MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, MSME
Mechanical Engineering
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering Admissions Requirements
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A bachelor's degree from an accredited (or equivalent) program in engineering or the physical sciences is required for admission to graduate study in mechanical engineering with not less than B-level scholarship overall or over the last 60 semester hours of earned credit.
- International applicants must submit English proficiency scores in accordance with UAB Graduate School requirement. Click here for details
- Original transcripts from all colleges and universities attended since high school must be sent directly to the UAB Graduate School (detailed instructions are included during the online application process)
A student with an undergraduate degree in a field of engineering other than mechanical or in the physical sciences may also be accepted into the mechanical engineering program. However, such a student will normally have to take additional, preparatory coursework as part of an expanded plan of study (see "Preparatory Courses" later in this section).
Special Topics (590/690/790) courses and Independent Study (591/691/791) courses are reviewed for degree applicability for each program in the School of Engineering. No more than 6 combined hours of Special Topics and/or Independent Study courses will be applied to the degree without appeal to and approval from the Program Director.
The School of Engineering offers similar courses at the 400/500 and 600/700 levels. While the higher numbered course has more advanced content, there is a significant overlap in topics. Therefore, students are not allowed to take a 500-level or 700-level course for credit if they have previously taken the related 400-level or 600-level course, respectively.
Plan I (Thesis Option)
- Upon admission to the program, the Graduate Program Director will advise the student on courses for the first semester. During the first semester, the student will be assigned a Committee Chair, based on research interest, who will assist the student in forming their graduate study committee. The committee will consist of the Chair and two graduate faculty members with experience or expertise related to the student's thesis topic. The Chair, in coordination with the committee, will aid the student in course selection.
- In addition to the general Graduate School requirements, the student must successfully complete at least 24 semester hours of coursework, including:
- 6 semester hours in committee-approved mathematics courses
- 18 semester hours in committee-approved mechanical engineering courses or approved related courses, including at least 2 semester hours of ME 694 Seminar in Mechanical Engineering and 3 semester hours in a course outside the student’s research or specialization area.
- A student is eligible for admission to candidacy after (1) a written thesis has been orally presented to and approved by the committee and (2) successful completion of Responsible Conduct in Research training.
- After admission to candidacy, the student must register for at least 6 hours of ME 699 Thesis Research in addition to the 24 semester hours of coursework.
- The student must successfully complete and defend a thesis.
Plan II (Non-thesis Option)
Generally, Plan II will be approved for students working full-time and attending UAB on a part-time basis or when the student demonstrates that Plan II offers superior educational benefits. After 15 credit hours of coursework are completed, the student should select a project director and begin work on the final project. The election of Plan II must be approved by the student's graduate advisor.
- The student must successfully complete at least 33 semester hours of coursework, including:
- 6 semester hours in approved mathematics courses
- A minimum of 27 semester hours in approved mechanical engineering courses or approved related courses. Of these 27 semester hours, students must enroll in:
- The student must make a presentation on the research project and submit a final report which must be approved by the project director.
Early Acceptance
Early Acceptance Programs are designed for academically superior high school students. Early Acceptance Programs allow high-achieving students to be conditionally admitted into a graduate program at the same time they are admitted to an undergraduate program.
Eligible students are required to maintain a 3.50 undergraduate GPA and complete the following prerequisite courses: ME 241, ME 321, ME 364, and ME 371.
Preparatory Courses
The following courses and their prerequisites are required preparation for the graduate program in mechanical engineering. Students will be required to successfully complete the courses below or present equivalent prior coursework. Additional courses may be required depending on the research interest.
| Requirements | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| ME 241 | Thermodynamics I | 3 |
| ME 321 | Introduction to Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| ME 322 | Introduction to Heat Transfer | 3 |
| ME 360 | Introduction to Mechatronic Systems Engineering | 3 |
| ME 370 | Kinematics and Dynamics of Machinery | 3 |
| ME 371 | Machine Design | 3 |
| CE 220 | Mechanics of Solids | 3 |
