Emphasis Areas

Students may elect to complete one of the below optional emphases within Mechanical Engineering. An emphasis, indicated on the student’s transcript, will indicate high academic achievement in the area of specialization. A student may receive only one emphasis on his/her transcript. Visit the technical elective schedule page to see when courses are scheduled to be offered (subject to change).  Search the course catalog for prerequisites and catalog descriptions. Below are the current requirements, but students with older catalog years may also select from any courses below that are not listed on the degree audit for their catalog year or original requirements. Students wishing to complete a new emphasis that is not available for their catalog year may ask an advisor to change their catalog year. See an academic advisor with any questions. Semesters courses are subject to change depending on instructor availability.

  1. Three (of four required) technical electives must be taken within the emphasis;
  2. A 3.3 GPA (‘B+’ average) must be earned for the three technical electives within the emphasis;
  3. A minimum grade of ‘B’ must be earned in each of the three technical electives within the emphasis.

Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the design, development, testing, and production of aircraft, spacecraft, and related systems and equipment. The field has traditionally focused on problems related to atmospheric and space flight, with two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Aeronautical Engineering focuses on the theory, technology, and practice of flight within the earth’s atmosphere. Astronautical Engineering focuses on the science and technology of spacecraft and launch vehicles (i.e. outside of the earth’s atmosphere). Students with an emphasis in Aerospace Engineering will gain knowledge and skills related to aerodynamics, materials and structures, propulsion, and dynamics and control.

  1. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5710 Aerodynamics
      • Description: Flow around bodies, inviscid flow, airfoil theory, lift and drag for lifting bodies, compressible aerodynamics, boundary layers, aircraft preliminary design.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 2030 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in ME EN 2300 AND ME EN 3710.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5830 Aerospace Propulsion
      • Description: Analysis and design of propulsion systems for aerospace vehicles: solid and liquid chemical rocket systems, nuclear rocket engines, electrical rocket engines, nozzle theory, jet engine component analysis, turboprop engines, turbojet engines, ramjet engines, and turbofan engines.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in ME EN 2300 AND ME EN 3710.
      • Offered: TBD
  2. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5300 Advanced Strength of Materials
      • Description: Advanced stress analysis in structural members, and prediction of their failure; advanced topics in beam bending; torsion of non-circular cross-sections, and thin-walled tubes; inelastic bending, and torsion; energy methods; elastic instability.
      • Prerequisites: “C” or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering
      • Offered: Every Spring (recently changed starting Spring 2022)
    • ME EN 5510 Applied Finite Element Analysis
      • Description: A practical approach to finite element analysis (FEA). The course will provide an introduction to the theoretical basis of the direct stiffness, potential energy, and weighted residual formulation methods of simple elements (1D, 2D). Students will also learn commercial finite element software and learn to critically evaluate finite element models. Examples will be provided for solid, fluid, and heat transfer applications. A brief introduction to some advanced methods (design optimization, uncertainty quantification, and solver types) will be provided.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250 OR) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Summer (tentative) and Fall
    • ME EN 5520 Mechanics of Composite Materials
      • Description: Introduction to modern fiber composite materials; design and analysis for structural applications. Material types, and manufacturing techniques. Anisotropic stress-strain response, and implications for design. Lamination theory, and computer codes for lamination analysis. Strengths of laminates. Examples and projects for design of structural members of advanced composite materials.
      • Prerequisites: Prerequisites: “C” or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140)) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
  3. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5200 Classical Control Systems
      • Description: Students learn modeling in the frequency domain, time domain, and sampled data domain. The theory and application of techniques and tools used for the design of feedback control systems, including root locus, Bode, and Nyquist techniques are discussed for continuous and sampled systems.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5205 System Dynamics
      • Description: Model and simulate the dynamics of advanced mechatronic systems consisting of a variety of energy domains (mechanical, electrical, magnetic, hydraulic, thermofluidic). Students will learn to use Bond Graph techniques and state space formulation for linear and nonlinear systems. Primary topics include introduction to power and energy variable, constitutive modeling of multi-port energy storage and transducing elements, power flow and causality, and derivation and simulation of state space equations. Hands- on recitation exercises in class allow students to practice modeling techniques on a variety of mechatronic devices. For a final project, students will model and simulate a complex dynamic system.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5210 State Space Control
      • Description: Introduction to modeling of multivariable systems in state space form. System analysis including stability, observability and controllability. Control system design using pole placement, and linear quadratic regulator theory. Observer design.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5400 Vibrations
      • Description: Free and forced vibrations of discrete linear systems with and without damping; Lagrange’s equations and matrix methods for multiple-degree-of freedom systems; isolation of shock and vibrations; and applications.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2030 AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140)) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in (MATH 3140 OR MATH 3150).
      • Offered: Every Fall (starting Fall 2020)
    • ME EN 5410 Intermediate Dynamics
      • Description: Review of basic dynamics, transformation of coordinate systems, rotating coordinate systems, Lagrange methods, Euler’s equations, and dynamics of machinery.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2030 AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: TBD

Biomechanics is the application of mechanical engineering principles to living organisms. Biomechanics can be examined at different levels: cellular (e.g., response of cells to an externally applied force or deformation), tissue (e.g., strain of soft tissues or bones during motion or trauma), and whole-joint (e.g., joint contact forces during activities of daily living). This biomechanics emphasis will give you knowledge and skills to strengthen your value in biomedical device design, consulting, industrial safety, and biomedical research.

  1. Take the following required course:
    • ME EN 5535 Introduction to Biomechanics
      • Description: The objective of this course is to introduce mechanical engineering students to biomechanics and to prepare them for further study in whole body biomechanics, ergonomics, and tissue mechanics. The course emphasizes applications to the human body and includes discussion of the following topics: human anatomy and anthropometry; applications of statics and dynamics to evaluate forces and their consequences; experimental techniques in biomechanics; stress and strain in tissues, with particular application to bone; material anisotropy; viscoelasticity; muscle mechanics; and introduction to soft tissue mechanics.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2030 AND (ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315)) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
  2. Choose two of the following:
    • ME EN 5100 Ergonomics
      • Description: Introduction to study of humans at work; disability and accident prevention, and productivity improvement. Human musculoskeletal system as a mechanical structure. Recognition, evaluation, and control of ergonomic stresses in occupational environment.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major Status in the College of Engineering
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5510 Applied Finite Element Analysis
      • Description: A practical approach to finite element analysis (FEA). The course will provide an introduction to the theoretical basis of the direct stiffness, potential energy, and weighted residual formulation methods of simple elements (1D, 2D). Students will also learn commercial finite element software and learn to critically evaluate finite element models. Examples will be provided for solid, fluid, and heat transfer applications. A brief introduction to some advanced methods (design optimization, uncertainty quantification, and solver types) will be provided.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250 OR) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Summer (tentative) and Fall
    • ME EN 5530 Introduction to Continuum Mechanics
      • Description: Introduction to Cartesian tensors, state of stress, kinematics of deformation. General principles of mechanics. Constitutive equations of elasticity, viscoelasticity, plasticity, and fluid mechanics.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140)) AND Full Major Status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C- or better in (MATH 3140 OR MATH 3150).
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5540 Biomechanics II/Soft Tissue Mechanics
      • Description: Introduction to the mechanics of biological tissues, with an emphasis on large deformations; index and direction notation, tensors, deformation gradient, conservation laws, finite deformation strain and stress tensors, constitutive equations, hyperelasticity, cell mechanics, ligaments and tendons, skin, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, smooth muscle, and the constitutive/flow properties of blood.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 5520 and ME EN 5535) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 7120 Musculoskeletal Functional Anatomy for Engineers (with instructor permission)
      • Description: This course is intended to familiarize mechanical engineers and bioengineers with the structure and function of the human musculoskeletal system. Lectures are followed by laboratory cadaver dissection dealing with the specific musculoskeletal structure discussed in the lecture. Topics include functional anatomy of the anterior abdominal wall, hip/upper leg, hand/wrist/elbow, shoulder/arm, ankle/foot, back, and knee. The class will also include general biomechanical modeling of some joints. Special emphasis will be placed on ergonomic concerns, particularly to the distal upper extremity, shoulder, and low back.
      • Prerequisites: Graduate Standing OR Instructor Consent.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring
    • BME/BIOEN 4301 Introduction to Modern Biomaterials
      • Description: This course is designed to introduce students to the various classes of biomaterials in use and their application in selected subspecialties of medicine including an understanding of material bulk and surface properties, standard characterization tools, the various biological responses to implanted materials, the clinical context of their use, manufacturing processes, and issues dealing with cost, sterilization, packaging, and design of biomedical devices. It also addresses professional and ethical responsibility encountered in designing medical implants.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (BIOL 2020 OR BIOL 2021) AND Full Major status in Biomedical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • BME/BIOEN 6240 Movement Analysis (with instructor permission)
      • Description: Introduction to the analysis of the kinematics and kinetics of human movement in two and three dimensions with emphasis on methods used in motion capture, including joint and segment position; acceleration, velocity, force and torque; work and power; and inverse solution methods.
      • Prerequisites: Graduate status OR Instructor Consent.
      • Offered: Contact BME Department

Design and Manufacturing are crucial drivers of innovation and competitiveness. The Design and Manufacturing engineering emphasis provides a flexible and rigorous program in-line with the nationwide resurgence of manufacturing, and encompassing several sub disciplines. The emphasis area covers courses that teach students about a broad range of processes and modeling/simulation/experimentation skills focusing on the conversion of materials into products. This includes advanced mechanical design, conventional manufacturing, semiconductor and nanomaterial processing techniques, and additive manufacturing.

  1. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5010 Principles of Manufacturing Processes
      • Description: Application of fundamental theories in solid mechanics, heat transfer, chemistry and surface science in solving complex problems in material processes.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 2650  AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Even Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5035 Design of Experiments
      • Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce mathematical concepts and statistical methods used in modern engineering problem solving and analysis. The goal is to introduce students to analytical and numerical tools to design experiments to effectively and efficiently solve real-world engineering problems.
      • Prerequisites: None
      • Offered: Every Spring
  2. Choose two of the following:
    • ME EN 5011 Additive Manufacturing
      • Description: Additive manufacturing is a broad class of manufacturing technologies with significant current and emerging applications across major industries, including medical devices and consumer products. This course introduces the general concept, the latest development, and the emerging applications of additive manufacturing technologies.
      • Prerequisites: Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in ((MSE 2160 OR MSE 2010) AND ME EN 2650) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5050 Fundamentals of Micromachining Processes
      • Description: Introduction to the principles of micromachining technologies. Topics include photolithography, silicon etching, thin film deposition and etching, electroplating, polymer micromachining, and bonding techniques. A weekly lab and a review of micromachining applications is included.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall (taught by ECE), Spring (taught by ME EN)
    • ME EN 5055 Microsystems Design & Characterization
      • Description: Topics introduce microsystems design considerations and characterization with practical emphasis on Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) and Integrated Circuits (ICs) utilizing various analysis tools.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5060 Sustainable Products & Processes
      • Description: This course will explore the role of sustainability within the framework of product design and manufacturing processes. Enhancing the sustainability of consumer products (especially their manufacture, use, and recyclability) is a critical subject for the coming generation of engineers. Typically, sustainability has been enforced as a later fix or a regulatory response. In this course, we will actively seek means by which sustainability can be made an inherent part of the engineering methodology used in creating and realizing products and processes. Aspects of green product design, sustainable material selection, and environmentally benign and efficient manufacturing processes, and development of sustainability metrics will be discussed. We also assess the applicability of existing frame works such as life cycle analysis (LCA), green manufacturing and design for sustainability (DfS).
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Even Years, Fall
    • ME EN 5080 Tribology and Contact Mechanics
      • Description: Tribology and Contact Mechanics is an advanced design course that focuses on friction, wear and lubrication, with an emphasis on nanoscale phenomena. The course introduces traditional tribology and contact mechanics theory as well as hydrodynamic lubrication theory. Recent advances in tribology research are discussed and highlighted. Applications to illustrate the theory are chosen from the fields of computer mechanics (hard disk drives), micro-electromechanical systems, and orthopedics.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 3000 AND ME EN 3710) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Not currently scheduled
    • ME EN 5110 Introduction to Industrial Safety
      • Description: Introduction to modern hazard control. Objectives and operation of occupational safety and health program. Requirements of the OSHA Act. Recognition and control of physical hazards in work environment through safety engineering. Psychological and ergonomic aspects of worker safety and health.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major Status in the College of Engineering
      • Offered: Even Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5510 Applied Finite Element Analysis
      • Description: A practical approach to finite element analysis (FEA). The course will provide an introduction to the theoretical basis of the direct stiffness, potential energy, and weighted residual formulation methods of simple elements (1D, 2D). Students will also learn commercial finite element software and learn to critically evaluate finite element models. Examples will be provided for solid, fluid, and heat transfer applications. A brief introduction to some advanced methods (design optimization, uncertainty quantification, and solver types) will be provided.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250 OR) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Summer (tentative) and Fall

The Dynamics & Control emphasis recognizes that modeling and control of dynamic systems go hand-in-hand, and provides a strong foundation in both these disciplines. All students choosing this emphasis are required to take ME EN 5205, which instructs students in a unified graphical approach to modeling interconnected dynamic systems with elements from multiple domains (e.g. mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, thermal, etc). Students are encouraged to take 5205 as either a corequisite or prerequisite to a course in control theory (ME EN 5200 or 5210). ME EN 5200 emphasizes fundamental linear control methods for basic single-input single-output systems, while ME EN 5210 covers more advanced state-space methods that can be applied to multi-input multi-output systems. Students must also select one additional course specializing in dynamics (ME EN 5400 or 5410), both of which build on basic rigid body dynamic principles from ME EN 2030. ME EN 5400 covers in-depth modeling and analysis of vibrational dynamics, while ME EN 5410 instructs students in the Langrangian method, a mathematical technique that is particularly useful for modeling dynamic systems with multiple bodies and degrees of freedom.

  1. Take this required course:
    • ME EN 5205 System Dynamics
      • Description: Model and simulate the dynamics of advanced mechatronic systems consisting of a variety of energy domains (mechanical, electrical, magnetic, hydraulic, thermofluidic). Students will learn to use Bond Graph techniques and state space formulation for linear and nonlinear systems. Primary topics include introduction to power and energy variable, constitutive modeling of multi-port energy storage and transducing elements, power flow and causality, and derivation and simulation of state space equations. Hands- on recitation exercises in class allow students to practice modeling techniques on a variety of mechatronic devices. For a final project, students will model and simulate a complex dynamic system.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
  2. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5200 Classical Control Systems
      • Description: Students learn modeling in the frequency domain, time domain, and sampled data domain. The theory and application of techniques and tools used for the design of feedback control systems, including root locus, Bode, and Nyquist techniques are discussed for continuous and sampled systems.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5210 State Space Control
      • Description: Introduction to modeling of multivariable systems in state space form. System analysis including stability, observability and controllability. Control system design using pole placement, and linear quadratic regulator theory. Observer design.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
  3. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5400 Vibrations
      • Description: Free and forced vibrations of discrete linear systems with and without damping; Lagrange’s equations and matrix methods for multiple-degree-of freedom systems; isolation of shock and vibrations; and applications.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2030 AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140)) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C- or better in (MATH 3140 OR MATH 3150).
      • Offered: Every Fall starting Fall 2020
    • ME EN 5410 Intermediate Dynamics
      • Description: Review of basic dynamics, transformation of coordinate systems, rotating coordinate systems, Lagrange methods, Euler’s equations, and dynamics of machinery.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2030 AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: TBD

Ergonomics and Safety are scientific disciplines used to engineer better solutions to complex relationship between people and their environments. Ergonomics is the process of designing a task to fit the human, rather than forcing the human to fit the task. Its aim is to design and arrange systems so that systems and humans interact efficiently and safely. Ergonomics also works to assist those people with unique needs following medical events and accidents. Goals include the reduction of musculoskeletal disorders, worker errors, and physical strain and exhaustion through the study of engineering, biomechanics, human factors, anthropometry, industrial design, and user-interface design. Safety Engineering strives to reduce risks posed by hazards encountered by people and society. Risk reduction can be achieved by eliminating hazards or by reducing the severity or probability of any harmful event. Areas within this field of engineering include industrial safety for people at work, system safety for large or complex engineering systems within industrial operations, and product safety for goods and systems encountered by society. In addition to fundamental engineering principles, engineering ethics must also be considered when solving real-world safety problems.

  1. Take this required course:
    • ME EN 5100 Ergonomics
      • Description: Introduction to study of humans at work; disability and accident prevention, and productivity improvement. Human musculoskeletal system as a mechanical structure. Recognition, evaluation, and control of ergonomic stresses in occupational environment.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major Status in the College of Engineering
      • Offered: Every Fall
  2. Choose two of the following:
    • ME EN 5035 Design of Experiments
      • Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce mathematical concepts and statistical methods used in modern engineering problem solving and analysis. The goal is to introduce students to analytical and numerical tools to design experiments to effectively and efficiently solve real-world engineering problems.
      • Prerequisites: None
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5110 Introduction to Industrial Safety
      • Description: Introduction to modern hazard control. Objectives and operation of occupational safety and health program. Requirements of the OSHA Act. Recognition and control of physical hazards in work environment through safety engineering. Psychological and ergonomic aspects of worker safety and health.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major Status in the College of Engineering
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5130 Design Implications for Human-Machine Systems
      • Description: Course addresses Human Factors Engineering aspects of design and implications on system performance. Various aspects of human interaction with systems, both simple (hand tools) and complex (piloting an aircraft) will be addressed. Course will emphasize human factors engineering principles and the often catastrophic results of poor design with respect to humans in the system. Physical ergonomics (cumulative trauma disorders and biomechanics) will be addressed briefly.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
    • ME EN 5150 Introduction to Product Safety & Engineering Ethics
      • Description: This course provides an introduction to elements of product-safety engineering and management within a fast-paced, innovative international design and manufacturing corporation subject to significant regulatory and public scrutiny. Subjects covered include the role of the product-safety professional in the design, development, testing, manufacturing, and post-manufacturing stages of a product. A comprehensive approach to product safety will be taught including the influences of designers, manufacturers, regulators, consumers, and the use environment as well as the importance of effective and consistent information, instruction, and marketing materials for a product. Students will study the role of compliance with standards and regulations. Standards development processes as well as the need to actively maintain standards to keep pace with technological advances will be covered.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 7100 Advanced Ergonomics: Occupational Biomechanics (with instructor permission)
      • Description: Application of engineering statics and dynamics in determining biomechanical stresses on humans in the work environment; anthropometric measurement methodologies; determination of physiological stresses during work.
      • Prerequisites: Graduate Status in Mechanical Engineering OR Instructor Consent. Recommended: ME EN 2010, 6100
      • Offered: Even Years, Spring
    • ME EN 7110  System Safety (with instructor permission)
      • Description: Systems safety techniques for accident prevention and for quantification of hazards inherent in machines and person/machine systems. Preliminary hazard analysis, failure mode and effects analysis, fault tree analysis.
      • Prerequisites: Graduate Standing OR Instructor Consent. Recommended: ME EN 5110/6110.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring

Fluid mechanics deals with the study of liquids and gases at rest or in motion. Research in fluid mechanics focuses on understanding how fluids move and interact with their surroundings. Fluid dynamics has a wide range of applications, including calculating forces and movements on aircraft, determining the mass flow rate of petroleum through pipelines, predicting evolving weather patterns, understanding nebulae in interstellar space and modeling explosions.

  1. Take this required course:
    • ME EN 5700 Intermediate Fluid Dynamics
      • Description: Introduction to classical fluid mechanics. Derivation and development of the differential forms of mass, momentum and energy transport. Topics to be covered include: Laminar and turbulent boundary layers, dimension/scaling analysis, vorticity dynamics and an introduction to turbulence. Emphasis is placed on the physical interpretation of mathematical models and interpretation of experimental data in the context of the governing equations.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 3710 AND (MATH 3140 OR MATH 3150) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C- or better in ME EN 2450.
      • Offered: Every Fall
  2. Choose two of the following:
    • ME EN 5650 Intermediate Heat Transfer
      • Description: The goals of this course are to provide students the capability of (1) developing a strong physical and conceptual understanding of heat transfer processes and (2) applying the obtained knowledge to the analysis, modeling, and design of heat transfer processes in various engineering problems of current importance. This course covers the fundamentals of heat transfer (conduction, radiation, and convection) in greater depth and complexity than the undergraduate heat transfer course, particularly subjects that are not included or are treated lightly in the undergraduate course.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3650 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5710 Aerodynamics
      • Description: Flow around bodies, inviscid flow, airfoil theory, lift and drag for lifting bodies, compressible aerodynamics, boundary layers, aircraft preliminary design.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 2030 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in ME EN 2300 AND ME EN 3710.
      • Offered: TBD
    • ME EN 5730 Microfluidic Chip Design & Fabrication
      • Description: Introduction to the principles of microfluidic and microfluidic fabrication technologies. Topics include microscale fluid dynamics, fluid modeling, polymer micromachining, silicon and glass micromachining, experimental flow characterization, and microfluidic design. A weekly lab and a review of microfluidic applications is included.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in Engineering.
      • Offered: Even Years, Fall
    • ME EN 5740 Wind Energy
      • Description: This course will consist in a theoretical and numerical analysis of the science of making torque out of wind. The course will begin with a brief historical review of the evolution of wind energy harvesting and its future role in the new mix of renewable energies. An introduction to the aerodynamics of horizontal wind turbines will follow next with a short review of lift and drag of airfoils. The actuator disk concept, the rotor disk and rotor blade theory, the breakdown of momentum theory, blade geometry and the effect of discrete number of blades will be studied. The fundamentals of wind characteristics and resources with an emphasis on wind farm sitting will be presented, together with a short review of the atmospheric boundary layer concepts. The different numerical approaches used to model and design wind farms, both from an industry perspective and an academic approach, will also be introduced. Finally, the economical and environmental aspects and impacts of wind harvesting will analyzed.
      • Prerequisites: ME EN 3710
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5810 Thermal Systems Design
      • Description: Design of steam-power plants, feed-water heater systems, pumping systems, compressor blades, turbine blades, and heat exchangers. Equation fitting and economic analysis as basis of design decisions. Optimization of thermal systems using Lagrange multipliers, search methods, dynamic programming, geometric programming, and linear programming. Probabilistic approaches to design.
      • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in ME EN 3710 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: ‘C’ or better in ME EN 3650.
      • Offered: Odd years, Fall
    • ME EN 6720 Computational Fluid Dynamics (with instructor permission)
      • Description: Survey of approaches including time accurate and steady-state methods, explicit and implicit techniques. Eulerian and Lagrangian methods, laminar and turbulent flow, compressible and incompressible approaches, projection methods, stability considerations, etc. Application of CFD to mixing, heat transfer and reaction.
      • Prerequisites: (ME EN 2450 AND ME EN 3710 AND Graduate Standing) OR Instructor Consent.
      • Offered: Even Years, Spring

Industrial Engineering (IE) is the application of engineering, scientific, and mathematical principles to the integration, operation, and optimization of complex systems.  Such complex systems include those involving humans, machinery, materials, manufacturing, transportation, energy, and information.  IE leverages knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines to methodically improve systems through engineering design and analysis, statistical analysis, quality control and reliability, computer simulation, information science, and other technological fields.

  1. Take this required course:
    • Math 5770 Introduction to Optimization
      • Description: Existence, uniqueness and characterization of solutions to finite dimensional unconstrained and constrained optimization problems. Solution methods for finite dimensional unconstrained and constrained optimization problems. Newton and Quasi-Newton methods. Globalization strategies. Linear Programming. Least Squares. Quadratic Programming. Convex Programming. Some programming experience is recommended.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in MATH 2250 OR MATH 2270 OR instructor consent.
      • Offered: Every Fall
  2. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5010 Principles for Manufacturing Processes
      • Description: Application of fundamental theories in solid mechanics, heat transfer, chemistry and surface science in solving complex problems in material processes.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 2650  AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Even Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5035 Design of Experiments
      • Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce mathematical concepts and statistical methods used in modern engineering problem solving and analysis. The goal is to introduce students to analytical and numerical tools to design experiments to effectively and efficiently solve real-world engineering problems.
      • Prerequisites: None
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5040 Quality Assurance Engineering
      • Description: ME EN 5040/6040 is an elective course that studies quality management knowledge area topics such as: the quality system, quality management (QM), statistical planning, and the quality organization. In addition, process area topics such as: human resource planning, quality control, and reliability of products are fully explored. In general, the course provides an overview of the relevant quality management principles and practices as applied in contemporary organizations. The focus of the material covered is on topics that will lead into written assignments (case studies) and team presentations. A practical, in-class documentary series, based on the design of a successful commercial aircraft (the Boeing 777), will be presented during the term to reinforce concepts from the text and discussions in the classroom.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major Status in the College of Engineering
      • Offered: TBD
  3. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5100 Ergonomics
      • Description: Introduction to study of humans at work; disability and accident prevention, and productivity improvement. Human musculoskeletal system as a mechanical structure. Recognition, evaluation, and control of ergonomic stresses in occupational environment.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major Status in the College of Engineering
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5110 Industrial Safety
      • Description: Introduction to modern hazard control. Objectives and operation of occupational safety and health program. Requirements of the OSHA Act. Recognition and control of physical hazards in work environment through safety engineering. Psychological and ergonomic aspects of worker safety and health.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major Status in the College of Engineering
      • Offered: Even Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5150 Introduction to Product Safety and Engineering Ethics
      • Description: This course provides an introduction to elements of product-safety engineering and management within a fast-paced, innovative international design and manufacturing corporation subject to significant regulatory and public scrutiny. Subjects covered include the role of the product-safety professional in the design, development, testing, manufacturing, and post-manufacturing stages of a product. A comprehensive approach to product safety will be taught including the influences of designers, manufacturers, regulators, consumers, and the use environment as well as the importance of effective and consistent information, instruction, and marketing materials for a product. Students will study the role of compliance with standards and regulations. Standards development processes as well as the need to actively maintain standards to keep pace with technological advances will be covered.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 7110 Systems Safety (with instructor permission)
      • Description: Systems safety techniques for accident prevention and for quantification of hazards inherent in machines and person/machine systems. Preliminary hazard analysis, failure mode and effects analysis, fault tree analysis.
      • Prerequisites: Graduate Standing OR Instructor Consent. Recommended: ME EN 5110/6110.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring

The Mechatronics emphasis is a relatively broad and flexible emphasis area that gives students the freedom to customize their expertise in designing, modeling, controlling, and experimenting with mechatronic systems, integrating skills in mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. Students who want to go more in depth into design of mechatronic systems may elect to take ME EN 6240 or ECE 5780 (being mindful of prerequisites and instructor permission). ME EN 5200, 5205, ME EN 5210, and ECE 5670 are relevant to students with more of an interest in modeling and control of mechatronic systems. ME EN 5250 may be of interest to students who want to gain more experience in computer programming for mechatronic systems. PHYS 3610 and 3620 offer alternatives that focus more on circuitry and bench-top experimentation with mechatronic systems.

  1. Choose any three of the following:
    • ME EN 5200 Classical Control Systems OR ME EN 5210 State Space Control
      • ME EN 5200 Classical Control Systems Description: Students learn modeling in the frequency domain, time domain, and sampled data domain. The theory and application of techniques and tools used for the design of feedback control systems, including root locus, Bode, and Nyquist techniques are discussed for continuous and sampled systems.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
      • OR
      • ME EN 5210 State Space Control Description: Introduction to modeling of multivariable systems in state space form. System analysis including stability, observability and controllability. Control system design using pole placement, and linear quadratic regulator theory. Observer design.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5205 System Dynamics
      • Description: Model and simulate the dynamics of advanced mechatronic systems consisting of a variety of energy domains (mechanical, electrical, magnetic, hydraulic, thermofluidic). Students will learn to use Bond Graph techniques and state space formulation for linear and nonlinear systems. Primary topics include introduction to power and energy variable, constitutive modeling of multi-port energy storage and transducing elements, power flow and causality, and derivation and simulation of state space equations. Hands- on recitation exercises in class allow students to practice modeling techniques on a variety of mechatronic devices. For a final project, students will model and simulate a complex dynamic system.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5250 Object-Oriented Programming for Interactive Systems
      • Description: Many modern engineering systems incorporate computational elements, while other engineering systems need to be validated through computational tools or through computer-aided data collection. This course is designed to provide a foundation in programming, software engineering, debugging, and using existing computational codes in the context of controlling physical equipment, gathering experimental data, and visualizing results. The course will be taught using the C++ programming language, which provide balance between access to physical devices and modern programming concepts. The course provides a level of programming proficiency to students planning on taking additional coursework with a programming emphasis or who might need custom computational applications in their research. This course will use a mixture of short experimentation assignments (such as determining the result of certain programming constructs) and task-oriented programming assignments that demonstrate commonly used tools.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 1010 OR CS 1000 OR CH EN 1703) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every fall
    • ME EN 6240 Advanced Mechatronics (with instructor permission)
      • Description: The goal of this course is to give students an experience in integrating electromechanical systems by utilizing a commodity microcontroller. Students will review some basic electronics, and learn to interface a PIC microcontroller with a broad variety of peripheral devices including motor drivers, LCDs, shift registers, DAC and encoder chips among others. The course will also emphasize some basics of serial communication, culminating with a wireless serial communication based laboratory and project. Students will leave the course with a broad set of skills necessary to build custom embedded systems through the use of a microcontroller and off-the-shelf components. See ME EN 5240 prerequisites for expected undergraduate coursework.
      • Prerequisites: Graduate Status in Mechanical Engineering OR Instructor Consent. C or better in ((ME EN 1010 OR CS 1000 OR CH EN 1703) AND ECE 2210 AND (ME EN 3230 OR ME EN 3210).
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ECE 5670 Control of Electric Motors
      • Description: Principles of operation, mathematical models, and control techniques for electric motors. Types of motors include brush DC motors, stepper motors, brushless DC motors, synchronous motors and induction motors. Topics covered: steady-state and dynamic characteristics, torque limits and field weakening operation, characteristics under voltage and current sources, open-loop and closed-loop control of position and velocity, and field-oriented operation for AC motors
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ECE 3510 (may substitute ME EN 1010; contact ECE advisor and request permission code online) AND Full Major status in (Electrical Engineering OR Computer Engineering).
      • Offered: Every Fall (contact ECE Department or check schedule to verify)
    • ECE 5780 Embedded System Design
      • Description: Introduction to issues in embedded system design using microcontrollers. Topics include: microcontroller architecture, memory interfacing, serial and parallel I/O interfacing, analog interfacing, interrupt synchronization, and embedded software.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ((CS 3810 OR ECE 3810) AND (CS 2000 OR CS 4400)) AND Full Major status in (Electrical Engineering OR Computer Engineering OR Computer Science) Or Instructor Consent.
      • Offered: Every Spring (contact ECE Department or check schedule to verify)
    • PHYS 3610 Electronics for Scientific Instrumentation
      • Description: A course in analog and digital electronics. Students will build electronic circuits from basic components (resistors, diodes, transistors, etc…) and integrated circuits. Students will learn how to identify and correct errors in circuits, analyze them in time and frequency domain, and translate between the two domains. The students will become familiar with the operation of combinatoric logic circuits, and learn how to analyze sequential logic circuits timing diagrams.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (((PHYS 2220 OR PHYS 3220) OR AP Physics C E&M score of 4+) AND PHYS 2225).
      • Offered: Every Fall (contact PHYS Department or check schedule to verify)
    • PHYS 3620 Data Acquisition for Scientific Instrumentation
      • Description: The course in computer interfacing which assumes no prior knowledge of the subject. Students will learn signal processing techniques, including noise reduction, A/D converters, and digital filters. These techniques are illustrated both in hardware as well as simulated in software using the LabVIEW graphical programming environment. The course also covers the data acquisition interfacing the software systems to hardware devices. There is a large laboratory component consisting of about ten week-long laboratory exercises. This course will take advantage of available inexpensive, open-source data acquisition hardware.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (((PHYS 2220 OR PHYS 3220) OR AP Physics C E&M score of 4+) AND PHYS 2225).
      • Offered: (contact PHYS Department or check schedule)

Micro- and nanoscale engineering is at the heart of technology advances in information (e.g. semiconductor processing), health care e.g. “lab-on-chip”), and energy (e.g. solar cells), to name a few examples. Courses in the Micro/Nanoscale Engineering emphasis area provide students with a strong foundation in the fundamental physics and manufacturing of micro- and nanoscale devices, for future careers in research and industry. The University of Utah Nanofab is a worldclass cleanroom facility with state-of-the-art tools for lithography, deposition, packaging, microfluidics, and device characterization. Students in micro/nanoscale engineering lab courses have the opportunity to design, build, and test their own microscale devices while working in the University of Utah Nanofab facility.

Learn more about Micro/Nano Research in the department.

  1. Take these two required courses:
    • ME EN 5050 Fundamentals of Micromachining
      • Description: Introduction to the principles of micromachining technologies. Topics include photolithography, silicon etching, thin film deposition and etching, electroplating, polymer micromachining, and bonding techniques. A weekly lab and a review of micromachining applications is included.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall (taught by ECE), Spring (taught be ME EN)
    • ME EN 5055 Microsystems Design & Characterization
      • Description: Third in a 3-course series on Microsystems Engineering. This course generalizes microsystems design considerations with practical emphasis on MEMS and IC characterization/physical analysis. Two lectures, one lab per week, plus 1/2 hour lab lecture.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
  2. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5011 Additive Manufacturing
      • Description: Additive manufacturing is a broad class of manufacturing technologies with significant current and emerging applications across major industries, including medical devices and consumer products. This course introduces the general concept, the latest development, and the emerging applications of additive manufacturing technologies.
      • Prerequisites: Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in ((MSE 2160 OR MSE 2010) AND ME EN 2650) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5051 Microsensors
      • Description: This course builds on ME EN 5050 Fundamentals of Micromachining.  Topics include definitions, categorization, comparison and application fields of microsensors.  The course discusses related solid state physics, piezoresistive  sensors, semiconductor-based temperature sensors, magnetoresistive  sensors, thermoelectric sensors, photoelectric sensors, micro gas and  fluid concentration sensors, molecular diagnostics arrays and other sensors.  Includes a lab.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 5050 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5053 Microactuators
      • Description: This course covers various microactuators, building on ME EN 5050 Fundamentals of Micromachining and complementing ME EN 5051 Microsensors.  Topics include definitions, categorization, operation, and applications of various microactuators. In particular, this course covers an introduction to basic mechanics, electrostatic, electromagnetic, piezoelectric, thermal, pneumatic, and resonant actuators, as well as other devices that are not covered in the microsensors class. Registration for a weekly lab section is required.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 5050 AND MSE 2160) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5080 Tribology & Contact Mechanics
      • Description: Tribology and Contact Mechanics is an advanced design course that focuses on friction, wear and lubrication, with an emphasis on nanoscale phenomena. The course introduces traditional tribology and contact mechanics theory as well as hydrodynamic lubrication theory. Recent advances in tribology research are discussed and highlighted. Applications to illustrate the theory are chosen from the fields of computer mechanics (hard disk drives), micro-electromechanical systems, and orthopedics.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 3000 AND ME EN 3710) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: TBD
    • ME EN 5630 Nanoscale Heat Transfer
      • Description: Traditional macroscale thermal science is based on classical equilibrium and continuum assumptions. These assumptions break down at the molecular and atomic length scales, and the classical theories, such as Fourier’s law for heat conduction or Planck’s blackbody distribution for radiation, are no longer applicable at micro/nanoscale. With the major progress over the past two decades in controlling matter at the nanoscale, nanotechnology is becoming an integral part of almost all engineering disciplines. This course will provide a self-contained overview of thermal transport and thermophysical properties at the nanoscale, and will introduce the elements of quantum mechanics, solid state physics, statistical thermodynamics and fluctuational electrodynamics necessary to understand these phenomena.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3650 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
    • ME EN 5730 Microfluidics Chip Design & Fabrication
      • Description: Introduction to the principles of microfluidic and microfluidic fabrication technologies. Topics include microscale fluid dynamics, fluid modeling, polymer micromachining, silicon and glass micromachining, experimental flow characterization, and microfluidic design. A weekly lab and a review of microfluidic applications is included.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in Engineering.
      • Offered: Even Years, Fall
    • ECE 5201 Physics of Nano-Electronics and Related Devices
      • Description: Physical basis of devices based on modulation of charged carrier velocity, and concentration to achieve detection, amplification and switching of electrical signals. CMOS as well as novel nanodevices. The course is composed of 5 modules: 1) Electronic Materials, 2) Device Building Blocks such as p-n junctions, etc., 3) Transistors (BJT and FET), 4) Solar Cells, Negative Differential Resistance (NDR), Power, RF, and Devices, and 5) Sensor/actuators for MEMs.
      • Prerequisites: ECE 2280 AND ECE 3200 AND Full Major status in (Electrical Engineering OR Computer Engineering).
      • Offered:  Contact ECE department or check schedule

The Robotics & Control emphasis is designed for students who wish to specialize in robotics, with the understanding that applied control plays a critical complementary role in this discipline. All students choosing this emphasis are required to take ME EN 5220, which introduces students to basic kinematics and trajectory design for robot manipulators. Students are free to choose two additional courses from the approved list. ME EN 5200, 5205, and 5210 do not deal explicitly with robotic systems, but the principles of dynamic modeling and control covered in these courses are very applicable to robotic systems. ME EN 5230 explicitly applies techniques from ME EN 5200 to the control of robot manipulators and is particularly recommended for students who want to maximize their hands-on experience in dynamically controlling robots. ME EN 5250 exposes students to more advanced computer programming techniques that are useful for visualizing and interfacing with robots and virtual environments.

  1. Take this required course:
    • ME EN 5220 Robotics
      • Description: The mechanics of robots, comprising kinematics, dynamics, and trajectories. Planar, spherical, and spatial transformations and displacements. Representing orientation: Euler angles, angle-axis, and quaternions. Velocity and acceleration: the Jacobian and screw theory. Inverse kinematics: solvability and singularities. Trajectory planning: joint interpolation and Cartesian trajectories. Statics of serial chain mechanisms. Inertial parameters, Newton-Euler equations, D’Alembert’s principle. Recursive forward and inverse dynamics.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ((ME EN 1010 OR CS 1000 OR CH EN 1703) AND (PHYS 2210 OR PHYS 3210 OR AP Phys C:Mech score of 4 or better) AND MATH 2250)) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
  2. Choose two of the following:
    • ME EN 5200 Classical Control Systems
      • Description: Students learn modeling in the frequency domain, time domain, and sampled data domain. The theory and application of techniques and tools used for the design of feedback control systems, including root locus, Bode, and Nyquist techniques are discussed for continuous and sampled systems.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5205 System Dynamics
      • Description: Model and simulate the dynamics of advanced mechatronic systems consisting of a variety of energy domains (mechanical, electrical, magnetic, hydraulic, thermofluidic). Students will learn to use Bond Graph techniques and state space formulation for linear and nonlinear systems. Primary topics include introduction to power and energy variable, constitutive modeling of multi-port energy storage and transducing elements, power flow and causality, and derivation and simulation of state space equations. Hands- on recitation exercises in class allow students to practice modeling techniques on a variety of mechatronic devices. For a final project, students will model and simulate a complex dynamic system.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5210 State Space Control
      • Description: Introduction to modeling of multivariable systems in state space form. System analysis including stability, observability and controllability. Control system design using pole placement, and linear quadratic regulator theory. Observer design.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3220 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5230 Introduction to Robot Control
      • Description: Control of serial robot manipulators is examined. Topics include control system fundamentals, sensors and actuators, joint level control, centralized control, operational space control, and force control. Projects provide hands on experience controlling a serial link manipulator.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 5200 AND ME EN 5220) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5250 Object Oriented Programming for Interactive Systems
      • Description: Many modern engineering systems incorporate computational elements, while other engineering systems need to be validated through computational tools or through computer-aided data collection. This course is designed to provide a foundation in programming, software engineering, debugging, and using existing computational codes in the context of controlling physical equipment, gathering experimental data, and visualizing results. The course will be taught using the C++ programming language, which provide balance between access to physical devices and modern programming concepts. The course provides a level of programming proficiency to students planning on taking additional coursework with a programming emphasis or who might need custom computational applications in their research. This course will use a mixture of short experimentation assignments (such as determining the result of certain programming constructs) and task-oriented programming assignments that demonstrate commonly used tools.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 1010 OR CS 1000 OR CH EN 1703) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every fall
    • ECE 6570 Adaptive Control (NEWLY ADDED!)
      • Description: Identification using gradient and least-squares algorithms. Indirect adaptive control: pole placement control, model reference control, predictive control, and problems with singularity regions. Direct adaptive control: strictly positive real transfer functions, Kalman-Yacubovitch-Popov lemma, passivity theory, and stability of pseudo-gradient adaptive algorithms. Persistency of excitation and sufficient richness conditions for parameter convergence. Averaging methods and robustness issues. Disturbance rejection.
      • Prerequisites: ECE 3510 OR (ME EN 5200 OR ME EN 6200) OR CH EN 4203.
      • Offered: Contact ECE or check the schedule for future offerings

Solid Mechanics is the study of how structures and materials move, transmit loads, deform, interact, and fail. The field of Solid Mechanics allows us to understand and predict the behavior of structures comprising materials that range from engineering materials (like metals, composites, and concrete) to biological materials (like soft tissues and bones). Specialty areas within Solid Mechanics include fatigue, fracture, mechanics of composites, biomechanics, high strain-rate mechanics, geomechanics, and multiscale mechanics of materials.  A foundational understanding of Solid Mechanics is crucial to the design and analysis of structures found in aerospace, automotive, manufacturing, energy, and biomedical applications.

  1. Choose three of the following:
    • ME EN 5300 Advanced Strength of Materials
      • Description: Advanced stress analysis in structural members, and prediction of their failure; advanced topics in beam bending; torsion of non-circular cross-sections, and thin-walled tubes; inelastic bending, and torsion; energy methods; elastic instability.
      • Prerequisites: “C” or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering
      • Offered: Every Spring (starting Spring 2022)
    • ME EN 5500 Engineering Elasticity
      • Description: Practical, applied approach to elasticity; physical meaning of governing equations, and solutions of problems of practical importance; stresses, strains, and Hooke’s law; equations of equilibrium, and compatibility; problems in plane stress and plane strain, torsion, and bending, and introduction to three-dimensional problems.
      • Prerequisites: “C” or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 3140 OR MATH 3150) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
    • ME EN 5510 Applied Finite Element Analysis
      • Description: A practical approach to finite element analysis (FEA). The course will provide an introduction to the theoretical basis of the direct stiffness, potential energy, and weighted residual formulation methods of simple elements (1D, 2D). Students will also learn commercial finite element software and learn to critically evaluate finite element models. Examples will be provided for solid, fluid, and heat transfer applications. A brief introduction to some advanced methods (design optimization, uncertainty quantification, and solver types) will be provided.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250 OR) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Summer (tentative) and Fall
    • ME EN 5520 Mechanics of Composite Materials
      • Description: Introduction to modern fiber composite materials; design and analysis for structural applications. Material types, and manufacturing techniques. Anisotropic stress-strain response, and implications for design. Lamination theory, and computer codes for lamination analysis. Strengths of laminates. Examples and projects for design of structural members of advanced composite materials.
      • Prerequisites: Prerequisites: “C” or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140)) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5530 Introduction to Continuum Mechanics
      • Description: Introduction to Cartesian tensors, state of stress, kinematics of deformation. General principles of mechanics. Constitutive equations of elasticity, viscoelasticity, plasticity, and fluid mechanics.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ((ME EN 3310 AND ME EN 3315) AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140)) AND Full Major Status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C- or better in (MATH 3140 OR MATH 3150).
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • Either ME EN 5400 Vibrations or ME EN 5410 Intermediate Dynamics
      • Vibrations description: Free and forced vibrations of discrete linear systems with and without damping; Lagrange’s equations and matrix methods for multiple-degree-of freedom systems; isolation of shock and vibrations; and applications.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2030 AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140)) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in (MATH 3140 OR MATH 3150).
      • Offered: Every Fall starting Fall 2020
      • Intermediate Dynamics description: Review of basic dynamics, transformation of coordinate systems, rotating coordinate systems, Lagrange methods, Euler’s equations, and dynamics of machinery.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2030 AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: TBD
    • MSE 5034 Kinetics of Solid-State Processes
      • Description: Rate theory and diffusion applied to nucleation, crystal growth, grain growth, recrystallization, precipitation, sintering, and solid-state reactions; role of kinetics and thermodynamics in development of microstructures. Designed to teach undergraduate seniors in materials science and engineering the basic rate and its application to such solid state phenomena as diffusion solidification and transformations in solids involving nucleation and growth, spinodol decomposition, and martensitic transformations. The design of experimental techniques to solve materials-related problems is emphasized.
        • Prerequisites: Prerequisites: C or better in MSE 3032 AND Full Major status in Materials Science & Engineering.
        • Offered: Every Spring

Throughout traditional engineering disciplines, like Mechanical Engineering (ME), employers today commonly seek students who have developed expertise not only in their specific domain but also coupled with scientific computing and data science disciplines.  The Data Science (DS) emphasis in ME is designed to educate students and fill this workforce need.  The desired skills are developed through a multi-disciplinary curriculum, by incorporating technical electives from the School of Computing and Math Departments.  While completing the DS emphasis in ME, students simultaneously complete most of the requirements for the DS Certificate and CS Minor.  Students who plan to emphasize in DS should take MATH 3070 instead of ME EN 2550. Find sample flowcharts here.

  1. Take this required course:
  •  CS 2420 Introduction to Algorithms and Data Structures
    • Description: This course provides an introduction to the problem of engineering computational efficiency into programs. Students will learn about classical algorithms (including sorting, searching, and graph traversal), data structures (including stacks, queues, linked lists, trees, hash tables, and graphs), and analysis of program space and time requirements. Students will complete extensive programming exercises that require the application of elementary techniques from software engineering.
    • Prerequisites: C or better in (CS 1410 OR CS 1420 OR AP CS-A score of 5.)
    • Offered: Every Fall, Spring with possibly Summer options
  1. Choose one of the following:
    • DS 2500 Data Wrangling
      • Description: The course will introduce students to basic techniques in collecting, scrapping, transforming, and normalizing data, as a first step in a data science pipeline. Students will learn by working with a variety of standard data processing tools, and experimenting on numerous example tasks.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (CS 1410 OR CS 1420 OR COMP 1020 OR MATH 1070).
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • CS 3500 Software Practice
      • Description: Practical exposure to the process of creating large software systems, including requirements specifications, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance. Emphasis on software process, software tools (debuggers, profilers, source code repositories, test harnesses), software engineering techniques (time management, code, and documentation standards, source code management, object-oriented analysis and design), and team development practice. Much of the work will be in groups and will involve modifying preexisting software systems.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in CS 2420 AND (Full Major or Minor in Computer Science OR Full Major status in Computer Engineering OR Full Major status in Data Science or Full Major status in Physics).
      • Offered: Every Fall and Spring
    • CS 5140 Data Mining
      • Description: Data mining is the study of efficiently finding structures and patterns in large data sets. We will focus on: (1) converting from a messy and noisy raw data set to a structured and abstract one, (2) applying scalable and probabilistic algorithms to these well-structured abstract data sets, and (3) formally modeling and understanding the error and other consequences of parts (1) and (2), including choice of data representation and trade-offs between accuracy and scalability. These steps are essential for training as a data scientist. Topics will include: similarity search, clustering, regression/dimensionality reduction, graph analysis, PageRank, and small space summaries. We will also cover several recent developments and applications.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (CS 3500 AND CS 3190).
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • CS 5350 Machine Learning
      • Description: This course covers techniques for developing computer programs that can acquire new knowledge automatically or adapt their behavior over time. Topics include several algorithms for supervised and unsupervised learning, decision trees, online learning, linear classifiers, empirical risk minimization, computational learning theory, ensemble methods, Bayesian methods, clustering and dimensionality reduction.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (CS 3500 AND CS 3190).
      • Offered: Every Fall and Spring
    • MATH 5010 Introduction to Probability
      • Description: Combinatorial problems, random variables, distributions, independence and dependence, conditional probability, expected value and moments, law of large numbers, and central limit theorems.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ( MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 2210 OR MATH 2310 OR MATH 3140).
      • Offered: Every Fall and Spring
    • ME EN 5035 Design of Experiments
      • Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce mathematical concepts and statistical methods used in modern engineering problem solving and analysis. The goal is to introduce students to analytical and numerical tools to design experiments to effectively and efficiently solve real-world engineering problems. Lectures will be supplemented by several programming exercises using R, and a large number of practical examples on relevant engineering topics related to design of experiments and data analysis. The use of experimental designs is a prescription for successful application of the scientific method. The scientific method consists of iterative application of the following steps: (1) observing a selected state, (2) hypothesizing the mechanism for what has been observed, then (3) collecting data, and (4) analyzing data to draw valid conclusions. Statistical experimental designs provide a plan for collecting data in a way that they can be analyzed statistically to corroborate the hypothesis in question. This is an organized approach which helps to avoid false starts and incomplete or invalid answers to research questions.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2550 OR MATH 3070) AND Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
  1. Choose one of the following:
    • CS 3190 Foundations of Data Analysis
      • Description: This class will be an introduction to computational data analysis, focusing on the mathematical foundations. The goal will be to carefully develop and explore several core topics that form the backbone of modern data analysis topics, including Machine Learning, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence, and Visualization. This will include some background in probability and linear algebra, and then various topics including Bayes’ rule and connection to inference, gradient descent, linear regression and its polynomial and high dimensional extensions, principal component analysis and dimensionality reduction, as well as classification and clustering. We will also focus on modern models like PAC (probably approximately correct) and cross-validation for algorithm evaluation.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (CS 2100 AND CS 2420 AND MATH 2270). Corequisites: C or better in (MATH 3070 OR CS 3130 OR ECE 3530).
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • MATH 4100 Introduction to Data Science
      • Description: The course begins by bootstrapping students’ coding skills in the programming language Python, followed by a review of the relevant concepts from statistics. After that, we will move through a series of data science methods using real-life, project-based lectures and computer labs. The major goals of this course are to learn how to use tools for acquiring, cleaning, analyzing, exploring, and visualizing data; making data-driven inferences and decisions; and effectively communicating results. These will be accomplished through an in-depth sequence of topics which will introduce students to the following data preparation and analysis methods: Acquiring data through web-scraping and data APIs, Cleaning and reshaping messy datasets using methods such as data frames, regular expressions or dedicated tools, Exploratory data analysis and visualization, Hypothesis testing, Clustering and classification, Rating and ranking, Recommendations, Network analysis, Regression and statistical inference, Natural language processing, Working with large data: databases, parallel programming. A major component of this course will be learning how to use python-based programming tools to apply these methods to real-life datasets.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (MATH 1170 OR MATH 1210 OR MATH 1215 OR MATH 1250 OR MATH 1310 OR MATH 1311) OR AP AB Calculus score of 4 or higher OR AP Calculus BC score of 3 or higher OR IB Higher Level Math score of 5 or higher.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • COMP 5360 Introduction to Data Science
      • Description: The course begins by bootstrapping student’s coding skills in the programming language Python, followed by a review of the relevant concepts from statistics. After that, we will move through a series of data science methods using real-life, project-based, lectures and computer labs. The major goals of this course are to learn how to use tools for acquiring, cleaning, analyzing, exploring, and visualizing data; making data-driven inferences and decisions; and effectively communicating results. These will be accomplished through an in-depth sequence of topics which will introduce students to the following data preparation and analysis methods: Acquiring data through web-scraping and data APIs, Cleaning and reshaping messy datasets using methods such as data frames, regular expressions or dedicated tools, Exploratory data analysis and visualization, Hypothesis testing, Clustering and classification, Rating and ranking, Recommendations, Network analysis, Regression and statistical inference, Natural language processing, Working with large data: databases, parallel programming. A major component of this course will be learning how to use python-based programming tools to apply these methods to real-life datasets. Students should have a basic-level of programming experience before taking this course.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (MATH 1170 OR MATH 1210 OR MATH 1250 OR MATH 1310 OR MATH 1311) OR Full Graduate status in Biomedical Informatics.
      • Offered: Every Spring

The Sustainable Energy Emphasis is comprised of classes that will lead to a breadth and depth of understanding of sustainable energy resources, technologies, products and opportunities. Students can explore topics such as optimum wind energy production, geothermal energy use, solar collector and concentrator design, biofuel production and use, and integration of sustainable energy systems into future energy portfolios. Students completing this emphasis will be well-suited for careers in the emerging renewable energy field, or for graduate school in programs emphasizing sustainable energy production and use.

  1. Take this required course:
    • ME EN 5800 Sustainable Energy Engineering
      • Description: Engineering of energy collection and production systems that satisfy long-term energy needs while minimizing damage to the earth’s ecosystem. Conversion of chemical and nuclear fuels to produce work or electrical energy. Solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, co-generation and direct energy conversion. Conservation, seasonal underground energy storage, and hydrogen production technologies.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3650 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C- or better in ME EN 2300.
      • Offered: Every Fall
  2. Choose two of the following:
    • ME EN 5600 Intermediate Thermodynamics
      • Description: Equilibrium thermodynamics, availability analysis, equations of state, thermodynamic property relations, mixtures, multiphase-multicomponent systems, combustion reactions and availability and statistical thermodynamics.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2300 AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5740 Wind Energy
      • Description: This course will consist in a theoretical and numerical analysis of the science of making torque out of wind. The course will begin with a brief historical review of the evolution of wind energy harvesting and its future role in the new mix of renewable energies. An introduction to the aerodynamics of horizontal wind turbines will follow next with a short review of lift and drag of airfoils. The actuator disk concept, the rotor disk and rotor blade theory, the breakdown of momentum theory, blade geometry and the effect of discrete number of blades will be studied. The fundamentals of wind characteristics and resources with an emphasis on wind farm sitting will be presented, together with a short review of the atmospheric boundary layer concepts. The different numerical approaches used to model and design wind farms, both from an industry perspective and an academic approach, will also be introduced. Finally, the economical and environmental aspects and impacts of wind harvesting will analyzed.
      • Prerequisites: ME EN 3710
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5790 Energy Systems Analysis
      • Description: Mathematical modeling and simulation of building energy systems and distributed energy resources; Thermoeconomic evaluation of energy efficiency improvements and calculation of primary energy consumption; Quantification of environmental impacts associated with energy conversion, particularly emissions and water usage; Systems thinking; Parametric analysis, sensitivity analysis, and uncertainty analysis for models of integrated energy systems.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2550 AND ME EN 2300 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C- or better in ME EN 3710 AND ME EN 3650.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5810 Thermal Systems Design
      • Description: Design of steam-power plants, feed-water heater systems, pumping systems, compressor blades, turbine blades, and heat exchangers. Equation fitting and economic analysis as basis of design decisions. Optimization of thermal systems using Lagrange multipliers, search methods, dynamic programming, geometric programming, and linear programming. Probabilistic approaches to design.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3710 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in ME EN 3650.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
    • ME EN 5820 Thermal Environmental Engineering (HVAC)
      • Description: Principles of design of systems for heating and cooling of buildings. Heat-load calculations, psychrometrics, thermodynamic systems, and solar-energy concepts.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2300 AND ME EN 3650) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Even Years, Spring
    • ECE 5074 Photovoltaic Materials & Solar Cells
      • Description: Course will examine the physics and engineering of photovoltaic devices and the materials used in them. Classroom time will be augmented by labs in which students will fabricate the test simple Si solar cells using the University of Utah Nanofab.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (MSE 3210 OR ((ECE 3740 OR PHYS 3740) AND (ECE 3200 OR ECE 5201 OR MSE 5201)) OR Department Consent) AND Full Major status in (Electrical Engineering OR Computer Engineering).
      • Offered: Check schedule or contact the ECE department.

Systems Engineering is a collection of processes and tools to realize a system from a concept into a useful product and support it through production and eventual retirement. Engineered systems integrate a variety of diverse and complex elements that function together with sufficient coherence to satisfy a certain need or objective.  Students pursuing this emphasis will navigate the theory and practice of the discipline, including relevant processes such as identifying stakeholder needs, system requirements, building models, planning, testing components and final products, building production systems and documenting all design components, procedures, processes, and areas of concern. Systems engineers help ensure that the system is not only built right, but is also the right system. Successful students will have mastered a collection of industry-relevant practices that enable the concept and development of improved products that are produced cheaper and with fewer errors.

  1. Take these two required courses:
    • ME EN 5160 Fundamentals of Systems Engineering
      • Description: In Fundamentals of Systems Engineering, students are introduced to the science of systems engineering, especially the methods and disciplines used to define, develop, and deploy small to complex and large-scale systems. The course takes advantage of integrated examples, analysis and discussion of case studies, projects, and team exercises that enable a thorough understanding of the larger context wherein requirements for a system are realized and then translated into an operational concept.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5170 Systems Engineering and Integration
      • Description: This course provides the student with an understanding of the context and framework for carrying out a system engineering project and the system-level responsibilities of a systems engineer, through hands-on activity. Topics covered include systems design and development, system test and evaluation, system reliability, system maintainability, human factors and system design, system producibility and supportability, balancing life-cycle cost, schedule, suitability and performance, risk management, and systems engineering project management and control. Types of systems considered will range from small-scale to large-scale and from primarily technical to primarily social-political.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
      • Offered: TBD
  1. Choose one of the following:
  •  CVEEN 5730 Project Management and Contract Administration
    • Description: Endowed by Floyd & Jeri Meldrum. Construction management processes; basic time and cost methodologies for planning; scheduling and controlling the use of labor, equipment, and materials; financial and accounting systems used in the construction industry.
    • Prerequisites: C or better in (CVEEN 3100 OR HONOR 3200) AND (Full Major status in Civil Engineering OR Construction Engineering).
    • Offered: Every Spring
  • ME EN 5010 Principles of Manufacturing Processes
    • Description: Application of fundamental theories in solid mechanics, heat transfer, chemistry and surface science in solving complex problems in material processes.
    • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2650 OR ME EN 4060) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
    • Offered: Even Years, Spring
  • ME EN 5030 Reliability Engineering
    • Description: Application of statistical concepts for interpretation of component and system failures, redundancy, maintainability, exponential failure laws, and failure prediction techniques. Meets with ME EN 6030.
    • Prerequisites: Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
    • Offered: TBD
  • ME EN 5035 Design of Experiments
    • Description: The purpose of this course is to introduce mathematical concepts and statistical methods used in modern engineering problem solving and analysis. The goal is to introduce students to analytical and numerical tools to design experiments to effectively and efficiently solve real-world engineering problems. Lectures will be supplemented by several programming exercises using R, and a large number of practical examples on relevant engineering topics related to design of experiments and data analysis. The use of experimental designs is a prescription for successful application of the scientific method. The scientific method consists of iterative application of the following steps: (1) observing a selected state, (2) hypothesizing the mechanism for what has been observed, then (3) collecting data, and (4) analyzing data to draw valid conclusions. Statistical experimental designs provide a plan for collecting data in a way that they can be analyzed statistically to corroborate the hypothesis in question. This is an organized approach which helps to avoid false starts and incomplete or invalid answers to research questions.
    • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2550 OR MATH 3070) AND Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
    • Offered: Every Spring
  • ME EN 5040 Quality Assurance Engineering
    • Description: ME EN 5040/6040 is an elective course that studies quality management knowledge area topics such as: the quality system, quality management (QM), statistical planning, and the quality organization. In addition, process area topics such as: human resource planning, quality control, and reliability of products are fully explored. In general, the course provides an overview of the relevant quality management principles and practices as applied in contemporary organizations. The focus of the material covered is on topics that will lead into written assignments (case studies) and team presentations. A practical, in-class documentary series, based on the design of a successful commercial aircraft (the Boeing 777), will be presented during the term to reinforce concepts from the text and discussions in the classroom.
    • Prerequisites: Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
    • Offered: TBD
  • ME EN 5100 Ergonomics
    • Description: Introduction to study of humans at work; disability and accident prevention, and productivity improvement. Human musculoskeletal system as a mechanical structure. Recognition, evaluation, and control of ergonomic stresses in occupational environment.
    • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
    • Offered: Every Fall
  • ME EN 5130 Design Implications for Human-Machine Systems
    • Description: Course addresses Human Factors Engineering aspects of design and implications on system performance. Various aspects of human interaction with systems, both simple (hand tools) and complex (piloting an aircraft) will be addressed. Course will emphasize human factors engineering principles and the often catastrophic results of poor design with respect to humans in the system. Physical ergonomics (cumulative trauma disorders and biomechanics) will be addressed briefly. These topics are covered in more depth in ME EN 6100 Ergonomics and ME EN 7100 Advanced Ergonomics.
    • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
    • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
  • ME EN 5150 Introduction to Product Safety and Engineering Ethics
    • Description: This course provides an introduction to elements of product-safety engineering and management within a fast-paced, innovative international design and manufacturing corporation subject to significant regulatory and public scrutiny. Subjects covered include the role of the product-safety professional in the design, development, testing, manufacturing, and post-manufacturing stages of a product. A comprehensive approach to product safety will be taught including the influences of designers, manufacturers, regulators, consumers, and the use environment as well as the importance of effective and consistent information, instruction, and marketing materials for a product. Students will study the role of compliance with standards and regulations. Standards development processes as well as the need to actively maintain standards to keep pace with technological advances will be covered.
    • Prerequisites: Full Major status in the College of Engineering.
    • Offered: Every Fall
  • ME EN 5165 Requirements Engineering and Management
    • Description: The course will cover Requirements Engineering and Management concepts focused on systems engineering. The course will provide the student an understanding of the main concepts and principles of Requirements Engineering and Management, as well as the different techniques and core methodologies utilized in Systems Engineering to support the sustainability and development theories. The course will examine the processes and methods to identify, control, audit, and track the evolution of system characteristics throughout the system life cycle, and the student will be able to create and maintain a configuration and requirements management plan and procedures.
    • Prerequisites: Full Major status in The College of Engineering OR The College of Mines and Earth Sciences.
    • Offered: Every Spring
  • ME EN 5182 Design of Production and Service Systems
    • Description: This course covers the design processes for production and service systems with an emphasis on economic justification. Topics covered include: logistics and supply chain design, capacity planning, flow lines, paced assembly lines, facility layout, and material handling. Through spreadsheet models and simulations, students quantitatively identify and suggest improvements to production and service systems.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in ME EN5180 AND (ME EN 2550 OR MATH 3070 OR CH EN 2550 OR CS 3130 OR ECE 3530)) AND Full Major status in the College of Engineering or College of Mines.
    • Offered: Every Summer
  • ME EN 5183 Discrete Event Systems Simulation
    • Description: This course introduces discrete event simulation using GPSS and how it is applied to dynamic systems. Discrete event simulations concepts such as entities, commands, resources, and event chains are introduced. Systems will be simulated considering time(such as work schedules, machine/human performance), space (such as process layout), and resource (such as manpower, equipment) characteristics of process. The course will also introduce time studies and distribution fitting (using R). Suggested Background: Basic Statistics (knowledge of different distributions) and preferred: programming ability.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 2550 OR MATH 3070 OR CH EN 2550 OR CS 3130 OR ECE 3530) AND Full Major status in The College of Engineering or The College of Mines and Earth Sciences.
    • Offered: Every Fall
  • ME EN 5184 Operations Research for Systems
    • Description: This course provides a broad overview of operations research topics with a focus on finding mathematically optimal solutions for systems. An emphasis is placed upon real world applications. Topics covered include: linear programming, integer programming, nonlinear programming, discrete Markov chains and queueing theory.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 2550 OR MATH 3070 OR CH EN 2550 OR CS 3130 OR ECE 3530) AND Full Major status in The College of Engineering or The College of Mines and Earth Sciences.
    • Offered: Every Fall
  • ME EN 5185 Analytics for Systems Management
    • Description: This course provides a broad overview of analytics with a focus on using quantitative tools to better manage systems. The first third of the course focuses on developing introductory and basic python programming skills to read, store and graphically represent data. The topics covered include: arrays, loops, data structures and visualizing data. The second third of the class focuses on statistical analysis of data. The topics covered include: f and t hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, regression and clustering. The final third of the course presents how to use computers to generate improved or optimal solutions. The topics covered include neighborhood search, hill climbing or simulated annealing heuristic, linear programming and integer programming. The homeworks, projects and tests will draw data from a wide range of systems where analytic tools will identify better solutions for improved systems management.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in ((ME EN 1010 OR CS 1000 OR CS 1400 OR CS 1420 OR CH EN 1703 OR MSE 2001) AND (ME EN 2550 OR MATH 3070 OR CH EN 2550 OR CS 3130 OR ECE 3530)) AND Full Major status in the College of Engineering or College of Mines.
    • Offered: Every Spring
  • ME EN 5186 Engineering Economic Analysis
    • Description: This course focuses on financial decision making for both industry and individuals. Topics covered include: time value of money, loans, present worth analysis, rates of return, benefit-to-cost ratio, taxes, probabilistic cash flows, simulation of cash flows, decision analysis and decision trees.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 2550 OR MATH 3070 OR CH EN 2550 OR CS 3130 OR ECE 3530) AND Full Major status in The College of Engineering or The College of Mines and Earth Sciences.
    • Offered: Every Summer
  • ME EN 5205 System Dynamics
    • Description: Model and simulate the dynamics of advanced mechatronic systems consisting of a variety of energy domains (mechanical, electrical, magnetic, hydraulic, thermofluidic). Students will learn to use Bond Graph techniques and state space formulation for linear and nonlinear systems. Primary topics include introduction to power and energy variable, constitutive modeling of multi-port energy storage and transducing elements, power flow and causality, and derivation and simulation of state space equations. Hands- on recitation exercises in class allow students to practice modeling techniques on a variety of mechatronic devices. For a final project, students will model and simulate a complex dynamic system.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 3220 OR ME EN 3210) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
    • Offered: Every Fall
  • ME EN 5740 Wind Energy
    • Description: This course will consist in a theoretical and numerical analysis of the science of making torque out of wind. The course will begin with a brief historical review of the evolution of wind energy harvesting and its future role in the new mix of renewable energies. An introduction to the aerodynamics of horizontal wind turbines will follow next with a short review of lift and drag of airfoils. The actuator disk concept, the rotor disk and rotor blade theory, the breakdown of momentum theory, blade geometry and the effect of discrete number of blades will be studied. The fundamentals of wind characteristics and resources with an emphasis on wind farm sitting will be presented, together with a short review of the atmospheric boundary layer concepts. The different numerical approaches used to model and design wind farms, both from an industry perspective and an academic approach, will also be introduced. Finally, the economical and environmental aspects and impacts of wind harvesting will analyzed.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 3700 OR ME EN 3710) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
    • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
  • ME EN 5790 Energy Systems Analysis
    • Description: Mathematical modeling and simulation of building energy systems and distributed energy resources; Thermoeconomic evaluation of energy efficiency improvements and calculation of primary energy consumption; Quantification of environmental impacts associated with energy conversion, particularly emissions and water usage; Systems thinking; Parametric analysis, sensitivity analysis, and uncertainty analysis for models of integrated energy systems.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 2300 OR ME EN 3610 OR ME EN 3600) AND (ME EN 2550 OR MATH 3070) AND Full Major in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 3650 OR ME EN 4010) AND (ME EN 3710 OR ME EN 3700)
    • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
  • ME EN 5810 Thermal Systems Design
    • Description: Design of steam-power plants, feed-water heater systems, pumping systems, compressor blades, turbine blades, and heat exchangers. Equation fitting and economic analysis as basis of design decisions. Optimization of thermal systems using Lagrange multipliers, search methods, dynamic programming, geometric programming, and linear programming. Probabilistic approaches to design.
    • Prerequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 3700 OR ME EN 3710) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: ‘C’ or better in (ME EN 3650 OR ME EN 4610).
    • Offered: Odd Years, Fall

The Thermal Systems Engineering emphasis is comprised of classes that provide understanding of a wide variety of engineered systems that involve thermal sciences. Students can explore devices from nanoscale to macroscale with a firm grounding in heat transfer and thermodynamic principles. This emphasis prepares students to contribute in many different areas where thermal energy conversion and thermal energy transfer are important, including: heating, ventilation, air-conditioning & refrigeration; thermal power plant engineering; and thermo-mechanical design. Students completing this emphasis will be able to apply these principles to practical systems in their industry, or continue their studies in graduate school in programs emphasizing thermal science.

  1. Choose one of the following:
    • ME EN 5600 Intermediate Thermodynamics
      • Description: Equilibrium thermodynamics, availability analysis, equations of state, thermodynamic property relations, mixtures, multiphase-multicomponent systems, combustion reactions and availability and statistical thermodynamics.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2300 AND (MATH 2210 OR MATH 1260 OR MATH 1321 OR MATH 3140) AND MATH 2250) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Spring
    • ME EN 5650 Intermediate Heat Transfer
      • Description: The goals of this course are to provide students the capability of (1) developing a strong physical and conceptual understanding of heat transfer processes and (2) applying the obtained knowledge to the analysis, modeling, and design of heat transfer processes in various engineering problems of current importance. This course covers the fundamentals of heat transfer (conduction, radiation, and convection) in greater depth and complexity than the undergraduate heat transfer course, particularly subjects that are not included or are treated lightly in the undergraduate course.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3650 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Every Fall
  2. Choose two of the following:
    • ME EN 5600 or 5650 (if not used in the section above)
    • ME EN 5630 Nanoscale Heat Transfer
      • Description: Traditional macroscale thermal science is based on classical equilibrium and continuum assumptions. These assumptions break down at the molecular and atomic length scales, and the classical theories, such as Fourier’s law for heat conduction or Planck’s blackbody distribution for radiation, are no longer applicable at micro/nanoscale. With the major progress over the past two decades in controlling matter at the nanoscale, nanotechnology is becoming an integral part of almost all engineering disciplines. This course will provide a self-contained overview of thermal transport and thermophysical properties at the nanoscale, and will introduce the elements of quantum mechanics, solid state physics, statistical thermodynamics and fluctuational electrodynamics necessary to understand these phenomena.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3650 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
    • ME EN 5790 Energy Systems Analysis
      • Description: Mathematical modeling and simulation of building energy systems and distributed energy resources; Thermoeconomic evaluation of energy efficiency improvements and calculation of primary energy consumption; Quantification of environmental impacts associated with energy conversion, particularly emissions and water usage; Systems thinking; Parametric analysis, sensitivity analysis, and uncertainty analysis for models of integrated energy systems.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in (ME EN 2550 AND ME EN 2300 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C- or better in ME EN 3710 AND ME EN 3650.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5800 Sustainable Energy Engineering
      • Description: Engineering of energy collection and production systems that satisfy long-term energy needs while minimizing damage to the earth’s ecosystem. Conversion of chemical and nuclear fuels to produce work or electrical energy. Solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, co-generation and direct energy conversion. Conservation, seasonal underground energy storage, and hydrogen production technologies.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3650 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in ME EN 2300.
      • Offered: Every Fall
    • ME EN 5810 Thermal Systems Design
      • Description: Design of steam-power plants, feed-water heater systems, pumping systems, compressor blades, turbine blades, and heat exchangers. Equation fitting and economic analysis as basis of design decisions. Optimization of thermal systems using Lagrange multipliers, search methods, dynamic programming, geometric programming, and linear programming. Probabilistic approaches to design.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 3710 AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in ME EN 3650.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Fall
    • ME EN 5820 Thermal Environmental Engineering (HVAC)
      • Description: Principles of design of systems for heating and cooling of buildings. Heat-load calculations, psychrometrics, thermodynamic systems, and solar-energy concepts.
      • Prerequisites: C or better in ME EN 2300 AND ME EN 3650) AND Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Even Years, Spring
    • ME EN 5830 Aerospace Propulsion
      • Description: Analysis and design of propulsion systems for aerospace vehicles: solid and liquid chemical rocket systems, nuclear rocket engines, electrical rocket engines, nozzle theory, jet engine component analysis, turboprop engines, turbojet engines, ramjet engines, and turbofan engines.
      • Prerequisites: Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering. Corequisites: C or better in ME EN 2300 AND ME EN 3710. Prerequisites: Full Major status in Mechanical Engineering.
      • Offered: Odd Years, Spring