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MME Graduate Handbook

MME Graduate Student Handbook

Introduction

Mission

Mechanical engineering is concerned with quantitative analysis and application of engineering science to solve engineering problems. The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering prepares students for future engineering practice that requires a higher level of mastery in mechanical engineering. It is best suited for individuals with backgrounds in mechanical engineering or related areas (such as materials science or physics).

Objectives

Graduates would go on to careers which focus on advanced technology. They may find research positions in federal laboratories, higher-level technical positions in industries, or may seek to further their education through a doctoral program in engineering at another university.

Outcomes

The educational outcomes of graduates of this program are listed below.

  • The student will demonstrate an ability to apply analytical, computational and/or experimental techniques to solve engineering.
  • Through either a thesis or research project, demonstrate the ability to define a novel and pertinent research problem, perform background research, identify a project or research methodology to address the problem, and demonstrate independence in contributing to solutions or further understanding of the problem.
  • The student will demonstrate an ability to communicate effectively, in writing and oral presentations, the results of research or project work.
  • The student will demonstrate an ability to acquire, understand and apply knowledge, beyond the undergraduate level of mechanical engineering.

Application and Admission Information

Application Process

Applicants can apply online through the Miami University Graduate School via the Miami’s web portal. It is recommended to first consult this "how to apply" page at MME department page.

Deadline for the full consideration for admission and financial aid are:

  • February 1 for fall semester (mid-August): Recommended for financial aid
  • October 1 for spring semester (late January): Limited financial aid available

Applications that arrive after these deadlines may be considered, especially for the students in the combined (BS+MS) program, but the admission into the program may be delayed.

Admission Type

The Miami University Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering program offers a research-oriented thesis option as well as a project based non-thesis option master’s degree programs to students who hold a bachelor's degree in mechanical and/or manufacturing engineering, science, or closely related fields. Prospective students with a bachelor's degree in a closely related field may be accepted into the program if they can demonstrate knowledge at an acceptable level in the mechanical systems, thermal-fluids, materials and mechanical design areas. Students who enter the thesis –based master's program will complete a thesis related to one of the current research interest areas of the faculty. Completion of the degree is expected to take one and a half to two years. Students must also meet all of the requirements of Miami University’s Graduate School.

Requirements for Admission

To be considered for the Mechanical Engineering master’s program, prospective students will be ranked and selected for admission based on the following criteria:

  • Must have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and meet the minimum standards of the Graduate School
  • A Baccalaureate degree in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering or a related discipline.
  • Undergraduate minimum GPA (2.75+ overall or 3.0+ in advanced coursework)
  • GRE scores (the test must have been taken within the last two years and must be reported via an official score sheet from the GRE administration)
  • Official English Proficiency scores for international students (minimum scores required: TOEFL iBT > 65 or IELTS > 5.5)
  • Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the applicant’s potential for success in graduate studies
  • Student's narrative describing the purpose of graduate study
  • Resume highlighting education, work experience, skills, undergraduate project summary and research experience or publications (if any)

Conditional Admissions

  • Students whose grade point average is under 3.0 may be admitted on Conditional Status. These students must achieve a 3.0 average during their first 12 hours of graduate work in order to remain in the program.
  • International applicants who do not meet the English language proficiency requirements for regular graduate admission may be considered for Conditional Admission. Refer to Miami guidelines.

Combined BS/MS Program Admission

The MME Department offers the opportunity for high performing undergraduate students to combine their studies with a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering. The Combined Bachelor’s and Master’s (BS+MS) program allows students to begin working toward a master’s degree while completing their bachelor’s degree. Benefits of the combined program include:

  • Students can begin working with professors on a research problem in their major
  • Students can take advanced-level graduate courses while working on their bachelor’s degree
  • Students can “double count” up to 9 credit hours (typically 3 courses) toward both degrees
  • Students can earn both degrees in a shorter time than would be required by the two separate programs

Students can declare their interest in the combined program anytime during their academic career at Miami, from the time they apply for undergraduate admission. Up to 9 credit hours may be double-counted for their graduate coursework. The actual number of hours double-counted may vary due to the student's undergraduate preparation.

Acceptance Criteria for the admission in the Combined Program

Upon earning a minimum of 64 hours and having a GPA of 3.25 or greater, students may apply to our combined program by visiting our Admission page.

Students in the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering Department with a declared major in Mechanical Engineering and/or Manufacturing Engineering can apply for early admission into this MS degree. Students from other majors are welcome to apply and should contact the graduate program director for advice.

To be considered for the combined degree program, applicants should have completed the engineering courses recommended for the first two years of study and their prerequisites. Preferably, they should have taken MME 311, MME 312 and/or MME 305 courses or their equivalent at the time of application.

Students applying should follow the procedure outlined in the how to apply page. Be sure to check “combined program” while filling out the Miami online graduate application and notify the MME graduate program director of your intent to apply. Transcripts do not need to be submitted. Also, students having a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher are not required to take the GRE. Admitted international students meeting Miami’s English proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS) skill requirements do not need to retake this test.

Other Combined Program Rules

Students in the combined program will remain undergraduates until they submit a request to the Graduate School to have their classification changed from undergraduate to graduate (or until they apply for graduation). Students must have completed a minimum of 128 hours to be classified as a graduate student. Students may receive their bachelor’s degree prior to completing their master’s degree. Upon receiving the bachelor’s degree, students will automatically be classified as graduate students. Students receiving the bachelor’s degree prior to completing the master’s degree can count up to 9 hours of graduate coursework toward their bachelor’s degree.

A minimum of 150 hours is required for the combined program and students must have 120 semester hours’ minimum for a bachelor's degree and 30 hours minimum for a master’s degree. For every credit hour that a student goes under 120 hours of Bachelor’s Degree and therefore plans to use Graduate hours to make up the difference, they must have a graduate credit hour above 30.

Students in the combined program are eligible to hold a graduate assistantship or graduate grant-in-aid upon being classified as a graduate student.

Graduate Assistantships and Financial Aid

Graduate Assistantships (GAs) are available on a competitive basis for graduate students who are working toward a master’s degree with a thesis option.

These GAs provide for tuition waiver as well as a stipend. Graduate assistants are assigned to support the department's teaching and research needs and their assignment involves a maximum of 20 hours per week of responsibilities.

For full consideration for GAs students are advised to have their application into the Graduate School and the department by the application deadline (February 1st for Fall and October 1st for Spring) prior to the academic year in which they desire to enroll.

Other forms of financial aid, such as summer scholarships for graduate assistants and grants-in-aid are available from the Graduate School. Refer to graduate school page for more information:

https://miamioh.edu/graduate-school/awards-recognition/index.html

Applying for Graduate Assistantships and Grants

When applying for the graduate program, students should state their desire to be considered for an assistantship (should check the box on the application that indicates interest in an assistantship). It is recommended that they highlight their skills (software, lab etc.) and teaching experience (if any) in their resume submitted with the application.

Conditions and Restrictions

As per the policies of the graduate school, graduate assistantships are subjected to the following conditions and restrictions. For more detailed information for graduate award holders refer to:

https://miamioh.edu/policy-library/students/graduate/graduate-award-holders/index.html

  • Students with conditional admission are not eligible for graduate assistantships until they have satisfied the conditions outlined in their admission offer.
  • Students have to maintain satisfactory progress toward their graduate degree to be eligible for graduate assistantship. They have to maintain a GPA of at least 3.0 and need to register full time with at least 9 graduate credit hours per semester to be eligible for graduate assistantship.
  • Students have to submit a petition to graduate school and seek special permission to hold a graduate assistantship if their GPA is dropped below 3.0 at any time of their graduate assistantship. Failure to get permission will result in the loss of their graduate assistantship.
  • Combined program students will be eligible for graduate assistantships only when they have obtained graduate standing (completion of least 128 credit hours)
  • A student cannot hold an undergraduate scholarship at the same time as a graduate assistantship.

Awarding of Assistantships

Limited numbers of Graduate Assistantship awards are made on a competitive basis based on the needs of the Department. Because many positions involve teaching assistant duties, applicants will normally be evaluated based on:

  • Intellectual ability and past academic performance
  • Promise of future academic performance, as highlighted in letters of recommendations and GRE scores
  • Proficiency in communication skills (TOEFL or English proficiency scores for international students)
  • Maturity and motivation
  • Preparedness, including mastery of prerequisites
  • Fit to the needs of the Department

Responsibilities of Graduate Assistants

  • Students work for up to 20 hours per week for the Department or Miami. Duties can include teaching and/or research responsibilities.
  • Students with teaching and/or administrative duties work 20 hours per week for the Department, during fall and spring terms.
  • Students with research duties work for 18 hours per week during the fall, winter, and spring terms.

Term and Renewal of Assistantships

Assistantships are usually granted for one year and in some cases (e.g. spring admission) it may be grated for only one semester. Graduate assistantships including research and teaching assistantships are not renewed automatically. Each semester their performance in research (for research assistantships) and teaching duties are assessed by research advisors and instructors for which teaching duties are assigned to teaching assistants. Based on their satisfactory performance (high scores on the assessment rubrics), their assistantship will be renewed. The performance of graduate students will be monitored and assessed by a faculty or staff advisor and the Graduate Director. Assistantships are granted for a maximum of two years, however in some exceptional cases they may be extended for an extra semester.

Summer Scholarships for Graduate Assistants

Each year, the Graduate School sends summer scholarship guidelines to students and students are responsible for applying for this scholarship before its deadline (as indicated in the guidelines).

Additional Scholarships for Graduate Assistants

There are other scholarship opportunities available from Miami University and external agencies. Students should consult with their potential research advisors to apply for those scholarships/fellowships. Link of some of these scholarships are provided below:

Requirements for Master’s Degree

Program Requirements

The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering prepares students for future engineering practice that requires a higher level of mastery in mechanical engineering. It is best suited for individuals with backgrounds in mechanical engineering or related areas such as materials science or physics. The degree includes courses in computer-based modeling, advanced mechanics of materials, control of dynamics systems, thermal-fluid systems, and mechanical behavior of materials as well as a limited number of additional courses in science, mathematics, or engineering.

The degree is offered with thesis and non-thesis options. All students are required to complete graduate coursework as defined below.

  • Students in the thesis option must earn a total of 24 credit hours in concentration and elective courses (with a minimum of 15 credit hours of concentration courses), two credit hours in graduate seminar and six credit hours of master’s thesis, for a minimum of 32 total credit hours.
  • Students in the non-thesis option must earn a total of 30 credit hours in concentration and elective courses (with a minimum of 18 credit hours of concentration courses), one credit hour in graduate seminar and three credit hours of a graduate research project, for a minimum of 34 total credit hours.

Students must complete one of the following two options:

  • The research option requires completion of a minimum of 32 credit hours of graduate study and any additional hours needed to satisfy prerequisites. The distribution of hours is summarized as follows:
  • Concentration (15 hours***) and elective courses (9 hours) = Total 24 hours
  • Graduate Seminar (take twice, advised to take during first 2 semesters) - MME 610 (1 hour each for 2 total hours)
  • Research for Master's Thesis - MME 700 (6 hours)

Option 2 - Course intensive option (non-thesis)

The course intensive option requires the completion of a minimum of 34 credit hours and any additional hours needed to satisfy prerequisites. The distribution of hours is summarized as follows:

  • Concentration (18 hours***) and elective (12 hours) courses = Total 30 hours
  • Non-Thesis Project - MME 704 (3 hours)
  • Graduate Seminar - MME 610 (1 hour)

***At least 3 credit hours must be MME 6XX from the list of concentration courses

Concentration courses (15 hrs.)

  • MME 503 Heat Transfer (3)
  • MME 512 Advanced Mechanics of Materials (3) *
  • MME 513 Compressible Flow (3)*
  • MME 536 Control of Dynamic Systems (3) *
  • MME 570 Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering (3-6)**
  • MME 595 Introduction to Applied Nonlinear Dynamics (3) *
  • MME 613 Computational Fluid Dynamics (3)
  • MME 615 Advanced Vibration (3)
  • MME 621 Finite element Analysis (3)
  • MME 623 Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3)
  • CPB 612 / MME 612 Engineering Analysis (3)

Elective Courses

  • CPB 512 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (3)
  • CPB 514 Mass Transfer (3)
  • CPB 518 Biological Transport Phenomena (4)
  • CPB 611Transport Phenomenon (3)
  • CSE 541 Application of Technical Computing Tools (1) *
  • CSE 543 High Performance Computing (3) *
  • CSE 609 Programming for Engineers and Scientists (3)
  • CSE 615 Mathematical Modeling (3)
  • CSE 616 Simulation of Physical Systems (3)
  • ECE 525 Digital Signal Processing (3)
  • MTH 532 Optimization (3)
  • MTH 535 Mathematical Modeling Seminar (3)
  • MTH 632 Advanced Optimization
  • PHY 523 Materials Physics (4)
  • PHY 537 Thermodynamics and Intro to Statistical Physics
  • PHY 527 Nano-scale Science and Technology (3)
  • PHY 551 Classical Mechanics (4)
  • PHY 583 Math. Methods in Physics
  • STA 501 Probability (3)
  • STA 563 Regression Analysis (4)
  • STA 566 Experimental Design Methods (4)

* Students who have taken the 400-level of this course or its equivalent must substitute another course.

** Special topics which are pre-approved by the department for graduate level courses.

Final Exam Requirements

As per the guidelines of the Miami University graduate degree requirement, a student is required to pass a final examination (thesis defense/oral exam) that covers the entire field of their graduate study.

  • Thesis option: The “final exam” is an oral exam that takes the form of a public presentation and defense of the student’s thesis. A written thesis, approved by the committee, is also required to be submitted. A passing grade by the thesis committee members led by the thesis advisor is required for satisfying the final exam requirement.
  • Non-thesis option: The “final exam” is an oral presentation in front of the project committee which is followed by submission of the project report. A passing grade by the committee members led by project advisor is required for satisfying the final exam requirement.
  • As per the Miami policy, if a student fails the examination on the first attempt, the student is allowed to retake the exam once, after a waiting period of at least 30 days. A student may only take the examination two (2) times and students that fail a second time will be dismissed from the program.

Grades and Credit/No-Credit Courses

All courses other than MME/ECE 610, MME 700, and MME 704 must be taken for a grade if they will be used to satisfy the degree requirements. Independent study (MME 677) can be taken as credit/no-credit but they will not be counted towards the course requirements (32 credit hours for thesis option and 34 credits for non-thesis option) towards their graduation.

Minimum GPA Requirement

The minimum grade point average (GPA) required by the Graduate School for an advanced degree is 3.0 in both your major field and your total grade point average. The computation of the GPA includes all graduate and undergraduate courses. If your GPA falls below 3.0, you will receive a warning letter allowing you to register for one additional semester to raise your grade point average to the required 3.0. If your GPA remains below a 3.0 after completing an additional semester of coursework, you may not register for any further graduate credit at Miami University (unless the GPA is due to Incompletes).

Graduate Student Responsibilities and Conduct

MME graduate program has a diverse student body which includes students from multiple cultures, countries, thought, opinion, and values. It is important to follow two core principles of Miami University: “Love and Honor” and to ensure that everyone is treated with respect, and gains the most benefit from our program. Students should read the following guidelines outlined in the graduate student policies which are relevant to their responsibilities and conduct as graduate students:

Advising

New Students

New students admitted to the Mechanical Engineering graduate program must meet with the Graduate Program Director for initial advising and course selections, preferably the week prior to the start of the fall semester. All students are required to attend the orientation sessions held by Miami, college and department. Students who are supported by assistantships are required to attend an orientation session and failure to do so may result in loss of their assistantship.

First-Semester Advisor

The Graduate Program Director of the Mechanical Engineering Program is the advisor for all first semester students unless they have identified a thesis adviser. Students should identify research areas and identify their thesis advisor during the first semester.

Thesis/Research Advisor

Students should try to become familiar with the faculty of the department and begin thinking about a research topic and a potential faculty member to act as a thesis advisor during their first semester. One way to do this is by selecting MME/ECE 610 (Research Seminar) courses that highlight a faculty member’s research interests. It is the student’s responsibility to approach one or more faculty members and ask whether they are available to supervise the student’s graduate research and also act as a permanent academic advisor. A faculty member may advise multiple graduate students at a time, so the student’s first choice of an advisor may not be able to accommodate them. You are not required to choose a thesis advisor who is a member of the MME department. If you choose a non-MME thesis advisor, they will carry the designation of thesis co-advisor and another MME department member must be chosen as thesis co-advisor.

Faculty members supervise research in an area of their own interest. A student may have to modify or change their research area of choice to align with the research interests of a MME faculty member. It is the student’s responsibility to identify a faculty advisor during the second semester of their first year in the MS program. Due to thesis requirements, delaying advisor selection.

Thesis Requirement

Successful completion of thesis research directed by the department faculty is defined as a culminating experience for the Thesis option. Refer to Graduate School policy.

MME 700

Students are required to complete at least 32 semester hours of work, of which at least six hours has to be thesis credit course MME 700. It is expected that these six hours will be distributed over at least two semesters or more. The rules for the thesis credit courses are as follows:

  • Enrollment in the MME 700 is allowed with the permission of the student’s thesis adviser.
  • A minimum of two semesters of enrollment in MME 700 are required.
  • Enrollment in the last semester of MME 700 requires presentation and approval of your thesis proposal by your thesis committee.
  • Students can enroll in more MME 700 credits to maintain their full time status while finishing up their thesis research
  • A passing grade in this course is a requirement for graduation.

Distinction between MME 677, MME 700 and MME 704

The topics and scope of Independent study (MME 677) has to be different from research thesis credits (MME 700) and non-thesis project credits (MME 704). MME 677 will not be substituted for MME 700 and MME 704.

Graduate Research: The Thesis

There are mainly two important phases of graduate research, known as proposal phase and research execution phase. Each phase can take a minimum of two semesters to complete. Although there is no specific guideline on executing or starting the research, it is expected that students will spend the majority of their time in the first two semesters for proposal writing. During this proposal writing phase, the student may register for the MME 700 (Thesis Research) between 2 to 5 credit hours based on their schedule and minimum credit hours requirements.

During the proposal phase, the main activities of the student should be:

  • Selecting a faculty advisor if that was not selected prior to joining the program
  • Meet with faculty advisor to choose a research topic
  • Meet with faculty advisor and graduate program coordinator to prepare a plan of study, i.e. list of courses need to be taken
  • Start conducting the literature review as directed by the Advisor
  • Start preparing the research proposal
  • Selecting the thesis committee in discussion with the Advisor
  • Finalizing the thesis proposal with the feedback of Advisor and thesis committee members
  • Present or defend your thesis proposal to the committee and public
  • Obtain written approval of your proposal from the committee

Students should consult with their advisor on the contents of the proposal. A good proposal should:

  • Include a thorough literature review
  • Identify the gap in the literature or an unsolved research question
  • Propose a solution to the research problem
  • Lay out convincing research tasks to address the research problem

The student should complete the thesis proposal before the start of the third semester. Upon approval from the thesis committee, the student should continue with the research plans under close supervision of his/her advisor.

In the research execution phase, the student should try to achieve all the research goals as proposed to the committee. With the agreement of the faculty advisor, the student should start writing his/her thesis compiling the completed research tasks (See Appendix 10.2). The student should complete the draft of the thesis and finalize the draft with the feedback of the faculty advisor. Once the faculty advisor approves, the thesis draft should be sent to other members of the committee. The student should give at least one week to the committee members to read the thesis before scheduling the final thesis defense or presentation. Upon agreement of all the members of the thesis committee, final thesis defense or examination will be scheduled. The student is required to prepare a 30 - 45 minute presentation to present in front of the committee and the public. Students should review the presentation with their advisor prior to presenting in front of the committee. The final thesis defense or examination should include 30 - 45 minutes of presentation followed by another 30 - 45 minutes of questions and answers. First, it will be open for the public to ask questions. Then, there will be a closed door session with the committee members, where the committee members will ask more in-depth and detailed questions on every aspect of the thesis. Then the student will be asked to leave the room, while the committee members discuss among themselves to decide whether the student passed the defense or not. There are mainly two parts in the examination, the presentation and the thesis document. Students may pass the thesis defense, but still may need to perform major or minor corrections to his/her thesis.

Upon the completion of the thesis defense, the student must take care of any comment or concern the committee members have and submit the final version of the corrected thesis to the committee again for final approval. Upon final approval from all committee members, the student should take signatures of approval from all committee members on the signature page of the thesis and submit the page with final thesis examination form to the graduate school. The final step for the student will be to upload the thesis to OhioLink.

Suggested Timeline

The suggested timeline and important milestones for a graduate student in the MS in Mechanical Engineering program with thesis options are provided below.

Semester 1

  • Attend orientation.
  • Meet with the graduate chair and Advisor (if already decided).
  • Meet with multiple faculty members of MME department to discuss mutual research interests, if you haven’t selected your research advisor yet.
  • Select a topic of interest and advisor.
  • Register for classes after discussion with the advisor.
  • Take MME/ECE 610 Seminar.

Semester 2

  • Identify thesis committee member
  • Take MME/ECE 610 Seminar
  • Carry out research

Summer/Winter 1

  • Complete thesis proposal and defend, obtain approval on the proposal
  • Register for courses

Semester 3

  • Carry out research
  • Complete your coursework

Semester 4

  • Finish your research work
  • Complete your thesis
  • Present and defend your thesis
  • Finalize and upload your thesis

Summer/Winter 2 (if needed)

  • If you cannot complete your thesis by semester 4, then try to complete thesis within July 30th of the summer 2
  • Finish your research work
  • Complete your thesis
  • Present and defend your thesis
  • Finalize and upload your thesis

Students must register for thesis hours for a minimum of 6 credit hours and for at least two semesters. However, more thesis hours can be taken as needed to maintain minimum credit hours requirement from graduate school.

Proposal Deadline Policy

All the students must successfully defend their proposal before the beginning of their second year. Students with graduate assistantship must fulfill this requirement in order to maintain their assistantship. It is the responsibility of the student to talk to his/her advisor to prepare and defend the proposal preferably within the first twelve months (including summer and/or winter term). In any special circumstances, if the proposal defense cannot be completed within the first year, the student must consult with the advisor and graduate committee chair about the circumstances and may request for an extended time to complete the proposal defense.

Research Phase Continuous Enrollment Requirement

Students are required to register for at least one credit hour at the time of proposal preparation and presentation. Students may register for 3 hours every semester if required. Students must register for a total of 6 credit hours thesis for their graduate degree. However, there is no issue if more than 6 hours are registered as needed by the students. Enrollment of credit hours are not required for summer or winter terms. However, in order to receive a stipend from the graduate school during the summer semester, the student must register for thesis hours during the summer semester.

Organization of the Thesis Proposal

The purpose of your proposal is to clearly identify a research objective that is novel and worth a MS degree in Mechanical Engineering. Once the research topic and research objective are identified, the student should focus on drafting the research proposal. A research proposal must include the following important information.

  • Introduction & Literature Review
  • Research Problem (Literature Gap/Need)
  • Research Objectives
  • Research Methods (Materials/Methods)
  • Preliminary Results (if available)
  • Research Plans (Detailed)
  • Expected Results & Contributions
  • Bibliography

After presenting the research proposal, the student should consider the suggestions from the advisor and thesis committee and improve/modify the research proposal accordingly.

Organization of the Thesis

Style

The research proposal and the thesis, both documents must be prepared based on the Graduate School’s guidelines. The guidelines about referencing style, tables and figures should be followed strictly. The student should select one appropriate referencing system and be consistent during citing throughout the document. The student should also ask their advisor to share the previous student’s thesis and clarify any question regarding expectations and rigor of the research.

Chapters

The thesis document is a collection of all research results, data and conclusions made from two yearlong research studies. A research study or thesis should specifically define a research question, state the goals of the project, provide detailed and comprehensive literature review, discuss research methodology or design of experiments, clearly present the research results, discuss the results with scientific reasoning, and finally conclude with the conclusions drawn from the study and some ideas for future research. The following chapters can be included in an MS thesis. This may vary based on the nature of research study.

  • Introduction
  • Literature review
  • Methodology
  • Results and discussions
  • Conclusions
  • Recommendations for future research
  • Bibliography

All previous theses are available in the OhioLink. The hardcopy of the thesis may be available at the library. The students should discuss with their advisor if they would like to review the prior thesis work for their reference.

Non-Thesis Requirement

Successful completion of a research project directed by the department faculty is defined as a culminating experience for the non-thesis option. Refer to Graduate School policy.

MME 704 requirement

This course is only open to students choosing a non-thesis option. In this course students are required to conduct individual research projects in a selected area of Mechanical Engineering and under the supervision of department faculty. The rules for the non-thesis credit courses are as follows:

  • A maximum of three credits can be applied towards non-thesis project
  • A minimum of two semesters of enrollment in MME 704 is required. This is to encourage students to devote an appropriate amount of time to their projects.
  • Enrollment in MME 704 is by permission of the student’s project advisor.
  • A passing grade in this course is a requirement for graduation.

Project Identification and Completion Requirement

The student choosing non-thesis project option should adhere to the following procedure in conjunction with the program requirement:

  • With the consultation of a faculty acting as his/her project advisor, the student should explore potential research directions.
  • The student performs background research to narrow one project topic and gets approval of this research topic from the major professor.
  • Once a project topic is determined, in consultation with the major professor, the student selects at least 3 faculty in addition to the advisor as committee members.
  • The student meets with the advisor on a regular (typically, weekly) basis to report project progress, seeks feedback, and discusses future tasks with their advisor.
  • First semester the advisor will assign a passing grade based on the problem definition, literature survey and project progress plan presented by the student.
  • The student prepares a draft of the project report and submit this report to the project advisor at least one month prior to final examination.
  • By incorporating the suggestions of the project advisor, a revised and approved version by the project advisor needs to be submitted to the committee two weeks prior to final examination.
  • The final exam consists of a presentation and oral defense of the research project in front of the committee members.
  • The committee deliberates and discusses the student's performance and decides whether the student passed the exam.
  • After satisfactory completion, the major advisor will submit the decision of the Examining Committee (signing form) to the department and graduate school and assign passing grades to students.

Resources

Graduate Student Offices

Graduate assistants may be assigned office desks, based on the availability. Preferences will be given to Teaching Assistants who need to hold office hours as per their responsibilities. Contact the graduate program director for availability of office space. Once the room is assigned, permission for entrance to these offices via an RFID (embedded in Miami ID cards) will be granted to students.

Department, College and Miami Wide Resources and Services

Graduation Checklist

  1. 1. Review your DAR to make sure you have completed all degree requirements. Submit a petition for any course substitutions, waivers, etc. as soon as possible so that it can be processed before the certificate to award the degree is submitted.
  2. 2. Check the following on the DAR:
    • You have applied for graduation – You must apply for graduation even if you do not participate in commencement.
    • GPA is 3.00 or greater. You cannot receive your degree with a GPA of less than 3.00. Miami does not round GPA.
    • The program and degree are correct. If incorrect, contact the graduate program director.
    • S, U, N, IG, or IGY grades that need to be changed (must be changed before you can graduate).
    • W, L, Y, or F grades – courses with these grades cannot count toward the degree.
    • Transfer hours –if applicable. See I.2.J in Graduate Student Handbook for transfer policy.
  3. Have the appropriate instructors submit grade changes for courses that have grades of S, U, N, IG, or IGY.
  4. Identify any courses taken that DO NOT count toward the degree. Make sure you have required number of hours under each category of core courses, elective courses, seminar hours, and thesis or project hours.
  5. Schedule the Final Exam (required for both thesis and non-thesis) early enough in the semester so that all paper work can be submitted at least two weeks prior to commencement.
  6. 6. Prior to the Final Exam, download Final Exam Results for the Master’s Degree (form M-1) from the Graduate School Website.
    • Complete the top portion of the form and enter committee members’ names.
    • The thesis title must be entered on the form and it must match the title of the thesis that is uploaded into OhioLink.
  7. Print the form and take to the Final Examination.
  8. You or your research advisor need to obtain signatures from the committee members and Department Chair after you pass the Final Examination.
  9. You or your advisor need to submit the form to the Graduate School. You also need to send a copy of your M-1 form to the graduate program director.
  10. Make sure your graduate program director completes the Certificate to Award the Master’s or Doctoral Degree (form M-2/D-5); available on the Graduate School website.
  11. Check you DAR again to ensure accuracy by repeating steps 1-4.

Administration of Graduate Program

Administration

The graduate program is administered by the Graduate Program Committee of the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering department which is chaired by the Graduate Program Director.

Graduate Director

The Graduate Director is Muhammad P. Jahan, Office: 056 L GAR (Garland Hall), Phone: 513-529-0347 (O) and email: jahanmp@miamioh.edu.

Graduate Committee

The graduate committee reviews graduate applications for admissions and graduate student petitions and recommends graduate student policy and procedure to the department faculty. They are also responsible for assessment of the program.

Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Garland Hall, Room 56
650 E. High Street
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-0710
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