Mechanical Science and Engineering

Head of the Department: Huseyin Sehitoglu
Associate Head for Graduate Programs: Quinn Brewster
168 Mechanical Engineering Building
1206 West Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-3416
E-mail: mechse-grad@illinois.edu

Associate Head for Mechanics Programs: James Phillips
125 Mechanical Engineering Building
1206 West Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-4388
E-mail: mechse-mechanics@illinois.edu

Major: Mechanical Engineering
Degrees Offered: M.S., Ph.D.

Major: Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
Degrees Offered: M.S., Ph.D.

Joint Degree Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering and Doctor of Medicine (Medical Scholars Program)
Degrees Offered: Ph.D and M.D.

Joint Degree Program: Doctor of Philosophy in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and Doctor of Medicine (Medical Scholars Program)
Degrees Offered: Ph.D and M.D.

Graduate Degree Programs

Building upon the longstanding strengths of programs in mechanical engineering and in mechanics, the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering (MechSE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is taking a bold, new approach to research and education that will enable it to address some of the most pressing problems facing the nation and the world. A new paradigm in research is being created in the department by integrating basic sciences such as biology, chemistry, applied mathematics, and applied physics with the traditional mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics disciplines of fluid mechanics-thermal science, solid mechanics-materials, and controls-dynamics. This integration is fostering new directions and discoveries in nanomechanics, nanomanufacturing, biomechanics and computational science and engineering. 

The goal of all research in the department is to address critical societal problems in the areas of health, security-defense, energy-environment, manufacturing, and transportation. While the basic function of departmental research is generation of new knowledge, a growing number of projects are prompted by current needs of the State of Illinois and of the nation. 

The result will be leading-edge research that serves some of society's greatest needs: for clean, affordable and reliable sources of energy; for better methods of disease detection; for more effective identification of threats to national security; for cost-effective and non-polluting modes of transportation; for manufacturing solutions that will facilitate the transition of nanoscale discoveries from the laboratory to the public; and more. The department offers graduate programs leading to master's and doctoral degrees with exciting research opportunities as described in the Faculty Research Interests section below. In addition, opportunity exists for specializing in computational science and engineering within the department’s graduate programs via the Computational Science and Engineering (CSE) Option.

Admission

An applicant for admission to the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering must (1) be a graduate of an institution awarding a baccalaureate degree equivalent to that granted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; (2) be adequately prepared for advanced study as demonstrated by his or her previous program of study and scholastic record; and (3) be recommended for admission by the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. An unofficial minimum grade point average of 3.25 (A = 4.00) for the last 60 hours of undergraduate study is required and a 3.50 for any previous graduate work completed. Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) general test are required of all applicants. Based upon the previous preparation of the student, prerequisite courses may be specified by the advisor, but the credit may not be applied toward a degree.

All applicants whose native language is not English must submit a TOEFL score of at least 103 (iBT), 257 (CBT), or 613 (PBT); or an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) academic exam overall score of at least 7.0 with at least a 6.0 in all subsections. Applicants may be exempt from the TOEFL if certain criteria are met. Full admission status is granted for those taking the TOEFL or IELTS since the scores required for admission to IESE are above the minimum scores demonstrating an acceptable level of English language proficiency.

Applicants to the Medical Scholars Program must meet the admissions standards for and be accepted by both the Bioengineering department and the College of Medicine. The application to the Medical Scholars Program will also serve as the application to the Mechanical Engineering graduate program. Specific admissions information for the Medical Scholars Program may be found at the MSP information Web site and the MSP graduate department summary Web site.

Degree Requirements–Master of Science

Mechanical Engineering

A total of 32 graduate hours is required for the thesis option including 24 hours of formal graded course work and 8 hours of ME 599. Of the 24 hours of formal graded course work in the thesis option, 8 hours must be at the 500 level with 4 of these hours in the major field. No more than 8 hours of ME 599 credit can be applied towards the degree. For those students terminating their studies with the M.S. degree, a non-thesis option is also available upon consent of the advisor and approval by departmental petition. Those pursuing the non-thesis option are required to complete a minimum of 36 graduate hours including 32 hours of formal graded course work and 4 hours of ME 597 (4 hours maximum allowed towards the M.S. degree), since each student is required to show evidence of the ability to do independent research. Of the 32 hours of formal graded course work in the non-thesis option, 8 hours must be at the 500 level with 4 of these hours in the major field. Continuous registration is required in ME 590 throughout the Master’s program. Also as part of the requirements to obtain the M.S. degree, students should register for, and take, MSE 492. Credit obtained in this course may not be used toward a degree.

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

A total of 32 graduate hours are required for the thesis option including 24 hours of formal graded course work, 8 hours of TAM 599, and maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.00. Students are required to register for TAM 500. If students elect not to present a thesis, 36 hours of graded graduate course work are required. 12 graduate hours must be at the 500 level, and 8 of the 12 must be in theoretical and applied mechanics. A full-time student can usually complete the program requirements in one academic year of study. A student who has an assistantship can usually complete the requirements in one calendar year.
For more details of the degree requirements for both M.S. programs, visit the departments’ Graduate Program Web site.

Degree Requirements–Doctor of Philosophy

Mechanical Engineering

For those students entering the program with a master’s degree, a total of 32 graduate hours of formal graded course work is required. Of these 32 hours, 16 must be at the 500 level. A maximum of 4 hours of ME 597 may be used to satisfy the 500 level course work requirement. Thirty-two hours of ME 599 is required in addition to the 32 graduate hours of course work. Qualifying examinations are required and should be taken no later than the second calendar semester after initial enrollment.

A student entering with a bachelor’s degree has the option of a direct Ph.D. program. A total of 56 graduate hours of formal graded course work (including 24 at the 500 level) is required in addition to 40 graduate hours, minimum, of thesis research credit. Qualifying examinations should be taken as early as possible, generally no later than the third semester. As part of the requirements to obtain a Ph.D. degree, students must register for, and take, MSE 492. Credit for this course may not be used towards the degree. Students must also maintain continuous registration throughout the program in ME 590 Graduate Seminar.

For the Ph.D. program, a preliminary examination is taken after the qualifying examination. A minimum of six months should elapse between the successful completion of the doctoral preliminary examination and the doctoral final examination (oral dissertation defense).

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

Candidates for the doctor of philosophy degree are required to complete a minimum of 32 graduate hours of course work (depending upon preparation) beyond the bachelor’s degree with a minimum grade point average of 3.0. The course work must include a core of master’s level courses, totaling 16 hours, in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, and solid mechanics taken at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign or elsewhere. In addition, one course (or the equivalent) is required from each of the following major areas in the department, totaling 16 hrs: applied mathematics, dynamics and vibrations, fluid mechanics, materials engineering, and solid mechanics. Students are required to register for the seminar in engineering mechanics. Acceptance into the doctoral program requires good academic standing and the successful defense of a scholarly work, such as a master’s thesis. A student must also pass an oral preliminary examination based on the proposed thesis work. The thesis research usually constitutes about half of the work beyond the master’s degree. A full-time student can usually complete the doctoral program in two years of study beyond the master’s degree.

For more details of the degree requirements for both Ph.D. programs, visit the departments’ Graduate Program Web site.

Joint Degree Program

For the Mechanical Engineering Ph.D.-M.D. and Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Ph.D.-M.D joint degree programs, the specific requirements of both the graduate and medical programs must be met. Students enrolled in the Ph.D.-M.D. program take an average of eight years, including summers, to complete both degrees. The first year of the program is typically spent meeting requirements of the Mechanical Engineering or Theoretical and Applied Mechanics graduate degree.

Graduate Teaching Experience

Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in both the ME and TAM Ph.D. programs. The TAM Ph.D. requires that one semester of teaching assistantship be completed during the program.

Faculty Research Interests

A new paradigm in research is being created in the department by integrating basic sciences such as biology, chemistry, applied mathematics, and applied physics with the traditional mechanical engineering and engineering mechanics disciplines of fluid mechanics/thermal science, solid mechanics/materials and controls/dynamics. This integration is fostering new directions and discoveries in nanomechanics, nanomanufacturing, biomechanics and computational science and engineering.
The goal of all research in the department is to address critical societal problems in the areas of health, security/defense, energy/environment, manufacturing, and transportation. While the basic function of departmental research is generation of new knowledge, a growing number of projects are prompted by current needs of the state of Illinois and of the nation.

Faculty research interests include the following:

Biomechanics – cell adhesion and motility, biological machines, bio-fluid mechanics, orthopedic biomechanics, musculoskeletal biomechanics, rehabilitation engineering, bone mechanics, composite biological nanomaterials, single-cell mechanics, synthetic biomaterials, failure mechanics of biomaterials, cytoskeletal biomechanics, mechanotransduction, bio-imaging of cytoskeletal structures and stress distribution in living cells, human motion analysis, human-machine systems.

Nanomechanics/nanomanufacturing – micro/nano-fluidics, NEMS and MEMS, photonic metamaterials and devices, 3D micro/nanofabrication, process planning, programmable machines, nanotubes, nano-materials, electronic and photonic materials, metal cutting, micro/meso-machining, agile fixturing, scanning probe microscopy, micro/nano heat and mass transfer, feature-based cost analysis, rapid prototyping, interface surface science and technology, tribology, magnetic storage, friction/vibration characterization, microscale transport, electrokinetic phenomena, nano-positioning, atomic force microscopy, nanoscale actuation and robotics

Controls/dynamics – autonomous networked vehicle control, nonlinear mechanical systems and phenomena, distributed-parameter systems, wavelet methods, stability theory, piecewise smooth dynamics, multi-body dynamics, control of multi-rate and asynchronous systems, equi-variant (symmetric) dynamical systems, control using methods of stochastic dynamics, experimental and analytical modal analysis, and control theory (non-linear, adaptive, robust, optimal, and distributed) with application to mechanical and electromechanical systems.

Fluid mechanics/thermal sciences – bio-fluids, combustion, propulsion, energy systems and the environment, IC engines, gas turbines, laser diagnostics, energetic materials, combustion synthesis of materials, micro- and nano-scale heat transfer, kinetics of chemical processes, two-phase flow, liquid atomization and spray, air-conditioning and refrigeration systems, micro-fluidics, computational fluid dynamics, compressible flow, fluid-structure interactions, meshless methods, detonation, deflagration-to-detonation transition, shock propagation, reacting flows, internal ballistics of rockets and guns, continual eddies, turbulent boundary layers, turbulent wakes, stratified turbulence, turbulence simulation, instability modes, vortex dynamics, coating flows, flow separation, three-dimensional foams, direct numerical simulation, large-eddy simulation, and particle-image velocimetry.

Solid mechanics/materials – bio-materials, composite biological nanomaterials, electronic and photonic materials, stochastic mechanics, mechanics and transport in random media, thermomechanics, composite materials, creep, fatigue, fracture, high-temperature material behavior, polymer processing, ceramic-matrix composites, thin films, deformation processes, crystal plasticity, micro-scale phenomena, non-linear dynamics, continuum mechanics, ferroelectric ceramics, shape-memory alloys, composite interfaces, woven laminates, electronic packaging, energetic materials, corn-based composites, orientable elastomers, thermoelasticity, dynamic plasticity, residual stresses, martensitic microstructure, surface crack growth, brittle-to-ductile transition, pure shear failure, shear-band measurements, damage evolution, creep resistance, hydrogen embrittlement, powder consolidation, solidification, strain-gradient plasticity, nanotubes, composite interfaces, continuum-atomistic coupling, surface waves, wave scattering, crack detection, vibration transport, diffuse waves, stochastic waves, reverberant ultrasound and casting processes.

Centers, Programs, and Institutes

The following research centers and programs are integral to the MechSE graduate program:

• Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Center (ACRC)
• Center for Intracellular Mechanics
• Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing systems (Nano-CEMMS)
• Continuous Casting Consortium (CCC)
• Cooperative Networked Control of Dynamical Peer-to-Peer Vehicle Systems
• Fracture Control Program
• Manufacturing Research Center
• Midwest Structural Sciences Center
• The Center for Advanced Automotive Bio-Fuel Combustion Engines
• The Center for Process Simulation and Design
• The Center of Advanced Materials for Purification of Water with Systems (The WaterCAMPWS)
• The Global Enterprise for Micro-Mechanics and Molecular Medicine (GEM4)

To learn more about the research centers and programs within the MechSE department, please visit the department's research center Web site.

Facilities and Resources

Research facilities include laboratories for advanced automation, air conditioning and refrigeration, combustion, computer-integrated manufacturing, control systems, design for manufacturing, gas dynamics, heat transfer, high-temperature materials, human factors and simulation of human-machine interaction, human dynamics and controls, intracellular mechanics, cell and molecular mechanics, internal-combustion engines, laser diagnostics for combustion, opto-electronic materials , machining and machine tool systems, mechanical behavior of materials, metrology, micromachining, microtribodynamics, polymer and composite materials processing, propulsion, rapid prototyping, robotics, short-pulse laser-ablation technology, thermal processing of materials, thermal radiation, tribology, and vehicle dynamics. Special facilities include a micro-fabrication facility with its own clean room (Class 10 and 1000) for silicon and CMOS-based micro-fabrication, test facilities for refrigeration and air-conditioning systems and components, low- and high-speed wind tunnels, and laboratories for study of combustion, quantitative visualization, complete specimen-scale mechanical testing equipment including an environmental testing chamber, thermomechanical and multiaxial loading capabilities. The department has a machine shop staffed with skilled instrument makers.

Financial Aid

Financial assistance is available to students who are admitted and includes fellowships, research and teaching assistantships, and/or waivers of tuition and fees. Assistantship stipends vary with one’s entry level into the program. All applicants, regardless of U.S. citizenship, whose native language is not English and who wish to be considered for teaching assistantships must demonstrate spoken English language proficiency by achieving a minimum score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE), 24 on the speaking subsection of the TOEFL iBT, or 8 the speaking subsection of the IELTS. For students who are unable to take the TSE, iBT, or IELTS, a minimum score of 50 is required on the SPEAK test, offered on campus.