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The 32-credit online Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) was designed to help you gain advanced knowledge for research, analysis, and design in mechanical engineering.

The curriculum offers courses in thermal systems and mechanical systems and includes course work in:

  • heat transfer
  • foundations of fluid mechanics
  • principles of turbomachinery
  • automatic control systems
  • solid mechanics
  • engineering optimization

You must successfully complete 32 course credits; at least 12 of these credits must be 400- or 500-level mechanical engineering courses, and 18 credits must be at the 500 level. A maximum of 3 credits of ME 596: Individual Studies can be counted in this 32-credit total.

As part of the ME 596: Individual Studies course, you will be required to write a paper on a topic that you and your faculty adviser mutually agree is suitable for publication in a professional journal or presentation at a national or international conference, in order to obtain this degree.

Math Requirement: 3 credits of mathematics

  • Credits must be chosen from the following courses: ME 512 and ME 550.
  • Courses with a specific focus on numerical analysis will not count toward the mathematics requirement.

Collaborative Learning

The online courses are collaborative, allowing you to build strong ties with other students and gain perspectives from other disciplines and industries. The program maintains maximum flexibility in an effort to meet both the professional needs of individual students and quality academic standards.

Course List - Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering 

You must successfully complete two 1-credit courses of ME 590 Colloquium, preferably in your first two semesters of the program. The MSME has limited formal course requirements; you and your adviser can tailor the program specifically to suit your needs and educational goals by choosing 32 credits from the following list of courses.

Thermal Sciences
Title Abbreviation Description Credits
Principles of Turbomachinery ME 422 Conservation laws pertinent to energy conversion and fluid mechanics are applied to pumps, centrifugal compressors, axial compressors and turbines, hydro turbines and wind turbines. 3 credits
Introduction to Combustion ME 430 Concepts related to laminar and turbulent premixed and nonpremixed combustion with applications to propulsion and stationary systems. 3 credits
Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics ME 504 Pure and applied thermodynamics including its application to advanced engineering problems; collateral reading and discussion of the classical works on the subject. 3 credits
Heat Transfer — Conduction ME 512* One- and two-dimensional conduction heat transfer for steady state and transient systems with varying boundary conditions. 3 credits
Heat Transfer — Convection ME 513 Laminar and turbulent flow heat transfer in natural and forced convection systems. 3 credits
Two-Phase Heat Transfer ME 515 Heat transfer processes involving evaporation, boiling, and condensation. 3 credits
Compressible Flow II ME 520 Two-dimensional subsonic flow; similarity rules; theory of characteristics; supersonic and hypersonic flows; nonsteady flow; oblique shock waves. 3 credits
Foundations of Fluid Mechanics I ME 521 First semester of core sequence in fluid mechanics; Navier-Stokes equations, potential flow, low Re flow, laminar boundary layers. 3 credits
Foundations of Fluid Mechanics II ME 522 Second semester of core sequence in fluid mechanics; continuation of boundary layers, stability, transition, turbulence, turbulent boundary layers, turbulence models.

Prerequisite: M E 421 or M E 521		 3 credits
Numerical Solutions Applied to Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics Problems ME 523 Application of finite difference methods to the study of potential and viscous flows and conduction and convection heat transfer. 3 credits
Fundamentals of Combustion ME 530 Theoretical formulations and methods of solution of engineering problems and physical/chemical processes in various propulsion systems. 3 credits
Physics of Gases ME 535 An introduction to kinetic theory, statistical mechanics, quantum mechanics, atomic and molecular structure, chemical thermodynamics, and chemical kinetics of gases. 3 credits


* Satisfies the math requirement.

Mechanical Sciences
Title Abbreviation Description Credits
Vehicle Road Dynamics ME 452 This course conducts investigations of one-dimensional, two-dimensional, and three-dimensional dynamics, kinematics and design integrated into the study of vehicle dynamics. 3 credits
Automatic Control Systems ME 455 Dynamic analysis of systems involving automatic control of position, speed, power, flow, pressure, temperature, and other physical quantities. 3 credits
Finite Elements in Engineering ME 461 Computer modeling and fundamental analysis of solid, fluid, and heat flow problems using existing computer codes. 3 credits
Mechanism Design and Analysis ME 480 Design and analysis of mechanical linkages including kinematic synthesis and dynamic analysis. 3 credits
Introduction to Computer-Aided Analysis of Machine Dynamics ME 481 Techniques and formulations for computer-based kinematic and dynamic analyses of machines. 3 credits
Powertrain Systems ME 497 Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest. 3 credits
Optimal Control of Energy Systems ME 552 This course provides an overview of the fundamental principles and methods of optimal control, dynamic programming, and extremum-seeking control, with a focus on the application of these tools to a variety of problems in the energy generation, storage, and management domain. 3 credits
Linear System Theory and Control ME 555 Advanced problems and techniques in the design of automatic control systems with emphasis on stability, controller design, and optimum performance.  3 credits
Solid Mechanics ME 560 Introduction to continuum mechanics, variational methods, and finite element formulations; application to bars, beams, cylinders, disks, and plates. 3 credits
Nonlinear Finite Elements ME 563 Advanced theory of semidiscrete formulations for continua and structures; emphasizes dynamic and nonlinear problems. 3 credits
Optimal Design of Mechanical and Structural Systems ME 565 Application of numerical optimization techniques to design mechanical and structural systems; design sensitivity analysis. 3 credits
Simulation of Mechanical Systems ME 581 Introduces computational fundamentals, including digital logic; programming language, basic numerical analysis and data processing, as applied to mechanical simulation techniques. 3 credits
Mechanics of Smart Materials ME 597 Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently. 3 credits

 

Other Classes
Title Abbreviation Description Credits
Colloquium ME 590 Continuing seminars that consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers. 1 credit
Individual Studies ME 596 Creative projects, including nonthesis research, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses. 1-3 credits
Academic Writing ME 597 Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently. 3 credits
Advanced Engineering Mathematics I ME 597 Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently. 3 credits

 

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.