Mechanical Engineering Steps Up

The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, the newest graduate program in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering, welcomes its first class.

The UMD program that focuses on design, dynamics and control, materials and manufacturing and thermo-fluids has taken a step up. This fall, students in MSME, the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering, have started on their two-year adventure.

Dr. Subramanian "Subbu" Ramakrishnan, assistant professor, who teaches Advanced Dynamics and Control says, "All of us in the department are excited about the MSME program for multiple reasons. Besides providing the region with mechanical engineers who have advanced training, the program will give a major boost to student and faculty research."

Ramakrishnan is especially pleased with the attention the program is getting from international students. "The diverse spectrum of applications received this year indicates that we are on the global map," he says.

Much of the program's success is due to the focus on finding solutions for the real-world problems of local and regional businesses. Student are looking forward to careers in robotics, space systems, automobiles, power plants, and other industries. The new program is one more response to the needs of students as well as local and regional businesses. The Swenson College of Science and Engineering (SCSE) continues to grow. Its fall enrollment is over 3,000 students with nearly half of those students entering the engineering fields.

“The region has capacity,” says Josh Hamilton, SCSE dean. “One-hundred percent of our graduates are either pursuing an advanced degree or have a job within three months of graduation. Everywhere I go to talk to stakeholders who hire our graduates, they say ‘we need more.’ ”

The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering is the newest program in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. It joins two undergraduate programs: Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering, and two other graduate programs, the Master of Engineering Management and the Master of Environmental Health and Safety.

Large photo, l-r — Students in the new program, with their professor: Zahra Navabi, Xuehuan He, Dr. "Subbu" Ramakrishnan, Connor Edlund, Mathew Orner and Sen Zhang. Dr.Debao Zhou is the Director of Graduate Studies for this program.

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

The Swenson College is home to ten academic departments, in addition to the Large Lakes Observatory, the UMD Air Force ROTC program, and the Iron Range Engineering program, and connects students with hands-on research opportunities through its collaboration with multiple research institutions and area businesses.