Mechanical Engineering Ph.D.
Contact Information
Dr. Michael Langerman
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Civil/Mechanical Building, Room 172
(605) 394-2408
Lisa Carlson
Graduate Education Coordinator
605) 394-5261
Lisa.Carlson@sdsmt.edu
Department Website
For more detailed information visit http://me.sdsmt.edu
Please view our virtual tour of the department.
Program Summary
The Doctor of Philosophy program at the School of Mines helps mechanical engineer professionals advance to the next academic and professional level. With a PhD in ME, professionals can work as an educator and/or work in advanced research, design, and development. You'll be well prepared for whatever path you choose to take after graduate school. The ME department at the School of Mines is committed to helping students achieve their doctoral degree by fostering a culture of high quality research work through regular presentations by faculty and research assistantship opportunities.
The ME department has close ties with both the Advanced Materials Processing center (AMP), which boasts a world-class friction stir welding system, and the Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (AML), which houses both the laser powder deposition laboratory and direct write laboratory. The Polymer Technology, Processing, and Composites Laboratory and Computational Mechanics Laboratory (CML) are both new additions to SDSM&T.
Program Description
The primary goals of the program are to develop the scholastic ability, independent creativity, and professional competence of an individual to a higher level than is possible in an undergraduate program.
The PhD graduate program offers opportunities for instruction and research in manufacturing, vibrations, compliant structures, controls, experimental mechanics, fracture mechanics, composite materials, finite element analysis, advanced materials processing, micro machines, probabilistic design, transport phenomena, hydrodynamic stability, computational methods in heat transfer and fluid mechanics, multiphase thermal-hydraulic systems, and geothermal energy systems.
The PhD graduate program features courses in continuum mechanics, advanced mechanical vibrations, advanced mechanical system control, statistical approaches to reliability, advanced solid mechanics, integrated manufacturing systems, robotics, applied intelligent control, theory of materials behavior, composite materials, and computational methods in transport phenomena.
The ME PhD program consists of 80 total credits for a student entering the program with a B.S. degree. Students entering the program will be required to submit a plan of study and choose an advisor within the first two semesters of coursework.
The curriculum is designed around both options of entering the program with a Bachelor's of Science or Master's of Science degree. For the student designing their program around a B.S. degree, the coursework includes 6 hours of required core credits (ME 673, Applied Engineering Analysis I and ME 773, Applied Engineering Analysis II), 12 hours of minor credit requirements (if applicable), 30 hours of dissertation, and a remaining 32 credit hours of coursework directly determined by the area of emphasis the student chooses to study.
Students completing a doctoral degree are required to enroll for 24 doctoral dissertation credits (ME 898) before receiving a degree (students can register for a maximum of 18 in one semester). Doctoral students may not register for dissertation credits until the semester after they have passed their preliminary oral examinations.
Each student's Advisory Committee, on behalf of the ME faculty, will evaluate individual student progress through qualifying and comprehensive exams, seminars, the publishing and presentation record of the student, and the dissertation defense process
