While pursuing a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME), the student will take graduate-level courses and may conduct research with a faculty advisor and observe how these studies will lead to key engineering innovations and societal impacts in the field of mechanical engineering. Equipped with complementary and state-of-the-art computational and experimental facilities, the Mechanical Engineering Department has active research programs in the following three disciplinary groups; Dynamic Systems & Control (DSC), ThermoFluids Science (TFS), and Materials Processing & Manufacturing (MPM). Faculty teach graduate-level courses and conduct research in cross-disciplinary thrust areas that include: automotive systems, robotics and human systems, automation and mechatronic systems, energy and building efficiency, internal combustion engines, manufacturing systems, additive manufacturing, and materials processing and modeling. Graduate courses in these areas, in addition to the general core graduate courses, provide the foundation for earning an MSME degree. In addition to offering a thesis and non-thesis master’s degree for the traditional on-campus student, the non-thesis master’s degree is available as a distance degree through Bama By Distance.
Students and faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering have access to state-of-the-art computational facilities and capabilities. On-campus assets include numerous commercially available computational modeling software packages. In addition, high performance computing capabilities are accessible through the University of Alabama’s Office of Information Technology.
Many full-time thesis students seek some form of financial assistance in the form of a graduate assistantship or fellowship. Assistantships generally include a monthly stipend, tuition, and health insurance. Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs) are awarded by individual professors with funded research. Applicants should communicate directly with a faculty member in the applicant’s area of study interest concerning the availability of GRA positions and a potential match. The ME Department offers Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) for students assisting faculty members with undergraduate and/or graduate courses and laboratories. GTA awards are assigned to faculty members based on their eligibility and determined by the ME Department Head, with preference being given to PhD students. There are a very limited number of GTA positions each semester. Similar to GRAs, applicants should communicate directly with a faculty member in the applicant’s area of study interest concerning the availability of GTA position given to that individual faculty. There are also both internal and external fellowship opportunities available to applicants such as Graduate Council Fellowships (GCF).
Qualified students in the Mechanical Engineering undergraduate program at The University of Alabama are eligible for early admission into the MSME program through the Accelerated Master's Program (AMP). This program allows students to double-count up to 9 hours of graduate credit toward their undergraduate degree.