Fast Facts
- Graduate program ranked in the top 50 nationally by U.S. News & World Report
- The US Peace Corps has approved the establishment of a Peace Corps Master's International (PCMI) program in mechanical engineering at Michigan Tech, the first and only one of its kind in the nation
- Research funded by industry, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, NASA, and the Department of Defense
- Nationwide, 80 percent of PhD graduates go to work in industry
Graduate Program in Mechanical Engineering–Engineering Mechanics
The PhD in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics is a research intensive program, which plays a key role in achieving environmental, industrial, and societal sustainability. This includes research on lean manufacturing and design for sustainability; the enterprise-wide production of cellulose based ethanol from forest resources; optimization of ethanol based power systems; and alternative-energy technologies including hydrogen, wind, and micro- and macro-fuel cells. The initiative is highly interdisciplinary and involves researchers from engineering, the physical and life sciences, and business.
Research is focused in five key areas.
- Advanced Power Systems: Critical technologies for clean, efficient, and sustainable power systems; and modeling of energy transport and conversion processes.
- Multi-scale Sensors and Systems: Research includes nanofabrication and characterization, microfabrication processes, and bio-nanotechnology.
- Multidisciplinary Engineering Dynamic Systems: Collaborative research at the interface of engineering disciplines such as dynamics, vibration, acoustics, signal processing, and controls.
- Mechanics of Multi-scale Materials: Constitutive modeling of biomaterials, cellular materials, biological tissues, and artificial organs.
- Space Systems: Innovative components, systems, and architectures for micro and nanosatellite applications.
PhD Requirements
To complete a doctoral degree, students must complete the following milestones:
- Complete all course work and research credits (see credit requirements below)
- Pass Qualifying Examination
- Pass Research Proposal Examination
- Prepare and Submit Approved Dissertation
- Pass Final Oral Defense
The minimum credit requirements are as follows:
Total Credit Requirements | |
MS–PhD (minimum) | 30 credits |
BS–PhD (minimum) |