Doctor of Philosophy - Mechanical Engineering

Plan Description

The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers a program leading to the Ph.D. degree in Engineering in the field of Mechanical Engineering. The program also offers the Ph.D. degree with major in the field of Nuclear Engineering.

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes, please visit the Degree Directory.

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website.

Application for the Ph.D. program can be completed by one of two mechanisms. The Post-Master’s Track requires the student to complete an M.S. degree in Engineering or equivalent with a major in mechanical engineering or closely related fields (nuclear engineering or health physics for the Nuclear concentration track). The Post-Bachelor’s Track allows those undergraduates with outstanding undergraduate backgrounds to enter the Ph.D. program without having to complete an M.S. degree. The degree requirements for both options are the same beyond the B.S. degree excluding the completion of a master’s thesis.

In order to be admitted to the Ph.D. program in Engineering in the field of Mechanical Engineering, a student must complete the following requirements:

1. Applicants must complete the on-line process in the Grad Rebel Gateway system.
2. In addition to the required information in the general Grad Rebel Gateway application system, the Department of Mechanical Engineering has two additional requirements which can also be submitted in the Grad Rebel Gateway system as optional items. Electronic submission is a preferred method. If these items are not completed in the Grad Rebel Gateway system before you finish and make payment, you cannot go back and do them electronically afterwards. In this case, you must mail hard copies to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The two requirements are:
   1. Submit a written statement of purpose indicating interests and objectives in working toward a Ph.D. degree. This is a 1-2 page essay describing the applicant’s reasons for considering graduate study, goals after completion of the graduate degree, and the applicant’s specific areas of interest.
   2. Submit three letters of recommendation using the online recommendation system. There is no specified format. Each letter should detail the potential of the applicant for advanced graduate work in Mechanical Engineering.
3. Candidates can be admitted on a regular or provisional status. Qualified applicants who are not admitted can take graduate courses as a non- degree seeking student but only 15 credits can be counted toward the degree program.
4. The applicant must submit his/her official copy of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores. To be admitted to the graduate program in Mechanical Engineering, the applicant must be at or above the 75 percentile range (of the group taking the GRE when the applicant takes the exam) in the quantitative reasoning section of the exam. If the applicant is less than 75 percent, at the discretion of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the applicant may be provisionally admitted to the graduate program with the requirement that he/she retake the GRE during the first semester after admission. If the applicant fails to retake the GRE during the first semester after admission or if the applicant fails to be at or above the 75 percent range in the quantitative reasoning section of the exam after retaking the exam, at its discretion, the Department of Mechanical Engineering may remove the applicant from the graduate program. The GRE university code for UNLV is 4861. The Mechanical Engineering Department code is 1502.
5. All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission and Registration Requirements. 

Post-Master’s Track

1. The applicant must have a Master of Science in Engineering degree or equivalent with a major in mechanical engineering or a closely allied field. Students with non-engineering backgrounds will be required to complete a set of course work requirements that will assure successful completion of the Ph.D. specialization and qualify the student to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. The Graduate Program Committee (GPC) will decide upon special cases.
2. A minimum post-baccalaureate GPA of 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale) is required for graduates from accredited U.S. institutions. The Graduate College is responsible for international GPA interpretation.

Post-Bachelor’s Track

1. The applicant must have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a closely related discipline. Students with non-engineering backgrounds will be required to complete a set of course work requirements that will assure successful completion of the Ph.D. specialization and qualify the student to sit for the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam. The department Graduate Program Committee (GPC) will decide upon special cases.
2. A minimum GPA of 3.50 (on a 4.00 scale) is required for graduates from accredited U.S. institutions. The Graduate College is responsible for international GPA interpretation.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

See Subplan Requirements below.

Subplan 1: Post-Master’s Track
Subplan 2: Post-Bachelor’s Track

Subplan 1 Requirements: Post-Master’s Track

Total Credits Required: 39

Course Requirements

Required Courses – Credits: 21

Complete 21 credits of 600- or 700-level coursework from within the College of Engineering. Courses from outside the College of Engineering may be taken with advisor approval.

Students in the Nuclear Engineering concentration must take at least three of the following courses as part of their 21 credits of coursework:

ME 655 - Fundamentals of Nuclear Engineering 

ME 700 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics I 

ME 701 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics II 

ME 702 - Computational Fluid Dynamics 

ME 705 - Conduction Heat Transfer 

ME 706 - Convective Heat Transfer 

ME 707 - Radiation Heat Transfer 

ME 708 - Convective Boiling and Condensation 

ME 711 - Advanced Thermodynamics 

ME 754 - Introduction to Nuclear Criticality Safety 

ME 755 - Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineering 

ME 756 - Monte Carlo Methods in Nuclear Engineering 

ME 760 - Waste Management And The Nuclear Fuel Cycle 

ME 762 - Nuclear Power Engineering 

ME 763 - Nuclear Reactor Analysis 

HPS 602 - Radiation Detection 

HPS 603 - Radiation Physics and Instrumentation Laboratory 

HPS 701 - Applied Nuclear Physics 

HPS 703 - Radiation Interactions and Transport 

HPS 720 - Radiation Dosimetry 

HPS 730 - Advanced Radiation Biology 

HPS 719 - Introduction to Radioanalytical Chemistry 

Dissertation – Credits: 18

ME 799 - Dissertation 

Degree Requirements 

1. Complete a minimum of 21 credit hours of course work beyond the degree of Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.) or equivalent with an overall minimum GPA of 3.20 and a minimum GPA of 2.70 (B-) in each class. Ph.D. candidates who do not maintain this GPA requirement will be placed on probation.
2. Out of the 21 credit hours of course work a minimum of 18 of these credits must be 700-level courses, and no more than 6 credits can be from ME 791 Graduate Independent Study. In addition to these course requirements, a minimum of 18 credits of Dissertation is required.
3. The student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee may add other requirements in accordance with the individual’s background and area of study. No more than 15 non‐matriculated credits including transfer credits are allowed.
4. A Doctoral Advisory Committee composed of at least five members of the UNLV graduate faculty is to be formed for the student. Three of these faculty members must be from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the fourth from a relevant supporting field, and a fifth as appointed by the Graduate College.
5. The program of study must be submitted by the second semester of study. The program of study is to be prepared by the student and his/her doctoral advisor, and must be approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee and the GPC.
6. In order to show breadth and depth of knowledge in his/her discipline, the doctoral student must pass either a written qualifying exam, or an oral qualifying exam, or both as determined by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. Each student must choose one of the following areas as a major and another as a minor:
   1. Dynamics and Control
   2. Fluid Mechanics
   3. Material Science
   4. Solid Mechanics and Mechanical Design
   5. Thermal Sciences
   6. Nuclear Engineering
7. In addition, all students will be tested in Mathematics. These examinations are on the undergraduate senior level, and are prepared by the department. Qualifying exams are held every semester. The qualifying exams must be scheduled during the first year of study. The qualifying exam can be taken a maximum of two times. Failure to take the exam within the first year or failure to pass the exam in the second attempt will automatically result in terminating student from the program.
8. After successfully completing all required course work and passing the Qualifying Exam, students must pass a preliminary exam with a written proposal for the dissertation research, followed by an oral defense of the proposal before the Doctoral Advisory Committee. The Preliminary Exam cannot be taken more than once per semester but may be repeated until passed. The student is advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. upon completion of all course work and this Preliminary Exam.

Plan Graduation Requirements

See Plan Graduation Requirements below.

Subplan 2 Requirements: Post-Bachelor’s Track

Total Credits Required: 63

Course Requirements 

Required Courses – Credits: 45

Complete 45 credits of 600- or 700-level coursework from within the College of Engineering. Courses from outside the College of Engineering may be taken with advisor approval.

Students in the Nuclear Engineering concentration must take at least three of the following courses as part of their 45 credits of coursework:

ME 655 - Fundamentals of Nuclear Engineering  

ME 700 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics I  

ME 701 - Advanced Fluid Mechanics II  

ME 702 - Computational Fluid Dynamics  

ME 705 - Conduction Heat Transfer  

ME 706 - Convective Heat Transfer  

ME 707 - Radiation Heat Transfer  

ME 708 - Convective Boiling and Condensation  

ME 711 - Advanced Thermodynamics  

ME 754 - Introduction to Nuclear Criticality Safety  

ME 755 - Nuclear Criticality Safety Engineering  

ME 756 - Monte Carlo Methods in Nuclear Engineering  

ME 760 - Waste Management And The Nuclear Fuel Cycle  

ME 762 - Nuclear Power Engineering  

ME 763 - Nuclear Reactor Analysis  

HPS 602 - Radiation Detection  

HPS 603 - Radiation Physics and Instrumentation Laboratory  

HPS 701 - Applied Nuclear Physics  

HPS 703 - Radiation Interactions and Transport  

HPS 720 - Radiation Dosimetry  

HPS 730 - Advanced Radiation Biology  

HPS 719 - Introduction to Radioanalytical Chemistry  

Dissertation – Credits: 18

ME 799 - Dissertation  

Degree Requirements 

1. Complete a minimum of 45 credit hours of course work beyond the degree of Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.) or equivalent with an overall minimum GPA of 3.20 and a minimum GPA of 2.70 (B-) in each class. Ph.D. candidates who do not maintain this GPA requirement will be placed on probation. Students on academic probation may be transferred to the M.S.M.E. Program depending on the student’s academic record.
2. Out of the 45 credit hours of course work, a minimum of 33 credits must be in 700-level courses, and no more than 6 credits can be from ME 791 Graduate Independent Study. In addition to these course requirements, a minimum of 18 credits of Dissertation is required.
3. The student’s doctoral advisory committee may add more requirements in accordance with the individual’s background and field of study. No more than 15 non‐matriculated credits including transfer credits is allowed.
4. A Doctoral Advisory Committee composed of at least five members of the UNLV graduate faculty is to be formed for the student. Three of these faculty members must be from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, the fourth from a relevant supporting field, and a fifth as appointed by the Graduate College.
5. The program of study must be submitted by the second semester of study. The program of study is to be prepared by the student and his/her doctoral advisor, and must be approved by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee and the GPC.
6. In order to show breadth and depth of knowledge in his/her discipline, the doctoral student must pass either a written qualifying exam, or an oral qualifying exam, or both as determined by the student’s Doctoral Advisory Committee. Each student must choose one of the following areas as a major and another as a minor:
   1. Dynamics and Control
   2. Fluid Mechanics
   3. Material Science
   4. Solid Mechanics and Mechanical Design
   5. Thermal Sciences
   6. Nuclear Engineering
7. In addition, all students will be tested in Mathematics. These examinations are on the undergraduate senior level, and are prepared by the department. Qualifying exams are held every semester. The qualifying exams must be scheduled during the first year of study. The qualifying exam can be taken a maximum of two times. Failure to take the exam within the first year or failure to pass the exam in the second attempt will automatically result in terminating student from the program.
8. After successfully completing all required course work and passing the Qualifying Exam, students must pass a preliminary exam with a written proposal for the dissertation research, followed by an oral defense of the proposal before the Doctoral Advisory Committee. The Preliminary Exam cannot be taken more than once per semester but may be repeated until passed. The student is advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. upon completion of all course work and this Preliminary Exam.

Plan Graduation Requirements

See Plan Graduation Requirements below.

Plan Graduation Requirements

1. The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
2. The student must submit and successfully defend his/her dissertation by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
3. The student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted hard-copy dissertation to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.