Mar 19, 2024  
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Department of Mechanical Engineering


Colleges  > Cullen College of Engineering  > Department of Mechanical Engineering  

The Department of Mechanical Engineering has an active graduate program encompassing advanced study and research in the major areas of dynamics and controls, fluid mechanics and heat transfer, materials science and engineering, and theoretical and computational mechanics.  Current research topics include:

  • computational fluid dynamics applied to problems ranging from the circulatory system and to the dynamics of offshore platforms;
  • control of complex systems such as engine exhaust after-treatment, orbiting spacecraft, and structures built from smart materials;
  • health monitoring and design optimization applied to a range of structures from micro-scale devices to bridges;
  • biomedical research into biosensing, micro-scale bioreactors and health prognostics of the cardiovascular system;
  • experimental studies of turbulent flows occurring in energy systems and two-phase flows in micro-scale heat exchangers.
Research activities in nanomechanics include:
  • structure-property relationships
  • strain-quantum behavior in quantum dots
  • nanoscale piezoelectricity
  • the application of magnetic nanostructures to sensors and biomedical devices.
Our materials engineering activities are driven by applications of composite materials to wind turbines and off-shore structures, ceramic components for aerospace systems, and superconducting materials for imaging and energy systems.

Materials Science and Engineering Program

The Materials Science and Engineering Program at the University of Houston is an interdisciplinary program with faculty from Mechanical, Chemical and Electrical Engineering Departments.  In addition, significant collaboration occurs with the materials faculty in the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.  The principal objectives of the materials engineering program may be summarized as follows:  to study the mechanical, optical, electrical and electronic behavior of engineering and engineered materials used in all engineering applications.  The specific areas covered by this program range from metallic alloys, polymers, ceramics and composites for advanced mechanical/aerospace engineering applications to thin films and coatings for electronics and superconducting ceramics for energy-related applications.

More information about the Materials Science and Engineering Program  and degrees offered.

Subsea Engineering Program

Offshore petroleum exploration and production is an increasingly important source of energy, as well as an important driver of the Texas economy.  There are billions of barrels of oil and trillions of cubic feet of natural gas predicted to lie within federally controlled waters in the Gulf, including the state of Texas.  The curricula content of Subsea Engineering will provide a scientific and technical skillset necessary to create the first generation of Subsea Engineering.  The Subsea Engineering curriculum is the first of its kind in the United States and one of only a handful abroad.

More information about the Subsea Engineering Program  and degrees offered.

Programs

    MasterDoctoralDual Degree - GraduateGraduate Certificate