Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

72 credit hours beyond the B.S.

This program provides advanced, research-based education and knowledge through advanced coursework, state-of-the-art and original research, and publication of novel results in preparation for careers in academia and industrial research and development.

The doctoral degree is awarded in recognition of a high level of mastery in one of the several fields of the department including a significant original research contribution. A student working toward the Ph.D. degree has great flexibility in formulating an overall program to meet individual needs under the guidance of an adviser and the department. All full-time doctoral students are required to register for MMAE 593 MMAE Seminar in every semester and achieve an attendance of greater than 80%. 

Further, the student must be accepted by a thesis adviser and pass a qualifying examination given by the department in order to be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. The examination evaluates the student’s background in order to determine the student’s potential for achieving a doctorate.

The student, in consultation with the adviser, prepares a plan of study to meet individual needs and interests, which must then be approved by the adviser, the department’s graduate studies committee, and the department chair. The plan of study usually consists of at least one full year of advanced coursework beyond the master’s degree, or equivalent, and a minimum of one full year of thesis research. The plan should also include MMAE 593 MMAE Seminar in every semester.

After students essentially complete all coursework, they must pass the Ph.D. comprehensive examination. Conducted by the student’s thesis advisory committee, this examination must be completed at least one year prior to graduation. Concentrated research to satisfy the requirements of a doctoral dissertation is ordinarily conducted after the comprehensive examination has been passed. The dissertation must be approved by the student’s thesis advisory committee. Thesis research should be equivalent to at least one full year's work, corresponding to up to 36 thesis credit hours. This work is performed on campus; the department’s graduate studies committee and the Dean of the Graduate College must approve off-campus research. The doctoral dissertation is expected to contain a distinct and substantial original contribution to the student’s field of study. After the research has been completed and a preliminary draft of the dissertation is approved, the candidate defends their thesis at a final oral examination, which is open to the public.

 

Curriculum

For students entering with a B.S.:

Required Courses (27-29)
MMAE 501Engineering Analysis I3
MMAE 502Engineering Analysis II3
Select a minimum of two courses from group EA 16
Select one core course in major area of study3-4
Select one core course in second area3-4
Select a minimum of nine credit hours of non-core courses in major area9
Elective Courses (7-21)
Select 7-21 credit hours7-21
Ph.D. Research (24-36)
MMAE 691Research and Thesis Ph.D.24-36

Minimum degree credits required: 72

For students entering with an M.S., M.E., or Co-Terminal M.E.:

Required Courses (15-16)
MMAE 501Engineering Analysis I3
MMAE 502Engineering Analysis II3
Select a minimum of two courses from group EA 16
Select one core course in major area of study3-4
Ph.D. Research (24-36)
MMAE 691Research and Thesis Ph.D.24-36

Minimum degree credits required: 72

Core Courses as Determined by Major Area of Study

Fluid Dynamics (4)
MMAE 510Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics4
Thermal Sciences (3)
MMAE 520Advanced Thermodynamics3
or MMAE 525 Fundamentals of Heat Transfer
Solids and Structures (3)
MMAE 530Advanced Mechanics of Solids3
Dynamics and Controls (3)
MMAE 541Advanced Dynamics3
Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (3)
MMAE 545Advanced CAD/CAM3

1Group EA

MMAE 509 is required for fluid dynamics, thermal sciences, and solids and structures students.

MMAE 503Advanced Engineering Analysis3
MMAE 508Perturbation Methods3
MMAE 509Introduction to Continuum Mechanics3
MATH 512Partial Differential Equations3
MATH 515Ordinary Differential Equations and Dynamical Systems3
MATH 522Mathematical Modeling3
MATH 535Optimization I3
MATH 544Stochastic Dynamics3
MATH 545Stochastic Partial Differential Equations3
MATH 553Discrete Applied Mathematics I3
CHE 530Advanced Process Control3
ECE 505Applied Optimization for Engineers3
ECE 511Analysis of Random Signals3
ECE 531Linear System Theory3
ECE 533Robust Control3
ECE 567Statistical Signal Processing3