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Graduate Program
These videos allow you to explore the unique advantages of graduate education at MechSE through the eyes of five graduate students. You can learn more about each student's research, research group, adviser, work environment and life in Urbana-Champaign by selecting their individual student videos from the menu above. For more information on the MechSE Graduate Program, please continue to explore this web site and you can download the program's brochure.
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The Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering offers engineering education and research opportunities of the highest quality. As one of the oldest departments within this state university, the Department has provided curricula and support services for many decades and earned a reputation among engineering education professionals as one of the finest programs in the nation. The able performance of Illinois graduates in research, industry, education, and government is evidence of this.
The Department offers graduate programs leading to the following degrees:
- Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
- Master of Science in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Mechanical Engineering
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics
- Joint Master of Science (in Mechanical Engineering) and Master of Business Administration
Competition among promising and qualified students for placement in the Department's graduate programs is active, stimulated in large part by:
- the reputation of the graduate faculty
- the diversity of research activities, funding, and resources available within one of the top engineering colleges
- the flexibility within the Department to develop a customized course of study for each graduate student
- the variety of financial aid options, including research and teaching assistantships, fellowships, and tuition and fee waivers (approximately 80% of the Department's graduate students are supported by research or teaching assistantships and fellowships)
Currently the Department has approximately 315 graduate students, of whom about 54.7% are doctoral candidates. While most of these students enter graduate study directly after completing undergraduate work, some come from industry. The majority of the Master of Science graduates seek industrial positions involving research and development work; most doctoral degree recipients prefer research careers in industry, government, or research and teaching careers at universities. The graduate study programs allow each student to pursue his/her career objectives while participating in important work in areas of basic scientific research and current societal concern. In this setting both students and faculty benefit from expansion of personal horizons while performing significant public service.
The department has an exceptional tradition of outstanding scholarship. Twelve of the most senior faculty have been honored with the grade of Fellow in professional societies. Two are members of the National Academy of Engineering. Nearly one-half of the faculty currently hold editorships of archival journals. Five have received the UIUC Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and seven have been honored with the College of Engineering Everitt Award for Teaching Excellence.