department of mechanical engineering handbook 2010.… · doctoral prelim exam procedures ......

Department of

Mechanical Engineering

2010-2011 Graduate

Student Handbook

i

Table of Contents

PREFACE ....................................................................................................... ii

I. DIRECTORY ............................................................................................ 1

Mechanical Engineering Department Administration ............................... 1

Mechanical Engineering Department Divisional Offi ces ............................ 1

Mechanical Engineering Department Graduate Faculty ............................ 2

II. REGISTRATION .................................................................................... 3

III. DEGREE PROGRAMS ...................................................................... 6

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering - Plan A ............................... 7

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering - Plan B ............................... 8

Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering ........................................ 9

IV. GRADUATE FACULTY ADVISER ................................................... 10

V. FINANCIAL SUPPORT ...................................................................... 11

VI. APPROVAL PROCESS STEPS IN DEGREE STUDY ................. 15

Master of Science Degree: Plan A ............................................................... 16

Master of Science Degree: Plan B ............................................................... 19

Doctor of Philosophy Degree ........................................................................ 21

VII. PROGRAM OF STUDY .................................................................. 25

VIII. CORE PROGRAM CRITERIA ....................................................... 28

IX. THESIS CREDIT REGISTRATION .............................................. 29

X. MASTER’S FINAL EXAMINATION ................................................ 29

XI. DOCTORAL PRELIM EXAM PROCEDURES ............................. 30

XII. CHANGE OF STATUS ..................................................................... 40

XIII. ANNUAL REVIEWS OF GRADUATE STUDENTS ....................... 41

XIV. MAIL, MAILBOXES, BUILDING KEYS ...................................... 41

XV. STUDENT SHOP ................................................................................ 41

XVI. COMPUTING FACILITIES ............................................................ 42

Appendix A: Thesis Binding Information ................................................................ 43

Appendix B: Mathematics / Numerical Methods Course List ............................... 44

Sample Degree Program Form ................................................................................. 46

ii

PREFACE Graduate study in Mechanical / Industrial Engineering at the University of Minnesota is a

stimulating and professionally rewarding experience. This publication supplements information provided

in both the University of Minnesota-Graduate School Catalog (available at the Graduate School in 309

Johnston Hall, or online at: http://www.grad.umn.edu/catalog/index.html). You are responsible for

all information contained here and in the catalog that is pertinent to your graduate study and to your

specifi c fi eld.

When appropriate, the Student Information and Advising Offi ce (1120 Mech Eng) will send

information to you at your email address, your campus mailbox, if you have one, or your home address.

Therefore, it is important that you notify the payroll staff in 101ME of any address changes as soon as

possible.

Faculty and staff of the Mechanical Engineering Department wish you a rewarding experience

in your graduate study, and we look forward to working with you during your enrollment here. For

additional assistance, consult any of the following:

Mr. John K. Gardner Dr. Allison Hubel

Student Advising and Information Offi ce Director of Graduate Studies

Mechanical Engineering Department Mechanical Engineering Department

1120 Mech Eng 207 Mech Eng

University of Minnesota University of Minnesota

111 Church St. S.E. 111 Church St. S.E.

Minneapolis, MN 55455 Minneapolis, MN 55455

(612)625-2009 (612) 626-4451

[email protected] [email protected]

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access

to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin,

sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation.

In adhering to this policy, the University abides by the Minnesota Human Rights Act, Minnesota

Statute Ch. 363; by the Federal Civil Rights Act, 42 U.S.C. 2000e; by the requirements of Title IX of

the Education Amendments of 1972; by Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; by the

Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990; by Executive Order 11246, as amended; by 38 U.S.C. 20221,

the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1972, as amended; and by other applicable

statutes and regulations relating to equality of opportunity.

Inquiries regarding compliance may be directed to:

Deborah S. Petersen-Perlman, Director

UMD Offi ce of Equal Opportunity

255 Darland Administration Building

1049 University Drive

Duluth, MN 55812-2496

(218) 726-6849

iii

MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITIES POLICYMutual Responsibilities in Graduate Education at the University of Minnesota

Approved by the Graduate School Executive Committee 5/28/97

Preamble

A major purpose of graduate education at the University of Minnesota is to instill in each student

an understanding of and capacity for scholarship, independent judgment, academic rigor, and intellectual

honesty. Graduate education is an opportunity for the student to develop into a professional scholar.

Graduate research and teaching assistantships offer an “apprenticeship” experience in the academic

profession as well as fi nancial support. It is the joint responsibility of faculty and graduate students to

work together to foster these ends through relationships that encourage freedom of inquiry, demonstrate

personal and professional integrity, and foster mutual respect. This shared responsibility with faculty

extends to all of the endeavors of graduate students, as students, employees, and members of the larger

academic community.

High quality graduate education depends on the professional and ethical conduct of the

participants. Faculty and graduate students have complementary responsibilities in the maintenance

of academic standards and the creation of high quality graduate programs. Excellence in graduate

education is achieved when both faculty and students are highly motivated, possess the academic and

professional backgrounds necessary to perform at the highest level, and are sincere in their desire to

see each other succeed.

The following principles illustrate what students should expect from their programs and what

programs should expect from their students, to help achieve this excellence.

Principle 1: INFORMATION ABOUT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.

The Graduate School and graduate programs are responsible for providing students and

prospective students with access to information about their graduate program, areas of specialization,

degree requirements, and average time to completion of degrees. Graduate programs are responsible

for providing access to information about graduate student fi nancial support in the program, such as

the prospects for fellowships, assistantships or other fi nancial support and the proportion of students

receiving fi nancial support. In addition, graduate programs should provide students and applicants

with information about career experiences of graduates of the program. All such information should be

presented in a format that does not violate the privacy of individual students. Programs are encouraged

to provide relevant information in their handbooks, websites or other readily accessible formats.

Students are responsible for keeping themselves informed about current policies of their program

and the Graduate School that affect graduate students. Students and alumni also have a responsibility

to respond to program inquiries about their career development.

Principle 2: COMMUNICATION ABOUT ACADEMIC STATUS.

The Graduate School and graduate programs are responsible for providing students with

information about their individual academic status: who in the Graduate School and in their graduate

program is responsible for communicating to them about admission issues and progress through the

degree program, how the communication will take place, and the possibility for appeal to a third party

for assistance in resolving disputed issues.

iv

Students are responsible for communicating with the Graduate School and their graduate program about

changes in their circumstances that affect their status and progress toward the degree.

Principle 3: RESEARCH CONTRIBUTIONS.

Individual faculty as research directors are responsible for providing students with appropriate

recognition for their contributions at conferences, in professional publications, or in applications for

patents. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to clarify the principles for determining authorship and

recognition at the beginning of any project.

Students are responsible for discussing their expectations regarding acknowledgment of research

contributions or intellectual property rights with the appropriate person(s) in the research team, preferably

early in the project.

Principle 4: UNIVERSITY GOVERNANCE.

Departments and graduate programs are responsible for defi ning specifi c opportunities for

student participation on committees as they deem appropriate. The University recognizes that graduate

students make important contributions to governance and decision making at the program, department,

college, Graduate School and University level; specifi c roles for participation are defi ned at each level

by the relevant governing bodies. For example, University Senate policy requires student membership

on faculty search committees.

Students are responsible for participating in University governance and decision making that

enrich the campus community.

Principle 5: RESPECTFUL EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS.

University faculty and staff are responsible for assuring that graduate students are able to conduct

their work, as students or students/employees, in a manner consistent with professional conduct and

integrity, free of intimidation or coercion. Students who are employees also have the protection of

all University employment policies and laws. Graduate programs are responsible for providing clear

communication to students about the possibility for appeal to a third party for assistance in resolving

disputed issues.

Students are responsible for reporting unprofessional conduct to the appropriate body or person,

as defi ned in the academic or employment grievance policy; they should be able to do so without fear

of reprisal. Students are responsible for acting in a respectful and fair manner toward other students,

faculty, or staff in the conduct of their academic work or work they may do in connection with an

assistantship.

Principle 6: CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT.

The University (through its departments, research projects or other employing units) is responsible

for providing to prospective graduate assistants a written offer of fi nancial support before a response

to the offer is required. Such communication must indicate their salary and the terms and conditions

of their appointment, including the general nature of the work they will be performing, duration of

v

employment, and whether and how this employment is tied to their academic progress. The details of

specifi c teaching or research assignments may need to await later written clarifi cation.

Students are responsible for accepting the conditions of employment only if they believe they

are qualifi ed and able to complete the tasks assigned. Students have a responsibility for communicating

in writing any changes in their circumstances that affect their ability to fulfi ll the terms and conditions

of their employment.

Principle 7: SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT.

Supervisors are responsible for providing a safe working environment for graduate students,

and for developing and publicizing safety policies and training programs to achieve that goal.

Graduate students are responsible for helping to maintain a safe working environment, for

adhering to safety policies, for participating in training programs and for reporting safety violations to

the proper authority.

OTHER UNIVERSITY DOCUMENTS may provide information and guidance relevant to the graduate

education experience.

• Board of Regents, Code of Conduct, adopted 7/12/96.

[www.regents.umn.edu/policies/academic/Conduct.pdf]

• Board of Regents, Academic Freedom and Responsibility, adopted 9/8/95

[www.regents.umn.edu/policies/academic/AcademicFreedom.pdf]

• Graduate Assistant Offi ce, Handbook for Graduate Assistants

[www.umn.edu/OHR/GAO/]

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

Graduate School Commitment to Diversity

The Graduate School embraces the University of Minnesota’s position that promoting and

supporting diversity among the student body is central to the academic mission of the University. We

defi ne diversity to encompass many characteristics including economic disadvantage, special talents,

evidence of leadership qualities, race or ethnicity, a strong work record, and disability. A diverse student

body enriches graduate education by providing a multiplicity of views and perspectives that enhance

research, teaching, and the development of new knowledge. A diverse mix of students promotes respect

for, and opportunities to learn from, others with the broad range of backgrounds and experiences that

constitute modern society. Higher education trains the next generation of leaders of academia and

society in general, and such opportunities for leadership should be accessible to all members of society.

1

I. DIRECTORY

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT ADMINISTRATION

Department Head Executive Assistant

Dr. Uwe Kortshagen Ms. Karon Mooney

1100 C Mech Eng 1100 D Mech Eng

624-2817 626-2289

Director of Graduate Studies Coordinator

Dr. Jane Davidson Mr. John K. Gardner

3101E Mech Eng 1120 Mech Eng

626-9850 625-2009

Department Associate Head

Dr. Susan Mantell

1100 A Mech Eng

625-1324

Student Support Services Associate Department Administrative Director

Ms. Jeanne Sitzmann Ms. Pamela Wilson

1120 Mech Eng 1100 B Mech Eng

625-5842 625-9315

Accountant

Ms. Carrie Romuald

1100 D Mech Eng

624-3498

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT DIVISIONAL OFFICES

Division Secretary (second fl oor)

Tori Piorek

2101 Mech Eng

625-6808

Division Secretary (third fl oor)

Ms. Jennifer Dahal

3101 Mech Eng

626-6811

2

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING GRADUATE FACULTY

Professors Offi ce Telephone Email

Aksan, Alptekin ....................... 241 .................... 626-6618 .................................................. [email protected]

Alexander, Jennifer*................... 325D ...................... 626-7309 .................................................. [email protected]

Arndt,Roger* ............................ 376A SAFL................ 627-4584 .................................................. [email protected]

Ballarini, Roberto* .................... 142 Civil Eng ............ n/a .................................................. [email protected]

Barocas,Victor* ................... 7-106 BSBE ............... 626-5572 .................................................. [email protected]

Bechtold, Joan E.* . Hennepin County Medical Center ........ n/a .................................................. [email protected]

Benjaafar, Saifallah ................... 2104 .................. 626-7239 .................................................. [email protected]

Bhattacharya, Mrinal* ............... 202 BioAgEng ...... 625-5234 .................................................. [email protected]

Bischof, John C. ....................... 200 .................. 625-5513 .................................................. [email protected]

Blackshear Jr,P. L.* ................... 455 B .................... 651-426-2672 ................................................. [email protected]

Chase, Thomas R. .................... 305 .................. 625-0308 .................................................. [email protected]

Cui, Tianhong ........................ 303 ................... 626-1636 .................................................. [email protected]

Davidson, Jane H. .................... 3101 E ................ ... 626-9850 .................................................. [email protected]

Divani,Afshin*........................... Neurology ................ n/a .................................................. [email protected]

Donath, Max ............................ 211 .................. 625-2304 .................................................. [email protected]

Dumitrica, Traian .................... 244 ..................... 625-3797 .................................................. [email protected]

Durfee, William K. .................... 2101 B .................... 625-0099 .................................................. [email protected]

Erdman, Arthur G. ..................... 315 .................. 625-8580 .................................................. [email protected]

Fletcher, Edward A.* ............... 465 ....................... 625-0532 .................................................. fl [email protected]

Garrick, Sean C. ....................... 245 .................. 624-5741 .................................................. [email protected]

Girshick, Steven L. .................... 2101 E .................... 625-5315 .................................................. [email protected]

Goldstein, Richard J. ................. 232 .................. 625-5552 .................................................. [email protected]

Hayes, Caroline C. .................... 2110 .................. 626-8391 .................................................. [email protected]

Heberlein, Joachim ................... 2101 F .................... 625-4538 .................................................. [email protected]

Hogan, Chris ............................. 103 .......................... 626-8312 .................................................. [email protected]

Hubel, Allison ........................... 209 .................... 626-4451 .................................................. [email protected]

Iaizzo, Paul* .............................. MMC 107 Mayo ...... 624-7912 .................................................. [email protected]

Ibele, Warren E.* .......... 229 ...................... 625-7527 .................................................. [email protected]

Jacobs, Heinrich-Otto* ............... 4-174 EE/CS ............ n/a .................................................. [email protected]

Kittelson, David B. .................... 455 A .................. 625-1808 .................................................. [email protected]

Klamecki, Barney E. ................. 325 B .................. 625-0703 .................................................. [email protected]

Kortshagen, Uwe R. ................. 2101 C ..................... 625-4028 .................................................. [email protected]

Kuehn, Thomas H. ................... 3101 C ...................... 625-4520 .................................................. [email protected]

Kulacki, Francis A. ................... 121 .................... 625-3807 .................................................. [email protected]

Lewis, Jack L.* ........................ 372 Chld. Rehab. ..... 626-5021 .................................................. [email protected]

Li, Perry H. ................................ 309 .................. 626-7815 .................................................. [email protected]

Lipinski, Wojciech ................... 111 ........................... 626-0875 .................................................. [email protected]

Liu, Benjamin Y.H.* ................ 3101 B ...................... 625-6574 .................................................. [email protected]

Manser, Michael* ..................... L105 ...................... 625-0447 .................................................. [email protected]

Mantell, Susan C. ...................... 3101 D .................. 625-1324 .................................................. [email protected]

Marple, Virgil A. ....................... 3104 .................. 625-3441 .................................................. [email protected]

Marshall, Julian ......................... 162 CE ................. 625-2397 .................................................. [email protected]

McMurry, Peter H. .................... 1100 C ...................... 624-2817 .................................................. [email protected]

Ogata, Katsuhiko ....................... 307 .................. 625-9374 .................................................. [email protected]

Pfender, Emil* .......................... 2101 D ................ 625-6012 .................................................. [email protected]

Pui, David Y.H. .......................... 3101 F ...................... 625-2537 .................................................. [email protected]

Rajamani, Rajesh ...................... 203 .................. 626-7961 .................................................. [email protected]

Ramalingam, Subbiah ............... 215 .................. 625-4017 .................................................. [email protected]

Ramaswamy, Sidharan* .......... 206 Kaufert L ........... 624-8797 .................................................. [email protected]

Ramsey, James W. ..................... 1100 A ................ 625-8390 .................................................. [email protected]

Shankwitz, Craig* ................... L-111 ...................... 625-0323 .................................................. [email protected]

Simon, Terrence W. ................... 235 ................... 625-5831 .................................................. [email protected]

Sotiropoulos, Fotis* ................. 4691 SAFL................. 624-2022 .................................................. [email protected]

Sparrow, Ephraim M. ................ 238 .................. 625-5502 .................................................. [email protected]

Starr, Patrick J. .......................... 105 .................. 625-2315 .................................................. [email protected]

Stelson, Kim A. ......................... 311 .................. 625-6528 .................................................. [email protected]

Strykowski, Paul J. .................... 237 .................. 626-2008 .................................................. [email protected]

Sun, Zongxuan .......................... 3100 ...................... 625-2107 .................................................. [email protected]

Tamma, Kumar K. .................... 325E .................. 625-1821 .................................................. [email protected]

Tranquillo, Robert* ................ 7-112 BSBE ............. 625-6868 .................................................. [email protected]

Yang, Rusen ........................... 113 ............................ 625-3023 .................................................. [email protected]

* Denotes affi liate senior, or affi liate member of grad. faculty.

3

II. REGISTRATION

Registration Steps - all new students

_____ 1. Check in with the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Student Advising & Information Offi ce - 1120 M.E.

_____ 2. Consult with Director of Graduate Studies or appropriate faculty member to

establish fi rst semester’s courses.

_____ 3. All new international students - check in with the International Student &

Scholar Services Offi ce, 190 Hubert H. Humphrey Center, West Bank.

_____ 4. Register - follow the registration procedures on One Stop: http://www.onestop.

umn.edu/registrar/registration/index.html

_____ 5. Obtain student I.D. card.

U-Card Offi ce - G22 Coffman Memorial Union

Registration Steps - current / previous students

Register at 202 Fraser Hall or on-line through the Student Access System (onestop.umn.edu),

according to the registration queue published in the Class Schedule. Class Schedules are

available through theWeb via: http://www.onestop.umn.edu/registrar/registration/courses.

html

Registration Notes

• Students are charged a late fee if they register after classes begin and may register after the

fi rst week of the semester only with special permission. See the Class Schedule for further

details.

• You must take all courses placed in the ‘major’ category on your program of study (Degree

Program Form) on an A/F base, with the exception of departmental seminars and the Plan B

class. You must also take the Mathematics/Numerical methods class on an A/F bases. You are

expected to take the great majority of non-major courses A/F. If you request to include a non-

major course on an S/N base, you must clear it with your adviser and the Director of Graduate

Studies. At that time, it is desirable that you bring a copy of your program of study to identify

the strength of your entire program.

• For the University calendar and registration information, refer to the University’s semester Class

Schedule or the Summer Session Bulletin.

4

• The Graduate School Catalog details Graduate School regulations, requirements, and procedures;

lists some available fi nancial aid, scholarships, and fellowships; and provides program and

course descriptions. This may be picked up at the Graduate School in 309 Johnston Hall or

viewed online at: http://www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/index.html.

• You must register every Fall and Spring term in the Graduate School in order to maintain

active graduate status. If you have not registered in the Graduate School, you must apply for

readmission and must register before you can resume work on a master’s or doctoral thesis

or on master’s Plan B papers, take written or oral examinations, or fi le for graduation. The

Department reserves the right to reject a readmission application based on enrollment load and

the quality of academic history.

• The University requires that graduate students holding appointments as teaching assistants,

research assistants, and administrative fellows must register for at least 6 credits during each

term which he or she holds an appointment of greater than12.5%. (This does not apply to

summer terms if you were registered the preceding spring quarter.) If you have to satisfy other

criteria for full-time status (i.e., some student loan deferrals may require 7-credit registration)

you should check with that individual entity.

FULL-TIME PART-TIME

Graduate Student 6 or more credits Less than 6 credits

Research / Teaching Assistant

- still working on coursework 6 or more credits Less than 6 credits

Advanced Student Standing

- M.S. (coursework/thesis cr. completed) At least 1 credit of N/A

ME 8333

- Ph.D. (w/24 Thesis Credits) At least 1 credit of N/A

ME 8444

More Registration Notes - M.S. Students

Master's students who have completed all of their course credits (including thesis credits, if pursuing

a Plan A) may register for a special one credit option and still be counted as a full-time student. This

registration will satisfy the full-time requirement for federal student loan deferrals as well as fulfi ll the

assistantship registration requirement. In order to receive permission to register for this 1-credit course

(ME 8333, FTE: Master's), a student must fi ll out the Application for Full-time Status With One Credit

form from the Student Advising & Information Offi ce - 1120 M.E., and have it signed by their adviser.

They must also submit a Request for Advanced Master's Tracking Flag form to the Graduate School

to grant eligibility for this option.

5

More Registration Notes - Ph.D. Students

• Doctoral students must register for 24 doctoral thesis credits (ME / IE 8888) at the University

of Minnesota beginning the semester after they have passed the preliminary oral

examination.

• The requirement of 24 doctoral thesis credits cannot be reduced by transfer of master’s thesis

credits, or thesis credits taken at another institution.

• You are permitted to register for thesis credits during the current semester if you pass the

preliminary oral examination and if the signed report form is delivered to 316 Johnston Hall

no later than 1 p.m. on the last day of registration for that semester. While this deadline will

permit you time to register before the Registration Center closes that day, we strongly urge you

not to wait until the last minute to bring the signed report to the Graduate School.

6

III. DEGREE PROGRAMS

Two degree programs are offered:

• Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (M.S.M.E.)

• Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering (Ph.D.)

As you seek an adviser, please discuss joint aspirations regarding your study plans. If you are

a research-oriented student, carefully consider which plan will be most appropriate toward further

study. Do this in close consultation with potential faculty advisers or with the faculty person who has

consented to advise you.

Master of science degrees have an option of Plan A or Plan B. Consult the Graduate School

Catalog to review these plans.

Full-time graduate students in the mechanical engineering department (those on fellowship or

assistantship support) are expected to complete their master’s degree in two years and to complete their

doctoral degree in fi ve years (beyond the B.S. degree). Part-time students working outside or students

with heavy T.A. assignments may require more time.

Advisers will develop a program of study with their students to insure timely completion of the

graduate degree.

7

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - PLAN A

(M.S.M.E.)

14 Major

(ME)

Credits

6 Non-Major

Credits

10 thesis

credits

(ME 8777)

1 Seminar

Credit

May be a major or

non-major seminar; if

major, count in 'major'

credits: if non-major,

count in 'other program'

credits

1 Mathemat-

ics / Numerical

Methods Course

(from the approved list

of courses,

Appendix B)

30 total

credits

Including:

+ +

=

Plan A master’s degree provides you the opportunity to execute research on a topic selected in

consultation with your adviser. You gain an understanding of research techniques by applying relevant

technologies to an engineering problem which extends understanding of an aspect of the fi eld. The

quality of your performance in this degree path is based heavily upon your success in thesis research.

Research Ethics

and Professional

Conduct

0 credits.

8

14 Major

(ME)

Credits

6 Non-Major

Credits

10 remaining

credits

(major or

non-major)

1 Seminar

Credit

May be a major or

non-major seminar; if




credits

1 Mathemaics

/ Numerical

Methods Course

(from the approved list

of courses,

Appendix B)

30 total course credits

(minimum)Including:

+ +

=

Plan B master’s degree accents course work, requiring a minimum of 10 course credits beyond the

Plan A requirement and has no thesis. Course study is augmented by a Plan B project (See page 22

item #9).

Research Ethics

and Professional

Conduct

0 credits.

MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING - PLAN B

(M.S.M.E.)

9

Major

(ME)

Credits

A minimum of

12 Non-Major

Credits

24 thesis

credits

(ME 8888)

44 total

course

credits

(minimum)

Including:

=

24 thesis

credits

(ME 8888)+

2 Seminar

CreditsMay be major or

non-major seminars; if




credits

1 Mathemaics

/ Numerical

Methods Course(from the approved list

of courses,

Appendix B)

+ +

Research Ethics

and Professional

Conduct

0 credits.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

(M.S.M.E.)The Doctor of Philosophy degree program develops advanced reserach competence. Close affl iation

between you and your adviser is pivotal in this program, and close rapport is important at all stages.

Faculty may wish to observe your approach to open-ended research at an early stage before consent-

ing to serve as your adviser. If so, you can accomplish this in a rnage of ways: the Plan A thesis at the

master's level, a preliminary research assignment, and/or course problems of an open-ended nature, to

name a few

10

IV. GRADUATE FACULTY ADVISER

Selection of an adviser is your responsibility. Your acceptance into the graduate program of the Department occurred because you have shown promise to satisfactorily execute graduate study. Hence you are expected to procure an adviser by demonstrating clear objectives, diligence, and a cooperative

spirit.

The new graduate student orientation, held the week before class starts in the fall, will for

many students provide the fi rst opportunity to become acquainted with faculty and their research

interests. You can become better acquainted with potential advisors by making appointments to

meet with specifi c faculty, and you are encouraged to do so. You may also wish to take courses from

a potential adviser to learn more about his or her research and technical interests before reaching a

formal advising agreement. Also browse the Department website for specifi c research activities at:

www.me.umn.edu.

It is essential that you gain an adviser no later than the end of your second term of full-time

enrollment.

Some students commit to an adviser upon, or shortly after, arrival here. Part-time graduate

students may take somewhat longer than two terms to gain an adviser. However, they may not delay

this process beyond approximately 1/4 - 1/3 of their study program.

Your adviser serves as your advocate to the faculty. For both master’s and doctor of

philosophy degrees, you develop your program of study through consultation with your adviser. Your

adviser guides dissertation research and orchestrates qualifying examination procedures to meet degree

objectives. For such important reasons, gaining an adviser early in the course of study is essential.

If you make the mistake of not getting a faculty adviser until late in your course of study, you

can expect to encounter progressive diffi culty in gaining one and in gaining faculty commitment to a

formal program of study.

You may change your graduate adviser during the course of study. It is undesirable to do this

as your program matures and should only be done judiciously and with discretion. Consult with both

a potential new adviser and with your earlier one if you anticipate this step. If you need additional

consultation about this, consult the Director of Graduate Studies.

11

V. FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Financial support opportunities available to students include:

• Fellowships

• Research Assistantships

• Teaching Assistantships

• Graduate Work-Study Program

Graduate assistantships are fi nancial aid academic appointments reserved for graduate students.

This department offers appointments for teaching assistant and research assistant positions. If you

accept an offer of fi nancial aid, you are entering into a contract, which cannot be terminated unless both

parties consent, in writing, to terminate the contract. Refer to the Registration Notes section to avail

yourself of the registration requirements for students who are receiving fi nancial assistance. If you

receive an appointment or fellowship, be sure to view the Graduate Student Employment Website at:

http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/gao/. Stipend rates are set by the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Faculty

each spring for the following fi scal year. Ph.D. candidates will receive an increase in their stipend once

they pass their preliminary oral examination and complete 24 credits of thesis registration. The stipend

is increased by 10%, or up to the maximum rate the University may set, whichever is lower.

Fellowships

This booklet does not present the full range of fellowship opportunities available at the University

of Minnesota. Please consult one or more of the following for further information:

Fellowship Offi ce of the Graduate School

321 Johnston Hall

625-7579

Dr. Frank Kulacki, Chair

ME Department Fellowship Committee

3101C Mech Eng

625-4520

John K. Gardner

Student Information & Information Center

1120 Mech Eng

625-2009

Graduate fellowships are awards based on academic merit and are available to new and currently

enrolled graduate students. Consult the Graduate School Catalog for more details. Fellowships are

offered on a competitive basis and require excellent academic records for consideration. Doctoral

Dissertation Fellowships are also available for qualifying doctoral candidates.

Fellowship competitions follow strict timetables and guidelines, and students are advised to

obtain information early in the fall semester. Typically, the Fellowship Committee offers fellowships

12

early in the school year following their deliberations. You can apprise yourself of these timetables from

the above sources.

Research Assistantships

Research assistantships are typically obtained from faculty members who hold research contracts

and grants. These appointments usually materialize through direct discussions with individual faculty

where the research assignment, required expertise and expectations are addressed. Faculty may also

offer research appointments to students prior to their arrival on campus. Faculty providing support

may expect to serve as your academic adviser and can be expected to indicate over what time period a

research assistantship will be made. Periods vary, depending on the availability of grant funds and your

progress. Maintain communication with faculty to update them on your needs and interests. Research

assistantship assignments are made at any time in the calendar year depending on funding and other

factors.

Teaching Assistantships

Positions are available each academic semester for graduate students to assist in departmental

course instruction. Students must register in the semesters they hold teaching assistantships (except

during the summer session providing they were registered the preceding spring semester).

All students interested in teaching assistantships are advised to contact the responsible person

in the division where their technical interests reside and in which they may concentrate their study.

These are listed below:

Dr. Susan C. Mantell

1100 A Mech. Eng.

625-1324

It is advisable to leave relevant personal data with these people to allow them to con-

tact you as an appointment materializes.

TA offers will be made only to students who have documented adequate English skills. Current

University of Minnesota policy requires that all nonnative English speaking TAs or prospective TAs

who are or will be assigned to teaching, tutoring, or advising duties (including offi ce hours) must:

1. Score at least 50 points out of 60 points on the Test of Spoken English (TSE) exam to

receive a passing score and be eligible for assignment to teaching, tutoring, or advising

duties. Students who pass the TSE are given a campus rating of “1” and are thus certifi ed

to carry out the responsibilities of a Teaching Assistant (contact the Center for Teaching

and Learning Services - CTLS - for further information on ratings).

Background notes: The TSE is a national test that was fi rst introduced by the Educational

Testing Service in 1981; this test measures the ability of nonnative speakers to

13

communicate orally in English.

or

2. Take the SPEAK Test, an institutional version of the TSE, developed by the Educational

Testing Service and administered here on campus by CTLS.

If nonnative speakers of English do not pass the SPEAK Test or the TSE and they want

to serve as Teaching Assistants, they must contact CTLS regarding their options.

Teaching assistantship appointments are usually made before the onset of each new academic

term; the assignments are typically one semester in duration, but can be for one academic year. Teaching

appointments hold no guarantee for continuation unless stated in the Departmental offer.

Faculty recommend appointments to the Division Chairs. Once notifi ed of a teaching assistantship

opportunity, it is your responsibility to complete paperwork that will allow the Department to process

your appointment. Contact the accounting offi ce in 101 ME, to begin that process.

Academic progress and duration of study toward a degree are considered as appointment

rosters are generated. The faculty person responsible for the course is consulted when appointment

recommendations are developed. Teaching assistantship assignments naturally require demonstrated

expertise in the course subject matter to which assignment is made.

Teaching assistant responsibilities vary with course assignments They may involve grading,

recitation lecture, laboratory, homework problem solution, offi ce hour consultation, or a mix of these.

The teaching assistant is not ultimately responsible for course grades; that is a faculty responsibility.

A very modest number of teaching appointments are available in the Extension Division and in

the summer programs. Consult division chairs or Dr. Ramsey for those opportunities.

Appointment Scope

Whereas teaching assistantship appointments are typically of one semester duration, after which

a new assignment can be made, it is possible to hold simultaneous teaching and research assistantships

within any academic term. If simultaneous appointments are made, then each is typically a 25% ap-

pointment. Appointments are occasionally combined at other than 25% levels to total 50% overall.

Maximum appointments to teaching assistantship and/or research assistantship positions are

50%, except in unusual cases where graduate students who have qualifi ed for doctoral candidacy may

receive 75% appointments if a distinct service need exists.

Appointment Calendar

This department attempts to assign all teaching assistantships leaving ample lead time to permit

students to receive their initial paychecks on schedule.

If yours is a last minute appointment, verify your fi rst paycheck date with the accounting offi ce,

1103 ME (624-3355). Also contact this offi ce if you have recently been made an assistantship offer,

to supply all required appointment information.

14

Tuition

Consult the Graduate School Catalog and the Graduate Assistant Website (http://www1.umn.

edu/ohr/gao/) describing tuition policy in relation to course credits and assistantship appointments.

Also refer to the registration classifi cation chart in the Registration Notes section.

15

VI. APPROVAL PROCESS STEPS IN DEGREE STUDY

The Graduate School approves certain steps as you progress towards your degree, which are listed

by degree on the following pages. As an overview, it is important for you to know the two principle

academic units involved in your mechanical or industrial engineering graduate education:

• Mechanical Engineering Department Graduate Faculty

• Graduate School

Submit your degree program form plus any relevant petitions to the Graduate Advising Assistant,

1120 Mech Eng, for faculty approval. You should plan to submit material with adequate lead time

for approval (which may take up to 2 months).

The Graduate School approves all commitee assignments. You receive notifi cation from the

Graduate School regarding your committee assignments. Committee changes must be petitioned

through the Graduate Program Student Personnel Worker, 1120 Mech Eng.

Committee changes for exams that would occur during the summer vacation break are strongly

discouraged. Try not to schedule an exam during this time period.

16

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE: PLAN A

M.S.M.E. or M.S.I.E.

_____ 1. Obtain admission into the graduate program from baccalaureate program in engineering,

science, or mathematics.

_____ 2. Check in with the Student Advising & Information Offi ce, 1120 Mech Eng.

_____ 3. Read this handbook and the relevant sections of the Graduate School Catalog, if you

have not done so already.

_____ 4. Course study (see Section III. Degree Programs for detailed course requirements)

_____ 5. Choose an adviser soon after beginning your studies. An adviser should be chosen no

later than the end of your fi rst semester of full-time registration or the second semester

of part-time registration.

_____ 6. Fill out degree program form (available in 1120 Mech Eng):

• due after one full-time academic term of recorded credits (10 credits)

• attach faculty signature sheet

• attach transcript (observe credit requirements)

Complete all blanks on the program: courses, major/minor-related fi eld, instructor, term, credits, etc.

Include thesis credit counts at the bottom of the sheet, but do not include them in the total credit

counts. (See the Sample Degree Program Form in the Appendix section .)

Obtain the approvals of your committee members, either through written correspon-

dence or email verifi cation, with wording stating that they are willing to serve on your

committee. Approvals should be forwarded to John Gardner, 1120 Mech Eng

([email protected]).

_____ 7. Obtain degree program form approval from your adviser(s). If you are declaring a minor,

you will also need to obtain approval from the Director of Graduate Studies from your

minor fi eld.

_____ 8. Submit your degree program form, which includes your thesis title, plus any petitions

you might want to submit, to John Gardner, 1120 Mech Eng, for approval by the Director

of Graduate Studies. (Do not submit directly to the DGS.)

You should plan to submit this form with adequate lead time. It takes longer

to approve this form in the Department during the summer session than during other

semesters. (The spring semester is the busiest term at the Graduate School.) If you do

not fi le your program on time, a hold may be placed on your registration.

17

You will receive notifi cation from the Graduate School when your degree program

form and committee assignments are approved. If you want to change your degree

program form, do so with a petition form, available in 1120 Mech Eng. Complete the

form and return it to 1120 Mech Eng for department approval.

The Graduate School assumes that when committee assignment recommendations

are submitted to them, signed by the DGS, you have gained the consent of all named

faculty to serve on your committee. We cannot submit your degree program form to

the Graduate School until this is completed.

If circumstances require that you need to make a committee member change,

contact the Graduate Advising Assistant.

_____ 9. Defi ne your thesis topic/thesis research with your adviser. This is optimally done

concurrently with course work.

_____ 10. Pick up your reviewers report form, and other graduation materials at the Graduate

School, 316 Johnston. You may also request graduation material via the web at:

http://www.grad.umn.edu/current_students/forms/grad_packet/index.html

You must have an approved degree program form on fi le with the Department

and the Graduate School before you can execute this step. Also pick up your application

for degree form from the Graduate School. You must submit it to the Student Services

Offi ce (202 Fraser Hall) by the fi rst working day of the month you want to graduate.

_____ 11. Schedule final oral examination. Be sure committee is informed of impending

examination, and schedule it to accommodate all examining members. For available

rooms, please contact John Gardner in room 1120.

_____ 12. File the signed thesis reviewers report in 316 Johnston Hall and obtain the fi nal

examination report form from that offi ce.

_____ 13. Take fi nal oral examination.

_____ 14. File approved fi nal examination form with the Graduate School - 316 Johnston Hall.

This is due the last working day of month you plan to graduate. Check with 316

Johnston Hall or call 625-4019 with any questions regarding graduation deadlines. To

verify everything at this point, call Master’s Degree Clearance, 625-4019.

_____ 15. Complete fi nal edit of your examined thesis.

18

_____ 16. Bind thesis - three copies (See Binding Information, Appendix A).

Two unbound copies are due in the Graduate School, 316 Johnston Hall, by the

last working day of the month you want to graduate. One hardbound copy (maroon

binding with white lettering) is also to be submitted to the Mechanical Engineering

Department Graduate Advising Assistant, 1120 Mech Eng. (THT students must also

submit a bound copy to the THT Division Offi ce, 240 ME.)

_____ 17. Check-out / distribute thesis

To verify completion of graduate work for a degree and to allow for control of

inventory, keys, and offi ce space, you must complete a Departmental Check-out Form

(available in 1120 Mech Eng) prior to departure from the Department or prior to beginning

another degree objective within the Department.

You must submit one hardbound copy of the dissertation to the Mechanical

Engineering Department. The Department will reimburse you for the copying and binding

of this copy. We request that the thesis submitted to the Department be a maroon-bound

thesis with white lettering. When ordering the copying and binding of your thesis,

please request a separate receipt for one copy. To obtain reimbursement (which will be

mailed to your home address) submit an original receipt to the purchase order desk in

101 ME.

19

MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE: PLAN B

M.S.M.E. or M.S.I.E.

_____ 1. Obtain admission into the graduate program from baccalaureate program in engineering,

science, or mathematics.

_____ 2. Check in with the Student Advising & Information Center, 1120 Mech Eng.

_____ 3. Read this handbook and the relevant sections of the Graduate School Catalog, if you

have not done so already.

_____ 4. Course study (see Section III. Degree Programs for detailed course requirements)

Up to 4 Independent Research credits are allowed (ME 8794)

_____ 5. Choose an adviser soon after beginning study. An adviser should be chosen no later

than the end of your fi rst semester of full-time graduate registration (or second semester

of part-time graduate registration.


• due after one full-time academic semester of recorded credits (10 credits)

• attach faculty signature sheet

• attach transcript (observe credit requirements)

Complete all blanks on the program: courses, major/minor-related fi eld, instructor,

calendar time taken, credits, etc.

Obtain the approvals of your committee members, either through written

correspondence or email verifi cation, with wording stating that they are willing to serve

on your committee. Approvals should be forwarded to John Gardner, 1120 Mech Eng


_____ 7. Obtain degree program form approval from your adviser(s).

_____ 8. Submit your degree program form plus any petitions you might need, to John Gardner,

1120 Mech Eng, for DGS approval. (Do not submit directly to the DGS.)





If you want to change your degree program form, do so with a petition form,

available in 1120 Mech Eng. Complete the form and return it to 1120 Mech Eng for

DGS approval.

20



faculty to serve on your committee. We cannot submit your degree program form to the

Graduate School until this is completed. You will receive notifi cation from the Graduate

School when your degree program form and committee assignments are approved.


contact the DGS, who is the only one who can authorize a committee member

change.

_____ 9. The recommended (though not required) way to satisfy the MS Plan B project requirement

is to take the two-semester course sequence, Plan B Course, ME 8951 and ME 8953.

Alternatively, students who elect not to take this course may complete their Plan B

project(s) independently under the guidance of one or more faculty advisers. In that

case up to 4 credits of Independent Research (ME 8794) may be applied to the course

requirements for the MS Plan B degree.

_____ 10. ME 8951/8953, "Plan B Project," and ME 8794, "Mechanical Engineering Research,"

can be included on a Program of Study for an M.S. Plan B (see p.22, item #9), but they

cannot be included on a Program of Study for either an M.S. Plan A or a Ph.D.

_____ 11. Pick up your fi nal oral exam form, and other graduation materials at the Graduate School,

316 Johnston. You may also request graduation material via the web at:


You must have an approved degree program form on fi le with the Department

and the Graduate School before you can execute this step. Also pick up your application



_____ 12. Schedule final oral examination. Be sure committee is informed of impending

examination, and schedule it to accommodate all examining members. For available

rooms, please contact John Gardner in room 1120.

_____ 13. Take fi nal oral examination.

_____ 14. File approved fi nal examination form with Graduate School (316 Johnston Hall).

This is due the last working day of month you plan to graduate. Check with 316

Johnston Hall or call 625-4019 with any questions regarding graduation deadlines. To

verify everything, at this point, call Master’s Degree Clearance, 625-4019.

_____ 15. Check-out. To verify completion of graduate work for a degree and to provide control

of inventory, keys, and offi ce space, you must complete a Departmental Check-out

Form (available in 1120 Mech Eng) prior to departure from the Department or prior to

beginning another degree objective within the Department.

21

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE

Ph.D.

_____ 1. Admission into the Ph.D. program usually requires a master of science degree program

in an engineering or science fi eld. Exceptional students are admitted directly from a

baccalaureate program in engineering, science or mathematics.

_____ 2. Check in with the Student Advising & Information Center, 1120 Mech Eng.

_____ 3. Read this handbook and relevant sections of the Graduate School Catalog, if you have

not done so already.

_____ 4. Course study: no specifi ed courses are required for M.E. students.

• credit count beyond baccalaureate typically ranges from 44-55 credits

• consult adviser

Graduate School requires 12 credits (beyond your bachelor’s degree) in your

minor or supporting program and 24 thesis credits (ME 8888).

_____ 5. Choose an adviser (often done prior to beginning doctoral study).

_____ 6. Register for your oral qualifying exams. The registration deadline for the exams is

announced early in each semester. For students who enter the Ph.D. program after

completion of an M.S. in mechanical engineering, these exams should be taken in the

fi rst semester upon admission to the Ph.D. program. For all other students, the exams

should be taken by the third semester in the Ph.D. program.

_____ 7. Take your oral qualifying exams (see Section XI).


• due one semester after passing qualifying exams

• observe credit distributions

Complete all blanks on the program: courses, major/minor-related fi eld, instructor,

calendar time taken, credits, etc. Thesis credits should be included in the course listings,

however, they should not be added to the credit totals at the bottom of the program.

Two seminars/colloquia are required. If your credit count exceeds the minimum,

it is reasonable to include an additional seminar credit in your credit count.

You may include seminars/colloquia from any technically-based program. If

that program is other than your major, count the credits in the minor/supporting program

category.

22

Obtain the approvals of your committee members, either through written

correspondence or email verifi cation, with wording stating that they are willing to serve

on your committee. Approvals should be forwarded to John Gardner, 1120 Mech Eng


ME 8794 or and any master's thesis credits may not be applied towards a PhD.

degree.

_____ 9. Obtain degree program form approval from your adviser(s).

_____ 10. Submit your degree program form, plus any petitions you might want to submit, to

John Gardner, 1120 Mech Eng, for DGS approval (do not submit directly to the DGS).

You must do this before you can take your written preliminary exam, unless other

arrangements have been made.







faculty to serve on your committee. We cannot submit your degree program form to

the Graduate School until this is completed.


contact the DGS, who is the only one who can authorize a committee member change.

If you want to change your degree program form in the future, do so with a petition

form, available in 1120 Mech Eng. Complete the form and return it to 1120 Mech Eng

for DGS approval.

_____ 11. Defi ne your thesis topic/thesis research with your adviser. This is optimally done

concurrent with course work.

_____ 12. Take your written preliminary exam (see Section XI). For students who enter the Ph.D.

program after completion of an M.S. in mechanical engineering, the written preliminary

exam should be taken by the third semester in the Ph.D. program. For students who

enter the Ph.D. program without an M.S. in ME, the written preliminary exam should

be taken by the fi fth semester. It is recommended that students submit the exam early

enough in the semester (by the 8th week), to allow time for the exam to be evaluated and

then, if approved, to schedule the oral preliminary exam within the same semester.

_____ 13. Submit your preliminary written exam report to the Graduate Program Coordinator,

1120 Mech Eng, asserting passing quality. This is forwarded to 316 Johnston before

your preliminary oral examination is scheduled.

23

_____ 14. Schedule oral preliminary exam to hold it as soon as possible (preferably within the same

semester) after passing written preliminary exam. Schedule this exam with Graduate

School at least one week in advance (call 625-0084 or go to 316 Johnston Hall). The

Graduate School will then send the examination report form to your committee chair.

_____ 15. Take oral preliminary exam (see Section XI).

_____ 16. Submit your oral preliminary exam form to 316 Johnston Hall.

_____ 17. Pick up and fi le thesis proposal document (located in the cabinet outside 316 Johnston

Hall) no later than the fi rst semester after passing the preliminary oral examination.

_____ 18. Obtain approval of thesis proposal document from the Graduate School.

_____ 19. Pick up your reviewers report form, and other graduation materials at the Graduate

School, 316 Johnston. You may also request graduation material via the web at:


You must have an approved thesis proposal form on fi le with the Department and

the Graduate School before you can execute this step. Also pick up your application



_____ 20. Submit your thesis to reviewers (check with reviewers to ascertain their required reading

time frame—usually a minimum of 2 weeks).

_____ 21. Submit your signed thesis reviewers report to 316 Johnston at least one week before

your fi nal oral examination.

_____ 22. Schedule fi nal oral exam at least one week before your exam date by calling 625-0168 or

by going to 316 Johnston Hall. (The Graduate School will pass the fi nal oral examination

report to your committee chairperson).

_____ 23. Take your fi nal oral exam. A minimum of 4 committee members are required to serve

on your fi nal examining committee (three from the major and one from outside).

_____ 24. File your fi nal oral exam report (Graduate School, 316 Johnston Hall).

_____ 25. Edit your examined thesis.

_____ 26. To verify your progress, check with 316 Johnston Hall or call 625-0168 with any questions

regarding graduation deadlines.

24

_____ 27. Check-out / distribute thesis.

You must submit one bound thesis to the Graduate Coordinator, 1120 Mech Eng.

You will also need to return your keys and access card.

The Department will reimburse you for the copying and binding of one copy.

When ordering the copying and binding of your thesis, please request a separate receipt

for one copy. To obtain reimbursement (which will be mailed to your home address)

submit an original receipt to the purchase order desk in 101 ME.

25

VII. PROGRAM OF STUDY

As each graduate program is tailored to the individual, a proposed program of study is required

prior to extensive coursework completion. Each graduate student is expected to submit a Degree

Program Form to the Director of Graduate Studies for approval by the Departmental Graduate Faculty

and the Graduate School. It is essential that you complete this program of study form no later than your

second full-time semester (or your third part-time semester), to ensure that guidance and perspective

of your program direction can be provided and that diffi culties are avoided when you are preparing for

graduation. Hence, the need exists for early selection of a faculty adviser. The degree program form

is available in 1120 Mech Eng. Be sure to attach an unoffi cial transcript to your program form before

you submit it for review.

Special Points of Interest

• There are no specifi ed courses required in the program of study for the Mechanical

Engineering program (with the exception of the zero credit research ethics and professional

conduct course ). The Department, however, has some general guidelines regarding the

types of courses you will need to take (see the Core Program Criteria section). Determine

all courses in consultation with your adviser.

• Only the following 4xxx-level courses are currently acceptable for programs of

coursework:

• AEM 4511 Mechanics of Composite Materials

• AEM 4581 Mechanics of Solids

• BIOC 4325 Laboratory in Mass Spectrometry

• CHEM 4502 Physical Chemistry II

• EE 4541 Digital Signal Processing

• MATH 4512 Differential Equations with Applications

• PHYS 4051 Methods of Experimental Physics I

• PHYS 4101 Quantum Mechanics

• PHYS 4201 Statistical and Thermal Physics

• PHYS 4211 Introduction to Solid-State Physics

If a student wishes to include a different 4xxx-level course on his/her program, adviser and

DGS approval must be obtained prior to enrolling in the course.

• One graduate-level seminar is required of the master’s student, and two (beyond the

baccalaureate) of doctoral students. Include seminar credits in the course credit count

on the degree program form. Seminars may be taken in other departments or technical

disciplines.

• You must take all courses placed in the ‘major’ category on your program of study (Degree

Program Form) on an A/F base, with the exception of departmental seminars and the Plan B

26

class. You must also take the Mathematics/Numerical methods class on an A/F bases. You are

expected to take the great majority of non-major courses A/F. If you request to include a non-

major course on an S/N base, you must clear it with your adviser and the Director of Graduate

Studies. At that time, it is desirable that you bring a copy of your program of study to identify

the strength of your entire program.

• Courses on the program of study must meet a minimum GPA requirement. For MS students,

the minimum program GPA is 2.8; for PhD students, the minimum program GPA is 3.0.

• The Director of Graduate Studies will sign the form after graduate adviser approval. Turn

the form in for that approval to 1120 Mech Eng, after obtaining adviser approval. Note:

if you are offi cially declaring a minor, you will also need to gain the approval of the DGS

from your minor department prior to submitting to 1120 Mech. Eng.

• Permissible transfer of credit is explained in the Graduate School Catalog.

• If questions exist on the graduate caliber of courses taken elsewhere, you will be asked to

demonstrate that such courses are contained in the Graduate School Catalog, if the prior

institution has an accredited graduate program. You may also need to produce course syllabi

and class notes for courses in question.

• You may place courses from departments outside of mechanical engineering into your major

course category if they can be defended as central to the major concentration. Do this in

close consultation with your faculty adviser. Submit your program early as there have been

instances where too wide a spectrum of such courses, force-married to the major, have been

rejected. A Petition Form (available in 1120 Mech Eng) needs to accompany such intent

when you submit your program.

• You are encouraged to include 8000 level courses in your programs of study. However,

there is no set minimum number of such credits in a program. You may only use selected

4000 level courses from other departments, which are listed in section II, Registration.

• Whereas no formal credit count is stated for the doctoral degree in the Graduate School

Catalog (other than the 12 credits required in the supporting program or minor), the

Mechanical Engineering Department observes a nominal minimum standard between 44

and 50 semester credits including master’s course credits as a hallmark of adequate course

study.

• Do not confuse the Mechanical Engineering research courses with thesis credit registration:

[ME 8777 / 8888].

27

Petitions

Petitions are submitted along with or after a Degree Program has been approved by the Graduate

School, depending on the reason for the petition. If a change in the content of a program is

desired, but the program has already been approved by the Graduate School, you will need to

submit a petition. If you are requesting special transfer of coursework or an extension of time,

you may submit your petition along with your Degree Program Form.

• Submit a petition form signed by your adviser, to the Director of Graduate Studies, to request

a program of study variance.

• Fill in all requested information.

• If you propose large scale changes in your program — conversion from Plan A to B, B to A,

or course changes exceeding approximately three courses — submit a new degree program

form with the old program appended.

• Submit petitions in a timely fashion and not in a fl urry of effort as the program nears

consummation.

• The Director of Graduate Studies acts upon degree program form submissions unless major

variations from policy are requested. Such programs are referred to a scholastic standards

28

VIII. CORE PROGRAM CRITERIA

Graduate students in mechanical / industrial engineering prepare for professional participation

in a fi eld associated with wide diversity and rapid fl ux. Programs of study are fl exible enough to meet

individual student/adviser aspirations, while providing a framework which facilitates an education with

suffi cient versatility to gain perspective of the profession beyond tightly focused subspecialty goals.

M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering

Degree Program of Study Graduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department pursue a program of study

which embodies two major ingredients:

1. A disciplinary focus to amplify your knowledge in a specific area of technical

expertise.

2. A dimension of technical literacy beyond the disciplinary focus to equip yourself

with breadth of perspective to enable adaptation to future engineering challenges and

technological change.

Achieve technical literacy through the following types of course selections:

• Those offered within the Department but beyond the main concentration of

your study.

• Those taken outside the Department with suffi cient uniqueness to stand the

test of breadth.

• Technical courses which emphasize micro-scale phenomena in such areas as

materials, electronics, chemistry, and physics.

• Graduate-level courses in Mathematics or Numerical Methods (at least one

course is required in one of these disciplines for the M.S and Ph.D. programs

of study in Mechanical Engineering).

Proposed Program of Study ContentMinimum Course Distributions

Master of Science - Plan A 2 1*

Master of Science - Plan B 3 2*

Doctor of Philosophy

(beyond the Bachelor’s) 5 3*

* Including at least one course in mathematics or numerical methods - see Appendix B.

Minimum number of courses

selected from the categories

of technical literacy:

Minimum number of

courses selected to achieve

disciplinary focus:

29

Programs are also expected to meet Graduate School policy on major/minor distributions. See

the Degree Programs section (Section III) for further details.

The core program criteria apply to all mechanical engineering graduate students who will be

graduating under the semester system. They do not apply to industrial engineering graduate students

IX. THESIS CREDIT REGISTRATION

• Students completing a Plan A master’s degree in engineering are required to enroll for 10

master’s thesis credits (ME 8777) before receiving the degree.

• Master’s thesis credits may be registered for at any time in the student’s semesters of study.

List thesis credits on the degree program form but do not include them in the credit totals

at the bottom of the degree program form.

• Students completing a doctoral degree are required to enroll for 24 doctoral thesis credits

(ME 8888) before receiving a degree (students can register for a maximum of 18 in one

semester). Doctoral students may not register for thesis credits until the semester after they

have passed their preliminary oral examinations (see the Preliminary Oral Examinations

section). List thesis credits on the degree program form but do not include them in the credit

totals at the bottom of the degree program form.

Ph.D. students are urged to track their thesis enrollment to ensure that graduation criteria are

met as graduation becomes imminent. Thesis credits cannot be transferred from M.S. programs.

X. MASTER'S FINAL EXAM

The Graduate School requires a fi nal examination for all master’s candidates. This is an oral

examination, usually one hour in length. It is conducted by a minimum of three members of the graduate

faculty assigned at the time your degree program form is approved. At least two faculty members must

be from the major fi eld and one from the minor or supporting program area. The fi nal oral for the

master’s degree is conducted as a closed examination, attended by only the student and the examining

committee.

It is your responsibility to schedule the oral exam in consultation with your adviser and committee

members. You must notify the Graduate School at least one week prior to your examination date and

obtain the necessary forms from them.

This examination may relate to a combination of both dissertation content (for Plan B programs,

project and paper content) and technical course competence. Your adviser will propose strategy for the

examination and present this to the examiners when they convene. The committee will then indicate

its preference. However, it is wise to talk with examining committee members as the time for the

examination approaches to identify yourself and your background. Your fi nal presentation should be

well-prepared and succinct, and you should allow examiners ample time for questions and comments

on coursework.

30

XI. DOCTORAL PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION PROCEDURES

Ph.D. candidates in mechanical engineering must pass the following “qualifying” and “preliminary”

exams:

• Oral “qualifying” exams in three subject areas, taken relatively soon after entering the Ph.D.

program.

• A written preliminary exam that will be constituted by the Ph.D. thesis proposal, including a

critical review of the literature on the topic of the proposed research.

• An oral preliminary exam that will consist of a presentation on the proposed research,

followed by questioning that is focussed on material related to the proposed research.

Oral Qualifying Exams

After entering the Ph.D. program, but before taking the written Ph.D. preliminary exam, students

will be required to take three oral qualifying exams.

Timing

For students who enter the Ph.D. program after completion of an M.S. in mechanical engineering,

these exams should be taken in the fi rst semester upon admission to the Ph.D. program. For all other

students, the exams should be taken by the third semester in the Ph.D. program.

All exams will take place during Monday-Thursday. There will be an announcement the fi rst week

of the semester with the exact dates of the exam. The exam will usually be aorund the 9th to the 11th

week of each semester.

Registration for exam

In order to allow time for setting up committees and scheduling the exams, students planning to

take the exams must register well in advance of the exam week. The deadline for registration will be

announced early in each semester.

Length of exams

Normally exam will be 30 minutes long. However, exams may be extended up to 60 minutesto

allow examiners ample time to aarive at a fair evaluation of teh studentts' performance.

Choice of subjects

The subjects of the three exams must be selected from a menu of core subjects. Descriptions of

the level and content of the exams in each of these core subject areas follow below. The subjects are:

Fluid mechanics

Heat transfer

Machine design

Solid mechanics

System dynamics and control

Thermodynamics

31

Examining committees

The committee for each oral exam will consist of two members of the ME graduate faculty. The

adviser cannot be on the committee. In the case of multiple students taking the same subject exam, each

student will have the same committee, insofar as that is possible while still excluding the adviser. If that

cannot be arranged, then excluding the adviser will have priority over maintaining the same committee

for each student. The DGS is responsible for setting up committees and scheduling the exams.

Evaluation of exams

Immediately following each exam, each of the two examiners will independently grade the

student’s performance on a 10-point scale. If an examiner sees more than one student for the same

exams in the same subject, then he/she can revise their grades for consistency after they are all done.

Shortly after the exams are completed there will be a special meeting of the ME Graduate Faculty.

At this meeting all the raw scores will be presented and discussed, and fi nal decisions will be made

regarding pass, fail with retake (at most one retake allowed) or fail without retake allowed. The adviser

of each student being considered can participate in this discussion. If the result is fail with retake, then

the student must retake the entire examination, i.e. he/she must take three exams again, though not

necessarily the same three. Retake of the exams must occur during the oral qualifying exam week of the

next semester. For cases where a student performs poorly on a retake of the oral qualifying exams, the

adviser’s input will be considered before making the decision whether to fail the student and terminate

him or her from the Ph.D. program.

Topical content or exams in core subject areas

The following pages contain descriptions of the topical content of the oral qualifying exams in the

six core subject areas.

32

Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination in Fluid Mechanics

Background

The qualifying examination in fl uid mechanics will be used to assess the candidate’s understanding of fl uid

mechanics at an advanced undergraduate level. The successful candidate will demonstrate a working knowledge

of hydrostatics, conservation of mass, conservation of linear momentum, conservation of energy, Lagrangian

and Eulerian descriptions (frames of reference) as well as similitude and the Buckingham Pi theorem. These

subject areas are present in the vast majority of undergraduate fl uid mechanics courses/programs, and are the

minimum required to enter a graduate-level course in fl uid dynamics. Students should demonstrate a systematic

approach to fl uid systems analysis.

Topics that may be covered

• Hydrostatics (thermodynamics approach and force balances)

• Fluid kinematics, acceleration, Eulerian and Lagrangian descriptions

• System and Control Volume analysis, Reynolds transport theorem

• Incompressible Bernoulli equation and Euler’s equation, understanding their advantages and limitations

• General motion of a fl uid element; differential analysis of a fl uid element

• Conservation of mass, momentum, and energy

• Buckingham’s Pi theorem, dimensional analysis, similitude

• Viscous fl ows, e.g. pipe fl ows; planar Couette fl ow; lubrication; thin fi lms; venturis, orifi ce plates, obstruction

meters

• Boundary layers—laminar and turbulent: both fundamental understanding and appreciation for the role of

boundary layers in external and internal fl ows; developing fl ows; lift and drag

• Understanding of important dimensionless groups in fl uid mechanics, including Reynolds number, Mach

number, Weber number, Froude or Richardson number, etc.

Relevant courses (at the University of Minnesota)

• ME 3332, Thermal Sciences II (essential)

• ME 5341, Thermal Design (benefi cial)

• ME 5344, Thermodynamics of Fluid Flow (benefi cial)

Suggested references

Young, D.F., Munson, B.R., and Okiishi, T.H., Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, 5th Edition. John Wiley & Sons,

Inc., 2004

Fox, R.W., McDonald, A.T., and Pritchard, P.J. Introduction to Fluid Mechanics, 6th Edition, 2004

White, F.M., Fluid Mechanics, 4th Edition, McGraw Hill, 1999

33

Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination in Heat Transfer

Background

The qualifying examination in heat transfer will be used to assess the candidate’s understanding of heat transfer

at an advanced undergraduate level. The successful candidate will demonstrate a working knowledge of

the macroscopic and physical basis of the three primary modes of heat transfer: conduction, convection and

thermal radiation. Demonstration is required of an ability to analytically apply the Fourier law of conduction

and Newton’s law of cooling, to determine heat transfer rates in steady and transient situations in both one and

two dimensions. Familiarity (not memorization) with widely used empirical correlations for forced and free

convection is expected. For thermal radiation, candidates are expected to be able to compute heat transfer rates

via thermal radiation in enclosures with non-participating gases. Candidates must also demonstrate the ability

to conceptualize a thermal systems component or processing involving heat transfer to meet a desired need or

engineering objective.


• Thermodynamic foundation of heat transfer; heat transfer defi ned; Fourier’s law of heat transfer by conduction;

thermal conductivity

• Steady thermal conduction in one and two dimensions; planar systems, cylindrical systems, spherical systems;

overall heat transfer coeffi cient; insulation & R-values; critical thickness of insulation

• Steady conduction-convection systems; fi ns & thermal contact resistance; conduction in two dimensions;

unsteady heat transfer; lumped system analysis; Heisler charts

• Convection fundamentals; thermal boundary layer concepts; laminar and turbulent fl at plate boundary layers;

energy equation in two dimensions; Newton’s law of cooling

• Empirical relationships for engineering systems under forced convection: pipe fl ows, fl ow across cylinders,

spheres, tube banks

• Fundamentals and empirical relationships for natural convection systems

• Solid understanding of important dimensionless groups in heat transfer, including Reynolds number, Prandtl

number, Nusselt number, Biot number, Grashof number, etc.

• Radiation heat transfer fundamentals; physical mechanisms; radiation properties; shape factors; radiation

networks


• ME 3333, Thermal Sciences III (essential)

• ME 4331, Thermal Engineering Laboratory (benefi cial)

• ME 5341, Thermal Design (benefi cial)


Incropera, F.P., and DeWitt, D.P., Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 5th Edition, John Wiley & Sons,

Inc., 2002

Holman, J.P., Heat Transfer, 9th Edition, McGraw Hill, 2002

34

Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination in Machine Design

Background

The machine design qualifying exam covers topics on basic solid mechanics, energy methods, failure theories,

kinematics, dynamics, and machine elements. Most mechanical engineering programs address these topics in

undergraduate or beginning graduate level courses in machine design and mechanisms. A detailed list of potential

topics addressed in this exam is provided below. Courses where these topics are addressed at the University of

Minnesota are also provided, as well as textbooks that are recommended for preparing for this exam.


• Beam analysis; column buckling

• Energy methods: Castigliano’s theorem

• Static failure theories; fatigue analysis

• Degrees of freedom

• Displacement analysis: graphical & analytical displacement analysis; analysis of the four-bar linkage (&

slider-crank); Grashof’s criteria

• Velocity analysis: general velocity equation; velocity polygons; instant centers; analytical velocity analysis;

mechanical advantage; transmission angle

• Acceleration analysis: general acceleration equation; acceleration polygons; analytical accel eration

analysis

• Mechanism dynamics: free body diagrams; parallel axis theorem; Newton’s second law; D’Alembert’s

principle; work, energy and power; impulse and momentum; spring-mass-damper systems; friction

• Gears: the involute profi le; types of gears; simple gear trains; planetary gear trains; tooth forces

• Machine element design, selection and analysis: shafts, bearings, bolts, screws, springs

Relevant Courses (at the University of Minnesota)

• AEM 2021, Statics and Dynamics, or AEM 2012, Dynamics

• ME 3221 & 3222, Design & Manufacturing I & II

• ME 3281, System Dynamics & Control


Beer, Ferdinand P., Johnston, Jr., E. Russell, & Eisenberg, Elliot R., Vector Mechanics for Engineers: Dynamics,

Seventh Edition. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2004

Close, C. M., Frederick, D. K., and Newell, J. C., Modeling and Analysis of Dynamic Systems, Third Edition.

New York, NY: Wiley, 2002 (Chapters 2 & 5)

Erdman, Arthur G., Sandor, George N., and Kota, Sridhar, Mechanism Design: Analysis and Synthesis, Volume

I, Fourth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2001

Juvinall, R. C., and Marshek, K. M., Fundamentals of Machine Component Design, Fourth Edition, Hoboken,

NJ: Wiley, 2006

Ogata, Katsuhiko, System Dynamics, Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1998 (Chapter 3)

Shigley, J. E., Mischke, C. R., and Budynas, R. G., Mechanical Engineering Design, Boston, MA: McGraw-

Hill, 2004

35

Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination in Solid Mechanics

Background

This examination is intended to assess both mastery of subject matter and ability to apply basic concepts in the analysis of mechanical systems. The general exam content is the description of loads, deformations, strains and stresses in deformable bodies subjected to complex loading, as studied in a course on the mechanics of materials and used in numerical stress analysis.

The typical solid mechanics content of undergraduate mechanical engineering curricula cul minates with a course on deformable body mechanics. Prerequisite knowledge for the determi nation of structural loads and reactions for use in deformable body analyses is provided in courses on statics and dynamics.

As numerical methods are a basic skill in engineering analysis, there is a numerical simula tion component of the examination. The emphasis of the fi nite element stress analysis part of the examination is the creation and use of numerical models that accurately represent reality, not a review of the basic formulation of fi nite elements and solution procedures.


Analytical and numerical analyses

• Description of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional elastic stress states

• Elastic stress-strain relations in 2-dimensions and 3-dimensions

• Determination of internal reaction forces, moments, torques

• Compatibility of deformations

• Determination of stresses in structures

Complex mechanical structures requiring 3-dimensional analysis

• Combined stresses

• Stress transformations: equations, graphical representation (Mohr circle representation); determina tion of stress state at arbitrary orientation; principal stresses, principal strains, maximum shear stress

• Useful, special stress states (e.g., plane stress, plane strain)

Finite element modeling

• Accurate representation of reality

• 2-D vs. 3-D models, boundary conditions, applied loading

• Choice of element type

• Mesh refi nement

• Evaluation of results


• AEM 3031, Deformable Body Mechanics• ME 5221, Computer-Assisted Product Realization• ME 5228, Introduction to Finite Element Modeling, Analysis, and Design• ME 5241, Computer-Aided Engineering

Suggested referencesMechanics of Materials, J. M. Gere and S. P. Timoshenko (or Gere’s Mechanics of Materials)Mechanics for Materials, F. P. Beer, E. R. JohnstonAn Introduction to the Mechanics of Solids, S. H. Crandall, N. Dahl and T. J. LardnerFinite Element Modeling for Stress Analysis, R. D. CookANSYS: Release 10.0 Documentation - , Introduction: Basis Analysis Guide, Chapter 1, Get-

ting Started with ANSYS, Tutorials related to Structural Analysis

36

Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination in System Dynamics and Control

Background

The system dynamics and control exam covers modeling, analysis and design as detailed below. Background

for the system dynamics and control exam is contained in standard courses on system dynamics and control

found in virtually all mechanical engineering departments. References below are to texts that cover the expected

background.


• Formulation of models of mechanical, electrical, fl uid, thermal and mixed energy domain systems.

Identifi cation of energy sources, energy storage elements, energy dissipative elements and energy transforming

elements. Model simplifi cations including lumping, linearizing nonlinear elements and neglecting small

effects. Models in state-variable or input-output form.

• Derivation and analysis of system response. Response of fi rst and second order systems. Time constant,

undamped natural frequency, damped natural frequency and damping ratio. Solution of initial value problems

using the Laplace transform method. Frequency response of a system and Bode plots. Block diagrams and

block diagram algebra. System transfer functions and poles and zeros. The effect of pole and zero locations

on system response and stability.

• Design of SISO (single input, single output) feedback control system for a linear time-invariant system.

Transient response specifi cations such as rise time, settling time and peak overshoot. PID (proportional plus

integral plus derivative) control. Lead-lag and lag-lead control. System “type.” Final value theorem to fi nd

steady-state errors to standard (step, ramp, etc.) inputs in command and disturbance. Controller design using

root locus. Stability analysis using the Routh-Hurwitz method. Design of a control system using frequency

response. Gain margin, phase margin and bandwidth.


• ME 3281, System Dynamics and Control

• ME 5281, Analog and Digital Control Systems


R. H. Cannon, Jr., Dynamics of Physical Systems

C. M. Close, D. K. Frederick and J. C. Newell, Modeling and Analysis of Dynamic Systems

R. C. Dorf and R. H. Bishop, Modern Control Systems

G. F. Franklin, J. D. Powell and A. Emami-Naeini, Feedback Control of Dynamic Systems

K. Ogata, Modern Control Engineering

K. Ogata, System Dynamics

37

Ph.D. Oral Qualifying Examination in Thermodynamics

Background

The qualifying examination in thermodynamics will be used to assess the candidate’s understanding of

thermodynamics at an advanced undergraduate level. The successful candidate will demonstrate a working

knowledge of conservation of mass, the fi rst and second laws of thermodynamics, and property relationships of

single and two-phase fl uids. The exam will assess the knowledge of these topics in the context of engineering

systems, such as pumps, compressors, turbines, nozzles, mixing chambers and valves, using open and closed

thermodynamic systems.

Topics covered

• Concept of system, system boundaries, mass and energy transfer across system boundaries, and other

interactions of system with surroundings

• Conservation of mass and energy

• Thermodynamic properties (density, p-v-T relations, specifi c heats, internal energy, enthalpy, entropy)

• Ideal gases

• Second law of thermodynamics and its consequences: concept of effi ciency, Carnot effi ciency, irreversibility,

defi nition of entropy, entropy balance, isentropic and non-isentropic processes

• Analysis of power and refrigeration cycles

• Gas vapor mixtures: Dalton’s law, mixture specifi c heats, psychrometrics, mixture properties

• Thermodynamics of reacting fl ows: combustion, adiabatic fl ame temperature, enthalpy of combustion,

enthalpy of formation, chemical equilibrium


• ME 3331, Thermal Sciences I (essential)

• ME 5103, Thermal Environmental Engineering (benefi cial)

• ME 5344, Thermodynamics of Fluid Flow (benefi cial)

• ME 5446, Combustion (benefi cial)

• ME 5461, IC Engines (benefi cial)

• ME 5462, Gas Turbines (benefi cial)


Moran, M.J., and Shapiro, H.N., Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics, 5th Edition. John Wiley &

Sons, Inc., 2004

Sonntag, R.E., Borgnakke, C., and Van Wylen, G.J., Fundamentals of Thermodynamics, 6th Edition, John Wiley

& Sons, Inc., 2003

Cengel, Y.A., and Boles, M.A., Thermodynamics: an Engineering Approach, 4th Edition, McGraw Hill, 2002

38

Written Preliminary Examination

The written preliminary exam will be constituted by the Ph.D. thesis proposal.

Timing

After passing the oral qualifying exams students are eligible to take the written preliminary exam.

For students who enter the Ph.D. program after completion of an M.S. in mechanical engineering, the

written preliminary exam should be taken by their third semester in the Ph.D. program. For students

who enter the Ph.D. program without an M.S. in ME, the written preliminary exam should be taken by

the fi fth semester. While there is no fi xed due date for submitting the exam, it is recommended that

students submit it early enough in the semester (roughly, by the 8th week), to allow time for the exam to

be evaluated and then, if approved, to schedule the oral preliminary exam within the same semester.

Form of exam

The written preliminary exam will consist of a written thesis proposal. This proposal must explain

the motivations and signifi cance of the proposed research, must state the research objectives, and

must describe the methods by which they will be achieved. It must include a detailed critical review

of the major literature on the topic of the proposal. This review should indicate the current state of

understanding of the topic and should describe how the proposed research, if successful, will contribute

to that understanding.

Students are expected to write the thesis proposal independently, although the adviser can be

consulted during the process of formulating the proposal. Editorial assistance is permitted only with

regard to spelling and correct grammatical usage. If such assistance is used, the student must certify

that no assistance was provided other than in correcting spelling and grammar, and must identify the

person who provided this assistance.

Examining committee

The committee for the written preliminary exam will consist of the adviser(s) and at least two other

members of the mechanical engineering graduate faculty. Normally these will be the same faculty as

will subsequently serve on the student’s oral preliminary exam committee, minus the committee member

who represents the minor or supporting program.

Evaluation of the exam

The written preliminary exam must be judged satisfactory by all members of the examining

committee before the student can take the oral preliminary exam. All members of the committee must

indicate that they approve the exam. If one or more members of the committee deem the exam to be

unsatisfactory, then the committee must meet to decide what improvements will be required, and the

adviser must convey this information to the student in writing. In that case the student must submit

a revised thesis proposal to his/her committee by a specifi ed date. The committee must then decide

whether the revised examination is acceptable. If the committee decides that it is not acceptable, then

the student will be terminated from the Ph.D. program.

39

Oral Preliminary Examination

The oral preliminary exam will consist of a seminar presented by the student on his/her proposed

research, followed by questions from the examining committee concerning the proposed research and

related material.

Timing

The oral preliminary exam should be taken as soon as possible after the student has passed the

written preliminary exam, preferably the same semester if that can be scheduled.

Examining committees

The examining committee will be the same as for the written preliminary exam, with the addition of

at least one member from the minor or supporting program. (In cases where the student is coadvised,

and at least one of the advisers has graduate faculty standing in a minor or supporting program, the

committees for the written and oral exams can be identical.)

Form of exam

The exam will consist of an oral presentation by the student on his/her proposed research, and

of questioning by the committee about the proposed research. The length of the presentation should

be approximately 30 minutes, if it were not interrupted by questioning. The total length of the exam

should not exceed two hours.

The exam emphasizes the following:

• understanding of research topic

• ability to formulate a hypothesis or research plan

• demonstration of independence and creativity in solving problems

• ability to think logically

• ability to communicate

• ability to adequately respond to critical questioning by faculty

• demonstration of fl uency with the basic concepts that apply to the selected research area

Contents of visual aids used in any presentation, including slides, overheads, etc., must be the student’s

work, or must be appropriately attributed.

The adviser(s) cannot take any role in presenting the material to the rest of the committee or interpreting

and responding to questions.

It is up to the committee to decide whether to allow anyone other than committee members to attend the

presentation portion of the oral preliminary examination. Under normal circumstances, this examination

is closed to the public.

The examination is immediately followed by a deliberation of the committee on whether the student

passed, passed with reservations, or failed. Voting complies with Graduate School policies:

“The outcome of the examination, with all committee members present and voting, is recorded in

one of three ways: pass, pass with reservations, or fail. The voting proportions necessary for these

decisions are as follows: if the commitee consists of four members, a favorable verdict for passing

consists of either a unanimous vote or 3-1; if the committee consists of fi ve members, a favorable verdict

for passing consists of either a unanimous vote or a vote of 4-1; if the committee consists of six members,

a unanimous vote or a vote of 5-1 or 4-2 is needed. Candidates who do not earn committee votes in

these proportions fail the examination. If, in order to achieve the minimum number of votes to reach a

verdict of pass, any vote of pass with reservations is included, then the outcome will be recorded as a

40

pass with reservations. A vote to pass the student with reservations still constitutes a passing vote.”

Note that the Graduate School requires the following procedures if the committee decides that the

student has PASSED THE EXAMINATION WITH RESERVATIONS:

“...the student is informed immediately, but the committee is permitted one week in which to

convey its reservations to the student in writing, informing the student of the steps that must be taken

to remove them. A copy of this letter must be sent to the Graduate School. When the student has

satisfi ed the committee’s reservations, a second letter informing the student and the Graduate School

that the reservations have been removed and that the student may proceed toward the degree is also

required. Both letters should be written by the committee chair. The fi nal oral examination may not

be scheduled until the Graduate School has received a copy of the letter indicating that the reservations

have been removed.

“If the committee members disagree as to whether the reservations have been satisfactorily removed,

the committee chair asks for another vote, the results of which are subject to the same voting proportions

as the initial vote. If the student is unable to satisfy the committee’s reservations, his or her doctoral

candidacy and graduate student status may be terminated.”

It is within the prerogative of the preliminary oral examining committee to decide on additional steps

required to remove those reservations. If the committee so chooses, the student can retake part(s) of

the oral preliminary exam, but only one repetition is allowed. The committee will specify the format

and the date for that exam. This examination will be held as soon as possible.

Final Thesis Examining Committee

The fi nal thesis examining committee is assigned within three months after the successful

completion of the doctoral preliminary exams by fi ling the thesis proposal form with the Graduate

School. The Director of Graduate Studies will approve the members of this committee based on the

adviser’s recommendation. The committee will normally consist of faculty members who served on

the Preliminary Oral Examination committee. The fi nal oral examining committee requires at least

four members: the adviser(s) and at least two other members of the mechanical engineering graduate

faculty, and at least member with graduate faculty membership in the minor or supporting program.

XII. CHANGE OF STATUS

The Graduate School charges a $40.00 fee for all Change of Status requests. You must fi le a

Change of Status form with the Graduate School, 309 Johnston Hall, if you meet one of the following

criteria:

• You have completed your M.S. and want to pursue a Ph.D.

• You are majoring in M.E.or I.E. and would rather major in something else.

• You are majoring in M.E. or I.E. and want to add a second major.

• You have not completed your M.S. but want to switch to a Ph.D.

• You have not registered in the Graduate School within the past fall or spring term.

• You have completed your Ph.D., but would still like to take more courses

41

XIII. ANNUAL REVIEWS OF GRADUATE STUDENTS PROGRESS

The performance and progress of all graduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department

is evaluated annually by their advisers. This evaluation occurs during the latter part of spring semester,

in a meeting between the student and the adviser. Around April 1 all advisers receive a form for each of

their advisees, which contains information such as the student’s beginning date in the graduate program,

number of credits completed, GPA, and milestones such as fi ling of program of study, completion of

Ph.D. preliminary exams, and so forth. This form is meant to inform the adviser and also to serve

as the starting point for a discussion of the student’s progress. The adviser indicates, if appropriate,

whether performance in research is satisfactory, and is asked to comment. The form is then signed by

the adviser, the student, and fi nally the DGS, and is added to the student’s fi le

XIV. MAIL, MAILBOXES, BUILDING KEYS

Each full-time graduate student who is on appointment by the Mechanical Engineering

Department is given a mailbox upon check-in. You will automatically be assigned a mailbox by the

payroll offi ce.

Postings are distributed through mailboxes and electronic mailboxes. If you do not have a

departmental email account, please see section XV Computing Facilities.

The department supplies building and room keys by having the division chairman or faculty

member responsible for the laboratory area, contacting [email protected] you may then proceed to ,

1120 Mech. Eng., where you may pick up the keys that have been requested.

XV. STUDENT SHOP

The Student Shop, 180 ME, is a facility available to Mechanical Engineering students for

benchwork and basic and precision machining. All users of the shop are required to view a series of

shop training videos, which cover safety, lathes, and milling machines. Aside from basic hand tools,

major equipment now includes seven lathes, fi ve vertical type manual milling machines, two CNC

mills, a power hacksaw, two band-saws, a cold saw, a drill press, two pedestal grinders, a belt sander,

a jointer, and associated tooling.

In an effort to make information available, an assortment of catalogs, manuals, and a current

Thomas Register are conspicuously located and easily accessible for all to use. Consulting on material

availability, outside businesses, vendor products and services, possible design, machining capabilities of

the shop and related topics is encouraged and carried out in an informal manner, on a walk-in basis.

General rules and information about the student shop can be found by contacting Peter

Zimmerman in ME 180 (178E) for assistance.

42

XVI. COMPUTING FACILITIES

Two major computer facilities are available for graduate students within the Mechanical

Engineering Department: the Institute of Technology Instructional Computing Labs (ITICC), and the

Mechanical Engineering Department Computing Labs. Graduate students in mechanical / industrial

engineering may request usage of either or both facilities, as described below.

There are two main departmental computing labs which are accessible to graduate students - ME

10 and ME 472. They are fully networked; registered users are invited to freely move between the labs.

Accounts for these facilities are requested by printing out a New Account Request Form from http://

www.menet.umn.edu and submitting it to the ME Net Offi ce in ME 152. Users must also pick up an

access card from Jeanne Sitzmann, 1120 M.E. You must bring a deposit check for $20.00, payable to

the University of Minnesota, and your U-card to obtain an access card.

All workstations and personal computers are networked into the campus-wide Ethernet TCP/

IP fi ber-optic-based network. From the network, the workstations have access to other computing

resources, such as the supercomputer facilities of the Minnesota Supercomputer Center and the Army

High Performance Computing Research Center. Access the ME Webpage for an up-to-date list of

accessible facilities.

Graduate students obtain accounts for using the labs of the Institute of Technology Instructional

Computing Committee (ITICC) by paying the semester ITICC computing fee. The fee-payment

procedure is described in the Class Schedule. All fee-paying students receive a permanent, personal

fi le space of 10MB. Additional space of up to 50MB per class per semester is allocated to students

enrolled in classes utilizing ITICC labs.

The lab in ME 308 is equipped with Silicon Graphics workstations, IBM Pentium-based personal

computers, Hewlett-Packard high-capacity laser printers, color printers, and a CAD plotter. Both the

workstations and personal computers are networked to dual UNIX servers. All machines are equipped

with suffi cient local memory and disk resources to meet the demands of all software used in the lab.

The SGI workstations are used to run leading mechanical-design software packages, including

Parametric Technology Corporation’s “Pro/ENGINEER”, ANSYS Inc.’s “ANSYS”, and Mechanical

Dynamics Corporation’s “ADAMS”. Additionally, the workstations provide experience in a networked

computing environment for software development. Students can also access general-purpose

computational software such as “Mathematica” and “MATLAB” for course and project usage.

The IBM Personal Computers provide access to general-purpose offi ce software. All machines are

equipped with “Word” for word processing, “Excel” for spreadsheet analysis, “PowerPoint” for

professional-quality viewgraph preparation, and “Mathematica” for symbolic manipulation. These

programs are available for preparing student reports, presentations, and homework for any class.

Additionally, the Personal Computers are used to run engineering-based computer applications.

All software available in the Mechanical Engineering and ITICC labs is strictly limited to

academic usage only. The software may be used for coursework and research directly attributed to

your graduate program only. The software cannot be used for consulting under any circumstances. No

licensed software may be copied or removed from the labs.

43

APPENDIX A: Thesis Binding Information

There are two recommended local establishments who offer binding/photocopying services:

U of MN Bindery 625-1092

G-14 Coffman Memorial Union

Copying: 18¢ per page (cotton bond paper) 12¢ per page (regular bond)

Binding: $21.00 per volume

Time: Allow at least one week for production.

Payment: They will bill the student, but they will not release the copies (except the copies that

go to the Graduate School) until the bill is paid.

Kinko’s

Copying: 25¢ per page (cotton bond paper)

Binding/ $24.95 per volume (4-5 days)

Time: $35.00 per volume (2 day rush)

$55.00 per volume (1 day turnaround - available the next weekday p.m.)

Payment: Cash / check / credit card upon pickup

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APPENDIX B: Approved Mathematics/Numercial Methods Courses

Listed below are the approved courses that will satisfy the mathematics / numerical methods requirement

in partial fulfi llment of your graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, course must be taken A/F.

Aerospace EngineeringAEM 5251. Computational Fluid Mechanics.

AEM 8201. Fluid Mechanics I.

AEM 8251. Finite-Volume Methods in Computational Fluid Dynamics.

Chemical EngineeringCHEN 8201. Applied Mathematics I: Linear Analysis.

CHEN 8202. Applied Mathematics II: Nonlinear Analysis.

Civil EngineeringCE 8022. Numerical Methods for Free and Moving Boundary Problems.

CE 8336. Boundary Element Methods I.

CE 8337. Boundary Element Methods II.

CE 8401. Fundamentals of Finite Element Method.

CE 8402. Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis.

CE 8572. Computational Environmental Fluid Dynamics.

Computer ScienceCSCI 5302. Analysis of Numerical Algorithms.

CSCI 5304. Computational Aspects of Matrix Theory.

CSCI 8314. Iterative Methods for Linear Systems.

CSCI 8323. Numerical Solutions of Linear Least Square Problems.

CSCI 8363. Numerical Linear Algebra in Dynamical Systems.

Electrical EngineeringEE 5231. Linear Systems and Optimal Control .

Geological EngineeringGEOE 8336. Boundary Element Methods I.

GEOE 8337. Boundary Element Methods II.

Industrial EngineeringIE 5522. Quality Engineering and Reliability.

IE 5531. Engineering Optimization I.

IE 8531. Engineering Optimization II.

IE 8532. Stochastic Processes and Queuing Systems.

MathematicsMATH 4512. Differential Equations with Applications

MATH 5481. Mathematics of Industrial Problems I.

MATH 5482. Mathematics of Industrial Problems II.

MATH 5485. Introduction to Numerical Methods I.

MATH 5486. Introduction to Numerical Methods II.

MATH 5487. Comp.Methods for Differential and Integral Equations in Engineering Science I.

MATH 5488. Computational Methods for Differential and Integral Equations in Eng Science II.

MATH 5525. Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations.

MATH 5583. Complex Analysis.

MATH 5587. Elementary Partial Differential Equations I.

MATH 5615H. Honors: Introduction to Analysis I.

MATH 5651. Basic Theory of Probability and Statistics.

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MATH 5711. Linear Programming and Combinatorial Optimization.

MATH 8365. Riemannian Geometry.

MATH 8366. Riemannian Geometry.

MATH 8385. Calculus of Variations and Minimal Surfaces.

MATH 8386. Calculus of Variations and Minimal Surfaces.

MATH 8387. Mathematical Modeling of Industrial Problems.

MATH 8388. Mathematical Modeling of Industrial Problems.

MATH 8401. Mathematical Modeling and Methods of Applied Mathematics.

MATH 8402. Mathematical Modeling and Methods of Applied Mathematics.

MATH 8431. Mathematical Fluid Mechanics.

MATH 8432. Mathematical Fluid Mechanics.

MATH 8441. Numerical Analysis and Scientifi c Computing.

MATH 8442. Numerical Analysis and Scientifi c Computing.

MATH 8445. Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations.

MATH 8446. Numerical Analysis of Differential Equations.

MATH 8450. Topics in Numerical Analysis.

MATH 8501. Theory of Ordinary Differential Equations.

MATH 8502. Dynamical Systems and Differential Equations.

MATH 8503. Bifurcation Theory in Ordinary Differential Equations.

MATH 8581. Applications of Linear Operator Theory.

MATH 8582. Applications of Linear Operator Theory.

MATH 8583. Theory of Partial Differential Equations.

MATH 8584. Theory of Partial Differential Equations.

MATH 8651. Theory of Probability Including Measure Theory.

MATH 8652. Theory of Probability Including Measure Theory.

MATH 8654. Fundamentals of Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes.

MATH 8655. Stochastic Calculus with Applications.

MATH 8659. Stochastic Processes.



Mechanical EngineeringME 5228. Introduction to Finite Element Modeling, Analysis, and Design.

ME 5351. Computational Heat Transfer.

ME 8228. Finite Elements in Multidisciplinary Flow/Thermal/Stress and Man. Applications.

ME 8229. Finite Element Methods for Computational Mechanics: Transient/Dynamic Problems.

ME 8253. Computational Nanomechanics.

ME 8341. Advanced Heat Transfer I.

ME 8345. Computational Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow.

PhysicsPHYS 5041. Analytical and Numerical Methods of Physics I.

PHYS 5042. Analytical and Numerical Methods of Physics II.

Scientifi c ComputingSCIC 8021. Advanced Numerical Methods.

SCIC 8031. Modeling, Optimization, and Statistics.

SCIC 8041. Computational Aspects of Finite Element Methods.

StatisticsSTAT 5021. Statistical Analysis.

STAT 5101. Theory of Statistics I.

STAT 5102. Theory of Statistics II.

STAT 5303. Designing Experiments.

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F98 X ME 806 Mech. Instability 3 B+ UW Madison

W99 X ME 8370 Exper. Methods in HT 4 B

W99 X CSCi 5301 Numerical Comp. 4 B

S99 X ME 8227 Fin.Elem in Metal . 4 AS99 X ME 8773 Mechanical Eng.Sem 1 SS99 X EE 5636 Optical System Design 4 A-

F00 X ME 8221 New Product Dev I 4 B

F00 X IE 5553 Sim. of Mfg.Systems 4 B

S00 X ME 8222 New Product Dev. II 4 A-S00 X ME 8794 Mech. Eng. Rsrch 4 A

TOTAL MAJOR CREDITS____ TOTAL OTHER PROGRAM CREDITS ____ TOTAL CREDITS ____

Semester Credits

Courses taken under a

semester system. Include

the number of credits

originally listed on your

transcript as semester

credits. Also include the

instructor's name.

Your TOTAL CREDITS count

should be the sum of all of your

course credits.

Adviser’s Signature

This is required before

you submit this form to

1120 M.E.

DGS Signature

Major Field

The DGS will approve

your program if it ful! lls

the minimum

requirements for your

degree.

DGS Signature

Minor Field

If you are declaring a

minor, you will need to

obtain this signature be-

fore you submit this form

to 1120 M.E.

Sample Degree Program Form(also see Core Program Criteria, section VIII)

Your TOTAL MAJOR CREDITS count should

be the sum of your credits applied to the 'Major'

category.

Your TOTAL OTHER PROGRAM CREDITS count

should be the sum of your credits applied to the 'Other

Program' category.

F98 X ME 566 Cryogenics 3 A- UW Madison

F98 X ME 418 Eng. Des w/Polymers 3 B UW Madison

Transfer Credits

Include any transfer

work taken at another

institution, using the

original credit counts.

Also include the

institution name.

ME 8777 Thesis Credits 10

NOTE: If you are completing a thesis,

include thesis credits at the bottom of

the page, but do not include them in the

TOTAL CREDITS section.

27 9.33 36.33

department of mechanical engineering handbook 2010.… · doctoral prelim exam procedures ......

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