The faculty in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering offer graduate programs leading to the degrees of M.S., Master of Science in Engineering, and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. A number of areas of study may be pursued, including design and manufacturing, dynamics and control, energy systems, engineering mechanics, and thermosciences.
The faculty also offer graduate degree programs in Aerospace Engineering.
All of the department’s graduate programs stress a sound foundation in fundamentals leading to a specialized area of study.
Graduate Record Examination. All applicants are required to take the Graduate Record Examination; the subject test in engineering is highly recommended but not required.
MASTER OF SCIENCE
See “Master’s Degrees” for information on the M.S. degree.
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING
See “Master of Science in Engineering” for information on the M.S.E. degree.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
The Ph.D. degree is conferred upon evidence of excellence in research leading to a scholarly dissertation that is an original contribution to knowledge in the field of mechanical engineering.
See “Doctor of Philosophy” for general requirements.
Program of Study. The program of study must be established no later than the first semester after successfully completing the qualifying examination.
Qualifying Examinations. The purposes of the qualifying criteria are to assess if the student is qualified to continue in the doctoral program and to detect deficiencies in the student’s background that can be corrected by appropriate course work and individual study. Within the first year of his/her graduate studies at ASU, a graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. program of study in Mechanical Engineering must complete three 500-level core courses, preferably in the major area of interest, and one 500-level mathematics course, both with an average GPA of 3.25 or higher. Specific qualifying course requirements for each major area are available from the department.
Foreign Language Requirements. None.
Comprehensive Examinations. Written and oral comprehensive examinations are required. The examinations are administered by the program committee.
Dissertation Requirements. A dissertation based on original work demonstrating creativity in research and scholarly proficiency in the subject area is required.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The department has established a wide variety of theoretical and experimental research programs in mechanical engineering to prepare graduate students for careers with industry, universities, and government agencies. The faculty are informally organized into groups pursuing research topics directly related to the general improvement of knowledge in engineering fields or to the application of engineering principles to problems with high national priorities.
Some recent and current examples of faculty and student research projects include studies in aerospace vehicle dynamics, guidance, and control; laser diagnostics in combustion; solar energy systems; modeling and optimal design of rotor-bearing systems; feature-based modeling; design automation; expert systems for manufacturing; concurrent engineering; kinematic geometry of mechanisms and robots; modeling and control of robots for manufacturing; infrared detection of surface defects; development of finite element models; acoustic fatigue; noise control; failure analysis and life predictions; crystal growth; fluid mechanics; metal cutting; transonic airfoil design; hydrodynamic stability; turbulence modeling; numerical modeling of reacting flows; robotics; magnetic bearing development; thermionics; experimental and analytical studies in two-phase flow; convective heat transfer in complex flows and turbine cooling; unsteady aerodynamics; nonlinear waves; perturbation methods; turbulent mixing in stratified flows; double diffusive instabilities; internal waves and internal gravity currents; topography effects in rotating and stratified flows, experimental and analytical studies on pulverized-coal combustion, pollutant formation and spray burning; combustion diagnostics and modeling of continuous flow combustion.
Experimental investigations are carried out in a number of specialized facilities: computer-aided engineering and expert systems laboratory, computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing laboratory, combustion laboratory, composite materials laboratory, direct energy conversion laboratory, dynamics and controls laboratory, heat transfer laboratory, laser diagnostics laboratory, hydrodynamic stability laboratory, robotics laboratory, solar energy laboratory, stratified flow laboratory, rotating flow laboratory, supersonic wind tunnel laboratory, thermoscience laboratory, unsteady wind tunnel facility, turbulent fluid mechanics laboratory, and vibrations laboratory. Equipment fabrication is supported by the college’s well-equipped Development Shop, which has a staff of machinists and electronic technicians.
Computer Resources and Facilities
Mechanical Engineering graduate education and research is supported by an extensive array of college- and university-supported computer hardware and software, in addition to laboratory minicomputers and microcomputers. The ASU Computing Commons is equipped with three IBM RS/6000-590, one MASPAR, several DEC VAX 5000, numerous Sun Sparc servers, and, many other platforms. Access to these computers is via the ASU Advanced Communications Support System (ACSS) broadband network as well as dial-in lines. The university also operates microcomputer sites with more than 400 IBM and Apple Macintosh systems.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
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