Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering program at Oregon State University offers Master of Science degrees in a variety of specialty areas, including thermal fluid sciences, dynamics, controls, design, mechanics, and materials engineering. MSME studies at OSU can be tailored to meet both broad and highly specialized interests, can involve applied or fundamental research, and can prepare students for employment in an industrial environment or for higher levels of academic study. In addition to formal course work, individual projects and/or research may constitute a significant part of an MSME candidate’s graduate program.

University-wide requirements for earning a Master's degree at Oregon State are detailed in the OSU Graduate Bulletin and in the Graduate School handbook. Procedures specific to this department are described below.

1. Program of Study. Before the end of their second term, MSME students must file an official program of study with the OSU Graduate School. This document must be approved by the student's major professor, the ME department head, and the dean of the Graduate School. In addition to meeting the requirements listed below, the various components of the proposed plan of study must form a coherent program. All MSME students are assigned an advisor who assists them in designing their program of study.



2. Undergraduate Background. MSME candidates are expected to have completed formal undergraduate course work in each of the following areas:



• technical communications
• engineering mechanics
• electrical fundamentals
• thermodynamics
• metallurgy and materials
• fluid mechanics
• heat transfer
• mechanical laboratory
• design engineering

MSME candidates who have not taken undergraduate courses in these areas through an accredited U.S. Mechanical Engineering program may be required to complete undergraduate coursework here at OSU in addition to their graduate-level coursework.

3. Minimum Number of Credits. MSME degree candidates must complete a minimum of 45 hours of graduate credit. These include the core requirements for the candidate’s specialization area (listed below), up to 8 credits of Thesis (ME 503) or 5 credits of Projects (ME 506), and 1 credit of ME Seminar (ME 507), the latter taken during the final term of a student’s MSME program.  The remaining MSME credits comprise electives that support the student’s thesis research or an optional graduate minor. For students who elect to have a minor should designate approximately 30 credits for their major area and 15 for their minor.  Effective Fall 2005, all programs of graduate study must comprise at least 50% graduate stand-alone courses.  The remaining credits may include the 500 component of 400/500-level courses.

Minimum Requirements for MS Degree (45 total)

MS Degree	Core Courses	Elective Courses	ME 507 Seminar	Other
MS Thesis	18-20 credits	16-18 credits	1 credit	8 credits ME 503
MS Project	18-20 credits	19-21 credits	1 credit	5 credits ME 506

4. Core Course Requirements.Students should follow the core curriculum from one of the specializations listed below.



DESIGN Core Requirements: ME 517 Optimization in Design ME 518 Concurrent Design ME 516* Complex System Design PLUS three courses from the list below: ME 515*: Risk Assessment and Reliability Engineering ME 511 CAD/CAM III ME 512 Kinematic Design of Linkages ME 520 Applied Stress Analysis ME 522 Mechanical Vibrations ME 524 Finite Element Modeling of Mechanical Engineering Systems ME 575 Numerical Methods for Engineering Analysis ME 580 Materials Selection IE 536: Lean Systems Engineering *Course in Development Cat II proposal not yet approved (ME516 will be taught under ME 519 in Spring 07; ME515 will be taught under ME519 in Fall 07)

MECHANICS (18 credits from the list below): ME 520 Applied Stress Analysis ME 522 Mechanical Vibrations ME 523 Advanced Stress Analysis ME 524 Finite Element Modeling Of Mechanical Engineering Systems ME 529 Selected Topics In Mechanics ME 533 Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis ME 535,536 Advanced Dynamics ME 553 Structure and Mechanics Laboratory ME 560 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics ME 584 Fracture of Materials BioE 550 Biomechanics CE 532 Finite Element Analysis CE 533 Structural Stability CE 534 Structural Dynamics CE 535 Introduction To Random Vibrations CE 585 Matrix Structural Analysis

DYNAMICS AND CONTROLS Core Requirements: Four courses from the list below: ME 531 Linear Multi-variable Control Systems I, ME 532 Linear Multi-variable Control Systems II ME 533 Nonlinear Dynamic Analysis ME 534 Nonlinear Multi-variable Control Systems ME 535 Advanced Dynamics ME 537* System ID & Parameter Estimation ME 538 Autonomous Agents and Multi Agent Systems Plus one of the following: ME 575 Numerical Methods For Engineering Analysis MTH 581-582-583 Mathematical Methods for Engineers/Scientists I-II-III MTH 563 Probability I *Course in Development Cat II proposal not yet approved

THERMAL FLUID SCIENCES Core Requirements: ME 560 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics ME 546 Convection Heat Transfer ME 575 Numerical Methods For Engineering Analysis ME 552 Instrumentation EITHER ME 565 Incompressible Fluid Mechanics OR ME 566 Viscous Flow EITHER ME 547 Conduction OR ME 548 Radiation ME 508 TFS Seminar

MATERIALS Core Requirements: ME 581 Thermodynamics Of Solids ME 582 Rate Processes In Materials ME 584 Fracture Of Materials ME 520 Applied Stress Analysis ME 553 Structure and Mechanics Laboratory



5. Seminar Requirement:
   All MSME students are required to attend the weekly ME/IME Faculty–Graduate seminar series each term they are enrolled in the program.  In addition, students must register for ME 507 Seminar during the final term of their graduate program. To document their attendance at the weekly ME/IME seminars, students must sign the attendance sheet available at each seminar.  With the permission of the student’s major professor, attendance at relevant technical seminars outside of the ME department may also be counted toward the seminar requirement.  Students must document their attendance at external seminars by submitting a copy of the seminar announcement, signed by both the student and his or her major professor, to the ME graduate services specialist in 204 Rogers Hall. 

   MSME students’ grades for ME 507 are 50%-based on their seminar presentation during their final term and 50%-based on the per-term average number of seminars attended throughout their entire graduate program.  This average is calculated by dividing the total number of seminars attended by a student during the course of his or her graduate program by the total number of terms the student has been registered at OSU.

   Average # of seminars attended/term    Grade
                 Avg. > 4                                 A
           3 < Avg. < 4                                 B
           2 < Avg. < 3                                 C
           1 < Avg. < 2                                 D
           0 < Avg. < 1                                 F

6. Thesis, Project, and Independent Study Options. Students must select one of these three options for their MSME degree when formulating their program of study.



• With the thesis option, students may apply up to 8 hours of ME 503 (Thesis) toward their MSME credit requirement.  Students may pursue this option only after reaching mutual agreement with a faculty member on a suitable thesis topic.



• With the project option, students may include up to 5 credits of ME 506 (Projects). As with the thesis option, mutual agreement must be reached with a faculty member who will direct the work.



• Students who choose the independent study option must complete 9 months of engineering practice beyond their BS degree, and get approval from the departmental graduate committee when submitting the program of study form. Three credits of ME 502 (Independent Study) must also be included in the program, and a written report must be submitted to the directing faculty member by the end of the program of study.  Note: Students who choose the Independent Study option are not eligible for a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA) appointment.


7. Final Oral Examination. A final oral examination is required of every MSME candidate. The examining committee consists of at least four faculty members: the student’s major professor, another faculty member within the ME department, a faculty representative from a field not directly connected with the candidate's studies, and a non-ME OSU faculty member who serves as the Graduate Council representative.

Additional information may be found in the MS Degree Checklist.