Graduate

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Master of Science

The School of Engineering offers the Master of Science in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering with either a thesis or non-thesis option. The program utilizes the faculty and research facilities of the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering to expose students to advanced and emerging technologies in mechanical and nuclear engineering.

Research thrusts in the department include but are not limited to smart materials, micro/nanotechnology, energy conversion systems, sensors, aerosol science, nuclear engineering, fluid mechanics, medical devices, robotics and biomechanics.

The M.S. degree program offers a thesis or non-thesis option and can be tailored to meet the individual student’s academic goals and research interests. Eighteen to 24 months of study usually are necessary to complete the requirements for the thesis-option M.S. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering. The non-thesis option generally requires 12 months of full-time study or up to four years of part-time study.

A time limit of five calendar years, beginning at the time of first registration, is placed on work to be credited toward the master’s degree. Generally, a maximum of six credits of approved graduate course work required for a master’s degree may be transferred from another program at VCU or outside institution and applied toward the degree.

Curriculum

The mechanical and nuclear engineering M.S. degree program contains three curricular components:

Core component. This component consists of three required core courses that provide the foundation of the M.S. curriculum. See below for specific course requirements.

Technical elective component. This component allows the student to take courses in either engineering, science or other areas with approval of the student’s adviser and graduate program director.

Directed research component. This component emphasizes research directed toward completion of M.S. degree requirements under the direction of an adviser and thesis committee.

Typical program of study – thesis option

	Credits
Core component	9
Technical electives – engineering, science or related course work	15
Directed research	6
Total (minimum)	30

Typical program of study – non-thesis option

	Credits
Core component	9
Technical electives – engineering, science or related course work	21
Total (minimum)	30

Core requirements

Core Areas	Courses (3 credits each)
Continuum Mechanics¹	EGMN 503 – Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Continuum Mechanics
Mathematical Analysis¹	EGMN 504 – Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Analysis
Topics in Nuclear²	EGRN 610 – Topics in Nuclear Engineering

¹ Students entering the Ph.D. program with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from
   VCU who have taken EGMN 503 or EGMN 504 as undergraduate technical electives 
 must take replacement courses approved by the MNE Graduate Program Director.

²Not required for students entering with a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering.  
 A replacement course approved by the MNE Graduate Program Director must 
 be taken and will count toward the required 9 credits of core courses.

All full-time thesis master’s students must register for and attend EGMN 690 Mechanical Engineering Seminar each semester. Part-time and non-thesis students are not required to register for the seminar, but they are encouraged to attend. All thesis students are required to give a research presentation as part of the seminar series at least once prior to graduation; non-thesis students must give a project presentation prior to graduation, based on an extension of work completed in a project-based course (see degree requirements below), as part of the seminar series. Note that EGMN 690 cannot be used to replace courses or research hours.

Doctor of Philosophy

The School of Engineering offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering with a concentration in mechanical and nuclear engineering. Research thrusts include computer science, life sciences, micro/nanotechnology, and manufacturing and design.

Engineering Ph.D. degrees are interdisciplinary and provide a wide array of specialization areas. Learn more on the Research page of this website.

Curriculum

The Ph.D. curriculum will provide graduate-level training in both mechanical and nuclear engineering. Graduates of the program will be prepared for research and teaching careers in areas such as energy production, nuclear waste transport, storage and disposal and the development of new mechanical devices for use in nuclear medicine. A set of required new interdisciplinary core courses will train students on the interaction of radiation with engineering materials, radiation in heat and mass transfer as well as the mathematical modeling and control of mechanical systems incorporating radioactive elements. Technical electives in both mechanical and nuclear engineering will allow students to pursue in-depth study relevant to their selected research topic. Dissertation topics pursued, as directed research credits will be devoted to open-ended research projects at the intersection of mechanical and nuclear engineering.

The Ph.D. degree will require a minimum of 68 credit hours beyond the B.S. degree, or a minimum of 36 credits beyond the M.S. degree. Students can enter the Ph.D. program with either a B.S. or M.S. degree (Sample curricula for both the B.S. to Ph.D. and the M.S. to Ph.D. are included at the end of this document) with the following minimum credit requirements:

Requirements for students entering with a B.S. degree (68 credits minimum)

Core Component. (15 credit hours) This component (shown in Table 1) consists of five required graduate courses that provide the foundation of the Ph.D. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.

Table 1. Core Courses for B.S. to Ph.D.

Core Areas	Courses (3 credits each)
Continuum Mechanics¹	EGMN 503 – Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Continuum Mechanics
Mathematical Analysis¹	EGMN 504 – Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Analysis
Dynamic Systems and Controls	EGMN 603– Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Dynamic Systems
Materials	EGMN 604 – Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Materials
Topics in Nuclear²	EGRN 610 – Topics in Nuclear Engineering

¹ Students entering the Ph.D. program with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering 
 from VCU who have taken EGMN 503 or EGMN 504 as undergraduate technical electives 
 must take replacement courses approved by the MNE Graduate Program Director.

²Not required for students entering with a B.S. in Nuclear Engineering.  
 A replacement course approved by the MNE Graduate Program Director 
 must be taken and will count toward the required 15 credits of core courses.

Technical Elective Component. (18 credit hours minimum)

Mechanical and nuclear engineering students, with the aid of their dissertation advisor and dissertation committee, will select technical elective courses with the following requirements:

At least 6 credits from courses under the mechanical engineering list

At least 3 credits from courses under the nuclear engineering list

The remaining 9 credits can be selected from either list or other appropriate graduate-level courses approved by the dissertation advisor

Directed Research Component. (27 credit hours minimum) This component consists of dissertation research directed toward completion of Ph.D. degree requirements under the direction of a dissertation adviser and dissertation committee. Students can register for between 1 to 15 credits of directed research in mechanical and nuclear engineering.

EGMN 697– Directed Research in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering

Seminar Component. (8 credit hours minimum) Students must complete a total of 8 credits of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Seminar.

EGMN 690 – Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Seminar

Notes:

(a) A total of 21 credit hours from the core courses, or technical electives or seminar but not including directed research credits must be at the 600 level or higher.

(b) In certain cases, independent study courses (ENGR 691) are offered by individual faculty members. Up to 3 credits of ENGR 691 may be taken as a technical elective course.

(c) Students currently enrolled in the Engineering Ph.D. mechanical track, who wish to switch to the Ph.D. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, must submit a request in writing to the Graduate Program Director. Requests will be reviewed and approved by the Graduate Committee and will depend on the student’s ability to satisfy the new Ph.D. degree requirements.

Requirements for students entering with a M.S. degree in engineering (45 credits minimum)

Core Component. (9 credit hours) This component consists of three required graduate courses (shown in table 2) that provide the foundation of the hybrid Ph.D. in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering.

Table 2. Core Courses for M.S. to Ph.D.

Core Areas	Courses (3 credits each)
Dynamic Systems and Controls	EGMN 603– Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Dynamic Systems
Materials	EGMN 604 – Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Materials
Topics in Nuclear¹	EGRN 610 – Topics in Nuclear Engineering

¹Not required for students entering with a B.S. or M.S. in Nuclear Engineering or Mechanical
  and Nuclear Engineering.  A replacement course approved by the MNE Graduate Program 
 Director must be taken and will count toward the required 15 credits of core courses.

Directed Research Component. (30 credit hours)

This component consists or dissertation research directed toward completion of Ph.D. degree requirements under the direction of a dissertation adviser and dissertation committee.

Seminar Component. (6 credit hours)

Students must complete a total of 6 credits of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering Seminar.