic Systems Credit Hours: 3
EML 6311 Advanced Controls Credit Hours: 3

Electives (12 Credit Hours)

Minimum of 12 hours of elective coursework at the 6000 level. Out of these 12 hours, minimum of six credit hours of additional coursework is to be chosen from any EML class offered by the department. Independent Study is not considered regular class and is not included in this group.

Comprehensive Exam

For the thesis option, the successful defense of the thesis satisfies the comprehensive exam requirement.

For the non-thesis option, in lieu of the comprehensive exam, a portfolio containing project reports submitted as part of the coursework requirement for two out of three specialization areas (Fluid and Thermal Science; Mechanics, Manufacturing, and Materials; Dynamical Systems and Controls) will be submitted to the Department upon application of graduation. The Graduate Coordinator and Graduate Committee members of the Department will evaluate and approve the portfolio. The portfolio must be successfully completed and approved to satisfy the comprehensive exam requirement for graduation.

Non-thesis / Thesis Option (6 Credit Hours)

Non-thesis – 6 credit hours

Students in the non-thesis option complete an additional six hours of electives, selected in consultation with the Graduate Director.

Thesis Option- 6 credit hours

EML 6971 Thesis: Master’s Credit Hours: 2-6
Thesis option M.S.M.E. degree requires a minimum of 6 thesis hours. Thesis option MSME students must present a typed final draft to the Supervisory Committee and Graduate Advisor one week before the final oral examination.

Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway

Also available as a Bachelor’s/Master’s Pathway