Graduate Program Handbook

Program description

Brief description

• The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers Masters of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. The department does not have a language requirement for the Ph.D. degree. The program of courses and research for both the master’s and doctoral degrees is tailored to the background, needs and interests of the individual student. Research areas include solid mechanics/design, materials processing and advanced manufacturing, thermo-fluids/energy sciences, and mechatronics/robotics and systems dynamics/controls. Visit the Mechanical Engineering Department Research webpage to explore the areas of research.

Program/student learning outcomes (SLOs)

• Our program is directed towards preparing motivated students to become professionally competent and capable of independent, self-directed research in one of several sub-disciplines of mechanical engineering, including solid mechanics/design, materials processing and advanced manufacturing, thermo-fluids/energy sciences, and mechatronics/robotics and systems dynamics/controls.
• Upon graduating from our program, our students will have:
• An ability to apply engineering research and theory to advance the art, science and practice of the discipline;
• An ability to design and conduct experiments as well as to analyze, interpret, apply and disseminate the data;
• An understanding of research methodology.

Different tracks offered

• The Mechanical Engineering Department offers Masters of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. M.S. has two options: thesis (Plan A) and non-thesis (Plan B).

Contact information for the program director and other relevant personnel

• Matteo Aureli, ME Graduate Program Director
  Mechanical Engineering (312)
  University of Nevada, Reno
  Reno, NV 89557
  Phone: (775) 784-6973
  Fax: (775) 784-1701
  E-mail: maureli@unr.edu

Degree requirements

Masters of Science (M.S.) Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Both Plan A (requiring the completion of a thesis) and Plan B (non-thesis) master’s degree programs are available. All M.S. degree candidates are initially accepted into Plan B, but may be invited to complete Plan A in cooperation with a faculty research advisor. Graduate students in Plan A are eligible to apply for teaching assistantships. In addition to the requirements for a M.S. degree established by the Graduate School (for details see graduate catalog), Plan A and Plan B have the following requirements:

• Plan A

  • Declaration of Advisor: Completed forms must be submitted to Graduate School by the end of the student’s second semester.
  • Examination Committee (refer to Section 5 “Committee selection guideline”): Usually the committee consists of three members: two (2) ME Department members and one (1) outside member. The advisor usually serves as the chair of the committee. The outside member serves as the Graduate School representative.
  • Program of Study: For M.S. students, the completed form must be submitted to Graduate School by the end of the student’s third semester.
  • Coursework:
    • At least 30 credits of acceptable graduate courses must be completed.
    • At least 18 of those credits must be earned in on-campus courses at the University of Nevada, Reno.
    • At least 12 credits in the program must be at the 700 level.
    • 9 credits can be earned by enrolling in “Thesis” ME 797.
    • Maximum 6 credits of graduate S/U units may apply towards a master’s degree, excluding S/U units allowed for thesis units, but including transfer units.
    • Any transfer credits from another institution must be recommended in the program of study by the advisory/examining committee, and must be officially accepted by the Office of Admissions and Records.
  • Thesis Defense: A thesis and oral presentation are required. Thesis formatting guidelines can be obtained from the Graduate School. Oral defense is taken after completion of M.S. work, following thesis guidelines from the Graduate School. Typically, at the defense, there is an oral presentation (less than one hour), public questions, private questions with just the committee, and the committee deliberates. Often the committee requests changes to be made to thesis before the thesis is submitted. In the case of unsatisfactory dissertation and/or final exam, the committee can recommend termination of the student’s graduate study or probation with further work in thesis and thesis defense.
  • Application for Graduation: After successful thesis defense, the student fills out the Notice of Completion form and obtains final review approval. Check with the Graduate School for forms and deadlines.

• Plan B

  • Declaration of Advisor: Completed forms must be submitted to Graduate School by the end of the student’s second semester. Normally the graduate program director serves as advisor.
  • Examination Committee (refer to Section 5 “Committee selection guideline”): Usually the committee consists of three members: two (2) ME Department members and one (1) outside member. The advisor usually serves as the chair of the committee. The outside member serves as the Graduate School representative.
  • Program of Study: For M.S. students, the completed form must be submitted to Graduate School by the end of the student’s third semester.
  • Coursework:
    • At least 30 credits of acceptable graduate courses must be satisfactorily completed.
    • At least 18 of those credits must be earned in on-campus courses at the University of Nevada, Reno.
    • At least 18 credits in the program must be at the 700 level.
    • Maximum 6 credits of graduate S/U units may apply towards a master’s degree, including transfer units. Note: Thesis units do not count towards a Plan B master's degree.
    • Any transfer credits from another institution must be recommended in the program of study by the advisory/examining committee, and must be officially accepted by the Office of Admissions and Records.
  • No additional culminating experience, such as a Comprehensive Exam, is required.
  • Application for Graduation: After successful completion of the coursework, students fill out the Notice of Completion form. Check with the Graduate School for forms and deadlines.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree in Mechanical Engineering

• Declaration of Advisor: Completed forms must be submitted to Graduate School by the end of the student’s second semester.
• Examination Committee (refer to Section 5 “Committee selection guideline”): The committee is usually chaired by the dissertation advisor and is formed before the student’s Comprehensive Exam. Usually, the committee consists of five members: three (3) from the ME Department and two (2) outside the department. All the committee members should be graduate faculty at the University or faculty members at a Ph.D. granting program in the U.S. Other people serving in the committee require prior approvals from the Graduate School with recommendation from the ME Graduate Committee. The committee recommends termination of the student’s Ph.D. study or to re-take a particular exam if the student does not satisfy required course work or a particular exam.
• Program of Study: For doctoral students, the completed form must be submitted to Graduate School by the end of the student’s fourth semester.
• Coursework: A total of 60 credits are required.
  • A minimum of 20 dissertation credits (ME 799) are required.
  • Up to 24 credits (no thesis credits) can be transferred from MS study, possibly more if the Graduate School approves and they are at “doctoral level.”
  • Up to 9 graduate credits of S/U grading allowed (including transfer credits).
  • At least 18 credits at the 700 level are required (excluding ME 799).
• Qualifying exam: Rules of the ME Ph.D. Qualifying exam apply. Please refer to the ME Ph.D. Qualifying Handbook for details on the ME website.
• Dissertation Proposal or Comprehensive Exam (Admission to Candidacy): The student shall register for ME 795 in the semester when he/she plans to defend the proposal. The exam is taken after completion of all the coursework. The format of the dissertation proposal is decided by the dissertation advisor and the examination committee, but typically involves a presentation of past and intended work for the dissertation, followed by questions about those and related topics from the committee members. The committee should ensure that the student has passed the necessary qualifying exams and met the GPA requirement in the core curriculum before advancement to candidacy. The dissertation proposal should be completed preferably at least one semester before intended graduation date. Upon successful completion of the exam, the student fills out the admission to candidacy form found on the Graduate School forms webpage.
• Dissertation Defense: A dissertation and oral presentation are required. Dissertation formatting and filing guidelines can be obtained from the Graduate School thesis guidelines webpage. Oral defense (final exam) is taken after completion of Ph.D. work, following guidelines from Graduate School. Typically, at the defense, there is an oral presentation (about one hour), public questions, private questions with just the committee, and the committee deliberates. Often the committee requests changes to be made to dissertation before the dissertation is submitted.
• Application for graduation: the student writes and defends the dissertation, files a notice of completion and obtains final review approval. Check with the Graduate School for forms and deadlines.

Graduate courses offered in Mechanical Engineering: all the courses are electives.

• To view coursework options for the M.S. program, please visit the Mechanical Engineering, M.S. webpage in the catalog.
• To view coursework options for the Ph.D. program, please visit the Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D. webpage in the catalog.

Graduate School academic requirements

Visit the Graduate School's website to review the academic standing and dismissal policy.

All students should be familiar with the academic standards set forth in the University Administrative Manual, Section 6,502.

Transfer credits

These are credits transferred from another institution. Credits completed at the University in another program or as a graduate special do not need to be transferred. Transfer credit is requested on the Graduate Credit Transfer Evaluation Request form available on the Graduate School forms website and must be signed by the student, major advisor and graduate director. Transfer credits applied to a master’s program must comply with the time limitation on master’s work (6 years). Thus, if a student took a course five years prior to admission, they would have to complete the degree within one year for the course to apply to the degree. Credits from a completed master’s degree will be exempt from the 8-year time limitation for those students earning a doctoral degree.

Timeline for degree completion

Master’s degrees: All coursework must be completed within six years preceding the awarding of the degree.

Doctoral degrees: All coursework must be completed within eight years preceding the awarding of the degree. Credits transferred into doctoral degree from a completed master’s degree are exempt from this eight-year limit.

In Mechanical Engineering, most M.S. students graduate within three years and most Ph.D. students obtain their degrees within three to five years after a M.S. degree.

The following forms are required to be submitted to the graduate school with deadlines specified. Note: all links are subject to change. Please refer to the Graduate School website for up-to-date information and forms. Note: Only Docusign form are accepted; PDF file examples are provided only for reference.

Committee selection guideline

Master’s Programs: All masters programs (with the exception of the Master’s of Business Administration and the Master’s of Accountancy programs) require at least three advisory committee members. All must be graduate faculty members. At least one (the Graduate School representative or “outside” member) must be from a department or program different from the department or program from which the student is graduating.

Doctoral Programs: Consist of a minimum of five graduate faculty members: the chair; at least two faculty members from the student’s major department/program; at least one faculty member from a department in a field related to the student’s major; and at least one Graduate School representative.

In case of interdisciplinary graduate programs, the Graduate School representative cannot have a primary appointment in the same department (or other appropriate major unit) as the student’s committee chair.

Formal approval of all student advisory committees is made by the Graduate Dean.

• The role of the committee: For Plan A M.S. Degree and Ph.D. degree, the committee guides the course and research work during a student’s graduate study. The committee examines the student’s achievements and determines whether or not a student satisfies the minimum degree requirements. For Plan B MS, the committee examines the student’s coursework and qualification through review of the program of study.
• Formation of the committee: The committee should be formed no later than end of third semester for Master’s students and end of fourth semester for doctoral students.

Comprehensive and qualifying exams

Plan A and Plan B M.S. students are not required to take comprehensive or qualifying exams. Ph.D. students are required to take qualifying and comprehensive exams.

For Ph.D. students, a qualifying exam is taken after completion of major coursework usually in the first or second year of Ph.D. studies. For students that have started their Ph.D. program in Spring 2018 or later, the new rules of the ME Ph.D. Qualifying exam apply. Please refer to the ME Ph.D. Qualifying Handbook for details.

After the student has passed the qualifying exam, the student should register for the one-credit ME 795 “Comprehensive Examination” in the semester when the student takes the comprehensive exam. 

The committee decides the format of the comprehensive exam. Usually, the comprehensive exam includes a written report and an oral presentation on past and intended work for the dissertation, followed by questions about those and related topics from the committee members. In the case of an unsatisfactory comprehensive exam, the committee can recommend termination of the student’s graduate study or probation with further work in the report and/or improved presentation.

Thesis requirements (and/or non-thesis option)

The format for the thesis and dissertation should follow the requirements specified by the Graduate School.

• Graduate School forms and resources related to thesis and dissertations:
  • Doctoral Dissertation Filing thesis guidelines
  • Master’s Thesis Filing thesis guidelines
  • (Doctoral students only) Dissertation Title Form, found on the forms webpage

Once all requirements have been met, students need to submit a Final Review Approval and Notice of Completion form, found on the forms webpage, to graduate.

Graduate assistantships

Teaching assistantships (TA) and research assistantships (RA) are usually available for Ph.D. students and Plan A M.S. students. Almost all full-time Ph.D. students in Mechanical Engineering are fully supported by either a TA or RA. Typical support for graduate assistantships covers tuition, health insurance and offers minimum financial compensation of $1,600/month for M.S. students and $2,000 for Ph.D. students, but it is subject to vary. TA and RA positions are offered by the faculty advisors. Typically, assistantships are not available to Plan B M.S. students.

All graduate students holding an assistantship (TA or RA) are considered Nevada residents for tuition purposes. Non-resident tuition is only waived for the duration of the assistantship. To be eligible for an assistantship, students must be admitted to a degree-granting program and be in good academic standing. The student must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and must be continuously enrolled in at least 6 graduate-level credits (600-700) throughout the duration of the assistantship.

State-funded assistantships (TA/RA) may be held for a maximum of: three (3) years for master’s degree students and five (5) years for doctoral degree students.

The most updated information on graduate assistantship can be found in the graduate school website:

• General funding information
• General Graduate Assistantship information
• Graduate Assistantship handbook

Health insurance

All domestic degree-seeking graduate students enrolled in six or more graduate credits (regardless of the course level) in a semester will be automatically enrolled and billed for the University-sponsored health insurance for each term they are eligible (fall and spring/summer).

If a student has other comparable coverage and would like to waive out of the student health insurance, it is the student’s responsibility to complete the University online waiver form prior to the deadline. A health insurance waiver is good for the current academic year only if approved. A new waiver must be submitted each academic year.

International students should contact the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) for information regarding health insurance.

See the Graduate School’s webpage on mandatory health insurance for domestic graduate students.

Leave of absence

• Continuous enrollment: To maintain “good standing,” all graduate students are required to enroll in a minimum of three (3) graduate credits each fall and spring semester until they graduate. International students may be required to enroll in nine graduate credits each fall and spring semester depending on the requirements of their visa. All students holding assistantships (whether teaching or research assistantships) are required to enroll in a minimum of six (6) graduate credits each semester they hold the assistantship.

• Leave of absence: Students in good standing may request a leave of absence by completing a leave of absence form available on the Graduate School forms webpage (during which time they are not required to maintain continuous registration. Usually, a leave of absence is approved for one or two semesters. The leave of absence request may be extended by the student filing an additional leave of absence form. Students applying for a leave of absence should not have any “incomplete” grades which could be changed to “F” and have a detrimental impact on their cumulative GPA. Requests for leave of absences must be received by the Graduate School no later than the last day of enrollment for the semester the leave is to begin.

• Reinstatement: When a student has been absent for one semester or more without an approved leave of absence, he or she may request reinstatement via the Reinstatement form found on the Graduate School forms This form allows the program the option to recommend the student be readmitted to their graduate program based on their previous admission OR require the student to reapply for admission which would require students to submit a new application for admission and pay the application fee. The Notice of Reinstatement to Gradate Standing must be received by the Graduate School no later than the last day of enrollment for the semester the reinstatement is to begin.

Graduate Student Association

The Graduate Student Association (GSA) represents all graduate students and promotes the welfare and interests of the graduate students at the University of Nevada, Reno. The GSA works closely with appropriate university administrative offices, including the Graduate School and Student Services and reports to the president of the University. The GSA government functions through the Council of Representatives, Executive Council and established committees.

Graduate School forms

For forms, please refer to the Graduate School Form and Policies For Students webpage.