M.S. in Mechanical Engineering
About
Admission requirements follow the general admission rules for aerospace and mechanical engineering graduate programs. For admission requirements, refer to Viterbi Graduate Degrees and Requirements at USC Viterbi School of Engineering.
The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering prepares the student to practice engineering at an advanced level in a specialization within mechanical engineering and to recognize the benefit of solving problems using expertise from other engineering disciplines. Students improve their skills in setting up and solving problems by using contemporary tools and leveraging interaction with peers.
Requirements
The program of study depends upon the student’s interests and background. The M.S. in Mechanical Engineering program requires completion of a minimum of 27 units, with at least 18 units at the 500 level, and a 3.0 GPA overall. A minimum of 15 units must be AME 500-level courses including applied mathematics course. See details below.
- 4 units of Applied Mathematics Coursework. Choose from:
- AME 525 Linear Algebra in Engineering Science (4 units)
- AME 526 Partial Differential Equations for Engineering Applications (4 units)
- AME 540 Probability and Statistics in Engineering Science (4 units)
- 11 additional units of 500-level courses in the AME department
- Cross-listed classes count as AME department courses
- Remaining 12 units can be approved 400- or 500-level elective courses
- Elective courses may be from AME, Math, Physics, or other Engineering Departments (ASTE, BME, CE, CHE, CSCI, DSCI, EE, ENE, ENGR, ISE, ITP, MASC, PTE, SAE)
- No more than 9 units at the 400 level
- No more than 3 units of AME 590 Directed Research can be taken as elective credit
In addition to the general requirements listed in the catalogue, the department has identified requirements in several areas of optional specializations. Core requirements and elective requirements are defined for each area of specialization below. Note that specializations are not designated on transcripts or diplomas.
Optional Specializations
The following specializations provide recommendations for courses to take in order to focus a student's degree in a specific area or areas. These specializations are guidelines, not requirements; students are not required to follow a specialization. Specializations do not appear on a student's transcript or diploma.
AME 436 Automotive and Flight Propulsion (3 units)
AME 506 Continuum Mechanics (4 units)
AME 511 Compressible Gas Dynamics (4 units)
AME 513a Fundamentals and Applications of Combustion I (4 units)
AME 513b Fundamentals and Applications of Combustion II (4 units)
AME 515 Thermal and Biological Transport Phenomena I (4 units)
AME 516 Thermal and Biological Transport Phenomena II (4 units)
AME 533 Multi-Phase Flows (3 units)
AME 530a Dynamics of Incompressible Fluids (4 units)
AME 535a Introduction to Computational Fluid Mechanics (3 units)
AME 535b Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics (3 units)