Department of Mechanical, Environmental, and Civil Engineering

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering 

The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering program is an industry-focused, practice-oriented degree that will deepen mechanical engineering skills in design, manufacturing, controls, robotics, energy, sustainability, and much more. What sets our program apart is its strong emphasis on integrating applied mechanics, computer simulations, design, and energy science and technology. The graduate program provides a strengthened technical background for mechanical engineering and other multidisciplinary problems that we intend to us as a thread in the curriculum.

Admission to the master's mechanical engineering program requires a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related field of study from an accredited institution. Students not meeting this requirement will be considered for admission on an individual basis and may be admitted subject to the completion of appropriate undergraduate courses to remove any deficiencies in preparation.

Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or better, and make grades of C or better in all courses on the degree plan. Grades for courses completed at other institutions, or at Tarleton before the start of the master's degree, are not included in the degree plan GPA, but they are still subject to the requirement of C or better. No undergraduate courses can be counted towards the master's degree (Tarleton rule). A maximum of 12 graduate credit hours may be transferred.

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering Program Requirements

Required Courses
MEEN 5310Advanced Solid Mechanics3
MEEN 5320Optimization of Engineering Systems3
MEEN 5330Mechanics of Viscous Flow3
MEEN 5333Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics3
MEEN 5332Advanced heat transfer3
MEEN 5360Introduction to Robotics3
Choose one from the following:3
Statistical Models
Dynamical Systems
Mathematical Modeling
Numerical Analysis
Advanced Engineering Mathematics
Any other approved 5000 level course in MATH
Total hours21
Professional (non-thesis)
MEEN 5311Finite Element Analysis: Theory and Practice3
MEEN 5325Advanced Materials Engineering3
Choose one from the following:3
Lean Six Sigma (Choose one from the following:)
Advanced Energy Systems
MEEN 5331Computational Methods for Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer3
Total Hours12

Thesis
MEEN 5088Master's Thesis6
Choose one from the following:3
Finite Element Analysis: Theory and Practice
Computational Methods for Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer
Choose one from the following:3
Lean Six Sigma
Advanced Energy Systems
Advanced Materials Engineering
Total Hours12

Courses

MEEN 5088. Master's Thesis. 1-6 Credit Hours (Lecture: 0 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Required each semester in which a student is working and receiving direction on a master’s thesis in MEEN-MS. Minimum two semesters (6 hours) required for master’s thesis option. Prerequisites: Graduate standing.

MEEN 5310. Advanced Solid Mechanics. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Application of continuum mechanics to study the response of materials to different loading conditions; general principles common to all media such as conservation of mass, balance of linear momentum, conservation of momentum and energy; constitutive equations defining idealized materials for structural elements, mechanical energy considering stress and strain.

MEEN 5311. Finite Element Analysis: Theory and Practice. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Line, plane, solid, plate, and shell elements-theory; practical aspects of modeling; applications in mechanical engineering; final project.

MEEN 5320. Optimization of Engineering Systems. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Applications of optimization techniques to engineering design problems from a variety of fields, including aerospace, automotive, chemical, electrical, construction, and manufacturing; the focus is on using optimization techniques in a comprehensive manner, to enhance the creative process of conceptual and detailed design of engineering systems.

MEEN 5321. Lean Six Sigma. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

A close examination of Lean Six Sigma tools and methodology, and its relationship to the engineering design, optimization, and validation processes for product development. Students will learn about translation of requirements, Taguchi’s robust design solutions, and failure mode-effect analysis for design and processes.

MEEN 5325. Advanced Materials Engineering. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Structure-property relationship in engineering materials is discussed in this course. Material structure is investigated at all length scales from the electron level to the macro scale. Besides, this course covers atomic structure and bonding; microstructure properties; crystal structures; imperfections in solids; material strength and strengthening mechanisms; mechanical, thermal, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties. Differences in properties of metals, polymers, ceramics, and composite materials in terms of bonding and crystal structure.

MEEN 5330. Mechanics of Viscous Flow. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

The mechanics of Newtonian viscous fluids. The use of modern analytical techniques to obtain solutions for flows with small and large Reynolds numbers, particularly in the areas of boundary layer theory, laminar flows, and turbulent flows.

MEEN 5331. Computational Methods for Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Numerical methods for solving Navier-Stokes equations in complex geometries, including theory, implementation, and applications.

MEEN 5332. Advanced heat transfer. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

General problems of heat transfer by conduction, convection, and radiation; solution by the analog and numerical methods, thermal boundary layers, analysis of heat exchanges; problems on thermal radiation.

MEEN 5333. Advanced Engineering Thermodynamics. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Concepts and laws of thermodynamics, including energy, entropy, and energy analysis, property relations, equilibrium conditions, and evaluation of properties; advanced special topics such as kinetic theory, statistical thermodynamics, radiation, and photovoltaic energy conversion .

MEEN 5340. Advanced Energy Systems. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Advanced energy conversion technologies that are currently on the market or under development; tools used by professionals to design energy systems and to evaluate their performance; related concepts from thermodynamics, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, geophysics, and chemistry.

MEEN 5360. Introduction to Robotics. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

An introduction to robotics through computational methods commonly used in this field; fundamentals of kinematics, dynamics, and control of robot manipulators, robotic vision, and sensing; mechanisms, actuators, sensors, controllers, and processors for engineering of mechanical manipulation; advanced concepts from mechanics, control theory, optimization, probabilistic inference, simulation, kinematics, and computer science.

MEEN 5390. Advanced Engineering Mathematics. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Mathematical analysis techniques for the solution of engineering analysis problems and for the simulation of engineering systems; both continuous and discrete methods are covered; initial and boundary value problems for ordinary and partial differential equations.

Dr. Jun Xu and Dr. Mircea Agapie, Interim Department Heads
Department of Mechanical, Environmental and Civil Engineering
ENGR 210
Box T-0390
Stephenville, TX 76402
254-968-9720
junxu@tarleton.edu and agapie@tarleton.edu

Ms. Melissa Minor, Administrative Associate IV
Department of Mechanical, Civil, and Environmental Engineering
ENGR 210
Box T-0390
Stephenville, TX 76402
254-968-9863
mminor1@tarleton.edu

Professor

  • Dr. Kartik Venkataraman

Associate professors

  • Dr. Jun Xu
  • Dr. Lynal Albert
  • Dr. Rajesh Vuddandam
  • Dr. Hoe-Gil Lee
  • Dr. Abolghassem Zabihollah
  • Dr. Anne Nichols

Assistant professors

  • Dr. Alexandru Herescu
  • Dr. Hongbo Du
  • Dr. Shihao Huang