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Mechanical Engineering

Graduate Student Handbook

Academic Year 2022-2023

This publication is available in alternative media on request. The Pennsylvania State University is

committed to the

policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission,

and employment without regard to

personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or

qualifications as determined by University policy or by

state or federal authorities. It is the policy of

the University to maintain an academic and work environment free of

discrimination, including

harassment. The Pennsylvania State University prohibits discrimination and harassment

against any

person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed,

sex,

sexual orientation, gender identity, or veteran status. Discrimination or harassment against

faculty, staff, or students will

not be tolerated at The Pennsylvania State University. Direct all inquiries

regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the

Affirmative Action Office, The Pennsylvania State

University, 328 Boucke Building, University Park, PA 16802-

2801; Tel 814-863-0471, Email [email protected].

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE

Special Considerations for 2022-2023: COVID-19 .................................................................................... 1

SECTION I: General Information

I.1 Graduate Program Office ........................................................................................................ 2

I.2 ID Cards ...................................................................................................................................... 2

I.3 PSU Email ..................................................................................................................................... 2

I.4 Mail Handling ............................................................................................................................. 2

I.5 Parking ....................................................................................................................................... 3

I.6 Offices, Keys, Telephones, Supplies, and Copies .................................................................. 3

I.7 Travel Reimbursements ............................................................................................................. 3

I.8 Computer and IT Resources ..................................................................................................... 4

SECTION II: Administrative Policies and Procedures

II.1 Reporting Policies, Procedures and Resources ..................................................................... 5

II.2 Other Resources for Graduate Students ................................................................................ 8

II.3 Health Services and Health Insurance .................................................................................. 8

II.4 Selecting and Enrolling in Classes and Paying Tuition Bills .................................................. 8

II.5 Expectations and Responsibilities of Graduate Students ................................................. 10

II.6 International Students ...........................................................................................................

SECTION III: Academic Policies and Procedures

III.1 Graduate Bulletin .................................................................................................................. 14

III.2 Unsatisfactory Scholarship ................................................................................................... 14

III.3 Deadlines ............................................................................................................................... 14

III.4 Minors ..................................................................................................................................... 14

III.5 Concurrent Degrees ............................................................................................................. 14

III.6 Grading System ..................................................................................................................... 15

III.7 Course Load .......................................................................................................................... 15

III.8 Adding and Dropping Courses ........................................................................................... 15

III.9 Auditing Courses ................................................................................................................... 16

III.10 Transfer of Credits................................................................................................................ 16

III.11 Suggested Core Courses ...................................................................................................

III.12 Colloquium Requirement

(ME 590) ...................................................................................

III.13 Research Courses: ME 596, 600 (610), and 601 (611) .....................................................

III.14 Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI) Requirement ............................................... 19

SECTION IV: Degree Programs

IV.1 Master of Science (M.S.) Degree Program ....................................................................... 20

IV.2 World Campus M.S. Program ............................................................................................. 25

IV.3 Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree Program ................................................................ 25

IV.4 Final Steps ............................................................................................................................. 29

Appendix: ME Ph.D. Qualifying Examination .......................................................................................... 31

Special Considerations for 2022-2023: COVID-19

The University continues to monitor state and national recommendations and mandates,

and to establish appropriate University policies accordingly. Policies are likely to evolve

through the academic year. Students are encouraged to monitor regularly the

information that is posted by the University at https://virusinfo.psu.edu/

and by the

Graduate School at https://gradschool.psu.edu/covid19/, and to contact the Graduate

Programs Office in case of questions. Please be advised that to be eligible for an

assistantship support package, you must comply with all applicable University policies

and expectations. Graduate assistants who fail to comply with policies and expectations

risk revocation of their assistantship packages.

Section I – General Information

I.1 GRADUATE PROGRAMS OFFICE

The Graduate Programs Office for Mechanical Engineering (ME) is located in 127 Reber

Building. The office is supervised by the Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs

(Dr. Dan Haworth), the Graduate Program Coordinator (Chris Cooper), and the

Administrative Support Assistant (position currently open). The office is open during normal

business hours on Mondays through Fridays; any changes in hours will be posted on the

office door. Students can call the office at 814-865-1345, or email us at grad@me.psu.edu

and we will respond as quickly as possible.

General functions of the Graduate Programs Office include:

1) Assist students with administrative questions, documents and submitting theses and

dissertations;

2) Prepare material for consideration and action by the department graduate faculty

or Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs;

3) Recruit the highest quality graduate students;

4) Review applications for admission to graduate study; and

5) Administer the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination.

The Graduate Programs Office is guided and assisted in these duties by several faculty

committees. Committee members are appointed by the Department Head, Professor Mary

Frecker.

I.2 ID CARDS

Every resident Penn State graduate student will need a Penn State id+ card. Information

about how to get your card can be found at https://idcard.psu.edu/getting-your-id-card

You will need to present appropriate forms of identification to get your id+ card, and there

is no charge for your first card.

I.3 PSU EMAIL

Every Penn State graduate student will need a Penn State access account and email

address. The Graduate Programs Office uses email to notify students of various

announcements, events, etc. All graduate students are expected to use their Penn

State email account for all correspondence regarding academics. If you choose to

use an account other than the one provided by the University, you are responsible for

all information contained in your Penn State account. Please see the Information

Technology (IT) website for more information, at https://it.psu.edu/

I.4 MAIL HANDLING

The faculty and staff mailroom is located in Room 235 on the second floor of Reber

Building. First-class mail and inter-office mail for faculty and staff are sent from, or

picked up in, the mailroom. The default mailing address for graduate students is 127

Reber Building.

Do not use a department mailing address to receive personal items. The department is

not responsible for loss or theft of any personal mail delivered for you to a department

address. If you receive a package, you will be notified to come pick it up.

I.5 PARKING

Every employee or student must have a parking permit to park on campus. Individuals

enrolled in classes at Penn State are classified as students, and can obtain student parking

permits through the Parking Office. Please refer to policies and online registration

procedures at http://www.transportation.psu.edu/

Parking registration must be completed online, and all permits are sold on a first-come, first-

served basis.

I.6 OFFICES, KEYS, TELEPHONES, SUPPLIES, AND COPIES

OFFICES - Students on teaching assistantships will be provided access to space so that they

can carry out their responsibilities as teaching assistants. Students on research assistantships

will be provided desk space by their research adviser. The TA room is located in 127

Hammond Building.

KEYS - Keys are individually numbered and assigned to each person. If you terminate your

graduate studies or graduate, keys must be returned to the ME Business Office in 132 Reber

Building. Access to Reber Building is gained by the use of the PSU student ID card.

PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLY ITEMS - Listed below is a brief overview. We stress that

you ask before ordering anything.

School supplies and books are personal expenses, and may not be charged to any

departmental budget, teaching or research. Teaching assistants in need of supplies from

the supply closet should stop by 127 Reber Building for assistance. Research assistants should

see their faculty adviser for advice on how to obtain office supplies, if needed; the supply

closet does not stock items for use by research assistants. For ordering laboratory supplies,

equipment items, etc., there are several different procedures, depending on the type of

item, vendor, and price range. Before placing any order, check with your supervising

faculty member or the appropriate staff assistant. If you order something on your own with

the intent of eventually charging a university budget and violate University policy, you may

be personally liable for the purchase price. Take time to review the procedures with

someone who knows the system before you order, and you will avoid complications.

COPY MACHINES – Copy machines are in various locations in Reber Building and in other

buildings occupied by ME faculty and graduate students. Your graduate research adviser

can provide authorization to access these copiers. If you are using these services for "non-

personal" University-related work, ask your faculty supervisor about how to pay for them

before you have the work done.

I.7 TRAVEL REIMBURSEMENT

A student who participates in a conference or workshop may be reimbursed for travel

expenses, if the student’s adviser wishes to do so. The appropriate staff assistant or the

Graduate Programs Office can provide you with the necessary reimbursement paperwork.

If you make travel arrangements on your own with the intent of eventually charging a

university budget and violate University policy, you may be personally liable for travel costs.

Take time to review the procedures with someone who knows the system before you travel,

and you will avoid complications.

I.8 COMPUTER AND IT RESOURCES

ME students have access to various computer resources. IT support is available at

support@me.psu.edu

. All department laptops that are provided to use for TA duties should

not be used for personal needs.

ME IT Contact: Christopher Hirsh, IT Consultant, 119 Reber Building; Phone: 814-865-8267

Section II – Administrative Policies and Procedures

II.1 REPORTING POLICIES, PROCEDURES AND RESOURCES

All members of the Penn State community are expected to remain mindful of their

individual commitment to Penn State's core values of

Integrity, Respect, Responsibility,

Discovery, Excellence and Community by helping to keep the University a safe and ethical

institution. In addition, as members of this community, everyone should be responsible

stewards of University funds, whether generated from state, federal, student, or other

sources. The University does not condone wrongful conduct by any member of the Penn

State community, no matter what position they may hold. Penn State University encourages

the reporting of misconduct: If you see something, say something. If you report misconduct,

be assured that the University will protect you from retaliation. See

AD67 or contact the

Office of Ethics & Compliance for more information. The following resources are available

for faculty, staff, students, and others.

TO MAKE A REPORT

A summary of types of misconduct and how to report is available at

http://reporting.psu.edu

If at any point you are unsure where to report a non-emergency, you may contact the

Office of Ethics and Compliance Hotline 24/7 at 800-560-1637 or http://hotline.psu.edu

Crime or Emergency Situation

• Contact the campus police at 814-863-1111.

• In an emergency, dial 911.

Alcohol and Drugs

Penn State has established a Responsible Action Protocol

in response to the University Park

Undergraduate Association's campaign for a medical amnesty policy. Effective January

2018, the Responsible Action Protocol was updated and now reflects the following:

• A student who acts responsibly by notifying the appropriate authorities (e.g., calling

911, alerting a resident assistant, contacting police) AND meets one or more of the

following criteria typically will not face University conduct action for his or her own

use or possession of alcohol or drugs. However, the student will be required to attend

an approved alcohol or drug education program, such as BASICS or the Marijuana

Intervention Program (MIP); the fee will be waived. When the student's behavior

involves other Code of Conduct violations (e.g., vandalism, assault, furnishing to

minors) the additional behavior may be subject to conduct action. If a student

exhibits a pattern of problematic behavior with alcohol or drugs, that student may be

subject to conduct action.

• The criteria which invoke the Protocol are:

o A student seeks medical assistance for themself when experiencing an alcohol

or drug overdose or related problems

o A student seeks medical assistance for a peer suffering from an alcohol or

drug overdose or related problems

o A student suffering from an alcohol or drug overdose or related problems, for

whom another student seeks assistance will also not be subject to conduct

action for alcohol violations.

Suspected Ethical or Policy Violations

This includes fraud, theft, conflict of interest, abusive or intimidating behavior, retaliation,

athletics integrity or NCAA compliance.

• Report employee misconduct to your supervisor or HR Strategic Partner.

• Report student misconduct to the Office of Student Conduct or call 814-863-0342.

• Use the Penn State Hotline at 800-560-1637 or http://hotline.psu.edu. Both are

anonymous and are available 24/7.

Child Abuse, Including Child Sexual Abuse

• Contact the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Services "ChildLine" at 800-932-0313 or

https://www.compass.state.pa.us/cwis

• If the child is in immediate danger, dial 911 first.

• You must also email AD72@psu.edu communicating that a report has been made.

For more information on AD72 (Reporting Suspected Child Abuse), see

https://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD72.html.

• Further details can be found in the "Building a Safe Penn State: Reporting Child

Abuse" training available on the Learning Resource Network at http://lrn.psu.edu

Behavioral Threat

• Contact the Behavioral Threat Management Team at 814-863-BTMT (2868)

or http://btmt.psu.edu/

Bias, Discrimination, or Harassment

• To report behavior by an employee, contact the Affirmative Action Office at 814-

863-0471.

• Visit the Report Bias website at http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias (for student

reporting only)

• Acts of intolerance by students may be reported to the Office of Student Conduct at

814-863-0342.

Sexual Harassment and Other Forms of Sexual Misconduct*

To make a report to the University

• Contact the University's Title IX Coordinator at 814-867-0099, or titleix@psu.edu.

• To file an online report, visit the Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and

Response's website at http://titleix.psu.edu/filing-a-report/

• To file an anonymous report, the Penn State Hotline is available 24/7 at 800-560-1637

or http://hotline.psu.edu

. Both are anonymous, and are available 24/7.

*Additional information and resources available in relation to incidents of sexual

harassment and/or misconduct (including a campus-specific list of victim support

services and confidential reporting options) can be found at http://titleix.psu.edu/

To file a discrimination or harassment complaint outside of the University

• Call the Office for Civil Rights (Philadelphia Office) at 215-656-8541 or email

OCR.Philadelp[email protected]

• Call the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (Philadelphia District Office) at

800-669-4000.

• Call the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (Harrisburg Regional Office) at

717-787-9780.

Student Misconduct

• Contact the Office of Student Conduct at 814-863-0342 or

http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct

, or report online

at https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8qYxyWYciWERPGl.

• Hazing by any student organization or individual is against Penn State's code of

conduct, and also is a violation of Pennsylvania law. To report instances of hazing

within any student organization or group, including fraternities and sororities, contact

the Office of Student Conduct (http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct or

814-863-

0342), or the Penn State Hotline at 800-560-1637 or http://hotline.psu.edu.

Research-Related Concerns

• Any research-related concerns should be directed to the Office for Research

Protections at 814-865-1775 or orp@psu.edu

• Research misconduct concerns should be directed to 814-865-1775 or

researchconcerns@psu.edu

Some Key Penn State Policies

• AD88 – Code of Responsible Conduct: https://policy.psu.edu/policies/AD88

• HR91 – Conflict of Interest: https://guru.psu.edu/policies/OHR/hr91.html

• RP02 – Addressing Allegations of Research Misconduct:

https://guru.psu.edu/policies/RP02.html

• RP06 – Disclosure and Management of Significant Financial Interests:

https://guru.psu.edu/policies/RP06.html

• AD74 - Compliance with Clery Act: https://policy.psu.edu/policies/ad74

• AD77 - Engaging in Outside Professional Activities (Conflict of Commitment):

http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD77.html

• AD85 - Sexual Harassment: https://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD85.html

• AD86 – Acceptance of Gifts and Entertainment:

https://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD86.html

• AD91 - Discrimination and Harassment and Related Inappropriate Conduct:

https://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD91.html

Where to Start

If it is not clear where to turn for assistance, any of the following offices will guide you to

someone who can help:

• Office of Human Resources, Labor and Employee Relations at 814-865-1473

or http://ohr.psu.edu/employee-relations/

• Office of University Ethics and Compliance at 814-867-5088

or http://www.universityethics.psu.edu/

• Office of Affirmative Action at 814-863-0471 or https://affirmativeaction.psu.edu/

• Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response at 814-867-0099 or

https://titleix.psu.edu/

• Office of Student Conduct at 814-863-0342 or http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct

• Office of Internal Audit at 814-865-9596 or http://www.internalaudit.psu.edu/

• Clery Act Compliance Manager at 814-863-1273 or http://www.police.psu.edu/clery/

• Your campus, college, or unit’s Human Resources Strategic Partner. Contact

information is available at

https://hr.psu.edu/content/hr-strategic-partner-and-

consultant-directory.

II.2 OTHER RESOURCES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

CAPS can help students resolve personal concerns that may interfere with their academic

progress, social development, and satisfaction at Penn State. Some of the more common

concerns include difficulty with friends, roommates, or family members; depression and

anxiety; sexual identity; lack of motivation or difficulty relaxing, concentrating or studying;

eating disorders; sexual assault and sexual abuse recovery; and uncertainties about

personal values and beliefs. See http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/counseling/

The Graduate & Professional Student Association (GPSA)

The GPSA, http://gpsa.psu.edu/

, is the representative body for all graduate students. The

GPSA addresses issues of concern to graduate students, and elects members to sit on

shared-governance bodies of the University. The GPSA also organizes social events for

graduate students. Members and officers of the GPSA can help graduate students become

more involved (academically or socially) in University life. The GPSA office has information

on most services available at Penn State. If students need help navigating campus, various

offices around campus and finding other organizations, the GPSA can help.

II.3 HEALTH SERVICES AND HEALTH INSURANCE

The University Health Service is located in the Student Health Center, which is adjacent to

the Eisenhower Parking Deck and the Bank of America Career Services Building, off Bigler

Road. Its facilities are available to all students, including graduate students at all levels of

training. See https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health

Health insurance is mandatory for all graduate students, and students with a teaching

assistantship or a research assistantship appointment are automatically enrolled. As a

graduate assistant or graduate fellow, you are eligible to receive subsidies for the medical,

dental and vision plans for you and any eligible dependents. Students enrolled in the

University health insurance plan have their premiums automatically deducted from their

paychecks.

Deadlines and policies can be found at https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health

, or contact

University Health Services directly at 814-862-0774 if you have any questions regarding Penn

State student health insurance.

II.4 SELECTING AND ENROLLING IN CLASSES, AND PAYING TUITION BILLS

LionPATH

LionPATH (https://lionpathsupport.psu.edu/

) is Penn State’s student information system. It

provides students with access to their academic, registration, and financial records.

Students can enroll for classes, view/accept their financial aid awards, and view their tuition

bills using LionPATH.

First Login to LionPATH

The first time that a student logs in to LionPATH, they must sign the Consent to Do Business

Electronically agreement in order to use the system. While not technically a part of

enrollment, this screen will prevent all other actions until students have clicked the box to

indicate their agreement. If students do not agree, they will have to conduct LionPATH

business outside of the system.

Each Semester in LionPATH

Students will not be eligible to enroll in classes for each semester until they have completed

the Pre-Registration Activity Guide, which includes verification of emergency contact

information and the Financial Responsibility Agreement (FRA). The FRA is a promise to take

financial responsibility for payment of the student account. A Financial Responsibility hold

will remain on a student’s account until they have completed the Activity Guide. If not yet

completed, the Activity Guide can be found in the student’s To Do List within the LionPATH

Student Center. For more information on how to complete the Pre-Registration Activity

Guide, see

http://lionpathsupport.psu.edu/student-help/.

Course Registration in LionPATH

All students must register for classes prior to the late registration period for each semester,

which can be found at http://www.registrar.psu.edu/academic-calendars/

. If you do not

you are on a half-time graduate assistantship (the usual case for most ME graduate

students), you must register for 9-12 credits per semester. International students must be

registered full- time, or for nine credits, to maintain their visa status. Further information for

international students is given in Section II.6 below.

Course Selection for New Students

Courses for the first semester will be selected after consultation with the ME Associate

Department Head for Graduate Programs, unless a permanent adviser has already been

selected. A typical course load for a first-semester student is three 3-credit courses, plus the

ME Colloquium (ME 590, 1 credit). For lists of suggested courses in specific areas of interest,

see Section III.11 below.

Course Selection for Continuing Students

Courses will be selected after consultation with your academic adviser. For Ph.D. students,

the courses will be in accord with the program approved by your doctoral committee.

Full-Time Academic Status

Full-time academic status is satisfied by taking an appropriate course load. Most loan-

granting agencies and other organizations will consider a nine-credit course load to be full-

time status, fulfilling their registration requirements. The U.S. Immigration and Customs

Enforcement (ICE) requires that all international students on student visas must maintain full-

time academic status during the fall and spring semesters. Exceptions to this rule are

possible under certain conditions. Students should contact the University Office of Global

Programs for further information. For ICE purposes, a course load of nine credits is

considered full-time during the fall and spring semesters. During the summer, graduate

students generally do not need to register, unless they are taking their Ph.D. Comprehensive

Examination or Final Oral Examination during the summer. Any graduate student registered

for ME 601 (Note: Student must have passed the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam in the prior

semester to be eligible to enroll in ME 601) is considered to have full-time academic status.

For full details, see the Graduate Bulletin website at https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate

Tuition Bills

After enrolling in classes, all students will receive a tuition bill that can be viewed in

LionPATH. Students who are on an assistantship should monitor their bill closely and inform

the ME Graduate Programs Office if they are assessed a late fee. A delay can exist

between the timing of the Bursar’s bill due dates and when tuition payments for students on

assistantships are processed.

II.5 EXPECTATIONS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF GRADUATE STUDENTS

Academic Adviser

Each graduate student must have an academic adviser, who is chosen in agreement

between the student and the faculty member. For Master's Degree students, the faculty

member who supervises the student’s thesis (or paper) will be the academic adviser. For

doctoral students, the research adviser will be the academic adviser. The Associate

Department Head for Graduate Programs will initially act as the temporary adviser for

incoming graduate students.

Master’s Degree students with academic advisers who are not members of the ME

Graduate Faculty are required to have a co-adviser who is a member of the ME Graduate

Faculty. Contact the Graduate Programs Office if you are in doubt about the graduate

faculty status of a faculty member.

It is imperative that students identify an academic adviser as early as possible in their

program of study: preferably by the end of their first semester. It is the student’s responsibility

to reach out to faculty about the availability of research assistantships and research topics

of mutual interest. For students who are not self-funded, it is important to understand

whether or not the faculty adviser will be able to fund them as a research assistant before a

commitment is made.

A list of faculty members in Mechanical Engineering can be found at the ME website:

https://www.me.psu.edu/department/faculty-staff-list.aspx

. The ME faculty directory

contains information on each ME faculty member, including an overview of the faculty

member’s expertise or research interest areas, publications, current and past research

projects, affiliations, education, honors/awards, etc. The directory is a useful resource for

graduate students seeking a research adviser. Alternatively, students can search by

research area at

https://www.me.psu.edu/research/labs.aspx.

Graduate Assistants

Most ME graduate students are appointed as graduate assistants. Graduate assistants are

assigned tasks in teaching, research, or other activities that are educationally significant.

The privileges and benefits and the obligations and responsibilities of graduate assistants are

as follows:

Privileges and Benefits

• Eligible for financial assistance, including tuition and a stipend.

• Eligible for services at the Student Health Center.

• Eligible to use Penn State Career Services: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/career/

• Eligible to participate in the programs of GPSA.

• Eligible to join student organizations, except those whose constitutions limit

membership to undergraduate students.

Obligations and Responsibilities

• Maintain satisfactory scholarship.

• Make satisfactory progress in the degree program, that is acceptable to the

Department and the Graduate School.

• Assume responsibility for knowing the regulations and pertinent procedures of the

Graduate School and the Graduate Bulletin

(https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/programs/

• Forego other employment while a graduate assistant, as required by the Graduate

School.

• Meet standards of conduct outlined by the Division of Student Affairs – Office of

Student Conduct – Code of Conduct for Penn State students. See the following

website for details: https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct

• Register for the appropriate number of courses/credits per semester.

• Meet the Department’s standards of behavior in the performance of assigned duties.

• Exercise the privileges and obligations of academic freedom.

Assistantships are contracts to provide services to the Department in research (a research

assistantship) or in teaching (a teaching assistantship), for which a stipend plus tuition

coverage is received. Each student’s specific duties will be assigned by the faculty member

to whom they have been appointed. A half-time assistantship allows a student to schedule

9-12 credits per semester, receive a stipend plus grant-in-aid of resident education tuition

and certain other benefits, and perform tasks that, on the average, occupy approximately

20 hours per week.

Lack of satisfactory progress or performance of duties can result in termination of the

assistantship contract at any time. Graduate students who are appointed for fall/spring

assistantships or for fellowships are eligible for the Summer Tuition Assistance Program (STAP).

This program allows students who are required to be registered during summer session (e.g.,

to take their Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam or Final Oral Exam) to have the tuition paid by the

Graduate School. Detailed information about eligibility and the application procedure for

STAP is sent to all ME graduate students late in the Spring semester.

Research Assistants (RAs)

RAs usually are students who are supported by a faculty member through externally funded

research projects. Continuation of a RA is subject to the availability of funding, and on

making satisfactory progress and the quality of the work performed. Research duties often

coincide with the student's graduate research that they perform to meet their degree

requirements.

Teaching Assistants (TAs)

Graduate students are eligible to apply for available teaching assistantships. A call for TA

applications is sent out before each fall and spring semester. You are required to fill out the

TA application for each semester you want to be considered for a TA.

Additional Summer Funding

ME typically does not fund TAs during the summer. Students continuing their research or

other activities during the summer should pursue research funding through their adviser,

internships off campus, or other employment opportunities. Students who are required to

eligible for STAP, you must have been a TA or RA during the previous Fall AND Spring

semesters. For international students to qualify, they must receive a satisfactory score on the

AEOCPT test, which is administered by the Department of Applied Linguistics.

II.6 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Penn State policies and procedures for international students are subject to change, to

maintain compliance with United States law. All international studies are strongly

encouraged to check regularly for information and updates at

https://global.psu.edu/category/international-students

. Some current (at the time of this

writing) general information for international graduate students is provided in the following.

In order for international students with student VISAs to maintain their visa status through

Penn State, they must meet several obligations which are listed in detail on the Office of

Global Programs website at https://global.psu.edu/category/international-students

Regardless of whether or not an international student is receiving a graduate assistantship,

they must maintain full-time academic status. Nine credits in each of the fall and spring

semesters (excluding courses taken for audit) is the minimum required to fulfill Department

of Homeland Security (DHS) visa requirements for full-time enrollment. A Ph.D. candidate

who has successfully completed the Comprehensive Examination and is registered for ME

601 is also considered to be a full-time student. As noted earlier, graduate students

generally do not need to register during the summer, unless they are taking their Ph.D.

Comprehensive Examination or Final Oral Examination during the summer.

Exceptions to full-time study must be approved by the faculty adviser and department in

advance by completing the Reduced Course Load eForm in iStart. All exceptions granted

by the International Student Adviser must be reported to DHS within 21 days, as well as the

return to full-time status. Exceptions to full-time study due to academic difficulties are limited

to one semester during the entire program of study; documented medical illnesses are

limited to one year during the program of study. Failure to enroll for full-time study will be

reported in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) as a violation, and

the student’s SEVIS record may be terminated for “unauthorized drop below full course

level.”

DHS requires that international students proceed in a timely fashion toward completion of

their degrees, as established by the academic department and (usually) stated on their

initial immigration document. Failure to maintain normal progress toward completion of the

degree during this period will jeopardize the student’s ability to continue academic study,

adjust status, or seek future employment in the United States. Because of this, students

should not be enrolled less than full-time during fall or spring semester without approval of

the Directorate of International Student and Scholar Advising (ISSA). DHS requires ISSA to

report violations of status, including failure to maintain full-time enrollment.

In an effort to make required immigration processes for international students more efficient,

less expensive, and more secure for all parties, the University Office of Global Programs

(UOGP) has transferred all processes to a paperless system called iStart. For any questions

regarding visas, academic status, work permits, etc., students should contact UOGP at

https://global.psu.edu

Employment Requirements/Options for International Students

As noted earlier, all international students must be enrolled full-time. International students

generally may work up to 20 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters, and up to

40 hours per week on campus during the summer.

Curricular practical training (CPT), employment which is an integral part of an established

curriculum, is available to F-1 students who have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis

for one academic year. Students in English-language programs are ineligible for practical

training. To be considered CPT, the work must not only be related to the major field of study

but must also be an integral or important part of the student’s studies.

Students who have been in F-1 status for at least one academic year are eligible for

optional practical training (OPT), which is temporary employment in their field of study for

purposes of gaining practical experience.

For further information pertaining to employment of International Students, please refer to

the UOGP website at https://global.psu.edu/.

American English Oral Communicative Proficiency Test (AEOCPT)

All international students who have been offered teaching assistantships that involve

interaction with undergraduate students are required to have passed the AEOCPT. This test

is administered before the semester begins by the Department of Applied Linguistics. See

https://aplng.la.psu.edu/programs/about-the-aeocpt

. You will be notified via email when

your test has been scheduled prior to the start of the semester. Please note that these tests

usually take place 1-2 weeks prior to the beginning of semester.

Section III –Academic Policies and Procedures

III.1 GRADUATE BULLETIN

The Graduate Bulletin (https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/

) contains University-level policies

established by the Graduate School regarding academic procedures, registration

requirements, conduct, resolution of problems and procedures for termination, M.S. degree

and Ph.D. degree requirements, as well as other procedures, regulations and requirements

related to graduate study.

III.2 UNSATISFACTORY SCHOLARSHIP

A graduate student who fails to maintain satisfactory scholarship or to make acceptable

progress in a degree program may be dropped from the University. One or more failing

grades, or a cumulative grade-point average below 3.00 for any semester or session or

combination of semesters and/or sessions, may be considered as evidence of failure to

maintain satisfactory scholarship. Action may be initiated by the department or committee

in charge of the graduate major or by the chair of the student’s committee. See

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-800/gcac-803-

procedures-termination-unsatisfactory-scholarship/ for further information.

III.3 DEADLINES

It is the responsibility of the student, working with their adviser and committee, to ensure that

all relevant deadlines established by the Graduate School are met: see

https://gradschool.psu.edu/completing-your-degree/important-deadlines/

. Extensions

should not be expected and are granted by the Graduate School only under exceptional

circumstances.

III.4 MINORS

Many ME students take graduate-level minors in other programs, or in specific areas such as

the Computational Science Graduate Minor

(

https://bulletins.psu.edu/graduate/programs/minors/computational-science-graduate-

minor). It is the student’s responsibility to make sure that all requirements are met. Ph.D.

students must inform the Graduate School of their intent to take a graduate-level minor

before taking their Comprehensive Exam. Minors must be requested in conjunction with the

establishment of Ph.D. committee, or prior to the semester of graduation for M.S. students.

The Graduate School may decline late requests, as the intent is that a minor should be an

integral part of the student’s graduate program, not an afterthought.

III.5 CONCURRENT DEGREES

Students who wish to pursue a concurrent degree must be officially admitted to the

concurrent degree program prior to substantial completion of the home degree. See

http://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-200/gcac-209-

concurrent-degrees/ for the complete policy. You should contact the ME Graduate

Programs Office if interested in pursuing a Concurrent Degree.

III.6 GRADING SYSTEM

Grades are assigned to students on the basis of the instructor's judgment of the student's

scholastic achievement, using the grading systems that can be found at

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-400/gcac-401-

grading-system/. A minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for work done at the University is

required to remain in good academic standing, and for graduation.

III.7 COURSE LOAD

Course load requirements have been discussed in previous sections. If in doubt, contact the

Graduate Programs Office before scheduling courses, especially for the summer.

M.S. students are not required to register for course work or research once the minimum

course requirements have been met, although international students may need to continue

to register for courses to maintain their visa status. After passing the Comprehensive Exam,

all Ph.D. students must maintain "continuous registration," which requires them to register for

ME 601 (Ph.D. Thesis Preparation) for the fall and spring semesters. If Ph.D. students plan to

take their Comprehensive Exam or their Final Oral Exam during the summer session, they

must be registered during that summer. Also, Ph.D. students must spend at least two

semesters over some 12-month period during the interval between completion of the

Qualifying Exam and completion of the Ph.D. program as a registered full-time student; see

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-601-

residency-requirement-research-doctorate.

III.8 ADDING AND DROPPING COURSES

If you are considering adding or dropping a course, there are several factors to consider:

• Is there still time to drop or add a course?

• Will dropping a course affect my progress towards my degree?

• Will a change in my course schedule have financial implications?

• If an international student, will a change in my course schedule have an impact on

my visa status? Recall that international graduate students must maintain full-time

registration to maintain their visa status during the fall and spring semesters.

Penn State maintains three periods relating to course drops in each semester: the pre-

semester period, the regular add/drop period, and the late-drop period:

1. The pre-semester period begins on the first day of scheduling and ends the day before

the semester starts. While exceptional circumstances may necessitate the need to

process schedule changes after classes begin, students are encouraged to finalize

all schedule changes prior to the first day of classes for the semester.

2. The regular drop/add period be

gins the day that your courses start, and is when

dropping a course can be done without incurring a drop/add fee. The length of the

period is six days from the beginning of the semester during fall/spring for full-semester

courses, and is a calculated proportional length for other courses. See

https://www.registrar.psu.edu/academic-calendars/. No signatures are required

during this period.

3. A student can drop a course with certain r

estrictions and requirements after the

regular drop/add period. The late-drop period starts the day after the regular drop

period, and ends on the late-drop deadline for the semester. During this period:

• No signatures are required;

• A fee is imposed for each transaction; and

• Courses are recorded on the student’s transcript as “LD.”

Changing your overall number of credits after classes begin can have financial implications.

Before making any registration changes, consult with your academic adviser.

• If you drop below full-time status, that can impact the tuition, fees, student aid, and

refunds applied to your bursar account. Additionally, during the late-drop period, the

University assesses a processing fee for any course that is dropped or added. Any

tuition adjustment is determined by the effective date of the drop, and is made

according to Penn State's Tuition Adjustment Schedule

(https://www.bursar.psu.edu/tuition-adjustment-policy

). If a full-time graduate

student drops a course but remains at full-time status, the tuition rate does not

change.

• You should also investigate whether or not you would meet the “Satisfactory

Academic Progress” standards for federal financial aid programs when considering a

course drop. Details about satisfactory academic progress is available at

https://studentaid.psu.edu/

• During the pre-semester period, you can add and drop courses as many times as

needed to create a suitable schedule, without unfavorable financial implications.

Please be mindful to check your tuition bill for updates if you make changes to your

schedule (especially if adding credits) after you have paid your tuition bill.

III.9 AUDITING COURSES

Requests to take a course for audit must be made to the program that offers the course,

and requires permission from the instructor. Courses taken formally as audit are not included

in the maximum number of credits required for assistantships or for satisfying visa

requirements for international students. The request to audit a course must be done by the

fourth day of classes within the regular drop/add period. Adding of an audited course after

the regular drop/add period is not permitted. Courses cannot be changed to an audit after

the semester has begun.

III.10 TRANSFER OF CREDITS

Transfer of Credit from an External Institution

1. A maximum of six credits of high-quality graduate work done at a regionally

accredited institution or recognized degree-granting institution may be applied

toward the requirements for a Master's Degree. However, credits earned to

complete a previous degree, whether at Penn State or elsewhere, may not be

applied to a Master's or Doctoral degree at Penn State. Credit transfers are not

allowed for the Ph.D. degree.

2. Approval to apply any transferred credits toward a degree program must be

granted by the program head or graduate officer, and by the Graduate School.

3. Transfer credits must meet the following criteria:

• Must have been earned at a regionally accredited institution or a recognized

degree-granting institution in the United States;

• Must be of "A" or "B" grade value ("B-" grades are not acceptable; pass-fail grades

are not transferable unless substantiated by the former institution as having at least

"B" quality);

• Must appear on an official graduate transcript; and

• Must be earned within five years prior to the date of registration to a degree

program at Penn State.

Application forms for transfer of credit can be found at

https://gradschool.psu.edu/current-

students/.

Transfer of Nondegree Graduate Credits

Approval to apply nondegree graduate credits toward a degree program must be granted

by the program head or graduate officer, and by the Graduate School. A maximum of 15

credits earned at Penn State as a nondegree student may be applied to a degree

program.

• The credits must have been earned within five years preceding entry into the

degree program. Requests to transfer graduate work taken more than five years

prior to admission into a graduate degree program must be accompanied by a

letter justifying the validity of the course work.

• Only 400, 500 and 800-level graduate courses may be transferred.

• Only A, B, and C grades may be transferred.

Forms for transfer of credit may be obtained from the graduate programs office.

III.11 SUGGESTED CORE COURSES

Students are expected to select courses and to write a thesis or paper in one or more

general subfields within Mechanical Engineering, which may include:

Thermal Sciences Mechanical Sciences

Heat Transfer Systems and Controls

Combustion Dynamics, Vibrations and Noise Control

Fluid Mechanics Solid Mechanics and Mechanical Design

The following listings of suggested courses in each of six general areas are provided for

guidance. Your adviser and/or committee may suggest alternative or additional courses.

Most of the courses listed below are offered on a regular basis. New experimental courses

may be offered from time to time; these will be numbered as ME497x for upper-level

undergraduate courses, or as ME597x for graduate courses. The on-line schedule of

courses for each semester will show which courses are being offered that semester.

FIELD

CORE COURSES

RELATED COURSES

Heat Transfer

ME 512, 513, 514, 521, 523

ME 411, 504, 515, 520, 522

527, 530

Combustion

ME 521, 530, 532, 535, 537

ME 400, 404, 430, 431, 432,

504, 512, 513, 514, 520, 522,

523, 527, 533; AERSP 412

Fluids

ME 512, 513, 520, 521, 522,

523; AERSP 423

ME 405, 420, 514, 515, 524,

526, 527, 530, 532

Systems and Controls

ME 550, 554, 555

ME 455, 558, 559

Dynamics, Vibrations and

Noise Control

ME 571, 572, 573, 580, 581

ME 452, 470, 471; ACS 510; E

MCH 525

Solid Mechanics and

Mechanical Design

ME 560, ME 563, ME 564,

565; E MCH 507, 560, ME

560

ME 460, 461, 462, 463, 480,

481, 546, 572; CE 541, 548; E

MCH 506, 509, 531, 532, 540,

546

III.12 COLLOQUIUM REQUIREMENT (ME 590)

All ME graduate students must successfully complete two credits of Mechanical Engineering

Colloquium (ME 590). This must be done in the first two semesters in the program. For M.S.

students, these two credits are not counted towards the 30-credit total required for

completion of the M.S. degree.

III.13 RESEARCH COURSES: ME 596, 600 (610), and 601 (611)

Graduate students registering for these courses must first consult with their adviser (or the

instructor if different from adviser) to ensure that they are registering for the appropriate

course and section. Failure to select the correct course may result in the student having to

pay retroactive drop/add fees, and possibly additional course-credit fees. The ME

Graduate Programs Office staff can assist graduate students in registering for the

appropriate research course and section.

ME 596 - INDIVIDUAL STUDIES “Paper Research” - Creative projects, including non-thesis

research, that are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of

formal courses. ME 596 cannot be used for M.S. Option A (thesis option) or for Ph.D. thesis

research. ME 596 is appropriate for the M.S. Paper Option (Option B) or for M.S. Option C

(Ph.D. Research Proposal); see Section IV.1 below. Three credits of ME 596, supervised by

the student’s adviser, can be counted toward the 30-credit total when following M.S.

Option B or M.S. Option C.

ME 600 (or ME 610 for off campus) - THESIS RESEARCH - This course should be used to register

for research credits for M.S. Option A (thesis option) or for Ph.D. thesis research. A

minimum of six credits of ME 600/610 is required for M.S. Option A. There is no limit on the

maximum total number of credits of ME 600/610 that a student can take. However, there

is a maximum number of credits for which a student can receive a quality letter grade

(A, B, etc.): a maximum of six credits for M.S. Option A, a maximum of 12 credits for the

Ph.D., and a maximum of 18 credits for a Ph.D. student who does a M.S. thesis on the

way to their Ph.D. A student must receive a non-letter grade (R, etc.) for any additional

credits of ME 600/610. The R grade can be assigned for satisfactory completion of

research for any credits beyond the maximum. See

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-400/gcac-401-

grading-system/.

ME 601 (or ME 611 for part time) - Ph.D. THESIS PREPARATION – This course is limited to Ph.D.

students who have passed their Comprehensive Examination. Ph.D. students are eligible

to enroll in ME 601/611 in the semester following the successful completion of their

Comprehensive Exam, and after they have met the two-semester Ph.D. residency

requirement (

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-ed

ucation-policies/gcac/gcac-

600/gcac-601-residency-requirement-research-doctorate). Ph.D. students can register

for one additional course either for credit or audit (up to three credits) when they are

registered for ME 601/611. Students who are eligible must contact the ME Graduate

Programs Office staff to enroll in ME 601/611. Note that ME 601/611 cannot be used to

meet the residency requirement.

III.14 SCHOLARSHIP AND RESEARCH INTEGRITY (SARI) REQUIREMENT

The SARI program is an opportunity to engage graduate students broadly in a dialog

surrounding issues pertinent to research ethics (https://www.research.psu.edu/training/sari

All Penn State graduate students are required to meet the SARI requirements before

graduating. ME students must complete this requirement in the first year of their graduate

program. SARI has two parts:

• SARI RCR (Responsible Conduct of Research) – to be completed during a student’s

first year

• CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) – to be completed during a student’s

first semester

SARI RCR Overview

Every student must complete five hours of discussion-based SARI RCR education during their

first year. SARI RCR hours can be earned through various workshops and/or seminars that

are available through the College and from other sources. CITI online training does not

count toward the five hours of SARI RCR.

CITI On-line Training

All ME graduate students are required to complete the on-line CITI training program for

engineering within their first semester. Completion of the CITI program will result in a

certificate of completion. Failure to comply will preclude certification for graduation by the

Department. To complete this training:

1. Go to https://citi.psu.edu/.

2. Select “Log in to CITI” under University Park.

3. Enter your PSU credentials. (If this does not work, go to https://www.citiprogram.org/

instead, and create a username and password to access the CITI online training.)

4. Select the course called “Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) – Basic.”

5. Remember to email the certificate to gr[email protected].edu

after successfully

completing the course.

Section IV – Degree Programs

The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers two graduate degree programs for

resident students: a Master of Science (M.S.) program, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

program. Both are research-based programs. The M.S. program is also available online,

through Penn State World Campus (https://www.worldcampus.psu.edu

IV.1 MASTER OF SCIENCE (M.S.) DEGREE PROGRAM

The objective of the M.S. degree program is to gain advanced knowledge for research,

analysis, and design in Mechanical Engineering.

M.S. Degree Requirements

Principal coursework and other requirements are as follows.

1. A minimum of 30 eligible course credits, of which 20 must be earned at University

Park. The required course credits must be completed with a grade point average of

3.00 or higher. Further specifications follow.

2. A minimum of 18 of the 30 credits must be at the 500- and 600-level. See additional

specific requirements for Options A, B and C below.

3. A minimum of 12 of the 30 credits must be 400- and 500-level course credits in

Mechanical Engineering. ME 410, 440, 450, 454, and any other required courses in

Penn State’s ME undergraduate curriculum cannot be included in these 12 credits. If

in doubt, contact the Graduate Programs Office before enrolling in a ME 400-level

course. ME 596 and ME 600 cannot be counted toward fulfilling this requirement.

4. A minimum of three of the 30 credits must be eligible mathematics credits. These

credits must be taken from the following group of courses: E MCH 524A, E MCH 524B,

ME 512, ME 544, ME 550, and all 400- and 500-level "MATH" designated courses (MATH

4XX, MATH 5XX) except MATH 419, 427, 428, 435, 451, 455, 456, 461, 470, 471, 475,

475W, 482 and 484. Courses with a specific focus on numerical analysis cannot be

used to meet the mathematics requirement.

5. M.S. paper or thesis presentation. All M.S. students must present the results of their

thesis or paper at a meeting consisting (at a minimum) of their adviser and the thesis

or paper reviewer (who must be a member of the ME graduate faculty). This

requirement may be waived if the student makes a presentation related to their

thesis or paper at a national or international scientific conference.

6. Preparatory course(s) required for teaching assistants (such as ENGR 888), remedial

courses, and any courses required in Penn State’s ME undergraduate program

cannot be counted toward meeting the 30-course-credit requirement. Nontechnical

courses may be accepted on a limited basis. The student should check with their

adviser or the ME Graduate Programs Office, if in doubt. See the M.S. Transcript Audit

section below.

7. ME Colloquium. All students must successfully complete two credits of ME 590,

preferably in their first two semesters in the program. These two credits do not count

toward meeting the 30-course-credit requirement.

8. SARI/CITI. All students must complete the SARI/CITI requirements in their first two

semesters of the program.

Three M.S. Degree Options

There are three options for the M.S. degree, which are outlined in the following. Each M.S.

student must choose one of these three options, in consultation with their adviser.

OPTION A – M.S. THESIS

Six credits of ME 600 and/or ME 610 are required (see Section III.13 above), and the student

submits a thesis following the procedures specified by the Graduate School. These six credits

of ME 600/610 count toward meeting requirements 1 and 2 above, but not toward meeting

requirement 3. Any additional 600/610 credits cannot be counted toward meeting degree

course-credit requirements. This option therefore requires at least 24 additional course

credits, of which a minimum of 12 credits must be at the 500 level, and a minimum of 12

credits must be eligible 400- or 500-level Mechanical Engineering courses. ME 596 does not

count towards meeting the requirements for the thesis option.

OPTION B – M.S. PAPER

Three credits of ME 596 are required (see Section III.13 above), and the student submits a

paper following the guidelines provided below (see M.S. Paper Guide). These three credits

of ME 596 count toward meeting the 30-course-credit requirement. This option therefore

requires at least 27 additional course credits, of which a minimum of 15 credits must be at

the 500 level, and a minimum of 12 credits must be eligible 400- or 500-level Mechanical

Engineering courses. ME 600 does not count towards meeting the requirements for the

paper option.

OPTION C – Ph.D. RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Ph.D. candidates must submit a dissertation research proposal, demonstrating scholarship

and the ability to plan a major research activity, to their doctoral committee for approval.

In Option C, the research proposal replaces the M.S. paper in Option B above. Other

requirements are:

1. Successful completion of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination;

2. Completion of the Option B (not Option A) course requirements; in particular, three

credits of ME 596 are required;

3. Notifying the ME Graduate Programs office of the intent to exercise this option prior

to scheduling the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam.

4. Acceptance of the research proposal by the student’s doctoral committee: i.e.,

successfully passing the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam.

M.S. Transcript Audit

The form on the following page is used by the ME Graduate Programs Office to check that

M.S. degree requirements have been met prior to approval for graduation. Candidates can

use this as a checklist over the course of their degree program to make sure that they are

on track to meet the degree requirements.

M.S. Transcript Audit

Degree Option (select one): Option A, Option B, or Option C

1. Minimum of 30 eligible course credits

• ME 590 does not count

• SYSEN courses require approval. Other non-ME courses may require approval. Check with

adviser and/or the ME Graduate Programs Office, if in doubt.

• Option A: 6 credits of ME 600 are required, plus 12 additional 500-level credits; ME 596 does

not count

• Options B or Option C: 3 credits of ME 596 are required, plus 15 additional 500-level credits;

ME 600 does not count

• List of courses meeting this requirement:

2. Minimum of 18 credits in 500- and 600-level courses

• ME 590 does not count

• Option A: 6 credits of ME 600 are required, plus 12 additional 500-level credits; ME 596 does

not count

• Options B or Option C: 3 credits of ME 596 are required, plus 15 additional 500-level credits;

ME 600 does not count

• List of courses meeting this requirement (a subset of the courses listed under 1 above):

3. Minimum of 12 credits in 400- or 500-level ME courses

• ME 590 does not count

• See restrictions in the ME Graduate Student Handbook

• List of courses meeting this requirement (a subset of the courses listed under 1 above):

4. Minimum of 3 credits of eligible math courses

• See restrictions in the ME Graduate Student Handbook

• Course meeting this requirement (one of the courses listed under 1 above):

5. Two credits of ME 590

• Semesters taken:

6. Other courses taken that don’t count toward meeting degree requirements

• List of other courses (courses not listed under 1 above):

7. SARI

• Requirement met:

8. GPA (minimum 3.0)

• Candidate’s GPA:

9. Thesis (Option A) or paper (Options B or C)

• Written document and oral presentation signed off by adviser, reader, and grad programs

office

Additional Information and Guidelines for M.S. Students

M.S. Thesis Guide (Option A)

The Graduate School provides a Thesis Guide, which provides templates and formatting

instructions that should be used for M.S. theses. These can be found on the Penn State

Graduate School site at

https://gradschool.psu.edu/completing-your-degree/thesis-and-

dissertation-information/.

M.S. Paper Guide (Option B)

To ensure that M.S. papers meet accepted professional quality standards, the following

guidelines have been established by the ME Graduate Faculty. Compliance will be

monitored and enforced by the paper adviser, the paper reader and the Associate

Department Head for Graduate Programs.

In content, length and structure, the paper is expected to be one that would be

acceptable for publication in a peer-reviewed professional journal, or for presentation at a

peer-reviewed national or international conference. Examples of papers that would not

meet this standard would be a technical report to a sponsor, a presentation at a local or

regional conference, or a presentation at a conference where selection is not based on a

full-paper peer-review process.

In the case of a multiple-author paper, the degree candidate must be the first author, and

the paper must be primarily the work of the degree candidate. If there are coauthors other

than the degree candidate and their faculty adviser, then a brief summary of the

contributions of each coauthor and an estimate of each coauthor's percentage of effort

must be included.

If the paper has already been published and/or presented or has been accepted for

publication and/or presentation, then the actual journal- or conference-formatted paper or

manuscript should be submitted. Documentation must be provided to show that the paper

has been published and/or presented or has been accepted for publication and/or

presentation. The role of the reader in this case is primarily to confirm that the target journal

or conference meets the criteria outlined above, and that the documentation is in order.

If the paper has been submitted for publication or presentation, but has not yet been

accepted, then the actual journal- or conference-formatted manuscript should be

submitted. Documentation must be provided to show that the manuscript is under

consideration for publication and/or presentation. If reviewer comments are available,

those should be provided. In addition to confirming that the journal or conference is

appropriate, the reader in this case will effectively have the role of a peer reviewer, and will

judge whether the manuscript is, in principle, suitable for publication in the target journal or

presentation at the target conference.

If the paper has not yet been submitted for publication and/or presentation, but will be in

the near future, then the requirements in the previous paragraph still apply, with the

exception of the requirement to provide documentation that the paper is under

consideration.

Finally, if the paper is not one that has been or will be submitted for publication or

presentation, then an appropriate target journal or conference must be selected by the

student and paper adviser, and the paper must be prepared as if it were going to be

submitted to that journal or conference. An appropriate template to use in this case would

be the one that is available for ASME technical papers, for example:

https://www.asme.org/publications-submissions/proceedings/conference-publications

. In

this case, the paper reader must judge whether or not the paper would be acceptable, in

principle, for publication in the target journal or presentation at the target conference. This

option will place a greater burden on the reader, as they will not have the advantage of

knowing that external peer reviewers are also reading and evaluating the paper.

Selection of a Faculty Reviewer (Reader)

A second ME graduate faculty member (in addition to the adviser) must be designated

to serve as the faculty reviewer (or reader) for each M.S. thesis or paper. The reader

usually is chosen by the student in consultation with their adviser and/or the Associate

Department Head for Graduate Programs. The reader should be appointed in a timely

manner to ensure that there is sufficient time to review the student’s work.

Oral Presentation

All M.S. students must present the results of their thesis or paper at a meeting consisting

(at a minimum) of their adviser and the thesis or paper reviewer. As noted earlier, this

requirement may be waived if the student makes a presentation related to their thesis

or paper at a national or international scientific conference.

Student Responsibilities

A typed draft of the thesis/paper must receive three approval signatures in the order

indicated on the M.S. Thesis/Paper Approval Form: 1) the thesis/paper adviser; 2) the

thesis/paper reader, and 3) the Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs.

The completed approval form must be given to the Graduate Programs Office staff to

be recorded and filed.

Reader Responsibilities

After reading the student’s draft manuscript, the reader should prepare written

comments to communicate with the thesis/paper adviser concerning any changes

that they believe are essential. Minor corrections or editorial changes can be noted

without discussion. If the reader wishes to discuss the material with the candidate, it is

recommended that be done in the presence of the adviser.

Adviser Responsibilities

If there are questions or problems concerning the reader's comments, the thesis/paper

adviser should arrange for a discussion with the reader. When the adviser and the

reader have reached agreement, the adviser should direct the candidate to make any

necessary changes. Minor editorial changes in pencil are acceptable, but major text

changes should be retyped before the reader signs the approval form.

Deadlines

Key deadlines for each semester can be found on the Graduate School’s website:

https://gradschool.psu.edu/completing-your-degree/thesis-and-dissertation-

information/thesis-dissertation-performance-and-oral-presentation-deadlines-

calendar/. The Graduate School’s deadlines apply primarily to candidates following the

thesis option (Option A). Students who are following the paper option (Option B) should

contact the ME Graduate Programs Office for deadlines. The ME Graduate Programs

Office will send specific instructions regarding graduation at the beginning of each

semester.

If a student submits their thesis to the Graduate School after the dates above, but

before the semester ends, they will graduate at the next scheduled graduation and will

not be required to register for the subsequent semester. Upon request, the Graduate

School will provide an official letter of certification indicating that the student has

completed all the requirements for the degree. Allow two weeks for such a request to

be processed.

IV.2 WORLD CAMPUS M.S. PROGRAM

The World Campus Master’s of Science in Mechanical Engineering (MSME) degree

program is equivalent to the residential Master’s Degree program. The programmatic

requirements are the same as in Section IV.1 above. Some additional information that is

specific to World Campus students follows.

All incoming World Campus MSME students must enroll in the section of ME 590 that is

taught by the Director of the Online MSME program in their first term in the program. In

this class, students will outline a plan of study and become familiar with the process for

research for World Campus students.

All World Campus MSME students should check their Penn State email regularly. All

important information from the ME Graduate Programs office, the Graduate School,

course instructors, and the Director of the Online MSME program will be sent to that

address. If a student is not enrolled in any classes, and their profile is discontinued, they

may not be receiving important notifications from University sources. In that case, they

should reach out to the Director of the Online MSME program.

All World Campus students must do independent research, complete a final written

deliverable, and pass a culminating presentation under the advisement of their

research adviser and a second faculty member. Most World Campus MSME students

will follow M.S. Option B (paper option), but Option A (thesis option) is also available to

them, as it is for resident students.

The typical timelines for research and research adviser matching for WC MSME students

will be addressed in the World Campus section of ME 590 in the first semester of the

MSME Program, that is taught by the Director of the Online MSME program.

IV.3 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PH.D) DEGREE PROGRAM

Course Requirements

There are no specific course credit requirements for the Ph.D. degree, beyond the two-

credit Colloquium Requirement (Section III.12 above). Course requirements are

established by the adviser and doctoral Committee.

PH.D. Qualifying Examination

A student who has been admitted to the Graduate School and has been accepted by

the department or committee in charge of a major program in which the doctorate is

offered may begin working toward a doctoral degree. However, the student has no

official status as a doctoral student, and no assurance of acceptance as a doctoral

candidate, until the Qualifying Examination has been passed. Graduate School policy

and requirements for the Qualifying Examination are given in GCAC-604:

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-604-

qualifying-exam/.

Purpose

The purpose of the Qualifying Examination is to assess a student’s potential to excel in

their Ph.D. studies and to conduct research at the highest level in their chosen field of

study. Preparing for this examination is expected to help students strengthen their

knowledge of fundamentals across the Mechanical Engineering discipline.

Eligibility and Timing

Full requirements are given in GCAC-604. Key points regarding eligibility and timing are

as follows:

• You must be enrolled in the ME Ph.D. program, and be in good academic

standing.

• You must have completed at least 18 credits in courses eligible to be counted

toward your graduate degree. This can include graduate courses taken prior to

joining Penn State.

• You must take the exam with three semesters (excluding summers) of entry into

the ME doctoral program. Some exceptions apply.

• It is in your best interest to have a faculty adviser in place before taking the

exam. Historically, students who have been working with a faculty adviser have

been more successful in passing the exam. If you do not have adviser, the

Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs will serve in that role for this

purpose.

• You are strongly encouraged to take the Qualifying Examination at the earliest

possible time that is consistent with Graduate School policy, after discussion with

your faculty adviser. Normally that will be in your third semester of study,

excluding summers.

The ME Ph.D Qualifying Examination is administered two times each academic year,

once each in the fall and spring semesters. Dates for the Qualifying Examination will be

announced by the Graduate Programs Office by email to all graduate students.

Format and Evaluation

The format of the examination and the process by which pass/fail decisions are made

are detailed in the Appendix.

Doctoral Committee

Immediately after passing the Qualifying Examination, a student must form his or her

doctoral committee. Graduate School policy is that the committee must be formed no

later than one year after successful completion of the Qualifying Examination.

Committee membership composition is specified in Graduate School policy GCAC-602:

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-e

ducation-policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-602-

phd-committee-formation/. Committee members are selected by the academic

adviser in consultation with the student, and consistent with GCAC-602. The adviser will

recommend the members to the Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs,

who in turn will notify the Graduate School. Once a committee is established, any

requests to alter the committee membership must be made in writing to the Graduate

Programs Office. All members currently on the committee and any member(s) to be

added must be copied on the request.

Once the student’s doctoral committee has been formed, the remainder of the

student's program is under the control of the committee. The ME Graduate Program

Office will continue to maintain records and monitor progress. The function and

organization of the doctoral committee are enumerated in Graduate School policy

GCAC-603:

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-

600/gcac-603-phd-committee-responsibilities/. Students are encouraged to familiarize

themselves with this policy, so that they can work effectively with their committee.

Each student’s committee is encouraged to meet as a body at least once a year to

review the status of the student's research and program of study. Graduate School

policy requires that a written report on each Ph.D. candidate’s progress be submitted

annually to the program’s Graduate Programs office. If there is a substantial change in

the student's program of study or research objective, the committee should meet. A

written record of this meeting describing these changes must be sent to the

Department for inclusion in the student's official records.

Residency Requirement

Over some twelve-month period during the interval between admission to the Ph.D.

program (successful completion of the Ph.D. Qualifying Exam) and completion of the

Ph.D. program, the candidate must spend at least two semesters (summer sessions are

not included) as a registered full-time student engaged in academic work at the

University Park campus. Note that ME 601 cannot be used to meet the full-time

residency requirement. See

http://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-

policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-601-residency-requirement-research-doctorate.

Continuous Registration Requirement

A candidate for the Ph.D. degree is required to register continuously for each fall and

spring semester from the time the Comprehensive Examination is passed and the two-

semester residence requirement is met until the dissertation is accepted by the doctoral

committee and the final oral examination is passed. See

https://gradschool.psu.edu/gradu

ate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-500/gcac-515-

registration-course-work-completed/.

Comprehensive Examination

The purpose of the Comprehensive Examination is to demonstrate that candidates are

qualified to successfully complete the research phase of their program. This requires

that students have substantially completed the program of courses approved by their

committee with a minimum grade point average of 3.00, and have satisfied the English

proficiency requirement (which is assessed as part of the Qualifying Exam). The relevant

Graduate School policy is GCAC-606:

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-

policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-606-comprehensive-examination-research-doctorate/.

The Graduate School requires that all members of the committee be present at the

scheduled exam time.

The Comprehensive Exam should cover the specific areas of Mechanical Engineering,

designated by the student's doctoral committee, which relate to the student's program

and any minor field(s) of study (if elected or required). The Comprehensive Exam will

consist of an oral examination administered by the student's Doctoral Committee,

which includes two parts:

Part 1: Presentation of a proposal related to dissertation research. The main

purpose of this part will be to demonstrate the candidate's technical

communications skills and their competency of the subject matter closely

related to the thesis topic.

Part 2: Structured oral examination. The main purpose of this part will be to

demonstrate the candidate's in-depth knowledge in related areas of

research.

The Comprehensive Examination also requires a written proposal related to the

candidate's planned dissertation research. The written research proposal should

include:

a) Statement of the research problem;

b) Literature review;

c) Preliminary results, if available;

d) Work plan describing methods of analysis and/or experimentation;

e) Most significant results expected from the research and their impact on the

current state of the art in the main area of the research; and

f) Time schedule to degree completion.

A written exam may also be given, at the discretion of the Committee. A student must

receive a favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the members of the Committee to

pass the Comprehensive Exam.

The Comprehensive Exam is scheduled by the Graduate School upon request from the

Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs, following notification from the

chair of the doctoral committee. The student must be registered during the semester of

the exam. It is the responsibility of the Ph.D. committee chair to complete all

procedures and see that all requirements are met. It is the responsibility of the Ph.D.

student to be certain that the committee chair performs these duties in a timely and

accurate manner. The Graduate School requires at least two weeks’ notice to process

exam requests.

Dissertation Review

Graduate School policy governing dissertations can be found in GCAC-607:

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-education-policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-607-

dissertation-research-doctorate/.

The Ph.D. dissertation will be reviewed by each member of the student's doctoral

committee. Prior to submission to each committee member, the thesis draft should

have been read and approved by the thesis adviser. Each member of the committee

should have a minimum of two weeks before the scheduled exam date to carefully

read the thesis draft.

Final Oral Examination (Dissertation Defense)

The purpose of this examination is for students to defend their Ph.D. dissertation. The

relevant Graduate School policy is GCAC-608:

https://gradschool.psu.edu/graduate-

education-policies/gcac/gcac-600/gcac-608-final-oral-examination-research-

doctorate/. Some of the key rules include the following:

1. Requests for scheduling the oral examination should be made in writing by the

student’s committee chair to the Associate Department Head for Graduate

Programs. The Graduate Program Office will then request the exam to be

scheduled through the Graduate School. The Graduate School requires at least

two weeks’ notice for examinations to be scheduled.

2. When a period of more than six years has elapsed between passing of the

Comprehensive Examination and the completion of the student’s program, the

student is required to pass a second Comprehensive Examination before the

Final Oral Examination can be scheduled.

3. The Final Oral Examination may not be scheduled until at least three months

have elapsed after the Comprehensive Examination was passed.

4. The Final Oral Examination will be administered by the student's entire doctoral

committee and will be a defense of the student's dissertation. The final oral exam

will be publicized, and members of the academic community are encouraged

to attend. The student must receive a favorable vote of at least two-thirds of the

members of their doctoral committee to pass the exam.

Timing and Deadlines

Key deadlines for each semester can be found on the Graduate School’s website:

https://gradschool.psu.edu/completing-your-degree/thesis-and-dissertation-

information/thesis-dissertation-performance-and-oral-presentation-deadlines-

calendar/. The ME Graduate Programs Office will send specific instructions regarding

graduation at the beginning of each semester.

If a student submits their dissertation to the Graduate School after the dates above, but

before the semester ends, they will graduate at the next scheduled graduation and will

not be required to register for the subsequent semester. Upon request, the Graduate

School will provide an official letter of certification indicating that the student has

completed all the requirements for the degree. Allow two weeks for such a request to

be processed.

IV.4 FINAL STEPS

Graduate Student Check-Out Sheet

Before leaving the Department, every student is required to complete a check-out

sheet with appropriate signatures and a “Transfer/Separation” form. Students should

contact the ME Graduate Programs Office to obtain the paperwork.

Exit Interview

Every graduate student must schedule an exit interview with the Associate Department

Head for Graduate Programs. Schedule your interview well in advance of your leaving

the University, and complete the required paperwork (available from the Graduate

Programs Office) prior to your interview.

Appendix: ME Ph.D. Qualifying Examination

Detailed information about the exam and the decision process is provided in the

following. The exam is developed and administered by the members of the ME

Graduate Faculty, working closely with the Graduate Programs Office. It is structured

around the review and critical assessment of a research paper from the literature that is

related to the student’s thesis research, and consists of two parts: a written exam and

an oral exam. Throughout the exam, the student is required to demonstrate a high level

of proficiency in the use of the English language, including reading, writing, and

speaking.

The exam is administered twice each academic year, once each in the fall and spring

semesters. Exam dates will be announced by the Graduate Programs Office by email to

all graduate students. The oral and written exams normally will be given on the same

day following a two-week preparation period, as detailed in the following.

Exam Signup and Paper Selection

Approximately three months before the beginning of each fall and spring semester, the

Graduate Programs Office will put out a call to ME graduate students to solicit

registrations for the next round of exams. Students must comply with Graduate School

requirements regarding eligibility to take the exams:

GCAC-604 Qualifying Examination -

Research Doctorate (psu.edu). During the months leading up to the exams, students

are strongly advised to work with their faculty advisers to practice critically reading

literature, answering technical questions about scholarly literature verbally and in

writing, and preparing effective technical presentations, in accordance with the format

of the exam.

To register, students must work with their faculty advisers to prepare and submit a brief

description of their academic background and research interests/expertise, along with

other information that will be used to determine appropriate exam topic areas and

papers. The Associate Department Head for Graduate Programs will serve in the

adviser’s role for students who do not yet have a faculty adviser. The exam areas and

faculty examining committees may vary from semester to semester, depending on the

research topics of the students taking the exams. Recent areas have included:

Combustion; Design, Dynamic & Controls; Fluids; Manufacturing & Materials; and Solid

Mechanics & Biomechanics. In cases where it is warranted (e.g., a student whose

research area is highly specialized and/or unusual for ME), a special ad hoc

examination committee may be formed for a student.

The faculty topic area exam committees are responsible for selecting papers that are

reasonable in content and scope for early-career graduate students. The technical

topics of focus will be outlined in a “guidance for students” paragraph that will be

provided along with each paper. This paragraph is intended to guide students in

preparing for the exam. The committees expect candidates to possess knowledge and

understanding of Mechanical Engineering principles, to be able to recall them quickly,

and to synthesize them accurately. An important aspect is to assess the way in which

the candidate can justify and critique the literature and foundational knowledge within

published journal articles.

No less than two weeks before the exam date, the following information will be made

available to students who have registered to take exams. See the example exam at the

end of this Appendix for more specific information on what this will look like:

• A set of general questions to consider in preparing for the written exam.

• A written exam scoring rubric, minus paper-specific questions.

• An oral exam scoring rubric, minus paper-specific questions.

• A list of available papers, organized by topic area. There may be more than one

paper per topic area.

• For each paper, brief “guidance for students” on what they should consider in

preparing for the exam on that paper.

Each student should work with their faculty adviser to select one paper on which to be

examined. Students can select any of the available papers, even one that is not in the

topic area that they originally had in mind. Students must notify the Graduate Programs

Office of their paper selection at least two weeks prior to the exam date, in

accordance with the timeline that is provided each semester by the Graduate

Programs Office.

Students will then have two weeks in which to prepare for their exam. During that

period, students are not to discuss the exam with their faculty advisers. Students should

study the motivation, methods, results, conclusions, and impact of the paper. They are

also advised to read additional literature and texts to learn any unfamiliar content,

derive any equations, and explain any material present in the assigned paper. Students

should be prepared to answer questions about the mechanical engineering principles

on which the paper is grounded. They should also use this time to prepare and practice

their 10-minute oral presentation (see the Oral exam section below).

Exam Format

Each student will take a written exam and an oral exam on their selected paper. Both

exams normally will be given on the same day. English-language proficiency will be

assessed as part of both exams.

Written exam: Written exams will be two hours in duration. Students will bring their own

laptops to type their answers, or they can request a department-provided laptop in

advance of the exam date if they do not have one. Students will have access to their

selected paper, to written notes that they have taken in preparation for the exam, and

to other information that will be specified at the start of the two-week preparation

period. They will have access to the internet during the exam to access scholarly

literature as needed, but should be aware that plagiarism in any form will not be

tolerated and will result in University-level sanctions that may include expulsion from the

University.

In the written exam, students will be instructed to complete a series of written prompts

to demonstrate understanding of the article, technical proficiency, and mastery of

written English. The depth, quality, and accuracy of the answers to the questions will be

used to assess technical mastery, and the quality of writing will be used to assess written

communication skills.

The exam will be scored using a standardized rubric, which will be provided to students

(minus the paper-specific questions) at the start of the two-week preparation period.

The score will be reported as a single number out of 50 available points.

Oral exam: Oral exams will be 30 minutes in duration. Two faculty examiners will

conduct each oral exam. The student’s faculty adviser may observe oral exams, but

may not ask or answer questions during exams. Students will give a 10-minute

presentation on their paper, followed by 20 minutes of questions by the faculty

examiners. Students will bring their own laptops to make their presentations, or will be

provided with a laptop if they do not have one upon prior arrangement with the

Graduate Programs Office.

10-minute presentation Students should prepare a 10±1 minute PowerPoint

presentation, reviewing the underlying theory/theories, research objectives/hypotheses,

findings, and overarching impact of the paper. Specifically, students should explain

relevant theoretical underpinnings of the work, novel methodologies or techniques

introduced, and significant findings leveraging visual evidence (graphics from the work,

external sources, or original) to explain their perspectives of the work to an audience of

faculty members. Students are expected to explicitly cover the following topics:

• Theoretical Background: Succinctly demonstrate an understanding of the

underlying theories that support and motivate the work.

• Research Objectives/Methodology: Articulate a clear understanding of the

overarching objectives of the work. Describe if/how the methods proposed are

appropriate given the research objectives.

• Findings: Clearly summarize the key findings of the work.

• Impact: Contextualize the impact of the work in the field leveraging literature to

support your arguments.

Students will be cut off at precisely 11 minutes. Failure to review all topics or complete

the presentation will result in a lower score. It is imperative that students practice the

presentation aloud and in the room in which they will be presenting beforehand to

ensure they can cover the requisite topics in the timeframe allowed and to avoid any

technical difficulties. Students should come prepared with their laptops fully charged

and with all cables and connectors needed to make their presentations.

20-minute questions-and-answer The faculty examiners will ask foundational questions

about the core ME topics that are covered in the paper. They may also ask questions

based on the student’s presentation. Students will be expected to demonstrate a

thorough understanding of the paper and underlying theories through well-reasoned

responses.

The exam will be scored using a standardized rubric, which will be provided to students

(minus the paper-specific questions) at the start of the two-week preparation period.

The score will be reported as a single number out of 50 available points.

Student Evaluation

Scores on the written and oral exams will be added to give a single total score out of

100 points for each student. The outcome is then determined as follows.

• A score of ≥70 is a passing score.

• A score between 60 and 70 is a conditional pass. In this case, an appropriate

remediation plan must be developed by the student and their faculty adviser

and submitted to the Graduate Programs Office for approval. Appropriate

remediation could include taking an additional course, developing instructional

materials, etc.

• A score of <60 is a failing score. A student who fails the exam on the first attempt

may take the exam a second time. The student must pass on the second

attempt to remain in the ME Ph.D. program.

Resources for Students

Students are advised to study foundational ME material and to take relevant

coursework before taking the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. They should also work with

their faculty advisers to practice accessing and citing literature (in general), synthesizing

literature, and discussing technical papers.

Students should be aware that plagiarism or academic dishonesty of any kind will not

be tolerated. Plagiarism includes directly using the words of another person or work, or

even slightly changing words without attribution. Because the job is to interpret the

literature, students should not be directly quoting from the article such that borrowed

text would appear in quotations; direct quotes are rarely used in engineering

academic writing. It is not acceptable to just slightly change the authors’ words—this

still counts as plagiarism. Similarly, while students may look up other related literature

during the exam, they must accurately cite the literature they are referencing. It is

advisable that students look up appropriate citation styles and formatting and

familiarize themselves with avoiding plagiarism before the exam.

For guidance on expectations with respect to plagiarism, see the following resources:

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/avoiding_plagiarism/index.html

https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/avoiding_plagiarism/plagiarism_faq.html

Instances of plagiarism will be reported using the College of Engineering Academic

Integrity procedures (https://www.engr.psu.edu/faculty-staff/academic-integrity.aspx

International students should note that U.S. expectations for documentation and

plagiarism may be more rigid than in other countries.

For guidance on English-language grammar and usage, see the following resources:

https://www.englishgrammar101.com/

http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/

http://www.talkenglish.com/grammar/grammar.aspx

http://ctl.yale.edu/writing/resources-multilingual-writers/downloadable-english-

grammar-tutorials

http://www.talkenglish.com/grammar/articles.aspx, (specifically with articles)

http://ctl.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Aricles_and_Common_Nouns_1.pdf

(specifically with articles)

For guidance on engineering writing and literature reviews, see the following resources:

• Berdanier, C.G.P. and Lenart, J. (2020). So, You Have to Write a Literature Review.

Wiley/IEEE. Available through PSU Libraries as an E-Book:

https://catalog.libraries.psu.edu/catalog/32175880

• Alley, M. (2018). The Craft of Scientific Writing (4th ed.). Springer. Available

through PSU Libraries as an E-Book:

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/pensu/detail.action?docID=5327233

For guidance on engineering presentations, see the following resources:

Alley, M. (2013). The Craft of Scientific Presentations (2

ed.) Springer. Available through

the PSU Libraries as an E-Book:

https://link-springer-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/book/10.1007%2F978-1-4419-8279-

An Example Exam

An example of an exam in the subject area of Fluid Mechanics follows. To choose

which paper on which they will be examined, students will be provided with the paper

itself, the corresponding Guidance for Students, the general Written Exam Questions

(minus paper-specific questions), a sample Written Exam Scoring Rubric (minus paper-

specific questions), and a sample Oral Exam Scoring Rubric (minus paper-specific

questions).

Paper

W.F. Phillips, D.O. Snyder (2000) Modern adaptation of Prandtl’s classis lifting-line theory,

Journal of Aircraft, 37:662-670. https://doi.org/10.2514/2.2649 Full pdf available

at Modern Adaptation of Prandtl's Classic Lifting-Line Theory (illinois.edu)

Guidance for Students (provided to students along with the paper)

In preparation for the exam, students should familiarize themselves with the concepts of

vorticity and circulation, the Biot-Savart law, the Kutta-Joukowski theorem and

the Kutta condition, lifting-line theory, and aerodynamics-specific terms such as

“camber,” “sweep,” “dihedral,” and “induced drag.”

Some Additional Comments on What to Expect and How to Prepare

Students would be expected to understand and articulate the basic fluid mechanics

principles on which the paper is based (potential flow theory, basic inviscid vortex

kinematics, calculation of forces on immersed bodies from velocity fields, application of

superposition principle, . . .) and the general logical development from a

classic 2D analytic lifting-line theory (based on the Biot-Savart low) to a more

general analytical/numerical approach for 3D bodies. Some of the vocabulary might

be unfamiliar to some of our students, depending on their backgrounds, but they should

be able to familiarize themselves with key terms during the preparation period.

Written Exam Questions

Students would be provided with the following to prepare for the exam, minus the

yellow-highlighted material.

1. Topic-specific or paper-specific questions (to guide the student in the right

direction)

Example questions for this paper:

Provide a short synopsis of the Kutta-Joukowski theorem and the Kutta condition,

and how those are invoked in this paper.

Provide a short synopsis of classic 2D lifting-line theory, including

key assumptions/simplifications and limitations, and how that is used in this

paper.

Explain the meanings of the following terms, in the context of

aerodynamics: “camber,” “sweep,” “dihedral,” and “induced drag.”

Derive Eq. 1 in the paper, given the basic form of the Biot-Savart law (or at least,

set up the derivation).

Under what conditions is superposition of flow solutions justified?

2. Critical assessment 

a. What do the authors identify as the main contributions of this paper?

b. Do you agree with this contribution(s) in the context of the field? Explain and

situate your response within existing literature.

c. How well connected are the literature review and hypotheses/research

questions?

d. Does the literature review form a sound technical basis for the

proposed hypotheses or research questions? Explain your answer.

e. Comment on the appropriateness of the methods/approach.

3. Fundamental analysis 

a. Describe the relationships between the main concepts and fundamental ME

principles.

b. Identify assumptions made in the paper, and describe the practical implications

of these assumptions for the work.

c. Identify what aspects of the problem have not been addressed.

4. Extension

a. Describe how the approach could be applied to other problems or emergent

research questions.

b. How have other researchers leveraged the findings from this work?

Written Exam Scoring Rubric

This is a sample rubric that is intended as an example of the actual rubric that might be used to score a written exam. The

actual rubric may be somewhat modified from this example, but will generally follow the same structure and will be in

alignment with the exam prompts that are provided to students at the beginning of the two-week exam preparation period.

The yellow-highlighted material in the rubric is intended to provide examples that examiners might use in scoring a written fluid

mechanics qualifying exam based on the paper specified above. Those parts would not be provided to the students ahead

of time.

Criteria 

10 points 

6 points 

2 points 

Score  

Engagement with

and Mastery of

Technical

Material (Paper

specific

prompts) 

Discusses relevant technical

information in terms of methods and

findings. Discussion

demonstrates

understanding of the

technical foundations governing the

topics, methods, and findings

described in the paper.

  Writer uses

examples from the paper to

demonstrate mastery without

parroting back text from the paper

superficially.

[Essay demo

nstrates a

clear

understanding of the

underlying foundation of inviscid

vortex kinematics, how that builds to

the classical 2D lifting

-line theory,

and how that is then developed into

a general 3D method, including key

assumptions and/or simplifications.

he essay demonstrates

appreciation of the significance

the resulting relatively

simple numerical approach that

Essay discusses some of the main

technical

information pertaining to

the methods and results as per the

paper

-specific questions.  Emphasis

student answers may be slightly

misguided, or may demonstrate

small misconceptions in relationships

to technical material within the

paper.

[Essay demon

strates some

understanding of the underlying

foundation, and how that is

developed into a general 3D

method, but misses key steps in the

logical development or key

assumptions that are needed. The

significance of the resulting

approach is not discussed.]

Essay identifies few of the main

issues with respect to technical

methods and findings

presented in the paper, often

relying

on superficial phrasings

that do not reflect a mastery of

the material.

  Answers may

reflect deep conceptual

misunderstandings.

[Essay includes no indication

that the writer understands

the

underlying fluid mechanics

principles, how they are

applied in the paper, or the

significance of the resulting

method.]

does not require full 3D CFD to

compute lift and drag forces on

general 3D bodies.] 

Connects

Material in Paper

to Engineering

Fundamentals

Paper adequately describes the

relationships between the main

paper and ME foundations,

accurately identifying assumptions

and

practical implications of the

assumptions of the paper. Paper

discusses aspects of the problem

that have not been addressed, and

other

limitations perhaps not

identified by the paper.

  Discussion

of these elements is thorough and is

not limited to only what the journal

article describes, demonstrating

deep understanding of the topic

area. Discussion of underlying theory

is accurate withou

t mistakes. 

Written essays identify some

relationships between the paper and

ME foundations, or engages only

superficially with the connections

described.

  Paper may

list

assumptions or limitations, but

does not engage thoroughly with

what these assum

ptions/limitations

mean for application. In general, the

connection between the topics in

the paper to foundational ME

concepts is superficial. Discussion of

theory may demonstrate small

misconceptions.

Written essays identify few

connections to ME

found

ations. Relationships with

technical foundations are

loose. If present,

engagement

with assumptions and

limitations is incomplete, loose,

and superficial. There are deep

misconceptions with respect to

disciplinary foundations and

theory.

Critical

Assessment

Written answers to prompts

accurately demonstrate

student’s

understanding

of the contribution of

the paper to the discipline, situating

the response within related

literature.

  Essays thoroughly explain

how the literature review form

s a

sound justification to set up the

rationale and motivation for the

work.

Paper references and

appropriately cites outside literature

necessary, demonstrating the

ability to make connections in

literature. Essays accurately describe

Written answers may not fully

demonstrate through mastery of the

contribution of the paper to the

discipline. Essays may cite a few

articles, but engage superficially with

related literature, without highlighting

the most meaningful connections.

Essay does not accurately explain

how the literature review forms a

sound justification to set up the

rational and motivation for the work.

Essays summarize methods

employed and appropriateness

of methods but engage superficially

Answers to essay questions

demonstrate little

understanding of the

contribution of the paper to

the discipline.

  Little, if any,

literature is cited, and

connections are not made with

literature, or the connections

are unclear and not

meaningful.

  The essay does

not accurately explain how the

literature review forms a

rational and justification for

the work.  The essays vaguely

the methods employed and the

appropriateness of these methods

for the work employed.

without demonstrating

understanding.

summarize methods without

demonstrating understanding

or discussing why they are

appropriate. 

Extension

Paper accurately and creatively

identifies opportunities for future

work extending past those described

in the paper, demonstrating the

ability to link literature with related

fields. Student identi

fied impact of

the paper by accurately identifying

and describing how other

researchers have leveraged the

findings from the work.  

Paper identified opportunities for

future work but may not engage fully

with how the results from the paper

were leveraged

in the discipline.

Engagement with these connections

may be more superficial or have

small misunderstandings in how

findings impacted disciplinary

community.

Paper vaguely identifies

opportunities for future work,

but does not expand on

opportunities past those

presented in the paper.

  Essays

do not address how the

findings impacted future

studies or the discipline.

Criteria 

5 points 

3 points 

1 point 

Clarity and

Fluidity

Use of transition words and topic

sentences enhance

fluidity/smoothness of the paper.

Ideas are clear and easy to

understand. Paragraphs flow

logically through a linear thought

progression, and have clear

topic/umbrella sentences to guide

the reader. Sente

nces are

clear and

of varying length to aid in fluidity,

and vary in structure. Writing is not

excessively wordy and use of passive

voice is deliberate and not

distracting. Word choice is

deliberate and clear.

Writer usually uses transition words or

opic sentences to guide readers.

Few ideas are unclear or do not

progress in a logical way. Some

sentences do not flow together, and

writing may exhibit reliance on

“writing zeros” and passive voice.

Some sentences have redundancies

and may not exhibit var

iance

sentence structure. Word choice

may be confusing at times.

Few transitions at all. Readers

may struggle to interpret the

relationship between points of

paper. Sentences are choppy

and difficult to understand.

Sentence structure exhibits little

ariety, leading to reader

fatigue. Overall sentence

length is too long or too short.

Exhibit an

abundance of

“writing zeros” and/or

excessive passive voice. Word

choice may be often

confusing.

Mechanics

(Spelling, typos,

Few mechanical errors, not

distracting to readers

Several punctuation, spelling, verb

agreement, and grammar errors;

may be distracting but not

Distracting amounts of errors in

grammar, spelling, punctuation

and verb agreement, makes it

punctuation, and

grammar)

prohibitive to the reading of the

document. May include several verb

agreement violations. 

difficult for the reader to focus

on the content of the paper.

Add last columns for total score (Total available points = 50).

Oral Exam Scoring Rubric

This is a sample rubric that is intended as an example of the actual rubric that might be used to score an oral exam. The

actual rubric may be somewhat modified from this example, but will generally follow the same structure and will be in

alignment with the exam prompts that are provided to students at the beginning of the two-week exam preparation period.

The yellow-highlighted material in the rubric is intended to provide examples that examiners might use in scoring an oral fluid

mechanics qualifying exam based on the paper specified above. Those parts would not be provided to the students ahead

of time.

NAME   

Criteria  10 points  6 points  2 points  Score 

Organization and

Efficacy of the

Presentation

Should review all the elements

of the paper sequentially and

logically.

  Strong transitional

phrases used to move along

the presentation.

Illustrations accurately depict

main findings of the paper or

early summarize key points.

Appropriate figures and help

audiences easier to understand

the material. All illustrations are

professional, readable from

anywhere in the room, properly

Reviews the major elements of the

paper, but there are missing links

between topics leading to a lack of

flow. Organization is present but within

the slides, transitions are often weak or

tenuous.

Most illustrations are relevant, but

some hav

e minor inaccuracies,

indicating a small misunderstanding of

the work. All the illustrations shown are

useful and easy to see, but there is

some evidence of “sloppiness”:

Large logical gaps make it

difficult for the audience to

follow along. The flow is illogical

and does not aid in the

audience’s understanding

the paper.   

Illustrations are not at all related

to the paper, or incorrectly

depict aspects of the paper,

indicating a la

rger

misunderstanding of the work.

Illustrations are difficult to read

labeled, and aligned well.

Continuity between the

illustrations on all sl

ides.  

Illustrations may be missing some axis

labels or titles, etc.

or understand such that they

fail to highlight the point the

speaker is trying to make.

Illustrations may have

distracting flaws, misalignments,

or errors that distract the

audience.

Clarity of Technical

Material and

Connections to

Fundamentals

Addresses all parts of relevant

research. Communication is

clear and concise. Technical

content of the study is thorough

and does not leave any

unaddressed gaps. Explains the

necessary terms and equations

in an unambiguous way and

connects to fundamentals of

the field.

Addresses most parts of the relevant

research. The technical content may

not always emphasize all of the

highlights or necessary conclusions

that can be drawn

. Speaker makes

effort to explain the terms and

equations but it is not clear or

understandable. While larger

connections with fundamentals are

made some underlying

minor logical

errors or misconceptions are evident. 

The content leaves room for

varying a

nd opinionated

conclusions among audience.

Speaker fails to explain the

terms and equations, leading

to a presentation that may be

choppy or not

understandable.

Clear misunderstandings of the

paper are evident. Unable to

clearly connect the work with

the fundamentals of the field. 

Question 1

[Explain how the lift

and drag forces

around an immersed

body in a steady flow

could be computed,

knowing the velocity

field over

bounding surface

that encloses the

body. Discuss the

relationship between

that approach and

the approach that is

Provides logical evidence-

based rationale to support

answers to oral question.

Leverages theory and findings

from paper to support their

argument.

[Student correctly develops a

classical control

-volume

analysis, and makes

appropriate

assumptions/simplif

ications. Similarities and

differences with the approach

developed in the paper are

clearly stated, especially with

Provides some evidence to justify

rationale and support answers, but

some minor gaps in argument exists.

Small technical misconceptions

apparent, but demonstrates sound

understanding of work overall.

[Student

correctly develops a

classical

control

-volume approach with

minimal prompting, but is unable to

relate that to the approach that is

developed in this paper without

significant prompting.]

Does not support argument or

answer with evidence or

theory. Answers are incoherent

and difficult to

follow, and

misconceptions about

underlying theory are evident.

[Student is not able to develop

a classical control

-volume

approach, even with significant

prompting.]

developed in

this

paper.] 

respect to

assumptions/simplifications.

Little, if any, prompting

necessary.] 

Question 2

[State the

Biot-Savart

law, and the

conditions

under

which it appl

ies.

Starting

from Biot-

Savart law, derive Eq.

1 of the paper for the

configuration shown

in Fig. 2 of the paper.

(Note: It might not be

realistic for a student

to complete the

derivation in the time

allowed, but

they

should be able to set

it up and get

started.)] 

Provides logical evidence-

based rationale to support

answers to oral question.

Leverages theory and findings

from paper to

support their

argument.

[Student correctly states

the

Biot-Savart law and the

sumptions/simplifications

required for it to apply. Student

is able to explain

the reasoning

and set up the derivation of Eq.

1 correctly. Little, if any,

prompting is necessary.]

Provides some evidence to justify

rationale and support answers, but

some minor gaps in argument exists.

Small technical misconceptions

apparent,

but demonstrates sound

understanding of work overall.

[Student

correctly states the Biot-

Savart law, but do

es not demonstrate

that

they understand the

assumptions/simplifications that apply.

Student is not able to explain or set up

the derivation of Eq. 1, without

significant prompting.]

Does not support argument or

answer with evidence or

theory. Answers are

incoherent

and difficult to

follow, and misconceptions

about underlying theory are

evident.

[Student is not able to state

the

Biot-Savart law, or to set up

the derivation of Eq. 1, even

with significant prompting.]

English Proficiency

Understood all questions

without difficulty and formed

appropriate responses to

questions. Words are

enunciated, sentences are

easy to understand, and flow

between ideas is natural.

Clearly communicated and

pronounced key terms and

major points of the during the

Struggled to understand some of the

questions posed. Some words were

incorrectly pronounced, but did not

detract in any major way from overall

understanding or clarity of the

speaker. Some portions

of the

presentation or responses to questions

were challenging to understand, but

major talking points were clearly

understood.  

Did not understand questions

posed by faculty and questions

were repeated multiple times

for understanding. Challenging

to un

derstand the speaker.  

presentation and the question

and answer period.

Add last columns for total score (Total available points = 50). 