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When you hear the word “innovation,” you picture a product, vehicle or system with more features, faster operation or additional uses. Mechanical engineering propels these advancements forward — from car and technology designs to manufacturing, aerospace and health care capabilities.
As a mechanical engineer, you realize that keeping your skills up to date isn’t just a job requirement. Instead, your knowledge base helps shape these developments. As you contemplate the next chapter of your career, Missouri University of Science and Technology’s (Missouri S&T) online master of science in mechanical engineering lets you design your path forward.
Customize your degree to your goals, interests and where you see yourself. Select from thesis and non-thesis tracks based upon whether you work in industry or plan to push the boundaries through academia.
Candidates have two pathways to enter the program. Apply directly, or explore an advanced mechanical engineering discipline through one of Missouri S&T’s graduate certificate programs before transferring your credits toward a master’s degree. Related certificate programs include composite materials and structures, control systems, energy conversion and transport, engineering mechanics and manufacturing automation.
Quick facts
Official name
Master of science in mechanical engineeringCampus
Program type
Master's degreeAcademic home
College of Engineering and Computing | Department of Mechanical and Aerospace EngineeringDelivery mode
100% onlineAccreditation
Higher Learning CommissionCredit hours
30Estimated cost
$28,500.00Military credit hours
30Military estimated cost
$23,850.00*This cost is for illustrative purposes only. Your hours and costs will differ, depending on your transfer hours, your course choices and your academic progress. See more about tuition and financial aid.
About the online master’s in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering’s influence can be seen all over our world — from food to energy, telecommunication to health care, and technology and aviation. In fact, for anything man-made, mechanical engineering principles play a role in some form. Reflecting on this, mechanical engineers see their careers take a number of directions after they complete their bachelor’s. In the process, they may take on a specialty or synthesize multiple disciplines.
As you look ahead, Missouri S&T’s program meets you where you are while supplying you with a transformative education. Gain insights from some of the field’s most eminent minds, receive mentorship from faculty and take part in impactful research. This approach positions you to lead projects and fuel societal innovation.
However you structure your degree, the online master’s in mechanical engineering:
- Grows your knowledge of research and mechanical design
- Highlights advanced applications of science and mathematics in engineering
- Exposes you to the field’s latest tools and methodologies
- Explores where mechanical engineering intersects with other engineering and science disciplines
- Upgrades what you know about material properties
- Encourages you to think about mechanical engineering from a broader perspective, including environmental impact and project costs
- Presents the opportunity for developing a specialization in a subfield
Career prospects
Prepare to influence your field in a greater capacity, or unlock engineering advancements through higher education. With steady growth predicted for mechanical engineers over the next decade, opportunities to assume more responsibilities exist in:
- Renewable energy
- Transportation
- Aerospace
- Government and defense
- Manufacturing
- Health care
- Communication
- Bioengineering
Program structure
Delivery of this program is 100% online: no campus visits are required. Courses are semester-based. Students typically take one or two classes each semester and finish in two to three years.
For this 30-credit-hour program, candidates select from one of two formats:
Thesis: Choose courses based on your interests across a spectrum of mechanical engineering subfields. You’ll devote six credit hours toward original research and analysis conducted under the guidance of an adviser. Not only will you structure your own study and gather data, but you’ll prepare an article worthy of publication in a leading academic journal. This track is ideal for those considering a doctorate and a career in academia. Missouri S&T’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department specializes in aerospace, energy, materials and structures, micro and nano systems, robotics and vehicle systems research.
Non-Thesis: Explore a broad spectrum of mechanical engineering subdisciplines to build upon your existing knowledge base and prepare for a leadership role in the industry or a government agency. Students opting for this track take courses in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and related departments.
Subject areas
Courses let you explore higher-level concepts in:
- Thermal science
- Dynamics
- Fluid mechanics
- Energy conversion
- Composite materials and structures
- Control systems
- Engineering mechanics
- Manufacturing automation
- Mechanical design
Review the structure of the online master’s in mechanical engineering.
Delivery
100% onlineCalendar system
SemesterTypical program length
3 yearsTypical course load
1-2 classes per semesterAccreditation
Missouri University of Science and Technology is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States.
Faculty spotlight
Areas of interest: interdisciplinary research focuses on the physics and applications of photonics, plasmonics and optical metamaterials based on engineered optical nanostructures used for nanoelectromechanical systems, optical sensing, optical communication and solar and thermal energy harvesting.