Current Students

The updated ME graduate curriculum is designed to offer students greater flexibility in selecting courses that align with their career goals.

Each Mechanical Engineering Graduate Degree–Master’s Non-Thesis (MS-NT), Master’s Thesis (MS-T), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)–has unique coursework requirements.  Review the requirements here and scroll down for descriptions of each course type.

ME Core courses provide expertise in areas of core ME expertise. Students are required to take at least two of these four courses:

• • MEGN 505 Advanced Dynamics
  • MEGN 514 Continuum Mechanics
  • MEGN 551 Advanced Fluid Mechanics
  • MEGN 571 Advanced Heat Transfer

ME Elective courses allow a student to gain breadth within the ME field. These courses must have a prefix of MEGN, AMFG, or FEGN. Students are free to select courses that align with their interests, but we suggest building competence and expertise within one of the four ME Focus Areas of expertise at Mines:

• Biomechanics
• Robotics
• Solid Mechanics, Materials, and Manufacturing
• Thermal, Fluid, and Energy Systems

Technical Elective courses allow a student to individualize their degree with additional coursework in ME or other departments to match their career objectives.  Students can choose any course at Mines taught at the 500-level or above.

Course Offering Schedule and Advising

For a complete list of what courses are taught and when they are offered, please expand the ‘COURSE OFFERINGS AND SCHEDULE’ dialogue, below.

New changes for 2025

For students familiar with the old curriculum and considering a switch to the new option, there are two major changes to consider:  

1. ME Core: The “Research Core Course” requirements have been removed and replaced by a single “ME Core” that includes four courses broadly applicable to Mechanical Engineering. Students must take at least two of the four courses.
2. Reduced Coursework Minimum for the PhD Degree: The previous ME grad curriculum required a minimum of 36 credit hours of coursework for the PhD degree. This is reduced to a minimum of 30 credit hours. Please note that this is the minimum requirement; PhD students must consult with their advisors to develop a coursework plan that provides the necessary skills, knowledge, and training to support your research both here at Mines and your future career beyond your PhD degree. 

ach Mechanical Engineering Graduate Degree–Master’s Non-Thesis (MS-NT), Master’s Thesis (MS-T), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)–has unique coursework requirements.  Review the requirements here and scroll down for descriptions of each course type. Additional information can be found in the Mines Catalog.

Research Core courses provide an opportunity for students to gain depth and experience within a core area of ME expertise at Mines:

• Biomechanics
• Robotics
• Solid Mechanics, Materials, and Manufacturing
• Thermal, Fluid, and Energy Systems

ME Core courses allow a student to gain breadth within the ME field. These courses must have a prefix of MEGN, AMFG, or FEGN.

Technical Elective courses allow a student to individualize their degree with additional coursework in ME or other departments to match their career objectives.  Students can choose any course at Mines taught at the 500-level or above.

For a complete list of what courses are taught and when they are offered, please expand the ‘COURSE OFFERINGS AND SCHEDULE’ dialogue, below.

Below is a list of expected graduate course offerings by semester, organized by Research Focus Area. Course descriptions and learning outcomes are available in the ME Graduate Catalog.

The Office of Graduate Studies creates and maintains graduate student forms. All forms can be submitted via physical copy with inked signatures to their office directly or can be emailed to them (grad.services@mines.edu) with a PDF copy of all the email approvals received from the appropriate parties (dependent on individual form requirements).

Department seminars are held regularly throughout the academic year. Thesis-based Masters and PhD students in the ME Department are expected to attend. Watch emails and the ME Graduate Program CANVAS page for announcements! Click here for the schedule.

If you are a funded student on an RA or TA contract, you must complete several university ethics and training requirements. See the Funded Student Requirements document. 

All thesis-based students (MS Thesis and PhD) must register for the appropriate Research Division section of MEGN503 every semester until they have completed all degree requirements (excluding defense). Non-thesis students should not register for MENG503. However, students interested in doing research are encouraged to select a Research Division section and attend their scheduled class meetings. 

To move to a thesis-based degree program, you need to find a permanent advisor willing to support your research interests and to support you financially. You should look into the professors in the department to understand what they research to identify where the best fit might be. Then contact the professors you are interested in working with to discuss potential research and funding opportunities. Be sure to meet with the Graduate Program Manager to discuss policies and forms required to change degree levels.