Master of Science, Mechanical Engineering

In addition to Graduate Division requirements for admission to graduate status, the department requires a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from an accredited institution. Applicants with undergraduate preparation that is deemed inadequate may be required to take additional courses.

Degree Requirements

Students must choose a major field from among five stem areas presently offered by the department:

• Computational Science and Engineering
• Dynamical Systems, Controls and Robotics
• Microscale Engineering, including MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), Bio-MEMS, and Microfluidics
• Fluids and Thermal Transport
• Solid Mechanics, Materials and Structures

Significant flexibility exists in the requirements for each of these stem areas, and students are encouraged to gain expertise in modern cross cutting fields like: manufacturing; reliability engineering; microscale systems; design; aerostructures; composite technology; energy and transportation; environmental sensing; integrated sensors, actuators and control systems; computational simulation and others.

Two plans of study are offered, each requiring successful completion of 42 quarter-units of credit. Plan 1 is a combination of coursework and research, culminating in the preparation of a thesis; Plan 2 involves coursework and the completion of a written project.

Plan 1 (thesis)

The department requires 42 units with thesis: 18 units of approved coursework in the major field, 9 units of approved elective courses in science and engineering, 3 units of graduate seminar, 12 units of ME 598, and completion of a thesis. No more than 9 units may be at the 100 level. All students must attend ME 200 each quarter in residence until the MS Degree requirements are completed.

Plan 2 (research project)

The department requires 42 units without thesis: 18 units of approved coursework in the major field, 18 units of approved elective courses in science and engineering, 3 units of graduate seminar, and completion of a 3 unit project dealing with a topic in the major field. No more than 12 units may be at the 100 level. All students must attend ME 200 each quarter in residence until the MS Degree requirements are completed.

Doctor of Philosophy, Mechanical Engineering

The emphasis in the Ph.D. program is on the ability to correlate knowledge in the pursuit of original research.

Applicants to the Ph.D. program must meet Graduate Division requirements for admission.

Degree Requirements

During the first year of study students are required to develop a formal study plan which must be approved by the student's faculty advisor and the department graduate advisor. In this plan, students select a major area of study from among the five fields offered by the department (see Master's Requirements for a listing of these areas). Significant flexibility exists in the requirements for each of these stem areas, and students are encouraged to gain expertise in modern cross cutting fields like: manufacturing; reliability engineering; microscale systems; design; aerostructures; composite technology; energy and transportation; environmental sensing; integrated sensors, actuators and control systems; computational simulation and others. All students in the Ph.D. program are required to pass a departmental oral screening exam. Students must take this examination within 15 months of being admitted to the Ph.D. program or within 6 months of entering with a Master's degree. Normally, a student without a Master's degree will have taken 15 units of approved graduate coursework prior to the screening examination. In the oral screening examination, students will be tested in their major area, as well as questioned in broader areas of mechanical and environmental engineering.

After passing the oral screening exam, students select a Ph.D. dissertation committee with the approval of their advisor. As part of the Ph.D. qualifying examination, each student must present a dissertation proposal to the Ph.D. committee for approval. Upon successful completion of this examination, students advance to candidacy.

Candidates must complete their dissertation and pass a thesis defense consisting of presenting a seminar talk and answering questions posed by their dissertation committee.

In addition to these requirements, Ph.D. students must complete a minimum of 36 quarter units of coursework: 18 units in key courses in the major field; 9 units in approved mechanical and environmental engineering courses; 9 units in approved science and engineering. Normally 27 units of credit is given to students who enter with an approved M.S. degree. The department requires that students maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5. Students must attend ME 200 each quarter until advanced to candidacy.

For more information, please contact:

Laura Reynolds
Graduate Program Assistant
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of California
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5070
(805) 893-2239
laurarey@engineering.ucsb.edu