13 Top MS in Mechanical Engineering [2019

Update]
Posted by Manish Katyan | 9 Apr | 2  | 

Learn everyt hing about major specializat ions for MS in Mechanical

Engineering and t op schools from USA, Canada, Germany and Aust ralia t hat
you can apply t o

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Why study Mechanical Engineering?

Mechanical Engineering is one of the broadest areas of engineering, covering dynamics
and control, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, structures and solid mechanics and
design and manufacture.

Core to Mechanical Engineering process is the ability to formulate a problem, identify

potential solutions, analyz e and model solutions and select the most appropriate solution
within constraints. T his approach is integrated within the program and is applicable
across a range of professions, making graduates well prepared for a changing world.
Research Areas and Major Fields
Mechanical engineering is perhaps the most “broad-based” of the engineering disciplines.
T he links below show that graduates from mechanical engineering can find exciting
careers in aerospace, automobile design, consumer electronics, biotechnology and
bioengineering, software engineering, and business.

Following are the major field areas:

#1 Biomechanical Engineering
Biomechanical Engineering is focused on the application of mechanical engineering
principles to human healthcare problems.

T his area has undergone dramatic growth during the last decade and seek to improve
healthcare — and thus people’s lives — by identifying and working on important medical
problems that can be addressed by improved technology.

Research in Biomechanical Engineering spans from long-term basic science questions to

the practical development of translational technologies.

Highly multi-disciplinary in nature, and funded by NIH, NSF, other federal agencies and
industry, these research are conducted with a variety of collaborators across different
engineering departments at universities, and with faculty and students from different
medical schools and research centers.

#2 Controls
T racing its origins to J. C. Maxwell’s early work on speed governors (1868), control theory
has evolved to play an integral role in the majority of modern engineering systems.

Mechanical systems are becoming ever more complex, yet performance requirements
are increasingly stringent. At the same time, dramatic developments in microelectronics
and computers over the past few decades make it possible to use sophisticated signal
processing and control methodologies to enhance system performance.

T he area addresses the broad spectrum of control science and engineering from
mathematical theory to computer implementation.

On the theoretical side, faculty and graduate students pursue research on adaptive and
optimal control, digital control, robust control, modeling and identification, learning,
intelligent control and nonlinear control, to name a few.

On the application side, research teams engage in projects involving a variety of

mechanical systems such as robot manipulators, manufacturing systems, vehicles and
intelligent vehicle highway systems, motion control systems, computer storage devices
and biomedical systems.

Courses in this area cover linear system theory, digital control, nonlinear control, adaptive
control, modeling and identification, multivariable robust control theory, real time use of
microcomputers for signal processing and control, and control of robot manipulators.

Graduate students also take courses offered in other departments such as Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science.

#3 Design
Faculty in the Design field of Mechanical Engineering work on problems affecting the
analysis, synthesis, design, automation, fabrication, testing, evaluation, and optimiz ation
of mechanical systems.

Research activities include the following: design of mechatronic devices; sport equipment
and safety gear; multi-media design case studies that improve a designer’s efficiency;
tribological studies of computer disk-drive and micromechanical devices; design and
fabrication of composite materials; fracture analysis; design and computer control of
robotic systems for manufacturing and construction environments; design of
bioengineering devices for studying back pain; and the development of automated
manufacturing environments.

Students learn to develop integrated manufacturing cells and machines that contain
automated material handling systems, machining, tool path planning, sensor systems,
quality control, and error handling.

Students are exposed to broad fields including composite materials, micro

electromechanical systems, laser machining and laser processing of materials, thin film
fabrication, and tool wear. T raditional topics such as stress analysis, tribology, fracture
mechanics, gear-design, transmissions, mechanics of materials, and basic
manufacturing process analysis, are also thoroughly covered.

#4 Dynamics
At its heart, the study of dynamics is the study of motion. Whether this motion involves
automobiles, aircraft or the change of economic indicators, dynamics can be used
effectively to gain insight and understanding.

Research addresses a range of topics, including dynamical systems theory, vehicle

dynamics, bubble dynamics, computer simulation of dynamical systems, vibration and
modal analysis, acoustics and acoustic control, and the development of efficient
computational methods.

Such research synthesiz es numerics, experiments and theory, allowing researchers to

address fundamental questions while staying aware of real life limitations. Courses are
offered in linear and nonlinear dynamics, deterministic and random vibrations, and
continuous systems.

#5 Energy Science and Technology

Energy related research in Mechanical Engineering encompasses a broad range of
science and technology areas spanning a variety of applications that involve storage,
transport, conversion, and use of energy.

Specific areas of ongoing research include hydrogen energy systems, combustion of

biofuels, pollution control in engines, development of next generation compression ignition
engine technologies, radiation interaction with nanostructured surfaces, laser processing
of materials, nanofabrication using lasers, combustion in microgravity environments,
development of nanostructured thermoelectric materials, concentrating photovoltaic
solar power, solar thermal combined heat and power systems, energy efficiency and
sustainability of data centers, waste energy recovery, high performance thermal
management systems for electronics, and ocean energy technologies.

Research in these areas ranges from fundamental research, that aims to understand
and/or model critically important processes and mechanisms, to applied research that
explores new energy technology concepts at the application level.

#6 Fluids
T raining in the Fluid Mechanics group provides students with an understanding of the
fundamentals of fluid flow. At the graduate level, all students are typically required to
complete a one-year course in fluid dynamics before specializ ing in particular areas.

In addition, students  get a firm foundation in analytical, computational and experimental

essentials of fluid dynamics.
Research activities span the Reynolds number range from creeping flows to planetary
phenomena.

T opics of study include suspension mechanics, dynamics of phase changes (in

engineering and in geophysical flows), earth mantle dynamics, interfacial phenomena,
non-Newtonian fluid mechanics, biofluid mechanics, vascular flows, chaotic mixing and
transport of scalars, bubble dynamics, flow in curved pipes, environmental fluid dynamics,
external aerodynamics, unsteady aerodynamics, bluff-body aerodynamics, vortex
dynamics and breakdown, aircraft wake vortices, vortex merger, vortex instabilities,
rotating flows, stability and transition, chaos, grid turbulence, shear turbulence, turbulence
modeling, shock dynamics, sonoluminescence, sonochemistry, reacting flows, planetary
atmospheres, ship waves, internal waves, and nonlinear wave-vorticity interaction.

#7 Manufacturing
T here has been a resurgence of  manufacturing  in this this dynamically-changing field,
which encompasses several subdisciplines including Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science and Materials Science and Engineering.

Manufacturing covers a broad range of processes and

modeling/simulation/experimentation activities all focused on the conversion of materials
into products.

T ypical processes range from conventional material removal by cutting to semiconductor

and nanomaterial processing techniques such as chemical mechanical planariz ation to
additive processes such as  3D printing and spray processing.

Modeling and simulation attempts to predict the behavior of these processes to insure
efficient and optimal performance.

A companion set of activities in sensors and process monitoring, automation, internet

based design to manufacturing, cyber-physical infrastructure, quality control, reliability
are part of manufacturing.

Manufacturing is receiving special attention at the moment in the United States as a

driver of innovation and competitiveness and a major contributor to employment.

Overall, manufacturing combines classical topics in design, controls and materials

processing.
T he activity in manufacturing today is built on a long history of fundamental research and
education by pioneers such as Erich T homsen and Shiro Kobayashi.

Recent activities have moved away the more traditional areas of metal forming and
plasticity to design and advanced manufacturing integration, new manufacturing
technologies, specially for energy reduction and alternate energy technologies, precision
manufacturing, computational manufacturing and sustainable manufacturing.

Much of the research includes development of tools for engineering designers to include
the impact of manufacturing in the design process as well as, more recently, the life cycle
impacts for the product.

Education and research in manufacturing is exceptionally well integrated with industry in

terms of internships, research support and student placement.

Manufacturing continues to be a critical field for research and industrial development

over many sectors.

All future energy, transport, medical/health, life style, dwelling, defense and food/water
supply systems will be based on increasingly precise elements and components
produced from increasingly challenging materials and configured in complex shapes with
demanding surface characteristic.

T his includes manufacturing products for an energy and environmentally aware

consumer (such as autos, consumer products, buildings, etc.), manufacturing alternate
energy supply systems (e.g. fuel cells, solar panels, wind energy systems, hybrid power
plants, etc.), machine tools and the “machines that build the products” requiring less
energy, materials, space and better integrated for efficient operation and efficient
factory systems and operation.

T his is all required in an environment of increasing regional, national and international

government regulations covering all aspects of the manufacturing enterprise.

T his means that for the foreseeable future, the field is expected to be well supplied with
challenges to drive innovation in research and education.

In summary, modern manufacturing can be characteriz ed by three basic processing

strategies – additive, subtractive and near-net shape.

T hese are somewhat self explanatory in their names.

Near-net shape, aka forming/forging and molding techniques. Subtractive, for example,
machining, is the “old standby” process used extensively in basic machine construction
but is quite limited as applied to higher technology products.

Additive manufacturing, ranging from deposition processes to the more recent rapid
prototyping approaches, is an area that offers much future potential for both accurate
and fast creation of complex products.

Additive manufacturing (AM) and Rapid-Prototyping (RP) have received a great deal of
attention for a number of years. In particular, the idea of 3-D Printing (3DP) has received
quite a large amount of press.

According to AST M, AM is defined as the “process of joining materials to make objects

from  3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing
methodologies.”

In many cases, this process is referred to as additive- fabrication, processes, techniques,

layer manufacturing and freeform fabrication. T he basic term is used in conjunction with
the product life cycle from rapid-prototyping pre-production to full scale production.

#8 Materials
Fiber-reinforced materials such as carbon, aramid and glass composites have the
highest strength and stiffness-to-weight ratios among engineering materials.

For demanding applications such as spacecraft, aerospace and high-speed machinery,

such properties make for a very efficient and high-performance system.

Carbon fiber composites, for example, are five times stiffer than steel for the same weight
allowing for much lighter structures for the same level of performance.

In addition, carbon and aramid composites have close to z ero coefficients of thermal
expansion, making them essential in the design of ultra-precise optical benches and
dimensionally stable antennas.

Some carbon fibers have the highest thermal conductivities among all materials allowing
them to be incorporated as heat dissipating elements in electronic and spacecraft
applications.

In addition to their inherently unique properties, composite materials can be tailored for
specific applications and several functions can be integrated into a single structure.
For example, an integrated structure requiring both high stiffness but low thermal
conductivity can be manufactured using mixtures of various composites. Or, a precise
satellite antenna that has both dimensional stability as well as excellent microwave
performance can be constructed using specific amounts of carbon fiber.

In this way, using composites, true integration of materials, manufacturing processes and
design is possible.

With the incorporation of sensors, fiber optics, microprocessors and actuators, a smart or
adaptive structure can also be created which can alter its response to specific inputs by
detecting and responding to various stimuli such as force, displacement, temperature, or
humidity.

Incorporating such elements into a single material can only be done through the use of
composites, resulting in materials and structures with infinite variability and optimum
utility.

#9 Mechanics
Having its roots in the classical theory of elastic materials, solid mechanics has grown to
embrace all aspects involving the behavior of deformable bodies under loads.

T hus, in addition to including the theory of linear elasticity, with its applications to
structural materials, solid mechanics also incorporates modern nonlinear theories of
highly deformable materials.

T his includes synthetic polymeric materials, as well as biological materials.

Courses and research topics include linear and nonlinear elasticity, plasticity at large
deformations, shell theory, composite materials, directed (or Cosserat) continua, media
with microstructure, continuum electrodynamics, and continuum thermodynamics.

Students also take courses in related areas, such as dynamics, fluid mechanics, and
mathematics.

A major research area involves finite deformation of highly deformable materials

including computational aspects pertaining to the development of constitutive theories,
special solutions, and theoretical predictions of material response.

Examples of this work include: ductile metals under special loading programs (e.g., strain
cycling); microcrack growth in brittle materials; constructing new theories of inelastic
behavior in the presence of finite deformation which explicitly incorporate microstructural
effects such as dislocation density; and thermodynamical developments for deformable
media undergoing finite motion.

Material and stress characteriz ation issues in a wide range of solids, including metals,
composites, electronic materials, and geologic materials.

Both experimental and analytical research are conducted in the areas of nondestructive
stress evaluation, characteriz ation of thin solid films, large deformation material behavior,
and microstructure evaluation.

Stress and property evaluation are topics being pursued for bulk materials and thin films. A
variety of approaches are involved including ultrasonics, X-ray diffraction, and custom
designed micro-electro-mechanical structures (MEMS).

Particular emphasis is directed to the relationship between material processing and its
effect on the resulting microstructure and the mechanical response.

Similarly, work in the fields of plasticity and quantitative texture analysis is directed toward
providing descriptions of the macroscopic, observable behavior of polycrystalline
materials in terms of the microstructure inherent within these materials.

#10 Micro-Electromechanical Systems

(MEMS)
Over the past 20 years, the application of microelectronic technology to the fabrication of
mechanical devices has revolutioniz ed the research in microsensors and microactuators.

Micromachining technologies take advantage of batch processing to address the

manufacturing and performance requirements of the sensor industry.

T he extraordinary versatility of semiconductor materials and the miniaturiz ation of VLSI

patterning techniques promise new sensors and actuators with increased capabilities
and improved performance-to-cost ratio, which far surpass conventionally machined
devices.

Research applies to a broad range of issues in miniaturiz ation, including solid, materials,
design, manufacturing, fluidics, heat transfer, dynamics, control, environmental, and
bioengineering.
#11 Nanoengineering
Significant breakthroughs over the past two decades in a wide range of disciplines have
generated new interest in science and engineering at nanometer scales.

T he invention of the scanning tunneling microscope, the discovery of the fullerene family
of molecules, the development of materials with siz e-dependent properties, and the
ability to encode with and manipulate biological molecules such as DNA, are a few of the
crucial developments that have changed this field.

Continued research in nanoscale science and engineering promises to revolutioniz e many

fields and lead to a new technological base and infrastructure that will have major
impact on world economies.

T he impact will be felt in areas as diverse as computing and information technology,

health care and biotechnology, environment, energy, transportation, and space
exploration, to name a few.

Some key areas of research include nanoinstrumentation nano energy conversion, nano
bioengineering and nano computing storage.

T he field of nanoengineering is highly interdisciplinary, requiring knowledge drawn from a

variety of scientific and engineering departments.

In addition to traditional courses covering fundamentals of mechanical engineering,

there are specializ ed courses in microscale thermophysics, micro and nanoscale
tribology, cellular and sub-cellular level transport phenomena and mechanics,
physicochemical hydrodynamics of ultra-thin fluid films, and microfabrication.

#12 Ocean Engineering

T he oceans have long been recogniz ed as an essential part of our global environment.
Covering more than 70 percent of the earth’s surface, the oceans affect all life on earth
directly as well as indirectly.

Ocean Engineering involves the development, design, and analysis of man-made

systems that can operate in the offshore or coastal environment.

Such systems may be used for transportation, recreation, fisheries, extraction of

petroleum or other minerals, and recovery of thermal or wave energy, among others.
Some systems are bottom-mounted, particularly those in shallower depths; others are
mobile, as in the case of ships, submersibles, or floating drill rigs.

All systems should be designed to withstand a hostile environment (wind, waves, currents,
ice) and to operate efficiently while staying environmentally friendly.

Ocean Engineering study as a major field of study within Mechanical Engineering requires
satisfying core requirements in marine hydrodynamics and marine structures.

Disciplines supporting ocean engineering include materials and fabrication, control and
robotics, continuum mechanics, dynamical system theory, design methodology,
mathematical analysis, and statistics.

Ocean Engineering can also be used as a minor subject with one of the other major field
disciplines.

Contemporary research issues include: vortex and free surface interaction, roll-motion
damping and dynamics of ships, dynamic positioning of mobile offshore bases,
hydroelastic behavior of floating airports, waves in a two-layer fluid, high-speed multi-hull
configuration optimiz ation, marine composite materials, reliability-based structural
design, fatigue behavior of marine materials, Bragg scattering of waves, computational
methodologies for nonlinear waves, tsunami propagation, sea-bed mechanics, and
alternative renewable energy: floating offshore wind park, ocean wave and tidal energy,
loads on floating turbines.

#13 Transportation Systems

An important aspect of mechanical engineering is the planning, design, and operation of
transportation systems.

As society recogniz es the increasing importance of optimiz ing transportation systems to

minimiz e environmental degradation and energy expenditure, engineers will need to
consider major innovations in the way people and goods are moved.

Such innovations will require competence in vehicle dynamics, propulsion and control, and
an understanding of the problems caused by present-day modes of transportation.

Top Schools for Mechanical Engineering

School Avg GRE Quant

 MIT  166

 Stanford University  167

 Harvard University  166

 University of California Berkeley  165

 University of Michigan Ann Arbor  166

 Georgia Institute of T echnology  164

 California Institute of T echnology  169

 UCLA  166

 Purdue University West Lafayette  164

 UC Urbana-Champaign  166

 Cornell University  165

 University of T exas Austin  165

 Princeton University  167

 Northwestern University  166

 T exas A&M University  164

 Carnegie Mellon University  166

 Brown University  165

 Columbia University  167

 Duke University  164

 John Hopkins University  166

 Michigan State University  162

 T he Ohio State University  164

  Pennsylvania State University  163

 UC San Diego  166

 University of Minnesota – T win Cities  164

In addition, there are many great universities around the world which are highly reputed
for Mechanical Engineering:

Canada
University of T oronto

McGill University

University of British Columbia

McMaster University

University of Waterloo

Queen’s University

University of Alberta

University of Calgary

Germany
Mechanical Engineering Master’s in English

Australia
University of Melbourne

University of New South Wales

T he Australian National Univesity

Monash University

University of Sydney

RMIT

University of Queensland

University of Western Australia

Europe & UK
 University of Cambridge (UK)

University of Oxford (UK)

Imperial College London (UK)

ET H Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of T echnology (Switz erland)

KT H Royal Institute of T echnology (Sweden)

Lund University (Sweden)

Common Questions

What are the different degree offered under

Mechanical Engineering?

M.S. in Mechanical Engineering

M.S. degrees are granted after completion of programs of study that emphasiz e the
application of the natural sciences to the analysis and solution of engineering problems.

Advanced courses in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and the life sciences are normally
included in a program that incorporates the engineering systems approach for analysis of
problems.

Students must have a bachelors degree in one of the accredited engineering curricula or
satisfy the equivalent of a bachelors degree in engineering as determined by the
department concerned for admission to this program.

M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering

M.Eng. is an inter-disciplinary field and is offered in collaboration with several other
engineering departments for the purpose of developing professional leaders who
understand the technical, environmental, economic and social issues involved in
Mechanical Engineering.

T his program could be both full-time or part-time. In many schools, M.Eng students cannot
be appointed to Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) or Reader positions.
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering can be done in conjunction with a PhD (for the MS/PhD
option) or alone.

Degrees are granted after completion of programs of study that emphasiz e the
application of the natural sciences to the analysis and solution of engineering problems.

Advanced courses in mathematics, chemistry, physics, and the life sciences are normally
included in a program that incorporates the engineering systems approach for analysis of
problems.

Students must have a bachelors degree in one of the accredited engineering curricula or
satisfy the equivalent of a bachelors degree in engineering as determined by the
department concerned for admission to this program.

Five Year B.S./M.S. in Mechanical Engineering

T his program is for ME undergraduates that allows them to broaden their education
experiences.T his is a terminal, full-time program.

In contrast to the regular M.S. program, it is a course-based program. Students in the 5

year B.S./M.S. program are also able to take some courses in professional disciplines such
as business or public policy. T his two-semester program is NOT for students with the
desire to continue to the Ph.D. T hese students are advised to apply directly to the M.S./Ph.D.
or Ph.D. program.

T he program is geared primarily toward students who intend to join industry after
receiving their Master’s degree, rather than pursuing a Ph.D. and/or academic career.

Should I apply for an M.S. degree or M.S./Ph.D.

degree?
If you are admitted to the M.S. degree, it is a terminal degree. In many universities, if a
student finds that s/he wants to go on for the Ph.D. after completing the M.S., they would
need to petition to add the degree and the petition is not guaranteed to be approved.

T he M.S./Ph.D. is a continuous program in which a student, after having completed the

degree requirements, can earn the M.S. and automatically move forward to the Ph.D.
Where you should apply for the M.S. or the M.S./Ph.D, is completely up to you.

If you want to join industry and build your career, M.S. may be a better option for you.

If you aim for research and move to teaching, M.S./Ph.D. may be a better option for you.

What type of academic career opportunities

are available for a M.S./Ph.D. student?
After completing your M.S./Ph.D., you can apply for various Assistant, Associate and Full
professors positions at various universities such as University of Central Florida, Case
Western Reserve University, PennState, University of Michigan and Colorado School of
Mines.

You can also seek research positions at various companies and labs such as Ventions,
Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc., Xcell Biosciences, 44 Energy T echnologies, Modern
Electron, Nanoscience Instruments, Nexkey, Sky H20, DMG, North Inc., 3D Systems, Supplier
Link Services, KLA T encor, Novasentis, ADINA, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Sandia
National Laboratories and Clear Science Corp.

T o find more academic opportunities after completing your M.S./Ph.D. degree, please
check out Computeroxy.com that is the leading academic web portal for careers
of professors, lecturers, researchers and academic managers in schools of computer,
electrical, mathematical sciences and engineering worldwide.

References

University of California, Berkeley

 
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2 Comments

Himanshu kashyap o n December 22, 2018 at 1:5 5 am

Himanshu
kashyap Hello sir/mam,
I’m a mechanical engineering graduate having an overall experience of 1.3 years in the
 field of design engineering. Here is my profile in summary
10th – 87%
12th- 63%
B.E. – 64%
Work ex – 1.3yrs in design sector.
I’m interested in doing my M.S. from Germany in the field of design. Could you please
help me selecting a good university according to my profile.

REPLY

Ashraful Ashraful Islam o n February 9, 2019 at 5:30 pm

Islam
I have completed my B.Sc. in mechanical with CGPA 3.86. Right now I am doing a job and
it is not possible for me to make a research or publication . Is it possible to get fully
funded scholarship with the help of T OEFL and GRE ?

REPLY

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