Master of Science Curriculum & Courses
Graduate Courses
Mechanical Engineering Core Courses
Click here to see the plan of Mechanical Engineering graduate course offerings for the next several semesters by core area. Summer courses may change subject to availability of funds. In addition to the core courses listed above, the ME department offers advanced courses on other special topics (see graduate catalog for a complete listing of all mechanical engineering courses).
Mathematics Courses
The following Mechanical Engineering courses can be used to satisfy the mathematics requirement for MS students:
- Analysis of Engineering Systems I (ME 5301)
- Numerical Analysis of Engineering Systems (ME 5302)
- Students may also take any graduate level approved mathematics course, excluding Math 5360/5361. Please note that students cannot use both ME 5302 and MATH 5334 on their degree plans due to content overlap.
Filing an Official Degree Program
All MS students must submit the degree program form to the Graduate School before the second semester of enrollment (this will be enforced by placing a hold on students records). The form (obtained from the links below) must be completed using Microsoft Word and sent as an email attachment to the Graduate Assistant in the Advising Office. Please read the following instructions before completing the form: Guidelines for Degree Plans.
- Click here to download the form for the Master’s Degree Program.
- Click here to download the form for reporting changes on the graduate degree program.
- Click here to download the form for reporting changes on title and committee.
Once this form is approved by the student’s Faculty Advisor, the Graduate Advisor and the Graduate School, the courses listed on this form become the Official Degree Program for the student, and deviations can only be made when properly justified. Students are therefore urged to work closely with their Faculty Advisor when submitting this form. Please note that the department is not required to accept any courses taken after the initial semester of attendance unless they have been previously approved as part of the Official Degree Program.
Thesis Option
The following describes the program requirements specific to the thesis option. For requirements shared by all MS students, please see the Master of Science program overview page. The thesis option requires a minimum total of 30 hours, consisting of a minimum of 24 hours of coursework, and six hours of ME 6000 Master’s Thesis.
Required Coursework
- Nine hours of course-work must be selected from the designated core courses in the student's selected area (please see list of core courses in each area).
- At least six hours of course-work must be in the designated breadth areas (breadth areas are areas outside the student’s core area, but within Mechanical Engineering).
- All thesis students are required to take 6 hours of advanced mathematics.
- In addition to the core and breadth courses, students must take an additional 3 hours of graduate level coursework designated as graduate free elective. This free elective could be selected from any of the areas inside the ME department, other engineering departments, and/or sciences (independent study or special topics are also acceptable). Also, if a student participates in a graduate internship/Co−op, an ME 7000 may be included on their official degree plan to replace/satisfy the free-elective requirement.*
- No ME 7000 is allowed on the official degree plan without internship/Co−op.
- In situations where the student’s thesis is highly interdisciplinary and requires extensive coursework outside the department, the two breadth courses and the additional free elective may all be taken in other departments or colleges as needed. The faculty advisor must notify the graduate advisor of this necessity in written.
- Time required to complete the thesis option Master's degree is usually between 18 and 24 months.
*F−1 international students may not use a graduate internship/coop as graduate research, ME 7000, unless it is an integral part of the student’s academic program and is stated so in writing by the student’s academic advisor (per United States immigration regulations).
Thesis
The Master’s thesis represents the results of original and significant research work in Mechanical Engineering conducted by the student under the supervision of the Faculty Advisor and Advisory Committee. The thesis must be prepared in strict conformance with the requirements described in the booklet Instructions for Preparing and Submitting Theses and Dissertations available at the Texas Tech University Bookstore. As stated in the booklet, it is the student’s responsibility to be sure that English usage is proper and that the physical form (margins, spacing, etc.) is acceptable. Students are encouraged to employ assistance (typically students majoring in English) in correcting their thesis or report manuscripts prior to submittal to their Faculty Advisors. Master’s candidates are required to defend their thesis in an oral presentation to their Advisory Committees. A draft of the thesis must be provided to the Advisory Committee at least one week prior to the defense. The date and place of the defense presentation must be advertised two weeks in advance of the defense and the presentation must be open to the public. Failure to follow these guidelines may delay graduation.
Report Option
The following describes the program requirements specific to the report option. For requirements shared by all MS students, please see the Master of Science program overview page. The report option requires a minimum of 36 hours consisting of 33 hours of course-work and three hours of ME 6301, Master’s Report.
Required Coursework
- Nine hours of coursework must be selected from the designated core courses in the students’s selected area.
- At least 6 hours of coursework must be in the designated breadth areas (breadth areas are areas outside the student’s core area, but within Mechanical Engineering).
- All report students are required to take 6 hours of advanced mathematics.
- In addition to the core and breadth courses, students must take an additional 12 hours of graduate level coursework designated as graduate free elective. These free electives could be selected from any of the areas inside the ME department, other engineering departments, and/or sciences (up to three hours may be independent study or special topics).
- Up to three hours of free elective courses may be substituted by graduate research, ME 7000, on the official degree plan. If a student participates in a graduate internship/co−op, an additional 3 hours of ME 7000 may be included on their official degree plan to replace three additional hours of free−elective.*
- Time required to complete the report option Master’s degree is usually between 15 and 18 months.
- *F−1 international students may not use a graduate internship/co−op as graduate research, ME 7000, unless it is an integral part of the student’s academic program and is stated so in writing by the student’s academic advisor (per United States immigration regulations).
Report
The master’s report is not as extensive as a thesis and may represent work other than original research, but the quality of the work and the level of activity will still be expected to meet the high standards required for a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. A final approved copy of the report must be supplied to the Mechanical Engineering Department for archival purposes.
The report need not conform strictly to the Graduate School booklet, but rather to the individual requirements of the student’s Faculty Advisor. The student must satisfy their report committee by giving a formal report presentation that is open to faculty and students. Students are required to present a draft of the report one week prior to the presentation. An announcement of the presentation must be given to the department two weeks in advance of the presentation.
Coursework Option
The following describes the program requirements specific to the coursework option. For requirements shared by all MS students, please see the Master of Science program overview page. The coursework option requires a minimum of 36 hours consisting entirely of coursework.
Required Coursework
- Nine hours of coursework must be selected from the designated core courses in the students selected area.
- At least 6 hours of coursework must be in the designated breadth areas (breadth areas are areas outside the student’s core area, but within Mechanical Engineering).
- All coursework option students are required to take 6 hours of advanced mathematics.
- In addition to the core and breadth courses, students must take an additional 15 hours of graduate−level coursework designated as graduate free elective. These free electives could be selected from any of the areas inside the ME department, other engineering departments, and/or sciences.
- Up to three hours of free elective courses may be substituted by graduate research, ME 7000, on the official degree plan. If a student participates in a graduate internship/co−op, an additional 3 hours of ME 7000 may be included on their official degree plan to replace three additional hours of free−elective.*
- Time required to complete the coursework option Master's degree is usually between 15 and 18 months.
- *F−1 international students may not use a graduate internship/co−op as graduate research, ME 7000, unless it is an integral part of the student’s academic program and is stated so in writing by the student’s academic advisor (per United States immigration regulations).
Final Examination
The MS Coursework Option requires a final examination to be administered by the ME departmental Graduate Advisor. The exam will be geared toward the student’s selected program. Coursework students should check with the Graduate Advisor regarding the format of the exam.