Mechanical Engineering (ME)
The Mechanical Engineering (ME) curriculum is comprised of courses in three tracks:
Materials and Solids; Fluid Mechanics, Thermal Sciences and Energy; and Controls, Design and Dynamics.
In each such area, we specify below courses that fall into three categories, namely M.S. program courses, Ph.D.program courses and Advanced Seminar courses (course number in the 400’s). Each area has one M.S. program course and between three to five Ph.D. program courses. Advanced Seminar courses are defined in each area, with precise content and prerequisites determined by the instructor. Titles and short descriptions for each course are provided below.
The M.S. program will nominally involve 3 semesters of coursework and 1 10-week internship. A M.S. student must earn at least 12 credit hours in the first semester of study (one course will be in mathematics). These will be followed by 9 additional credit hours in each of the subsequent two semesters for a total of 30 credit hours. M.S. students will be encouraged to take Ph.D. program courses and Advanced Seminar courses in the areas of the specific interests with the approval of their academic advisors and consistently with stated course prerequisites. Up to 6 credit hours taken outside of the Mechanical Engineering curriculum can count toward the M.S. degree.
At the end of the second semester of study, a Ph.D. preliminary examination will be administered to M.S. students wishing to be admitted to the Ph.D. program. Students that fail this examination will be allowed to take it for a second (and last) time at the end of the subsequent semester. Students who are admitted to the Ph.D. program will be required to take an additional 6 credit hours of course work for a total of 36 credit hours. After the fourth semester of study, Ph.D. students will take a qualifying examination, which will be in the form of a defense of their doctoral thesis proposal. A minimum of 2 semesters of research are required after a student has advanced to Ph.D. candidacy. More detailed information on degree requirements, including qualifying, candidacy, dissertation and final defense, is described in Section 4.
It is recommended that every semester, all Mechanical Engineering graduate students be required to attend a semester-long seminar series as a means of familiarizing themselves with KAUST research activities.
The courses in each track are as follows:
Track 1: Materials and Solid Mechanics:
| Materials: | ME 240, ME 341, ME 342, ME 343, ME 344, ME 440 |
| Solid Mechanics: | ME 260, ME 361, ME 362, ME 363, ME 364, ME 365, ME 460 |
Track 2: Fluid Mechanics, Thermal Sciences & Energy:
| Fluid Mechanics: | ME 250, ME 351, ME 352, ME 353, ME 354, ME 355, ME 450 |
| Thermal Science: | ME 270, ME 371, ME 372, ME 373, ME 374, ME 375, ME 470 |
Track 3: Controls, Design and Dynamics:
| Controls: | ME 210, ME 311, ME 312, ME 313, ME 314, ME 410 |
| Design: | ME 220, ME 321, ME 322, ME 323, ME 324, ME 325, ME 420 |
| Dynamics: | ME 230, ME 331, ME 332, ME 333, ME 334, ME 430 |
Course numbers for individual research or study will be available for M.S. students (ME 299) and Ph.D. students (ME 399). Remedial courses are recommended for graduate students who may need to review standard undergraduate Mechanical Engineering material or hold an undergraduate degree in a field other than Mechanical Engineering. Such remedial courses may be offered during the summer prior to the first official semester of studies.