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Mechanical Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

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Obtain Your Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. at UW

To develop as an engineer, scholar and teacher under the guidance of mentors who can help you navigate the channels of a high-level mechanical engineering career is to become someone who can move the world forward on its most persistent problems.

In this supportive intellectual environment, you will have the opportunity to develop as a scholar in your own right alongside world-class researchers working across diverse projects ranging from wind energy and wildfire pollution to computational modeling that can answer previously unanswerable questions.

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Program Details

Tuition and Fees

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Program Requirements

Curriculum & Courses

Department

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
Department of Mechanical & Energy Systems Engineering

About The Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. at UW

Ph.D. Admissions Requirements:

  • Applicants should possess a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree or equivalent in Mechanical Engineering with a minimum GPA of 3.000 on a 4.000 grade scale or equivalent.
  • Students that do not hold B.S.M.E. degrees may qualify as PhD candidates by completing, without credit, certain prerequisite courses as specified by the Department.
  • A minimum composite score of 307 on the Verbal and Quantitative sections of the GRE.
  • For international students, a minimum TOEFL score of 90 on the Internet-based test (iBT) (or a minimum IELTS score >=  6.5 or a DuoLingo  >= 110).

On the online application form, you will need to provide:

  • Resume
  • Copy/scan of academic transcript
  • Copy/scan of GRE scores
  • For international non-native English speaking applicants:  copies of TOEFL (or IELTS or DuoLingo) results
  • Contact information for 3 academic/professional references
  • Statement of Purpose indicating the applicant’s technical area of interest, abilities and objectives in completing a graduate degree in mechanical engineering.

Applications are welcome all year but to be considered for teaching assistantships, applications must be submitted before March 15 for the fall semester or October 15 for the spring semester.

Learn about the graduate program application requirements and process.

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The Ph.D. program in mechanical engineering presents students with the opportunity to specialize in one of four concentrations. These concentrations enable students to concentrate their studies on specific areas of interest within the broad field of mechanical engineering, and gain advanced knowledge and skills in those areas. Whether a student's interest lies in the mechanics of materials or the fluid dynamics of aerodynamics, the program offers a platform to develop a specialized skillset that can lead to a rewarding career in academia, research, or industry.

Concentrations

  • Materials Science and Mechanics
  • Fluid Dynamics and Aerodynamics
  • Renewable Energy
  • Energy Conversion and Combustion

 

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What Can You Do With a Mechanical Engineering Doctoral Degree?

University of Wyoming’s doctoral program in mechanical engineering prepares you for senior level positions in industry, academic appointments and research at the highest levels of science and technology.

Mechanical Engineering Careers

UW mechanical engineering Ph.D. graduates have worked as the following:

  • Postdoc at Sandia National Laboratories
  • Staff scientist at Pacific Northwest National Labs (PNNL)
  • Postdoc at MIT Lincoln Laboratory
  • Postdoc at University of Maryland
  • Assistant Professor Pennsylvania State University
  • Senior Applications Development
  • Engineering at Seeq Corporation
  • Senior Research Engineer Teton Simulation Software
  • Senior Software Engineer at NewCo
  • Researcher Xi’an Thermal Power Research Institution
  • Software developer for MathWorks – Makers of MATLAB and Simulink
  • CFD developer for Ansys

 

 

 

UW has one of the country’s most cutting-edge 3-D printing makerspaces.

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Mechanical Engineering Doctoral Degree Program Highlights

The mechanical engineering Ph.D. program offers a strong underpinning in the principles of mechanical engineering while providing a close-knit research environment in which you can thrive as a scholar. These are some characteristics of the UW doctoral program in mechanical engineering:

Mechanical Engineering Research Groups

Ongoing mechanical engineering research takes place in UW’s Advanced Materials Lab, Materials Computation & Data Science Group, Physics based Multi-Scale Modeling, Thermo-Chemical Conversion Lab, and the Computational Fluid Dynamics Research Group, among others.

Graduate Assistantships

Investigate research and teaching assistantships in mechanical engineering. Most mechanical engineering graduate students receive funded assistantships to support their course of study.

 

Faculty Mentors

Work closely with a faculty mentor. All graduate mechanical engineering students are assigned a faculty mentor prior to enrolling based on research interests. Your mentor will advise you on your program of study, graduate committee formation, research, professional development and journal article writing. Research group sizes are small to foster this kind of mentorship.

Facilities

Take advantage of UW’s amazing facilities. UW houses equipment and facilities that are among the best in the world. Mechanical engineering maintains 21 research labs along with robust computing resources with software that supports our research.

I think some of the best things about the PhD program at UW are the premier access to laboratory space and resources, and the personalized attention students receive from the department faculty. The experimental laboratories and capabilities such as the Advanced Combustion Laboratory in EERB are top-tier and comparable to those found at other top-ranked universities. Meanwhile, you'll experience regular one-on-one interactions with your research advisor and professors. This combination is rare in other programs and invaluable to the students in this program. My time in this program was stimulating, challenging and ultimately rewarding, culminating in some exciting career opportunities.

- Dr. Alexandra Howell, Los Alamos National Laboratory Scientist
2023 Ph.D. graduate

Related Programs

Are you considering a career in mechanical engineering? UW offers other programs that might interest you such as:

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College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Mechanical Engineering

Department 3295, 1000 E. University Avenue

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-2122

Email: me.info@uwyo.edu