Mechanical Engineering, Ph.D.

(PME)

The departmental-level academic course plan for each student will be developed in consultation with and approved by the student’s graduate advisory committee. The committee will include the student’s major advisor and at least two additional members of the graduate faculty plus the dean’s representative such that the LSU Graduate School’s requirements for graduate committees are satisfied.

The doctoral degree requires a dissertation. If the student is deemed eligible by the ME Graduate Studies Committee to enter the PhD program directly from a BS degree, he/she will be required to take a minimum of 42 hours of coursework (not S/U graded coursework) and 12 hours of dissertation research (ME 9000 ). If the student has earned a recognizable MS degree with at least 24 hours of graduate level courses applicable to the proposed doctoral program, he/she may be allowed to transfer up to 24 hours of credit upon approval by the major professor,  the student’s advisory committee, and the ME graduate program director, which will count on the requirement of a minimum of 42 hours of coursework. Coursework must be approved by the major professor, the student’s advisory committee, and the ME graduate program director, as evidenced by the certification of the departmental plan of study form and the Graduate School Doctoral Degree Audit Form. 

The curricular requirements include:

• At least nine hours at the 7000 level or above if the student has earned a MS degree, exclusive of independent studies (ME 7903 ) credits unless petitioned beforehand and approved by major advisor/GSC/chair, and at least 18 hours at the 7000 level or above if the student has entered the PhD degree directly from a BS degree, exclusive of any type of independent studies credit except for special project credit earned.
• A minimum core requirement of 12 credit hours in thermal sciences, mechanical system, or materials science and engineering, along with 27 credit hours of technical electives (related to the student’s research area and approved by the advisory committee), and a minimum of three credit hours in mathematics, if direct to PhD degree from BS degree.
• A minimum core requirement of 12 credit hours in thermal sciences, mechanical system, or materials science and engineering, along with six credit hours of technical electives (related to the student’s research area and approved by the advisory committee) for students with an MS degree with the approved transfer of 24 credit hours. Among the 12 credit hours of core coursework, a minimum of nine credit hours should be taken from 7000-level courses.
• Completion of the PhD qualifying exams and passing in a minimum of three areas (mathematics + two topics) to continue with the PhD program (areas will be selected in conjunction with the major professor) – prepare for and take them by the end of the student’s first year (Passing of these exams is a prerequisite for taking the general exam - complete all the qualifying exam requirements within two years (three years for direct PhD students) prior to scheduling the general exam.
• Scheduling the general exam upon completion of essentially all coursework (not before the last semester of coursework) with a detailed research proposal. PhD candidates are required to take their general exam within 15 months after they completely satisfy the requirements for the qualifying exam.
• Enrollment in the seminar course, ME 7901 , every semester is a requirement; however, the seminar course attendance requirement is waived for any student, after the date when he/she has successfully defended his/her dissertation, or while he/she is participating in an out-of-state internship or out-of-state student exchange program under approval of his/her major professor. If this condition is met for an entire semester, the registration requirement is waived.
• Presenting a seminar before graduation, discussing the major results of the research at a regular meeting of the ME graduate student seminar and/or in the Graduate Student Research Conference(s).

The student must pass a general/qualifying/final exam consisting of a dissertation and comprehensive oral exam. At the discretion of the student’s advisory committee, a written exam may be required.