Mechanical Engineering, M.S.

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Masters of Science program in Mechanical Engineering consists of a minimum of 31 credit hours beyond the baccalaureate degree.

In addition, students are required to maintain acceptable performance; all master’s course work must be completed with a minimum GPA of 3.0. A student receiving one “C’ in the course work will be warned that his/her performance is unacceptable and that the student will be reviewed by Mechanical Engineering faculty which will suggest corrective. A student receiving two “C’s” will be dismissed from the program, pending review by the Mechanical Engineering faculty.

The student’s plan of study must be developed in conjuction with his/her project advisor or Graduate Coordinator and filed with the Graduate Coordinator.

Admission Requirements

In addition to the UALR Graduate School admission requirements, the applicants for the M.S. program in Mechanical Engineering must also meet the following criteria:

Education: Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering, technology, science or related discipline. The applicants must have an overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or 3.3 on the last 60 credit hours.

Standardized test scores: Applicants must have a minimum score on the GRE test: a score of 140 on the Verbal Reasoning section, a score of 155 on the Quantitative Reasoning section, and a score of 3.5 in the Analytical Writing section. The GRE requirement will be waived if the student’s GPA is 3.5 or higher.

English language requirement: International students must satisfy the Graduate School TOEFL or IELTS tests requirements.

Applicants who do not meet all the admission requirements may be recommended for conditional admission. Conditionally admitted students must fulfill the requirements of the UALR Graduate School and those specified in their letter of admission to achieve regular admission.

Early Admission Requirements

Undergraduate students may apply and be accepted provisionally into the MS program any time after completing 75 or more hours of undergraduate course work. However, at least 90 hours of undergraduate coursework must have been completed by the time the first graduate Mechanical Engineering course is taken.

Students must satisfy the minimum university requirements for admission to an early graduate program.
Students must be majoring in the BS in Mechanical Engineering
Students must have completed SYEN 3371 (Dynamics I), SYEN 3373 (Mechanics of Materials I), SYEN 3374 (Fluid Mechanics I), and SYEN 3378 (Thermodynamics I) with a minimum gpa of 3.5 in those courses.
Students must be recommended for admission by the Mechanical Engineering Engineering faculty

Transfer Credit

A maximum of six hours can be transferred from a graduate program from another university with a graduate coordinator’s approval.

Program Requirements

Core Courses

The program core provides students with strong mechanical engineering preparation needed for either a successful professional career or for further enhancing their education in high-quality engineering doctoral programs.

SYEN 5315 - Dynamics II

SYEN 5371 - Thermodynamics II

SYEN 5374 - Fluid Mechanics II

SYEN 5376 - Mechanics of Materials II

Specialization Requirement

6 credit hours form the following list:

SYEN 7100, 7200, 7300 (may be repeated for credit)
SYEN 7199, 7299, 7399 (may be repeated for credit)
SYEN 5327 - Acoustics I
SYEN 5335 - Mechatronics I
SYEN 5372 - Mechatronics II
SYEN 5375 - Mechanical Vibrations
SYEN 5381 - Thermal and Fluid System Design
SYEN 5383 - Finite Element Analysis
SYEN 5384 - Computer Methods in Fluids and Heat Transfer

Mathematics Requirements

6 credIt hours from the list

MATH 5301 , MATH 5303 , MATH 5304 , MATH 5323 , MATH 7311 , MATH 7312 , MATH 7322 , MATH 7323 , MATH 7324 , MATH 7325
SYEN 5340 - Applied Numerical Methods

Research Preparation

1 credit hour

SYEN 7101 - Research Methodology

Master’s Thesis Advisor

The advisor is the faculty member who supervises the student’s thesis work or project. Any faculty member appointed in the Systems Engineering department may serve as the advisor. Faculty members outside the Systems Engineering department may serve as advisor with approval of Systems Engineering Faculty. A studnet amitted to the master’s program should declare an advisor before he/she enrolls in thesis or graudate project courses.

Master’s Thesis Committee

The Master’s Thesis Committee or Master’s Project Committee can be constituted once the student has declared his/her Master’s Thesis/Project Advisor. The committee will include a minimum of three members and a maximum of four members. At least two members have to be Systems Engineering faculty.

Thesis Proposal

3 credit hours

SYEN 8100 , SYEN 8200 , SYEN 8300

Thesis Proposal Defense

Students choosing the thesis option must present their research proposal to their Master’s Thesis Committee one semester prior to their final thesis defense. Students choosing the non-thesis option must present their project proposal to their Master’s Project Committee before their final project defense. At the completion of the examination, the Master’s Thesis or Project Committee will vote to either pass or fail the student. Students who fail the proposal defense will have to repeat the defense. If the student fails the proposal defense for a second time, he/she will be dismissed from the program, pending review by the Systems Engineering Faculty.

Thesis Defense

3 credit hours

SYEN 8100 , SYEN 8200 , SYEN 8300

Students choosing the thesis option will prepare and successfully define a written thesis in accordance with the format and procedures dictated by the Graduate School. Students choosing the non-thesis option will prepare a final project report according to the requirements defined by their Master’s Project Committee. Students must orally defend their completed thesis research or project work to their Master’s Thesis or Project Committee. At the completion of the examination, the Master’s Thesis or Project Committee will vote to either pass or fail the student. If two or more negative votes are cast by the committee members, the student is considered to have failed the exam and will be dismissed from the program, pending review by the Systems Engineering Faculty.

Graduation Requirements

Pass thesis proposal defense.
Pass thesis final defense.