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  Nov 23, 2009
 
 
    
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Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering is the broadest of the engineering disciplines, and lies at the core of engineering design and engineering practice. Engineering is changing rapidly because of the coupling of globalization with advances in information technology, biomedicine, and nanotechnology, and mechanical engineering is the discipline that is leading this change. From the design of medical prostheses to the cooling of advanced computers, and from robot vision to computer-integrated manufacturing, the scope of mechanical engineering is growing at an accelerating pace. The Mechanical Engineering program at Johns Hopkins seeks to develop engineering professionals who can both strengthen the core of the discipline and who can lead the profession in a time of rapid change. 

     The Master of Mechanical Engineering program at Johns Hopkins is designed for practicing engineers who wish to prepare for and enhance their effectiveness in a complex and rapidly evolving technological and organizational environment. The program is designed not only to broaden and strengthen students’ understanding of the traditional fundamentals but also to introduce them to contemporary applications and technologies.

     Courses are offered in three basic concentrations: mechanics (either solid mechanics or thermo-fluid mechanics), manufacturing, and robotics and controls. The program has sufficient flexibility to allow students to develop some multidisciplinary strength outside of a concentration. In any case, students are expected to coordinate their selection of courses under the guidance of a faculty advisor.

     The degree is awarded on the basis of course work only. No thesis is required. Course offerings are typically structured in two-year cycles.

 

Program Committee

K. T. Ramesh, Program Chair
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Whiting School of Engineering 

Andrea Prosperetti
Charles A. Miller Jr. Distinguished
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Whiting School of Engineering

Louis Whitcomb
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Whiting School of Engineering

 

Admission Requirements

Applicants must meet the general requirements for admission to graduate study outlined in this catalog (see Admission Requirements). Each applicant should hold a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or in a related field. Prospective students who do not meet these criteria should direct admission inquiries to the program committee. All admissions decisions are made on an individual basis by the program committee.

Course Requirements

The program offers three concentrations: mechanics (either solids or thermo-fluids), manufacturing, and robotics and controls. The following requirements are common to all concentrations. Additional requirements are listed with the course listings for each concentration.

Ten one-term courses, numbered 400-level or above, must be completed within a maximum of five years. 

One of these courses must be an advanced mathematics course, such as 535.441 Mathematical Methods for Engineers.  In addition, at least one computationally oriented course is strongly recommended (but not required).

Each concentration has two required courses, and a total of five courses must be chosen from within one concentration. Adding the required mathematics course accounts for six of the 10 required courses. The remaining four courses can be selected from the graduate offerings of any of the full- or part-time engineering programs of the Whiting School of Engineering (including Technical Management).  In particular, students concentrating in one area in mechanical engineering can take courses offered under any of the other concentrations.

All required courses (within a given concentration) will typically be available at least once a year.

All course selections, or course changes,  must be approved by the student’s advisor.  A thesis is not required, nor is knowledge of a foreign language.

Required Advanced Mathematics Course

This advanced mathematics course must be taken in the first semester of the student’s program, unless the advisor explicitly allows the student to do otherwise. 

Suggested Computationally Oriented Courses

A variety of computationally oriented courses are available with varyiing expectations in terms of mathematical background and programming skill.  These include:

Course Descriptions

The courses listed with the prefix 535 are offered one night per week. Courses with the prefix 530 are usually offered during the day as part of the full-time graduate program in mechanical engineering.

All courses have as minimum prerequisites the following: undergraduate engineering courses in differential equations, statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, and strength of materials. In addition, the specific prerequisites for each course must be fulfilled.

Please refer to the Course Schedule published each term for exact dates, times, locations, fees, and instructors.

I. Mechanics

Within the Mechanics concentration, students may either choose a Solid Mechanics track or a Thermo-Fluid Mechanics track. Students taking the Solid Mechanics track must take 535.406 Advanced Strength of Materials and 535.423 Intermediate Vibrations. Students taking the Thermo-Fluid Mechanics track must take 535.421 Intermediate Fluid Dynamics and 535.433 Intermediate Heat Transfer. Three additional courses must be chosen from either track (not necessarily all from the same track). The only restriction is that course prerequisites must be fulfilled in all cases.

Solid Mechanics Track

Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Track

II. Manufacturing Concentration

III. Robotics and Controls Concentration

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