DEGREE Mechanical Engineering, PhD
Doctoral degree in mechanical engineering
As a PhD student in mechanical engineering, you’ll be part of a community of outstanding students who are preparing for advanced work in industry, national labs, and academia. We’ll mentor you on your way to becoming a world-class researcher, and you can choose from opportunities within established and emerging research specializations. Broad research themes within the department include biomechanics, computational engineering, energy, manufacturing, and mechanics and controls, and within those, you’ll also have access to excellent research facilities are available for specialized research.
At a glance
Mechanical engineering department
Learn more about what information you need to apply.
Admissions
Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.
Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online.
| Fall Deadline | December 15 |
| Spring Deadline | September 1 |
| Summer Deadline | December 15 |
| GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) | Not Required.* |
| English Proficiency Test | Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not exclusively in English, must provide an English proficiency test score earned within two years of the anticipated term of enrollment. Refer to the Graduate School: Minimum Requirements for Admission policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1241. |
| Other Test(s) (e.g., GMAT, MCAT) | n/a |
| Letters of Recommendation Required | 3 |
- *
Submitted scores will not be used in admission decisions.
Application Requirements and Process
Degree
Most applicants have a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. Applicants with a Bachelor of Science in other engineering or physical and natural science disciplines will be considered for admission. International applicants must have a degree comparable to a regionally accredited US bachelor’s degree.
GPA
The Department of Mechanical Engineering prefers a 3.2/4.0 GPA. The minimum GPA to be reviewed by the admission committee is 3.0/4.0.
Advisor Selection Process
Applicants must seek out and secure their own faculty advisor. International students must complete this process as part of the application process, before an offer of admission may be granted. To seek out a faculty advisor, review the department Research and People websites. Only those faculty listed with titles of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor, can serve as graduate advisors. Do not contact Emeritus faculty, Lecturers, Research Scientists, or Faculty Associates. You are encouraged to inquire about possible funding opportunities. If a faculty member offers to be your advisor, ask them to email their acceptance to megradadmission@engr.wisc.edu.
Application Materials
Each application must include the following:
- Graduate School Application
- Academic transcripts
- Statement of purpose
- Resume/CV
- Three letters of recommendation
- English Proficiency Score (if required)
- Application Fee
All applicants must satisfy requirements that are set forth by the Graduate School. Admitted applicants without Mechanical Engineering Bachelor of Science degrees may be required to complete one or more courses in addition to degree requirements to satisfy any deficiencies (this requirement cannot be determined prior to admission).
Academic Transcript
Within the online application, upload the undergraduate transcript(s) and, if applicable, the previous graduate transcript. Unofficial copies of transcripts are required for review and official copies are required for admitted applicants. Do not send transcripts or any other application materials to the Graduate School or the Department of Mechanical Engineering unless requested. Review the requirements set by the Graduate School for additional information about degrees/transcripts.
Statement of Purpose
In this document, applicants should explain why they want to pursue further education in Mechanical Engineering and discuss which UW faculty members they would be interested in doing research with during their graduate study (see the Graduate School for more advice on how to structure a personal statement).
Resume
Upload your resume in your application.
Three Letters of Recommendation
These letters are required from people who can accurately judge the applicant’s academic, research, and/or work performance. Letters of recommendation are submitted electronically to graduate programs through the online application. See the Graduate School for FAQs regarding letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation are due by the deadline listed above.
English Proficiency Score
Every applicant whose native language is not English, or whose undergraduate instruction was not in English, must provide an English proficiency test score. The UW-Madison Graduate School accepts TOEFL, IETLS, or Duolingo English Test scores. Your score will not be accepted if it is more than two years old from the start of your admission term. Country of citizenship does not exempt applicants from this requirement. Language of instruction at the college or university level and how recent the language instruction was taken are the determining factors in meeting this requirement.
International degree-seeking applicants must prove English proficiency using the Graduate School’s requirements.
Application Fee
Submission must be accompanied by the one-time application fee. See the Graduate School for FAQs regarding fees.
Fee grants are available through the conditions outlined here by the Graduate School. Applicants who do not qualify for a fee grant as explained above, may seek out a Mechanical Engineering faculty advisor and discuss the fee grant option with that individual. If the faculty advisor is able and willing to pay the application fee for the applicant, the faculty advisor should contact the Mechanical Engineering Associate Chair for Graduate Studies or the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Admissions Team for assistance.
Reentry Admissions
If previously enrolled as a graduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, have not earned the degree, but have had a break in enrollment for a minimum of a fall or spring term, applicants must re-apply to resume studies. Review the Graduate School requirements for previously enrolled students. The previous faculty advisor (or another Mechanical Engineering faculty advisor) must be willing to supply advising support and should e-mail the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Services Coordinator regarding next steps in the process.
If previously enrolled in a UW-Madison graduate degree, completed that degree, have had a break in enrollment since earning the degree and would now like to apply for another UW-Madison program, applicants are required to submit a new student application through the UW-Madison Graduate School online application. For Mechanical Engineering graduate programs, you must follow the entire application process as described above.
Currently Enrolled Graduate Student Admissions
Students currently enrolled as a graduate student at UW-Madison, whether in Mechanical Engineering or a non-Mechanical Engineering graduate program, wishing to apply to this degree program should contact the Mechanical Engineering Graduate Admissions Team to inquire about the process and deadlines several months in advance of the anticipated enrollment term. Current students may apply to change or add programs for any term (fall, spring, or summer).
Questions
If you have questions, contact megradadmission@engr.wisc.edu.
Tuition
Tuition and segregated fee rates are always listed per semester (not for Fall and Spring combined).
Funding
Graduate School Resources
Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid. Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.
Program Resources
There are three mechanisms for Graduate Student funding through the university for Mechanical Engineering PhD students:
- Fellowships
- Graduate assistantships: project assistantships, teaching assistantships, and research assistantships
- Traineeships
Funding is awarded based on the qualifications of the student, the number of applicants, the amount of available funding, and the number of continuing students receiving support. You can apply for funding for research assistantships by contacting individual faculty members directly. Please check our website to look for faculty (only those listed with titles of assistant professor, associate professor, or professor can serve as graduate student advisors). Search for faculty who have research interests that align closely with your own by viewing faculty directory entries, visiting the faculty’s website (linked from the directory page), and reviewing publications by the faculty member. Once you have identified faculty with interests close to your own, you are encouraged to contact them by email to inquire regarding available research assistant positions. The admissions office does not know if a particular professor has research assistant positions available.
Students who apply to the department will be automatically considered for fellowship opportunities within the department. Admitted students will be eligible to apply for Teaching Assistantship positions. More information, including the application, will be available to students after admission is complete.
Additional Resources
Student Loans
Students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents may be eligible to receive some level of funding through the federal direct loan program. Private loans may also be available. Learn more about financial aid at the Financial Aid website.
International Student Services Funding and Scholarships
For information on International Student Funding and Scholarships visit the International Student Services website.
Global industry partners and U.S. government agencies (like the Department of Energy, National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation) entrust Badger engineers to design and conduct complex research into a wide range of theoretical and practical questions. Our faculty and student lab teams create a deeply collaborative research environment to study problems ranging from renewable energy to soft robotics and osteoarthritis to vehicle traction on the Moon.
Minimum graduate school requirements
Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements, in addition to the program requirements listed below.
Curricular Requirements
| Minimum Credit Requirement | 60 credits |
| Minimum Residence Credit Requirement | 32 credits |
| Minimum Graduate Coursework Requirement | 30 credits must be graduate-level coursework. Details can be found in the Graduate School’s Minimum Graduate Coursework (50%) Requirement Policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1244 |
| Overall Graduate GPA Requirement | 3.00 GPA required. Refer to the Graduate School: Grade Point Average (GPA) Requirement policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1203. |
| Other Grade Requirements | Students must earn a C or above in all formal coursework. PhD candidates may not have any more than two Incompletes on their record at any one time. |
| Assessments and Examinations | The PhD candidate will need to pass a qualifying exam, preliminary exam, and a final defense in order to obtain a degree. |
| Language Requirements | No language requirements. |
| Graduate School Breadth Requirement | All doctoral students are required to complete a doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate. Refer to the Graduate School: Breadth Requirement in Doctoral Training policy: https://policy.wisc.edu/library/UW-1200. |
Required Courses
Two semesters of M E 903 Graduate Seminar are required. These should be taken the first two semesters the student is in residence. If an MS degree is received at UW–Madison, additional M E 903 credits are not required.
A minimum of 36 formal course credits beyond the BS degree are required. Formal credits are any course offering this is not a seminar course, thesis research course, or independent study course. This includes a minimum of 9 credits (usually three courses) numbered 700 or above. A minimum of 3 credits (usually one course) numbered 700 and above must be in Mechanical Engineering (M E) and/or Engineering Mechanics (E M A) taken at UW–Madison. A minimum of one (3 or more – credit) math course.
Math Course Options
The following courses would satisfy the math course requirement.
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering (Topic “Computational Math w/Engr Apps”) | ||
| Special Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering (Topics: “App Comp Math w/ Eng Apps” OR “Comp Math with Apps in Eng” OR “Sci Computing for Apps in Eng”) | ||
| Introduction to Scientific Computing for Engineering Physics | ||
| Engineering Analysis I | ||
| Engineering Analysis II | ||
| Applied Mathematical Analysis | ||
| Applied Mathematical Analysis | ||
400 and above Math Department courses | ||
400 and above Statistics Department courses | ||
Graduate “transfer credits” equivalent to the above | ||
Acceptable courses for the remainder of the required 36 formal course credits (this total includes the courses taken for the PhD breadth requirement) are those numbered 400 and above.
Minimum of 18 thesis credits (M E 790 Master’s Research and Thesis, M E 890 PhD Research and Thesis, M E 990 Dissertator Research and Thesis) are required with an overall grade of S.
Graduate Student Services
megradadmission@engr.wisc.edu
3182 Mechanical Engineering Building
1513 University Ave., Madison
Associate Chair for Graduate Studies
grad.chair@me.wisc.edu
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