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MABE Graduate Program

Mechanical Engineering students working on planes

 

Photo of Graduate CoordinatorHave questions about our Department’s graduate program or about applying for admission? E-mail the Department’s Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Kuang-Ting Hsiao, at kthsiao@southalabama.edu or telephone (251) 460-7889.

Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) program

The ABM program allows full-time undergraduate students in Junior or Senior year at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ, who have both an engineering and institutional GPA of 3.4 or better at ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ, to earn their MSME degrees at an accelerated pace. Students registered for the ABM program may use up to six credit hours of graduate course work towards both the BSME and MSME degrees. This means that after earning the BSME degree the course load for the MSME degree is reduced by six credit hours. More information is available here.

Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)

A Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering is increasingly required for advanced-level employment opportunities with higher-profile national and international employers. Students who want to separate themselves from the pack in the employment race should seriously consider taking a Master’s degree either through the ABM program (see above) or as a stand-alone qualification. The programs of study provide knowledge of modern engineering concepts and practices, and build upon the knowledge and skills expected of a holder of a typical Bachelor’s degree to the point where a Master’s graduate can make high-level contributions to contemporary engineering designs. A Master’s degree is also an ideal preparation for further study towards the doctoral degree if desired.

1Should the student present an unsatisfactory defense, a second attempt will be allowed no sooner than 12 weeks after the first attempt. A second unsatisfactory defense will result in dismissal from the program.
2No written comprehensive examination is required of Thesis option MSME students. Successful defense of the Thesis will be deemed to satisfy the comprehensive examination requirement for Thesis option candidates.
3A RCR certificate issued by this program must be presented at the time the thesis/project prospectus is submitted.

â–¼   Additional Information, Master of Science degree (MSME)

Three study plans are available. The thesis option requires a total of 30 credit hours including writing a medium-length technical report. This thesis is generally a contribution to original engineering research on a topic of great relevance to current state-of-art in Mechanical Engineering. The alternative project option requires a total of 33 credit hours including writing a shorter technical project report, usually heavily oriented toward Mechanical Engineering applications. Finally, the Course option includes no project work but requires a total of 33 credit hours of coursework.

â–¼   Admission Requirements
  • Possession of an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, or closely related disciplines.
  • A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (students with a lower GPA may be considered for provisional admission).
  • Minimum verbal and quantitative GRE scores of 138 and 151, respectively.
  • For international applicants whose native language is not English, at least the following score on one of these English language tests:
    • TOEFL score 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) or 79 (internet-based); or
    • IELTS band score 6.5; or
    • Pearsons (PTE Academic) score 59; or
    • Duolingo score 100.

Provisional Admission

Students under provisional admission can apply for regular status after obtaining a GPA of 3.0 or better on their first 9 graduate credit hours. Otherwise, they must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the first 15 graduate credit hours or they will be dismissed from the program.

Course Deficiencies for Non-BSME Applicants

Applicants with a non-BSME undergraduate background may be admitted as a non-degree student and are required to complete all of the following deficiency (or equivalent) courses before being considered for graduate admission**:

  • EG 220: Electrical Circuits
  • EG 283: Statics
  • EG 284: Dynamics
  • EG 315: Mechanics of Materials
  • EG 360: Fluid Mechanics
  • ME 328: ME Analysis
  • ME 317: Heat Transfer
  • ME 312: ME Thermodynamics
  • ME 316: Instrumentation and Experimental Methods
  • ME 319: Instrumentation Lab
  • ME 326: Materials Science
  • ME 336: Materials Science Lab

**Some of the above courses may be waived or additional mathematics and science courses may be required depending on individual background.

University Graduate admissions deadlines are given here.

â–¼   Program Requirements

There are three options for the degree of Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME). The requirements are:

  • Thesis Option: 30 credit hours
    • 6 credit hours required math courses MA 507 and MA 508, and
    • 9 credit hours selected from Mechanical Engineering Core graduate courses (one course in Solid Mechanics, one course in Fluid Mechanics, and one course in Thermal Sciences), and
    • 9 credit hours selected from MSME Engineering elective graduate courses and MSME graduate courses in supporting areas (but including no more than 3 credit hours from MSME graduate courses in supporting areas), and
    • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training from ,3 and
    • 6 credit hours required Thesis courses ME 599 & ME 599, and
    • Satisfactory oral defense of Thesis.1,2
  • Project Option: 33 credit hours
    • 6 credit hours required math courses MA 507 and MA 508, and
    • 12 credit hours selected from Mechanical Engineering Core graduate courses (including one course in Solid Mechanics, one course in Fluid Mechanics, and one course in Thermal Sciences), and
    • 12 credit hours selected from MSME Engineering elective graduate courses and MSME graduate courses in supporting areas (but including no more than 6 credit hours from MSME graduate courses in supporting areas), and
    • Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training from ,3 and
    • 3 credit hours required Project course ME 594, and
    • Satisfactory oral defense of Project Report,1 and
    • Pass written comprehensive examination.
  • Course Option: 33 credit hours
    • 6 credit hours required math courses MA 507 and MA 508, and
    • 12 credit hours selected from Mechanical Engineering Core graduate courses (including one course in Solid mechanics, one course in Fluid mechanics, and one course in Thermal Sciences), and
    • 15 credit hours selected from MSME Engineering elective graduate courses and MSME graduate courses in supporting areas (but including no more than 6 credit hours from MSME graduate courses in supporting areas), and
    • Pass written comprehensive examination.

Satisfactory Progress Requirement

During the first two semesters (excluding the summer semester) in the MSME program,

  • a full-time student must complete the following courses: MA 507, MA 508, and at least two core courses (see list above), with at most two Grades of C;
  • a part-time student must at least complete MA 507 and either MA 508 or a core course, with at most two Grades of C.

Students who fail to fulfill the satisfactory progress requirement will not be allowed to continue in the program.

1 Should the student present an unsatisfactory defense, a second attempt will be allowed no sooner than 12 weeks after the first attempt. A second unsatisfactory defense will result in dismissal from the program.
2 No written comprehensive examination is required of Thesis option MSME students. Successful defense of the Thesis will be deemed to satisfy the comprehensive examination requirement for Thesis option candidates.
3 A RCR certificate issued by this program must be presented at the time the thesis/project prospectus is submitted.

â–¼   Core, Elective, and Supporting courses

Mechanical Engineering Core graduate courses:

   Solid Mechanics:

      ME 538 Finite Element Analysis
      ME 571 Advanced Engineering Dynamics
      ME 573 Vibrations of Continuous Sys
      ME 575 Continuum Mechanics (cannot count in Fluid Mechanics simultaneously)
      ME 583 Applied Elasticity

   Fluid Mechanics:

      ME 520 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
      ME 560 Compressible Fluid Flow
      ME 575 Continuum Mechanics (cannot count in Solid Mechanics simultaneously)

   Thermal Sciences:

      ME 540 Advanced Heat Transfer
      ME 551 Classical Thermodynamics

MSME Engineering elective graduate courses:

   Any ME or other Engineering 500- or 600-level courses excluding Thesis or Project courses, and excluding DIS courses more than 6 credit hours maximum.

MSME graduate courses in supporting areas:

   Any non-Engineering 500- or 600-level courses subject to approval by the Graduate Coordinator in the MABE Department. Supporting areas include mathematics, natural sciences, basic medical sciences, computer sciences, statistics, and business. The following courses will always be approved: