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The Mechanical Engineering PhD program prepares students with an in-depth study and emphasis on research in Mechanical Systems or Thermofluids.

The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Mechanical Engineering is intended for students with a master's or a bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace engineering, or a closely related discipline. The doctoral program is intended to allow students to study in-depth, with an emphasis on research in Mechanical Systems or Thermofluids.

The Mechanical Engineering PhD program requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond a bachelor's degree. This program requires 39 formal course credit hours minimum and 15 dissertation credit hours minimum, and may include up to a total of 18 credit hours combined of directed (XXX 6918) or thesis (xxx 6971) or doctoral research (XXX 7919) and/or of independent study (6908) with an approved Program of Study. At least 39 hours of the program of study must consist of formal coursework, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), thesis (xxx 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919) and independent study (XXX 6908). The rest of the hours can be chosen by the student in consultation with the adviser and the dissertation committee and with the approval of the graduate program coordinator. Details about this program are located in the Mechanical Engineering PhD Handbook.

Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree 42 Credit hours minimum beyond the master's degree.

Program Prerequisites

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering or a closely related discipline.

Application Requirements

Application Deadlines

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

Students entering the program with a master's degree are required to complete 42 credit hours minimum, of which 15 credit hours minimum must be formal coursework, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), doctoral research (XXX 7919), and independent study (XXX 6908), and 15 credit hours minimum of dissertation research (XXX 7980). No more than 12 credit hours combined of directed (XXX 6918) or doctoral research (XXX 7919) and/or independent study (XXX 6908) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements.

Students entering the program with a bachelor's degree are required to complete 72 credit hours minimum, of which 39 credit hours minimum must be formal course work, exclusive of directed research (XXX 6918), thesis (xxx 6971), doctoral research (XXX 7919), and independent study (XXX 6908), and 15 credit hours minimum of dissertation research (XXX 7980). No more than 18 credit hours combined of directed (XXX 6918) or thesis (xxx 6971) or doctoral research (XXX 7919) and/or independent study (XXX 6908) may be taken toward fulfilling the degree program of study coursework requirements.

The rest of the hours in the PhD program can be chosen by the student in consultation with the adviser and the dissertation committee and with the approval of the Graduate Program Director. These credit hours may include doctoral directed research hours or doctoral dissertation hours.

Unless a completed (signed) program of study itemizing the study plan is approved prior to the end of the first semester of studies, the Graduate Program Director of the MAE Department may choose not to accept any part of the coursework (including independent studies and/or directed research) taken by the student on a program of study subsequently submitted by the student.

Admission to doctoral status requires that the student (1) pass a PhD Qualifying Examination, (2) establish a Doctoral Advisory Committee and (3) submit a departmentally approved Program of Study. These steps are normally completed within the first year of study beyond the master's degree.

Students must register for the seminar course a minimum of four times during their graduate career in the doctoral program. Students must complete the EML 5090 seminar course twice prior to taking the candidacy exam and twice after completing the candidacy exam. The students must also complete the course with a satisfactory (S) grade in all attempts. If the student does not complete the course with a satisfactory grade, the student will be asked to repeat the course to meet program requirements.

Equipment Fee

Students in the Mechanical Engineering PhD program pay a $90 equipment fee each semester that they are enrolled. Part-time students pay $45 per semester.

The MAE Graduate seminar is a zero (0) credit hour (S/U) course that is offered each fall and spring academic semesters. Prior to graduation, all MAE graduate students who are pursuing a PhD dissertation are required to register, participate, and receive a satisfactory (S) for four (4) semesters of MAE Graduate seminar, with at least two of these taken prior to candidacy.

Independent Learning

The Independent Learning Requirement is met by successful completion of the student's candidacy and dissertation defense examinations.