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Welcome to The J. Mike Walker '66 Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University!

Master of Science

The Master of Science (M.S.) degree is offered with a thesis and a non-thesis option.

The Master of Science non-thesis option is for students seeking to further their depth and/or breadth of knowledge through advanced coursework and classroom instruction. M.S. non-thesis students are able to select coursework aligned with specialized technical areas of interest.

The M.S. non-thesis degree requires a minimum of 30 semester credit hours. Students can complete this degree in as little as 1 calendar year.

The Master of Science thesis option is for the student wanting to develop independent learning and research skills and function independently as a solver of “arbitrarily” hard engineering problems. The M.S. thesis is a research-intensive experience that includes advanced coursework. The Master of Science thesis degree requires a minimum of 32 semester credit hours. Due to the nature of thesis research, completion of the M.S. thesis option generally requires more time than the non-thesis option. 

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View Current Program Requirements

Degree Requirements

Non-Thesis Option Requirements

Thesis Option Requirements

For questions, contact the mechanical engineering graduate office.

Master of Science Non-Thesis Option Requirements

Committee requirements:

Master of Science students do not have a research committee. However, the degree plan system requires that each student list a committee chair. The committee chair for all M.S. non-thesis students is the Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs.

Curricular Requirements:

  1. Required graduate level mathematics credit: MEEN 602: Modeling & Analysis of Mechanical Systems (three credit hours).
  2. Core courses: One course — total of three credit hours, selected from the options below.
    1. MEEN 601: Advanced Product Design
    2. MEEN 603: Theory of Elasticity
    3. MEEN 608: Continuum Mechanics
    4. MEEN 612: Mechanics of Robot Manipulators
    5. MEEN 613: Engineering Dynamics
    6. MEEN 615: Advanced Engineering Thermo Dynamics
    7. MEEN 617: Mechanical Vibrations
    8. MEEN 621: Fluid Mechanics
    9. MEEN 630: Intermediate Heat Transfer
    10. MEEN 651: Control System Design
    11. MEEN 672: Introduction to Finite Element Method
    12. MEEN 683: Multidisciplinary System Analysis & Design Optimization
    13. MEEN 688: Advanced Solid Mechanics
  3. Technical Elective Courses: Eight courses — total of 24 credit hours
    1. Any graduate level MEEN course. It may include courses from the core course listing and a maximum of 3 hours of MEEN 684 and 685 combined. 
    2. Up to two graduate level courses outside MEEN, but within the College of Engineering or College of Science. Courses with the ENGR prefix or from outside the Colleges of Engineering or Science will require prior approval from the MEEN Graduate Program Director.
    3. May include up to one undergraduate courses at the 400 level. 

Master of Science Thesis Option Requirements

Committee requirements:

  1. General Requirements:
    1. Minimum of three (3) faculty on the committee, including the committee chair and co-chair, if applicable.
    2. All committee members must be on Graduate Committee Faculty through Graduate and Professional School. A list is available at https://gradcom.tamu.edu/faculty.
    3. At least one member must be from outside the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
  2. Committee Chair: may be tenure/tenure-track faculty in MEEN or joint/courtesy appointment to MEEN. Joint/courtesy appointment faculty chairs do not count as a non-MEEN committee member.
    1. Joint/Courtesy Appointment Chairs are required to fund student through GAR or a GAT position in the faculty member’s home department
  3. Committee Co-chair: optional; student may choose to have a co-chair on their committee. This person can be from in or out of MEEN.
  4. Committee Members: you must have at least one (1) committee member from MEEN. The remaining one (1) committee member must be from outside of MEEN. Note: If a MEEN faculty member has a joint/courtesy appointment in another department, they can count as your non-MEEN committee member.

Curricular Requirements:

  1. Required graduate level mathematics credit: One courses — total of three credit hours.
    1. MEEN 602: Modeling & Analysis of Mechanical Systems (preferred).
    2. Any graduate level MATH or STAT course.
  2. Core courses: Two courses — total of six credit hours.
    1. MEEN 601: Advanced Product Design
    2. MEEN 603: Theory of Elasticity
    3. MEEN 608: Continuum Mechanics
    4. MEEN 612: Mechanics of Robot Manipulators
    5. MEEN 613: Engineering Dynamics
    6. MEEN 615: Advanced Engineering Thermo Dynamics
    7. MEEN 617: Mechanical Vibrations
    8. MEEN 621: Fluid Mechanics
    9. MEEN 630: Intermediate Heat Transfer
    10. MEEN 651: Control System Design
    11. MEEN 672: Introduction to Finite Element Method
    12. MEEN 683: Multidisciplinary System Analysis & Design Optimization
    13. MEEN 688: Advanced Solid Mechanics
  3. Technical elective courses: Five courses — total of 15 credit hours. 
    1. Any graduate level MEEN course. It may include courses from the core course listing and a maximum of 4 hours of MEEN 684 and 685 combined. A minimum of two graduate technical electives, excluding MEEN 684, must be in MEEN.
    2. Any graduate level course in the College of Engineering or College of Science, with research advisor approval. Courses with the ENGR prefix or from outside the Colleges of Engineering or Science will require prior approval from the MEEN Graduate Program Director.
    3. May include up to one undergraduate courses at the 400 level. 
  4. Seminar: One semesters of MEEN 681 — total of one credit hours. Seminar courses from other departments will not be accepted.
  5. Research: Seven credit hours of MEEN 691.