William B. Burnsed Jr. Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program
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Accelerated Bachelor’s to Master’s (ABM) program
The ABM program allows full-time undergraduate students in Junior or Senior year at USA, who have both an engineering and institutional GPA of 3.4 or better at USA, to earn their MSME degrees at an accelerated pace. Students registered for the ABM program may use up to six credit hours of graduate course work towards both the BSME and MSME degrees. This means that after earning the BSME degree the course load for the MSME degree is reduced by six credit hours. More information is available here.
Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering (MSME)
A Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering is increasingly required for advanced-level employment opportunities with higher-profile national and international employers. Students who want to separate themselves from the pack in the employment race should seriously consider taking a Master’s degree either through the ABM program (see above) or as a stand-alone qualification. The programs of study provide knowledge of modern engineering concepts and practices, and build upon the knowledge and skills expected of a holder of a typical Bachelor’s degree to the point where a Master’s graduate can make high-level contributions to contemporary engineering designs. A Master’s degree is also an ideal preparation for further study towards the doctoral degree if desired.
1Should the student present an unsatisfactory defense, a second attempt will be allowed
no sooner than 12 weeks after the first attempt. A second unsatisfactory defense will
result in dismissal from the program.
2No written comprehensive examination is required of Thesis option MSME students. Successful
defense of the Thesis will be deemed to satisfy the comprehensive examination requirement
for Thesis option candidates.
3A RCR certificate issued by this program must be presented at the time the thesis/project
prospectus is submitted.
Three study plans are available. The thesis option requires a total of 30 credit hours including writing a medium-length technical report. This thesis is generally a contribution to original engineering research on a topic of great relevance to current state-of-art in Mechanical Engineering. The alternative project option requires a total of 33 credit hours including writing a shorter technical project report, usually heavily oriented toward Mechanical Engineering applications. Finally, the Course option includes no project work but requires a total of 33 credit hours of coursework. More information is available here.
- Possession of an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering, or closely related disciplines.
- A minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (students with a lower GPA may be considered for provisional admission).
- Minimum verbal and quantitative GRE scores of 138 and 151, respectively.
- For international applicants whose native language is not English, at least the following
score on one of these English language tests:
- TOEFL score 550 (paper-based) or 213 (computer-based) or 79 (internet-based); or
- IELTS band score 6.5; or
- Pearsons (PTE Academic) score 59; or
- Duolingo score 100.
Provisional Admission
Students under provisional admission can apply for regular status after obtaining a GPA of 3.0 or better on their first 9 graduate credit hours. Otherwise, they must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 on the first 15 graduate credit hours or they will be dismissed from the program.
Course Deficiencies for Non-BSME Applicants
Applicants with a non-BSME undergraduate background may be admitted as a non-degree student and are required to complete all of the following deficiency (or equivalent) courses before being considered for graduate admission**:
- EG 220: Electrical Circuits
- EG 283: Statics
- EG 284: Dynamics
- EG 315: Mechanics of Materials
- EG 360: Fluid Mechanics
- ME 328: ME Analysis
- ME 317: Heat Transfer
- ME 312: ME Thermodynamics
- ME 316: Instrumentation and Experimental Methods
- ME 319: Instrumentation Lab
- ME 326: Materials Science
- ME 336: Materials Science Lab
**Some of the above courses may be waived or additional mathematics and science courses may be required depending on individual background.
There are three options for the degree of Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME). The requirements are:
- Thesis Option: 30 credit hours
- 6 credit hours required math courses MA 507 and MA 508, and
- 9 credit hours selected from Mechanical Engineering Core graduate courses (one course in Solid Mechanics, one course in Fluid Mechanics, and one course in Thermal Sciences), and
- 9 credit hours selected from MSME Engineering elective graduate courses and MSME graduate courses in supporting areas (but including no more than 3 credit hours from MSME graduate courses in supporting areas), and
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training from CITI Program,3 and
- 6 credit hours required Thesis courses ME 599 & ME 599, and
- Satisfactory oral defense of Thesis.1,2
- Project Option: 33 credit hours
- 6 credit hours required math courses MA 507 and MA 508, and
- 12 credit hours selected from Mechanical Engineering Core graduate courses (including one course in Solid Mechanics, one course in Fluid Mechanics, and one course in Thermal Sciences), and
- 12 credit hours selected from MSME Engineering elective graduate courses and MSME graduate courses in supporting areas (but including no more than 6 credit hours from MSME graduate courses in supporting areas), and
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training from CITI Program,3 and
- 3 credit hours required Project course ME 594, and
- Satisfactory oral defense of Project Report,1 and
- Pass written comprehensive examination.
- Course Option: 33 credit hours
- 6 credit hours required math courses MA 507 and MA 508, and
- 12 credit hours selected from Mechanical Engineering Core graduate courses (including one course in Solid mechanics, one course in Fluid mechanics, and one course in Thermal Sciences), and
- 15 credit hours selected from MSME Engineering elective graduate courses and MSME graduate courses in supporting areas (but including no more than 6 credit hours from MSME graduate courses in supporting areas), and
- Pass written comprehensive examination.
Satisfactory Progress Requirement
During the first two semesters (excluding the summer semester) in the MSME program,
- a full-time student must complete the following courses: MA 507, MA 508, and at least two core courses (see list above), with at most two Grades of C;
- a part-time student must at least complete MA 507 and either MA 508 or a core course, with at most two Grades of C.
Students who fail to fulfill the satisfactory progress requirement will not be allowed to continue in the program.
1 Should the student present an unsatisfactory defense, a second attempt will be allowed
no sooner than 12 weeks after the first attempt. A second unsatisfactory defense will
result in dismissal from the program.
2 No written comprehensive examination is required of Thesis option MSME students. Successful
defense of the Thesis will be deemed to satisfy the comprehensive examination requirement
for Thesis option candidates.
3 A RCR certificate issued by this program must be presented at the time the thesis/project
prospectus is submitted.
Mechanical Engineering Core graduate courses:
Solid Mechanics:
ME 538 Finite Element Analysis
ME 571 Advanced Engineering Dynamics
ME 573 Vibrations of Continuous Sys
ME 575 Continuum Mechanics (cannot count in Fluid Mechanics simultaneously)
ME 583 Applied Elasticity
Fluid Mechanics:
ME 520 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
ME 560 Compressible Fluid Flow
ME 575 Continuum Mechanics (cannot count in Solid Mechanics simultaneously)
Thermal Sciences:
ME 540 Advanced Heat Transfer
ME 551 Classical Thermodynamics
MSME Engineering elective graduate courses:
Any ME or other Engineering 500- or 600-level courses excluding Thesis or Project courses, and excluding DIS courses more than 6 credit hours maximum.
MSME graduate courses in supporting areas:
Any non-Engineering 500- or 600-level courses subject to approval by the Graduate Coordinator in the MABE Department. Supporting areas include mathematics, natural sciences, basic medical sciences, computer sciences, statistics, and business. The following courses will always be approved:
CIS 506 IS in Organizations
ISC 545 Management Information Systems
MA 567 Operations Research
ST 540 Stat in Research I.
We encourage applications from qualified candidates. Several graduate assistantships (GAs) are available for highly qualified applicants. GA application will only be considered for those who have been admitted to our MSME program.
There are no deadlines for graduate study applications in Engineering, but you are recommended to apply in good time to allow evaluation of your application and to make arrangements to relocate here if admitted.
Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD)
The PhD is the highest degree available in most disciplines. PhD programs are designed to prepare students for leadership positions in applied research, to meet the needs of industry and the engineering community for highly-qualified technical experts, and to capitalize on opportunities for interaction between a research university and industry. Graduate faculty members of the William B. Burnsed Jr. Department of Mechanical Engineering are able to advise and supervise students who wish to earn a Doctoral degree (PhD) in Systems Engineering or in Biomedical Engineering (the latter offered in conjunction with the USA College of Medicine).
The Ph.D. in systems engineering offers the students a holistic approach to the design and understanding of complex systems. NASA defines systems engineering as “a holistic, integrative discipline, wherein the contributions of structural engineers, electrical engineers, mechanism designers, power engineers, human factors engineers, and many more disciplines are evaluated and balanced, one against another, to produce a coherent whole that is not dominated by the perspective of a single discipline.” The main objectives of the Ph.D. program are to 1) provide our graduates with the ability to approach all systems (engineered, environmental, coastal, etc.) with the ability to understand the entire system lifecycle in a manner that meets the needs of industry, and 2) prepare our graduates for leadership positions requiring applied research and critical thinking.
This program is appropriate for students who want to pursue research-based careers in industry, government, or academia. The program requires a combination of systems engineering coursework along with specific, validated systems research resulting in a publicly defended doctoral dissertation.
More information about Systems Engineering
Students may pursue a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Basic Medical Sciences. This program is offered under a collaboration between faculty of the USA College of Engineering and faculty of the USA College of Medicine. The program combines an interdisciplinary core curriculum with advanced coursework and research in biomedical engineering. Students must meet requirements established for the Basic Medical Sciences graduate program in the College of Medicine.
Prospective students are encouraged first to contact Dr. Silas Leavesley (leavesley@southalabama.edu),
Director, Biomedical Engineering Graduate Program, to discuss the program that best
fits their intended career path.PDF summarizing Biomedical Engineering track of PhD in Basic Medical Sciences
Overview of Biomedical Engineering track of PhD in Basic Medical Sciences
Details of Biomedical Engineering track of PhD in Basic Medical Sciences