2024-2025 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog
Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering
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Return to: John A. Swanson School of Engineering
The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science (MEMS) offers MS and PhD degrees in both areas, as well as an MS degree in Nuclear Engineering. In addition, the Department offers graduate certificates in Nuclear Engineering and Processing, Properties and Performance of Engineering Metals, which are open to all graduate students within the Swanson School of Engineering. These certificates are also available to qualified post-baccalaureate students who are not seeking to earn an MS degree.
Contact Information
Department Chair: Brian Gleeson, PhD
Main Office: 636 Benedum Hall
412-624-9784
Fax: 412-624-4846
MSE Graduate Director: Mostafa Bedewy, PhD
636 Benedum Hall
412-624-2682
E-mail: mbedewy@pitt.edu
ME Graduate Director: Sangyeop Lee, PhD
636 Benedum Hall
412-624-8111
E-mail: sylee@pitt.edu
NE Graduate Director: Heng Ban, PhD
636 Benedum Hall
412-624-0325
E-mail: heng.ban@pitt.edu
NE Associate/Academic Director: TBD
636 Benedum Hall
MEMS Graduate Administrator: Tara Rankin
636 Benedum Hall
412-624-9722
E-mail: mems_gradadmin@pitt.edu
Department website:
https://www.engineering.pitt.edu/Departments/MEMS/
Application Requirements & Deadlines
Applicants are urged to visit the Swanson School of Engineering graduate admissions webpage or graduate catalog for all application requirements and deadlines.
In addition to the SSoE requirements, an applicant applying to any MS or certificate program must have a quality point average (QPA) or cumulative grade point average (GPA) equal to or higher than 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale in the same or closely related field. Any applicant to a PhD program must have a quality point average (QPA) or cumulative grade point average (GPA) equal to or higher than 3.3 (B+) on a 4.0 scale in the same or closely related field. Students who do not meet this requirement may be able to enter the program based on experience demonstrating their excellence, as evaluated by the program’s Graduate Committee.
In some cases, depending on previous background and QPA or cumulative GPA, students may be admitted initially on a provisional basis. This usually requires students to secure grades of 3.0 (B) or better in courses that are required to obtain a better background in the chosen field and/ or other graduate-level courses as deemed necessary by the Graduate Admissions Committee.
Academic admission to the graduate program does not imply the granting of financial support.
Consideration for Funded Teaching & Research Assistantships
The department provides funding to exceptionally qualified students in the form of teaching and research assistantships, which include a monthly stipend, tuition scholarship and individual premium health insurance coverage. The funding is awarded by the primary research advisor. Students applying for the PhD programs are prioritized for the highly competitive appointments. An applicant interested in applying for a funded teaching or research appointment should apply by the financial consideration deadline and indicate interest when completing the on-line application.
Materials Science and Engineering
The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science offers broad-based educational and research programs in materials science and engineering leading to the degrees of Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering. These programs are oriented toward the application of fundamental knowledge of materials science and engineering to the solution of real-world materials problems that impede technological progress. They are designed to educate engineers by providing them with the tools to become successful in research, development, production, management, and teaching.
Basic courses on the structure, properties, and energetics of materials are taken in common. The student, working with faculty advisors, tailors the program to suit individual interests and demands of the student’s chosen field of specialization through advanced and specialty courses.
The range of research projects in materials science and engineering reflects the broad spectrum of interest of the faculty. However, interest in the structure and properties of materials and their relationship to materials processing is a common thread that ties together many of the programs. Research is aimed at building an understanding of basic phenomena that will lead to solutions of materials problems at the forefront of technological and social progress.
Current research interests are centered in several areas of metals and ceramics, including corrosion and oxidation; high-temperature materials; materials for energy applications; additive manufacturing; metal-forming processes; phase transformations in metals and ceramics; intermetallic phases; plastic deformation of metals; surfaces and interfaces; thermomechanical processing of steels; ceramic processing and sintering science; electronic properties of ceramics; nanostructured materials; catalytic materials; thin film science and technology; and laser processing of materials.
Six core courses (MSE 2003 , MSE 2011 , MSE 2013 , MSE 2015 , MSE 2030 , MSE 2067 ) are offered annually and other graduate courses are offered on a two-year rotation. A full list of MSE courses is available at the end of this catalog page.
In addition to the MS and PhD degrees, the Department also offers a dual-degree program with the Katz Graduate School of Business.
Master of Science Program
The Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering degree (MSMSE) may be pursued as either a Professional MS Track program (for practicing engineers) or a Research MS Track program. Students can tailor their individual MS program to emphasize different aspects of materials science and engineering (e.g., ceramics, metallurgy, etc.).
Doctor of Philosophy Program
The Doctor of Philosophy Program in Materials Science and Engineering is a research degree leading largely to careers in teaching and research in academia and industry. This program is designed for excellent students. As the studies progress, students develop an understanding at the highest level in their area of specialization that must lead to an original contribution to the field in the PhD dissertation.
Processing, Properties, and Performance of Engineering Metals Certificate
The graduate-level Certificate in Processing, Properties, and Performance of Engineering Metals is designed primarily to meet the needs of working engineers who wish to pursue or enhance a particular aspect of materials science and engineering and of traditional graduate students in science and/or engineering who want to supplement their program with courses having a metals focus.
The academic requirements associated with the Certificate in Processing, Properties, and Performance of Engineering Metals include the completion of fifteen (15) credits of coursework within the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science.
Mechanical Engineering
The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science offers Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Master of Science (MS) degrees in mechanical engineering. Each graduate program student’s plan of study is developed individually under the guidance of a faculty advisor and is carefully tailored to meet his or her needs and objectives while meeting the minimum requirements for the degree.
The graduate curriculum is an integrated program of study in applied sciences and mathematics, and modern computational methods that are pertinent to the research emphasis in the department. The research in the department is focused on seven major areas: (1) Advanced Manufacturing and Design; (2) Materials for Extreme Conditions; (3) Soft Matter Biomechanics; (4) Computational and Data-Enabled Engineering; (5) Cyber-Physical Systems and Security; (6) Nuclear and other Sustainable Energies; (7) Quantitative and In Situ Materials Characterization.
In addition to the MS and PhD degrees, the Department also offers a dual-degree program with the Katz Graduate School of Business.
Master of Science Program
The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) degree may be pursued as either a Professional MS course-only program, suitable for most practicing engineers, or a a thesis-based, Research-Track MS program that requires the completion of a thesis.
Doctor of Philosophy Program
The goal of the Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering program is to prepare the student for the rigorous career demands of engineering research either in the industry or academia. Students are expected to develop a commanding knowledge in their area of specialization that must culminate in the form of original contributions to the field of engineering and sciences in the PhD dissertation.
Nuclear Engineering
The Department of Mechanical and Materials Science offers graduate studies in advanced nuclear engineering. The graduate faculty is committed to high-quality research and teaching. The curriculum is an integrated program of study in applied sciences, applied mathematics, and modern computational procedures that are relevant to the research emphasis in the department. The research is focused on: (1) Nuclear Energy Technology (2) Nuclear Operations and Safety (3) Nuclear Materials (4) Nuclear Modeling and Simulations and (5) Radiology and Radiochemistry.
Master of Science Programs
An application for the MS program is judged on the student’s prior academic record, the accreditation of the prior degree granting school, and the capability of the department to match the applicant’s interest with the program. Students with a Bachelor of Science degree in another engineering field, mathematics, or physics will also be considered for the graduate program with the possibility that prerequisite courses may be required. A part-time program is available for students who are employed in local industries. Part-time students usually carry from three to six credits per term in either day or evening classes.
Applicants who do not meet these requirements will be considered on an individual basis with strong emphasis given to academic promise, career orientation, work experience, and preparation in engineering and related disciplines. In some cases, applicants may be admitted provisionally until certain deficiencies in either coursework or academic achievement are satisfied.
Nuclear Engineering Graduate Certificate
The Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Sciences is offering a certificate for students in the Swanson School of Engineering with an interest in nuclear science and technology. Students from the Bioengineering, Civil, Chemical, Industrial, Mechanical, Materials Science, and Electrical/Computer engineering programs may be most interested in obtaining this certificate.
Fifteen units are required to complete the certificate. This certificate may be combined with graduate courses in any one of the School’s seven Master of Science (MS) degree programs or the certificate may be awarded stand-alone as a post-baccalaureate certificate. All nuclear courses (labeled NUCE) count toward a Nuclear Engineering certificate. Courses designated as (NUCE/ME) on the Nuclear Engineering MS and Certificate program pages (linked below) will also be recognized for credit toward an MS or PhD in Mechanical Engineering; these courses include NUCE 2100, NUCE 2102, and NUCE 2115.
This program provides coursework for graduate level nuclear engineering education with a focus on nuclear operations and safety. This focus on nuclear operations and safety not only fulfills a recognized educational need but is also designed to take advantage of unique industrial resources in the Pittsburgh area which will greatly facilitate student learning.
The renaissance of nuclear science and technology in the United States has created a need in the marketplace once again for engineers with nuclear knowledge. The University of Pittsburgh aims to meet these marketplace needs by preparing engineers through the graduate certificate in nuclear engineering. Classes are taught by current and former nuclear engineers, including faculty with experience conducting commercial nuclear operations programs for Westinghouse or the Beaver Valley Nuclear Station and with certificates or operation licenses from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The objectives of the nuclear engineering certificate are:
- To develop the basic competencies needed by science and engineering graduates to contribute quickly and effectively to the renaissance of nuclear science and technology in the United States and abroad.
- To create a benchmark educational program that can serve as a model throughout academia.
ProgramsDoctoralGraduate CertificateMaster’s
CoursesMaterials Science and EngrMechanical EngineeringMechanical Engr and Materials Science and EngrNuclear Engineering
Return to: John A. Swanson School of Engineering
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