Mechanical Engineering (ME)
https://ceps.unh.edu/mechanical-engineering
Degrees Offered: Ph.D., M.Eng., M.S.
This program is offered in Durham.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers degree programs at both the master's and doctoral levels.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers studies leading to specialization in the following six concentrations:
- Fluid Dynamics and Thermal science
- Solid Mechanics
- Materials Science
- Design and Manufacturing
- Dynamic Systems and Control
- Ocean Engineering
Admission Requirements
A bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering is normally required for admission to the graduate program in mechanical engineering. Students from other disciplines may also be admitted to the program. However, in order to be properly prepared for graduate-level coursework, these students must have taken the equivalent of the UNH mechanical engineering undergraduate core courses listed below. Students who are deficient in three or fewer courses may be admitted to the department on a provisional basis. Students who are deficient in more than three courses must apply and enroll as an undergraduate student until they meet the core course requirement. It is department policy that engineering courses taken as part of an engineering technology program are generally not considered equivalent to any of the courses listed below. The decision on equivalence for any courses taken at an institution other than UNH is at the discretion of the Graduate Committee of the Mechanical Engineering Department.
Applicants must submit current scores (within five years) from the general test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
Core courses required for admission to the M.S. in mechanical engineering degree program:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and Physics Courses | ||
| MATH 425 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 426 | Calculus II | 4 |
| MATH 527 | Differential Equations with Linear Algebra | 4 |
| MATH 528 | Multidimensional Calculus | 4 |
| PHYS 407 | General Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 408 | General Physics II | 4 |
| Mechanics Courses | ||
| ME 525 | Statics | 4 |
| ME 526 | Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| ME 627 | Dynamics | 3 |
| ME 643 | Machine Design | 3 |
| Thermal Sciences Courses | ||
| ME 503 | Thermodynamics | 3 |
| ME 608 | Fluid Dynamics | 3 |
| ME 603 | Heat Transfer | 3 |
| Other Courses | ||
| ME 561 | Introduction to Materials Science | 4 |
| ME 670 | Systems Modeling, Simulation, and Control | 4 |
| ECE 537 | Introduction to Electrical Engineering | 4 |
Mechanical Engineering (ME)
ME 806 - Renewable Energy: Physical and Engineering Principles
Credits: 3
The goal of this course is to become "fluent in energy" and to learn about the engineering fundamentals of renewable energy technologies. The course begins by giving an overview of U.S. energy usage and sources, as well as history and trends. Various renewable energy topics are then introduced and discussed. Where applicable, topics are discussed in detail from a fluid and thermal sciences point of view. Guest lectures and a field trip may be included. This course is open to all engineering graduate students. Prior coursework in thermodynamics and fluid dynamics required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 807 - Analytical Fluid Dynamics
Credits: 4
Kinematics of flow; constitutive relationships; development of the Navier-Stokes equations; vorticity theorems; potential flow. Prior coursework in fluid dynamics required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 809 - Computational Fluid Dynamics
Credits: 3
Conservation of mass, momentum, and energy, discretization and discretization schemes, boundary and initial conditions, turbulence and turbulence models, two-equation models, CFD software such as OpenFOAM, best practice guidelines for CFD. The class incorporates the use and creation of Open Educational Resources (OER)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 812 - Waves in Fluids
Credits: 3
Linear and nonlinear dynamics of hyperbolic and dispersive wave systems with application to acoustic waves, surface and internal gravity waves, Rossby waves, and capillary waves. Key physical concepts include wave-generation mechanisms, wavelength and amplitude dispersion, group velocity and energy propagation, steady streaming, and mode interactions. Prior coursework in fluid dynamics required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 817 - Marine Robotics and Applications
Credits: 3
This course covers (lecture/lab format) the broad spectrum of marine vehicles and applications, as well as what is involved in designing and building robotic vehicles for specific missions. Course topics include: marine applications, sensors for marine environments, vehicle subsystems, ocean and open water environment, dynamic modeling and control, and design/fabrication/testing. Various invited speakers (both scientists and engineers) provide learning modules on various marine robotic related topics. Graduate students will be assigned extra project work. Prior coursework in systems modeling, simulation and control required.
Equivalent(s): OE 817
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 826 - Fracture Mechanics
Credits: 4
The goal is to acquaint the student with understanding of the basic principles behind the derivation of the most common linear and non-linear fracture mechanical equations. The aim is also to gain knowledge in analytical predictions of the failure of materials and become familiar with the ongoing fracture mechanical research. The motivation for this course is that many practical problems in mechanical engineering, manufacturing and materials science have to do with material deformation and failure. Prior coursework in mechanics of materials and introductory materials science required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 827 - Advanced Mechanics of Solids
Credits: 4
Stress, strain, stress-strain relations, anisotropic behavior, introduction to elasticity, plane stress/strain, bending and torsion of members with general cross-sections, introduction to thin plates and shells, energy methods. Prior coursework in mechanics of materials required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 842 - Materials Processing in Manufacturing
Credits: 4
Description and analysis of major material shaping processes in modern manufacturing. Casting: fluid flow and heat transfer, solidification, casting processes, properties of cast components and geometric capabilities. Forming: plasticity and formability, bulk and sheet metal forming processes, properties of formed components and geometric capabilities. Machining: cutting forces and tool wear, machining processes, properties of machined components and geometric capabilities. Overview of some non-conventional processes. Lab demonstrations. Prior coursework in mechanics of materials and introductory materials science required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 843 - Satellite Systems, Dynamics, and Control
Credits: 3
General satellite systems with emphasis on spacecraft dynamics and control. Course topics include general satellite information such as types of satellites, missions, and orbits, as well as satellite subsystems. Basic spacecraft dynamics and orbital mechanics topics are covered. Advanced topics will include attitude and orbit estimation, and automatic attitude control. Prior coursework in systems modeling, simulation and control required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 872 - Control Systems
Credits: 4
Development of advanced control systems design concepts such as Nyquist analysis; lead-lag compensation; state feedback; parameter sensitivity; controllability; observability; introduction to nonlinear and modern control. Includes interactive computer-aided design and real-time digital control. Lab.
Equivalent(s): ECE 872, EE 872
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 877 - Computer Aided Engineering
Credits: 4
In this course, modules of Solid Works (beyond its basic solid modeling capabilities) and other software is used to demonstrate how computer based tools can be used in engineering practice, in particular design analysis and optimization. Emphasis placed on using knowledge from past engineering courses to obtain theoretical calculations to compare with the results from the computer software package. Prior coursework in strength of materials and fluid dynamics required.
Equivalent(s): EE 877
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 886 - Introduction to Finite Element Analysis
Credits: 4
Topics include basic matrix theory, potential energy approach, direct stiffness method, calculus of variations, development of finite element theory, and modeling techniques. Applications in solid mechanics, heat transfer, fluids, and electromagnetic devices, via both commercially available codes and student written codes. Prior coursework in mechanics of materials and heat transfer required. Lab.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Special Fee: Yes
ME 895 - Special Topics
Credits: 1-4
New or specialized courses and/or independent study. May be repeated barring duplication of subject.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to unlimited times.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 899 - Master's Thesis
Credits: 1-8
Master's Thesis.
Repeat Rule: May be repeated for a maximum of 8 credits.
Grade Mode: Graduate Credit/Fail grading
ME 909 - Viscous Flow
Credits: 3
Exact solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations; laminar boundary layers; wakes and jets; Stoke's flow; stability of parallel flows and boundary layers; transition to turbulence. Prior coursework in analytic fluid dynamics required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 922 - Continuum Mechanics
Credits: 4
Cartesian tensors. Lagrangian and Eulerian description of a continuum. The material time derivative. Deformation gradient. Displacement and rotation. Strain tensors. Rates of deformation. Conservation of mass. Momentum balance equations. Cauchy and Piola-Kirchhoff stress tensors. Balance of energy: stress power, rate of work, and internal energy. Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. Constitutive equations for elasticity and plasticity. Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids. Inviscid and viscous flow. Naiver-Stokes equations. Ideal and rotational flows.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 927 - Theory of Plasticity
Credits: 4
Analysis of stress and deformation in inelastic solids; general development of stress invariants, variational principles, constitutive relations, and yield and loading functions. Special emphasis on ideal plasticity, strain-hardening, creep, limit analysis, and limit design.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 944 - Nonlinear Control Systems
Credits: 4
Analysis and design of nonlinear control systems from the classical and modern viewpoints are discussed. Liapunov's stability theory; phase space methods; linearization techniques; simulation; frequency response methods; generalized describing functions; transient analysis utilizing functional analysis; and decoupling of multivariable systems. Prior coursework in control systems required.
Equivalent(s): ECE 944, EE 944
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 951 - Advanced Control Systems I
Credits: 3
State-space representation of multivariable systems; analysis using state transition matrix. Controllability and observability; pole placement using state and output feedback; Luenberger observers. Introduction to computer-controlled systems (sampling, discrete state representation, hybrid systems): nonlinear analysis (Liapunov, Popov, describing function). Prior coursework in control systems required.
Equivalent(s): ECE 951, EE 951
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 986 - Advanced Finite Element Analysis
Credits: 4
Topics include introduction to dynamics, treatment of nonlinear material behavior, and plate and shell element technology. Emphasis given to problems in solid mechanics and heat transfer. Prior coursework in finite element analysis required.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 992 - Master's Project
Credits: 4
The student works with a faculty member during one or two semesters on a well-defined research and/or original design problem. A written report and seminar are presented. IA (continuous grading).
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to 1 time.
Grade Mode: Graduate Credit/Fail grading
ME 995 - Graduate Special Topics
Credits: 1-4
Investigations of graduate-level problems or topics in mechanical engineering.
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
ME 999 - Doctoral Research
Credits: 0
Doctoral Research.
Grade Mode: Graduate Credit/Fail grading
Special Fee: Yes