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Return
to Official Publications Blue Text Reflects Updates to the Printed Catalog Catalog Contents Introduction |
Department
of Mechanical Engineering
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| Undergraduate Program | Curriculum Table | Graduate Program | Course Descriptions | Faculty |
This department supervises the following degree programs:
Vision. The vision of the department is to be recognized for exceptional undergraduate and graduate education in the art, science, and practice of mechanical engineering.
Mission. The mission of the department is to offer students nationally recognized educational opportunities grounded in the fundamentals of mechanical engineering and involving state-of-the-art technology. The department programs support technological development and innovation to meet many goals, including the needs of society. Faculty and student participation in design projects, research, or other similar activities is considered essential to their professional development. The education opportunities are to take place in a collegial environment of effective instruction and counsel.
Program Educational Objectives. he program educational objectives embody the expected accomplishments of graduates in the first few years after graduation. The program educational objectives of the department of mechanical engineering as adopted by its constituents are as follows. As engineers, graduates will:
These objectives are published in the university’s catalog, mechanical engineering’s Web page, and in information sent to potential students.
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Program Overview. Mechanical engineering is the broadest of the engineering disciplines with a curriculum providing a strong foundation in mathematics and the physical sciences of chemistry and physics followed by an in-depth education in five of the principal engineering sciences—thermal science, fluids engineering, mechanics and materials, dynamics and controls, and mechanical design. The program in mechanical engineering provides students the ability to apply their engineering, mathematics, and science knowledge to design mechanical systems and to solve engineering problems. Students learn to design and conduct experiments, to communicate effectively, to function in teams, and to utilize modern engineering tools. Students gain an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities as engineers. Perhaps most important, students are prepared for the lifelong learning necessary to function effectively as the practice of engineering evolves.
Graduates with a degree in mechanical engineering will find employment opportunities covering a wide spectrum, including the aerospace, automotive, petroleum production and refining industries, petrochemicals, electrical power, electronics, semiconductors and computers, manufacturing, and production, as well as research positions in industry and government laboratories. Problem-solving techniques learned in the mechanical engineering curriculum are also applied to continued educational pursuits or graduate study in engineering, as well as in areas such as law, medicine, business administration, and other professions.
The department requires students to have computational devices for use in the classroom and at home. Each student is required to have a scientific calculator for use in the classroom. Students are also expected to have a personal computer for use at home. At a minimum, this computer should support high-level programming languages such as C and application packages such as word processing, spreadsheets, and mathematical analysis software.
Freshman Admission. To gain admission into mechanical engineering, entering freshmen or transfer students with less than 12 hours of transferable college work must meet the university’s published assured admission standards. Students who are interested in declaring mechanical engineering as their major but do not meet the assured admission requirements will enter with the major of engineering undecided. Note that while not eligible for admission to mechanical engineering, these students may be eligible for admission to other engineering programs at Texas Tech.
Transfer Admission. Transfer students to Texas Tech or students who wish to change their major to mechanical engineering from engineering undecided or another major at Texas Tech must have completed a minimum of 12 hours of transferable college work that includes Calculus (MATH 1351) and Chemistry I (CHEM 1307/1107) with a GPA of 2.5. This GPA criteria is subject to change based on the current enrollment and enrollment trends in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Enrollment in Mechanical Engineering Courses. Enrollment in Introduction to Mechanical Engineering (ME 1315) is open to all students accepted for admission to Texas Tech University. Enrollment in any mechanical engineering course beyond ME 1315 requires official admission to the Department of Mechanical Engineering or another engineering program at Texas Tech University. Students in the engineering undecided program are not eligible for enrollment in mechanical engineering courses beyond ME 1315.
Selecting Elective Courses. The flexibility of the elective courses is designed to allow the student to explore areas outside of the mechanical engineering discipline. The department will accept upper-division courses and their prerequisites for elective credit from other departments in the College of Engineering; the Rawls College of Business; and the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Geosciences, Mathematics and Statistics, and Physics without prior approval. Students can request approval in other areas by contacting the advising office.
Selecting a Minor. Students who are interested in obtaining a minor will find that through the application of the electives and dual credit for specific courses, most 18-hour minors can be completed with no more than an additional 3-6 hours beyond the minimum degree requirements. The department encourages minors in the following areas: business, bioengineering, nuclear engineering, petroleum engineering, civil engineering, environmental engineering, computer science, geology, mathematics, and physics. For more detailed information on how to incorporate a minor into the mechanical engineering degree, see the example degree plans on the departmental Web site (www.me.ttu.edu) or contact the department advisor.
150-Hour Combined Bachelor’s–Master’s Degree Program. The department has recently implemented a combined B.S.–M.S. program that will allow qualified students to obtain a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (M.S.M.E.) degree through an additional 12-15 months of study beyond the bachelor’s degree. Students enrolled in the program will follow the standard undergraduate mechanical engineering curriculum for coursework through the first seven semesters shown in the mechanical engineering curriculum below. In the final undergraduate semester, two graduate courses will be substituted for the mechanical engineering and design electives, which will be waived. At this time the student receives the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree. The two graduate courses taken in the final undergraduate semester are applied to the student’s master’s program. In addition, during the final undergraduate semester, the student will be expected to contact faculty in the department in order to identify possible research areas for the master’s thesis. The completion of the M.S.M.E. program would then typically require an additional 12-15 months of study. Applications for admission to this program may be obtained from the department and must be submitted prior to completion of the junior year. Further information on this combined program is available from the department.
Co-Op Program. Mechanical engineering students are encouraged to consider the College of Engineering Co-op program. This normally involves three work assignments in industry for a cumulative duration of one year. These work assignments are normally completed prior to the start of the senior year. Each co-op experience earns 1 credit hour and, together, the three co-op experiences may be used to satisfy a 3-credit hour elective requirement. Co-op students gain valuable real-world engineering experience that enhances the academic experience on campus and provides excellent preparation for a career in industry.
General Academic Requirements. Students are expected to follow the course sequence presented in the mechanical engineering curriculum table. Students whose high school courses do not include chemistry, physics, mathematics through analytical geometry, and at least two credits of a foreign language will be required to take additional coursework during an adjusted first year of study. All students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses. The department rigorously enforces prerequisite requirements for all courses.
Students seeking master’s or doctor’s degrees should consult the graduate advisor for the department about their plans of study before enrolling for any courses. The student may wish to emphasize coursework and research activities in any one of the following areas: thermal sciences, fluid mechanics, dynamics and controls, design, solid mechanics and materials, or multidisciplinary studies
The department has no specific foreign language requirement. Research tools are included as an integral part of the degree program in the leveling, minor, or major courses of each student. All courses are determined by the student’s advisory committee. Additional information may be obtained from the department.
Admission. Before being recommended for admission to a master’s degree program with a major in this department, the student may be requested to take a preliminary examination to determine proficiency in background for graduate work or may be required to take (without graduate credit) such undergraduate leveling courses as may be designated by the department.
Three general plans of study are available for the Master of Science degree: (1) the thesis option consisting of 30 hours (six hours of thesis credit and 24 hours of graduate coursework); (2) the nonthesis report option consisting of 36 hours (33 hours of graduate coursework and three hours of credit for the master’s report); and (3) the nonthesis coursework only option (36 hours of graduate coursework). The decision on which plan to follow is made jointly by the student and the advisor. Each option has a set of required core courses and a set of elective courses that are selected in consultation with the student’s advisor. Each of the three options requires a final comprehensive evaluation during the semester of intended graduation. Departmental guidelines for coursework, advisory committees, and the final evaluation can be obtained from the department’s graduate advisor.
Click here to see a complete list of courses in mechanical engineering (ME).
Click here to view alphabetical listing of all TTU faculty and their academic credentials.
Jharna Chaudhuri, Ph.D., Chairperson
Professors: : Anderson, Barhorst, J. Berg, Chaudhuri, Chyu, Eibeck, Ertas, Hashemi, Jankowski, Levitas, Maxwell, Parameswaran
Associate Professors: Ekwaro-Osire, Idesman, James, Ma, Oler, Pantoya, Rasty
Assistant Professors: Bhattacharya, Han, He, Smirnov, Tate
Lecturers: C. Berg, Branson, Fanning, Hanson, Jang, Khandaker, Mosedale
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