PhD

Credit requirements for Ph.D. degree

●        The doctoral coursework requirements are intended to ensure students enroll in core and technical elective courses to carry out advanced research in Mechanical Engineering.  The Ph.D. is a research-based degree; coursework is intended to supplement dissertation research. Students must develop a course plan in consultation with their research advisor that is rigorous and appropriate for the dissertation research and record the plan in the GPAS Planner.

●        Ph.D. degrees require successful completion of the following credits:

○        36 graduate-level course credits taken on an A/F grade basis (except for graduate seminars which are taken on a S/N grade basis) must be completed.  There is a requirement of a minimum of 30 technical graduate course credits (with significant scientific or engineering content) AND a minimum of 8 technical courses (3 or 4 credits – does not include seminar and the Preliminary Exam Class) )In general, courses should be 5XXX and 8XXX level courses offered within the College of Science and Engineering. Coursework must include the following:

■        ME 8002 Preparation for ME PhD research (1 credit – non-technical)

■        ME 8011 Qualifying Exam Class (2 credits)

■        ME 8012 Preliminary Exam Class (3 credits)[PB1] 

■        One math course from the following list:

●        Any 3 or 4 credit graduate MATH class except MATH 50XX

●        CHEN/MATS 8201-Applied Mathematics

●        CSCI 5304 - Computational Aspects of Matrix Theory

●        ME8012 Mathematical Methods for Mechanical Engineering

■        Four core courses selected from any of the foundational topical areas below which includes Controls and System Dynamics, Design and Manufacturing, Fluid Mechanics, Reacting Systems, and Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer.  At least two courses must be in one topical area.

●        Controls and System Dynamics:

○        ME 5281 - Analog and Digital Control

○        ME 8281 - Advanced Control System Design I

○        ME 8282 - Advanced Control System Design II

●        Design and Manufacturing:

○        ME 5223 - Materials in Design OR ME 8222 

○        ME 5243 - Advanced Mechanism Design

○        ME 5247 - Applied Stress Analysis

●        Fluid Mechanics:

○        ME 5332 - Intermediate Fluid Mechanics

○        ME 8332 - Advanced Fluid Dynamics in Mechanical Engineering

●        Reacting Systems:

○        ME 8111 - Multiphase systems

○        ME 8361  - Molecular Gas dynamics

○        ME 5446 - Intro Combustion OR[1] ME 5113 (Aerosol/particle engineering)

●        Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer:

○        ME 8341 - Conduction

○        ME 8342 - Convection

○        ME 8343 - Radiation

■        A minimum of twelve (12) 8XXX level course credits in the College of Science and Engineering. Graduate seminars and
ethics courses do not count towards this requirement.

■        One research and professional ethics taught at orientation  

■        2 or 3 seminar credits taken on a S/N grade basis. Seminars may be taken in other CSE departments but must have significant scientific or engineering content. Note the same seminar course with the same designation may be taken in multiple semesters.  Seminar credits count towards the 36 required course credits.

■        12 credits may be taken for a designated minor.

■        A minimum of 24 doctoral thesis credits (course number ME 8888) taken on a non-graded basis, with the following restrictions:

●        Doctoral thesis credits or any other type of research credits earned at another university cannot be applied toward the thesis credit requirement.

●        A dissertation completed at another university cannot be transferred to the University of Minnesota.

●        Thesis credits may be taken during the semester of the Preliminary Oral Exam. [see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Section in IV]

●        Ph.D. degree program notes:

○        No more than six 4000-level course credits may be used for graduate-level course credit.  Students intending to take a 4000 level course to be used towards the Ph.D. must get advance approval from their advisor(s) and the DGS.  In general, such requests will not be approved by the director of graduate studies unless both the student and the student’s advisor provide written justification for the 4000 level course in question to count towards the degree.

○        A minimum of 12 graduate course credits must be taken at the University of Minnesota. The number of course credits that can be transferred from another university will be determined on a case-by-case basis and must be approved by the advisor and Director of Graduate Studies.

○        A maximum of 12 graduate course credits taken as a non-degree or non-admitted student may be considered for inclusion in the GPAS once the student is enrolled in the graduate program.

○        Ph.D. students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or higher for all courses counted towards the degree and listed on the graduate degree plan.  An average GPA of 3.3 or higher is required for the four core courses.

○        At least 12 credits in Mechanical Engineering at the 5XXX or 8XXX level are required for a doctoral minor in Mechanical Engineering (this applies for students in Ph.D. programs within the College of Science and Engineering which are outside the Department of Mechanical Engineering).

○        To complete a doctoral minor in a College of Science and Engineering department outside of mechanical engineering, one must fulfill the requirements detailed in the handbook of that department.  Doctoral minor must be declared prior to the Preliminary Exams.

[1] One of these two classes can only be considered as a core class. In the case that both classes are taking, one should be taking as an elective class.