Mechanical Engineering

Master's Degree Course Distribution Requirements

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A total of 42 credits is required for the Master's Degree. Thesis option students must register for 12 credits of thesis research and 30 credits of related numerically graded coursework. Non-thesis option students must take all 42 credits in numerically graded courses.
  1. Numerically-graded Courses (course grades must be 2.7 or above; a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be maintained for graduation.)
    1. At least 12 credits for the thesis option and 18 credits for the non-thesis option must be taken in 500-level Mechanical Engineering courses (excluding ME 518). These must include 6 credits of mathematical and engineering analysis requirements: ME 564 and ME 565.
    2. At least 3 credits of computational or numerical analysis must be taken from the following list of approved courses (or from an approved plan of individual study conducted as part of thesis research):
      • ME 535 - Computational Techniques in Mechanical Engineering (SpQ)
      • ME 599 - Computational Biomechanics
      • AA 543 - Computational Fluid Dynamics (WQ)
      • AA 540 - Finite Element Analysis (WQ)
      • CEE 504 - Finite Element Methods in Structural Mechanics (SpQ)
      • EE 578 - Optimization in System Science
      • AMATH 581 - Scientific Computing
      • AMATH 584 - Applied Linear Algebra and Numerical Methods (AQ)
      Please note:To waive any of the required courses (ME 564, ME 565, and computational or numerical analysis), the student must file a ME petition memo with the GPC demonstrating equivalent background in applied mathematics and computational analysis. This petition must be evaluated and approved by the course coordinator.
    3. The remaining credits (18 for thesis-option students and 24 for non-thesis option students) may be from other departments, and may include a maximum of 9 credits (12 credits for non-thesis) at the 400 course level (excluding ME 498 & 499). Courses from other departments should be closely related to the student's overall plan, and should be drawn from the following departments:
      • Engineering departments (BioE, A&A, ChE, CEE, CSE, EE, IE, MSE)
      • Mathematical and computational sciences (Math, AMath, Stat)
      • Physical sciences (AtmS, Chem, Gphys, Ocean, Phys)
      • Approved biological sciences
    4. Non-thesis option students may substitute up to 6 credits of ME 599 Special Projects (not to be confused with the class ME 599) for 6 credits of classroom courses. Permission forms for project proposals can be obtained from the Student Services Office. The student must write a research paper under the supervision of a faculty member and the credits must be taken for a numerical grade. Please note:For thesis-option students, special project courses like ME 599 and ME 600 do not count toward the 42-credit total.
  2. Seminar Requirement.All full-time students must register for a seminar course every quarter while in the Master's Program. Quarterly registration for seminars is necessary for satisfactory progress in the program, but does not count toward the 42 credits of numerically-graded coursework and thesis research required for graduation.
    1. Full-time students.All new full-time students will register for ME 520 in the Autumn Quarter of their matriculation year. Otherwise, students are encouraged to register for approved seminar courses offered by other U of W engineering programs, i.e. ME 518 (PEMM), ME 523 (Energy/Environment--see Prof. Malte for approval), ME 591 (Controls), AMATH 501, INDE 591/592/593, MSE 520. Students taking approved seminar courses do not have to register for ME 520. If you chose to enroll in ME 520 for Winter or Spring Quarters., you must submit a summary for five research-based seminars that you select to attend to the GPC (ME Student Services Office) by the last day of instruction for each quarter.
    2. Part-time students and EDGE students are not required to register for or attend seminars.