Mechanical Engineering, PhD
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Field of Study: Mechanical Engineering
Program Overview
Students wishing to pursue a Mechanical Engineering PhD must successfully pass the doctoral qualifying examination. Qualifying exams (QE) are offered in the spring and fall semesters for each of the research concentration areas listed below and they originate from the three required courses for each concentration area. Full-time students should take the QE with the consent of their advisor after taking their three required classes and before the start of their fourth semester in the program.
PhD Policies
For PhD policies and procedures, please review the School of Graduate Studies section of the General Bulletin.
Program Requirements
The Mechanical Engineering PhD minimum course requirements are as follows:
Depth Courses
All programs of study must include a minimum of 18 credit hours (six graduate-level courses) in mechanical engineering and/or the student's research concentration area beyond the student's BS degree. These courses should follow a logical development in the student's research concentration area and be determined in conjunction with the student's dissertation advisor to meet the objectives of the student's dissertation research topic.
Breadth and Basic Science Courses
A minimum of 18 credit hours (six graduate-level courses) beyond the student's BS degree are required to fulfill the breadth and basic science courses. The basic science requirement is satisfied by taking two courses in science or mathematics. Four additional courses are needed to provide breadth outside the student's area of research.
Dissertation Research
All doctoral programs must include a minimum of 18 credit hours of thesis research, EMAE 701.
Residence and Teaching Requirements
All doctoral programs must meet the residency requirements of the School of Graduate Studies and the teaching requirements of the Case School of Engineering.
In addition to these requirements, students in this program must complete a three-semester sequence of 0-credit hour courses to confirm attendance at departmental seminars.
Concentration Requirements
Depending on their research area of interest, students should select courses from the list below to fulfill the depth requirement and with the approval of their advisor. Other technical, math and science courses within and outside of EMAE may also be acceptable with approval of their advisor.
Aeronautics
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| EMAE 453 | Advanced Fluid Dynamics I | 3 |
| EMAE 482 | Propulsion | 3 |
| EMAE 483 | Flight Mechanics | 3 |
| Recommended Courses: | ||
| EMAE 454 | Advanced Fluid Dynamics II | 3 |
| EMAE 457 | Combustion | 3 |
| EMAE 471 | Computational Fluid Dynamics | 3 |
Biomechanics
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| EMAE 407 | Fundamentals of Biomechanics | 3 |
| EMAE 415 | Introduction to Musculo-skeletal Biomechanics | 3 |
| EMAE 456 | Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems in Biology and Medicine (BioMEMS) | 3 |
| Recommended Courses: | ||
| EBME 427 | Movement Biomechanics and Rehabilitation | 3 |
| EBME 474 | Biotransport Processes | 3 |
| EMAE 480 | Fatigue of Materials | 3 |
Dynamics, Control and Manufacturing
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| EMAE 481 | Advanced Dynamics I | 3 |
| EMAE 485 | Nonlinear Dynamics and Control | 3 |
| EMAE 487 | Vibration Problems in Engineering | 3 |
| or EMAE 466 | Sustainable Manufacturing | |
| Recommended Courses: | ||
| EMAE 479 | Mechanics and Control of Compliant Robotics | 3 |
| EMAE 489 | Robotics I | 3 |
| EMAE 540 | Advanced Dynamics II | 3 |
| CSDS 491 | Probabilistic Models in AI | 3 |
Fluids and Thermal Sciences
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| EMAE 453 | Advanced Fluid Dynamics I | 3 |
| EMAE 455 | Advanced Thermodynamics | 3 |
| EMAE 459 | Advanced Heat Transfer | 3 |
| Recommended Courses: | ||
| EMAE 454 | Advanced Fluid Dynamics II | 3 |
| EMAE 457 | Combustion | 3 |
| EMAE 460 | Theory and Design of Fluid Power Machinery | 3 |
| EMAE 463 | Fire Dynamics | 3 |
| EMAE 471 | Computational Fluid Dynamics | 3 |
| EMAE 494 | Energy Systems | 3 |
| EMAE 554 | Turbulent Fluid Motion | 3 |
| EMAE 557 | Convective Two-Phase Flow and Heat Transfer | 3 |
| EMAE 559 | Hypersonics and Gas Dynamics | 3 |
Solid Mechanics
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| EMAE 401 | Mechanics of Continuous Media | 3 |
| ECIV 435 | Elasticity and Data-driven Mechanics | 3 |
| EMAE 475 | Finite Element Analysis | 3 |
| Recommended Courses: | ||
| EMSE 421 | Fracture of Materials | 3 |
| EMAE 450 | Advanced Mechanical Engineering Analysis | 3 |
| EMAE 480 | Fatigue of Materials | 3 |
Interdisciplinary
Take any three of the above required courses with the consent of your advisor and satisfy the other degree requirements.