Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering

Degree Requirements

Doctoral students must have a faculty advisor and an approved plan of study within the first two consecutive long semesters in the program. The faculty advisor shall be a faculty member, or affiliated faculty member, in Mechanical Engineering (ME). The plan of study is based upon the student's choice of concentration area. Each doctoral student must conduct original research in the area of Mechanical Engineering, under the direction of the faculty advisor. A supervisory committee will be formed once the faculty advisor accepts the student for a research project. The student must complete and defend a dissertation on the research project. A student must maintain a grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 to remain in good standing and satisfy the degree requirements.

The Ph.D. program in Mechanical Engineering requires a minimum of 78 semester credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree.

Transfer of graduate-level credit into a doctoral program in mechanical engineering is limited to a maximum of 27 semester credit hours of graduate course work upon approval by the graduate committee based on the recommendation by the dissertation advisor.

Required Major Courses: 12 semester credit hours

A Ph.D. student in ME must take a total of four core courses, selected from two or more concentration areas from the list of the four concentration areas below, and must receive a grade of B- or better in the four core courses.

Dynamic Systems and Control

• MECH 6300 (EECS 6331, SYSM 6307) Linear Systems
• MECH 6325 Optimal Estimation and Kalman Filter

Manufacturing and Design Innovation

• MECH 6303 Computer-Aided Design
• MECH 6318 Engineering Optimization
• MECH 6333 Materials Design and Manufacturing

Mechanics and Materials

• MECH 6306 Continuum Mechanics
• MECH 6350 Advanced Solid Mechanics

Thermal and Fluid Sciences

• MECH 6370 Incompressible Fluid Mechanics
• MECH 6373 Convective Heat Transfer
• MECH 6374 Conductive and Radiative Heat Transfer

Prescribed Electives within Concentration Areas: 12 semester credit hours

The following is a list of prescribed elective courses. A Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering must take at least 4 courses from the list of prescribed elective courses in one of the four areas of concentration.

Courses counted towards satisfying requirements on Required Major Courses cannot be counted towards satisfying requirements on Prescribed Electives. Upon approval from the student's faculty advisor and the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Committee, a qualified student can take other courses offered by UT Dallas to satisfy the requirements on prescribed electives.

Note: the presence of a course number in parentheses indicates that this course is cross-listed in another department.

Dynamic Systems and Controls (D.S.C.)

• Ph.D. students must take at least 4 courses from one concentration area.
• MECH 6300 (EECS 6331, SYSM 6307) Linear Systems
• MECH 6308 Haptics and Teleoperated Systems
• MECH 6309 Intermediate Dynamics
• MECH 6311 Advanced Mechanical Vibrations
• MECH 6312 (EESC 6349) Probability, Random Variables, and Statistics
• MECH 6313 (EECS 6336, BMEN 6388, SYSE 6324) Nonlinear Systems
• MECH 6314 (SYSM 6306, BMEN 6372) Engineering Systems: Modeling and Simulation
• MECH 6316 (SYSE 6322) Digital Control of Automotive Powertrain Systems
• MECH 6317 (SYSM 6302) Dynamics of Complex Networks and Systems
• MECH 6318 Engineering Optimization
• MECH 6319 Dynamics and Controls of MEMS
• MECH 6323 (SYSE 6323, EECS 6323) Robust Control Systems
• MECH 6324 (BMEN 6324, EECS 6324) Robot Control
• MECH 6325 Optimal Estimation and Kalman Filter
• MECH 6326 Optimal Control and Dynamic Programming
• MECH 6327 Convex Optimization
• MECH 6328 Frequency-Domain Analysis and Design of Control Systems
• MECH 6V29 Special Topics in Dynamic Systems and Control
• MECH 7V29 Advanced Special Topics in Dynamic Systems and Control

Manufacturing and Design Innovation (M.D.I.)

• Ph.D. students must take at least 4 courses from one concentration area.
• MECH 6303 Computer-Aided Design
• MECH 6311 Advanced Mechanical Vibrations
• MECH 6314 (BMEN 6372, SYSM 6306) Engineering Systems: Modeling and Simulation
• MECH 6317 (EECS 6302, SYSM 6302) Dynamics of Complex Networks and Systems
• MECH 6318 Engineering Optimization
• MECH 6319 Dynamics and Controls of MEMS
• MECH 6330 Multiscale Design and Optimization
• MECH 6333 Materials Design and Manufacturing
• MECH 6334 Smart Materials and Structures
• MECH 6335 (OPRE 6340) Flexible Manufacturing Strategies
• MECH 6337 (SYSM 6301) Systems Engineering, Architecture and Design
• MECH 6338 Reliability-Based Design
• MECH 6339 Multidisciplinary Design Optimization
• MECH 6341 (EEMF 6348, MSEN 6348) Lithography and Nanofabrication
• MECH 6342 Renewable Energy Systems Design and Optimization
• MECH 6347 (EEMF 6382, MSEN 6382) Introduction to MEMS
• MECH 6348 (EEMF 6322, MSEN 6322) Semiconductor Processing Technology
• MECH 6353 Computational Mechanics
• MECH 6354 Experimental Mechanics
• MECH 6V49 Special Topics in Manufacturing and Design Innovation
• MECH 7V49 Advanced Special Topics in Manufacturing and Design Innovation

Mechanics and Materials (M.M.)

• Ph.D. students must take at least 4 courses from one concentration area.
• MECH 6306 Continuum Mechanics
• MECH 6350 Advanced Solid Mechanics
• MECH 6351 Finite Element Techniques I
• MECH 6353 Computational Mechanics
• MECH 6354 Experimental Mechanics
• MECH 6355 Viscoelasticity
• MECH 6356 Fracture Mechanics
• MECH 6367 (MSEN 6310) Mechanical Properties of Materials
• MECH 6368 (MSEN 6350) Imperfections in Solids
• MECH 6V69 Special Topics in Mechanics and Materials
• MECH 7V69 Advanced Special Topics in Mechanics and Materials

Thermal and Fluid Sciences (T.F.S.)

• Ph.D. students must take at least 4 courses from one concentration area.
• MECH 6370 Incompressible Fluid Mechanics
• MECH 6371 Computational Fluid Dynamics
• MECH 6372 Turbulent Flows
• MECH 6373 Convective Heat Transfer
• MECH 6374 Conductive and Radiative Heat Transfer
• MECH 6375 Boiling Heat Transfer and Two-Phase Flow
• MECH 6376 Experimental Thermal and Fluid Dynamics
• MECH 6377 Advanced Thermodynamics
• MECH 6383 (EEMF 6383, PHYS 6383) Plasma Science
• MECH 6V89 Special Topics in Thermal and Fluid Sciences
• MECH 7V89 Advanced Special Topics in Thermal and Fluid Sciences

Mathematics Electives: 6 semester credit hours

The following is a list of suggested elective courses in mathematics.

Two courses are required for mathematics electives.

• MATH 6303 Theory of Complex Functions I
• MATH 6313 Numerical Analysis
• MATH 6315 Ordinary Differential Equations
• MATH 6318 Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations
• MATH 6319 Principles and Techniques in Applied Mathematics I
  • and MATH 6320 Principles and Techniques in Applied Mathematics II
• MATH 6308 Inverse Problems and Applications
• MATH 6321 Optimization
• MATH 6340 Numerical Linear Algebra
• MECH 6391 (EEGR 6381) Computational Methods in Engineering
• MECH 7392 Advanced Mathematics for Mechanical Engineers I
• MECH 7393 Advanced Mathematics for Mechanical Engineers II
• STAT 6331 Statistical Inference I
• STAT 6337 Advanced Statistical Methods I
  • and STAT 6338 Advanced Statistical Methods II
• STAT 6339 Linear Statistical Models
• STAT 6341 Numerical Linear Algebra and Statistical Computing
• MATH 7313 Partial Differential Equations I

Upon the approval of a student's faculty advisor, a qualified student can request to take other graduate courses in mathematics not listed above.

In addition to course requirements, the Ph.D. students need to complete the following:

• Qualifying Exam: It tests fundamental knowledge in mathematics and one concentration area of mechanical engineering. A student entering the Ph.D. program must take this exam within 3 long semesters. A student has at most two attempts made within two consecutive semesters at this qualifying exam. The exam will be given during the fall and spring semesters.
• Comprehensive Exam: Written dissertation proposal and an exam is given by the candidate's supervisory committee.
• Final Exam: Completion of a major research project culminating in a dissertation demonstrating an original contribution to the body of knowledge. The dissertation will be defended publicly. The rules for this defense are specified by the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

A student who has passed the Qualifying Exam and maintained the GPA requirements in Ph.D. level organized courses will be admitted to the Ph.D. candidacy.

The following courses are required to fulfil the research and dissertation requirements of the Ph.D. degree program:

• MECH 8V70 Advanced Research in Mechanical Engineering (30 semester credit hours minimum)
• MECH 8V99 Dissertation (6 semester credit hours minimum)

Neither a foreign language nor a minor is required for the Ph.D. However, the student's supervisory committee may impose these or other requirements that it feels are necessary and appropriate to the student's degree program.

Graduates of the program seek positions such as Professor, Research Scientists at corporate or national laboratories, Research and Development Engineer for the design, manufacturing, control, and operation of components and systems in energy, health care, security and transportation and Consulting Engineer in the public and private sectors.