ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM: 4.D.2 DATE: April 16, 2009 ****************************************************************************** SUBJECT: Intent to Plan – SDSMT PhD in Mechanical Engineering
SDSM&T requests Board approval of an intent to plan for a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering. SDSM&T does not intend to ask the Board to request new State resources or to approve new or increased student fees.
****************************************************************************** RECOMMENDED ACTION
South Dakota Board of Regents
Intent to Plan for a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
Use this form to request authorization to plan a new baccalaureate major, a new associate degree program, or a new graduate program. The Executive Director or the Board may request additional information.
UNIVERSITY: South Dakota School of Mines and
Technology
DEGREE(S) AND TITLE OF PROGRAM: Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering INTENDED DATE OF IMPLEMENTATION: Fall 2009
University Approval
To the Board and the Executive Director: I certify that I have read this intent to plan, that I believe it to be accurate, and that it has been evaluated and approved as provided by university policy.
President of the University Date
After approval by the President, a signed copy of the proposal should be transmitted to the Executive Director. Only after Executive Director review should the proposal be posted on the university web site and the Board staff and the other universities notified of the URL.
1. What is the general nature of the proposed program? What is the expected demand for graduates in South Dakota? What is the need for the proposed program?
The proposed program will be a PhD program in mechanical engineering with a focus on driving engineering design and innovation through research. Currently, no mechanical engineering PhD exists in the state. Therefore, the proposed program will create an opportunity for local, regional, and statewide students to obtain a terminal degree in this highly versatile area of study. Furthermore, this new PhD will put the state in a more competitive position for recruiting graduate students across the nation and world. Nationwide, demand for PhDs in mechanical engineering has held steady over the last decade (i.e., approximately 900 per year) and is expected to remain steady.
The program will open up new opportunities to recruit high-quality graduate students, expand research funding, attract top-level faculty members, and support a sustained regional economic development effort over the long term.
High tech manufacturing is cited by the Black Hills Vision/Battelle report as one of the potential growth areas for the Black Hills region and South Dakota, and mechanical engineering expertise is the basis of many entrepreneurial initiatives because of its very wide range of applicability. Mechanical Engineers are involved most technology-oriented small business innovations, research, and development within the state. Goal 2A1 of the Governor’s 2010 Initiative calls for the creation and development of new businesses, with a particular emphasis on entrepreneurship.
1
Goal 2C2 of the Initiative would require the promotion and development of the state’s natural resources. The education and training enabled by the proposed PhD program will engender new entrepreneurship within the state, and quickly carry the state toward the fulfillment of its goal of becoming a net energy exporter through, for instance, wind energy development. Furthermore, simply by virtue of its scientific and technological content and character, the program will directly contribute to Goals 3B and 3C3 of the Governor’s Initiative, by attracting new NSF funding as well as by building new research capacity and infrastructure at the interface of academics and industry. Finally, the program clearly supports Goal 3, Objective 3C4 of the Governor’s 2010 Educational Initiative by building graduate program capacity in the state.
The proposed program will support, and will be supported by, the newly created Pearson Endowed Professorship/Chair in Sustainable Energy Systems and strengthen the research agenda in sustainable energy for the state. In addition, the ME department was recently strengthened by the arrival of our former Dean of Engineering, who will be assuming full faculty responsibilities beginning Fall 2009. Finally, in 2007, the faculty membership increased when the then Dean of Systems Engineering returned to the department on a full-time basis. Therefore, over the last two years, the department has increased its full-time faculty FTE’s by two and is in the process of initiating a search for another position, the Pearson endowed Professorship/Chair.
On the research funding front, the department has seen a rapid growth in our research funding over the past 5 years, and is now at a point where the available funding exceeds the demand for graduate research assistantships among our current and expected MS degree candidates. This research funding has also led to a considerable improvement in our laboratory facilities and research equipment.
Given the above combination of favorable factors along with the program’s synergistic connection to the Governor’s 2010 Initiatives, the time is right to move forward on the development of this new PhD in mechanical engineering. With the redirection of resources (two former deans now mechanical engineering faculty members) and the non-state budget increase (Pearson endowed professorship) the proposal draws on no new resources from the state.
2
Promote agricultural and natural resource development in South Dakota − Become a net energy exporter
Ethanol Biodiesel fuel
Wind energy
3
3B Improve ranking to at least 30th nationally for NSF funding
3C Develop research and technology infrastructure at our universities and with private sector (emphasize research that can be commercialized and will benefit South Dakota).
4
Specifically, initiatives (a) and (b): (a) Double the number of PhD programs, (b) Double the number of PhD graduates (http://www.2010education.com)
2. What is the relationship of the proposed program to the University’s mission as provided in South Dakota statute and Board of Regents Policy?
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, SDCL 13-60-1
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, formerly the State School of Mines, located at Rapid City, in Pennington county, shall be under the control of the Board of Regents and shall provide undergraduate and graduate programs of instruction in engineering and the natural sciences and other courses or programs as the Board of Regents may determine.
The Mission of SDSM&T is as follows:
The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology serves the people of South Dakota as their technological university. Its mission is to provide a well-rounded education that prepares students for leadership roles in engineering and science; to advance the state of knowledge and application of this knowledge through research and scholarship; and to benefit the state, regions, and nation through collaborative efforts in education and
economic development.
The proposed program will support the mission of the university by expanding research funding, by accelerating and maintaining economic development in the Black Hills region and the state as a whole, and by attracting high quality students and faculty to the university.
3. Are there any related programs in the regental system? If there are related programs, why should the proposed program be added? If there are no related programs within the
system, enter “None.”
None.
4. Are there related programs at public colleges and universities in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming?5 If there are related programs in these states list below under each state and explain why the proposed program is needed in South Dakota. If there
are no related programs in a state, enter “None” for that state.
Minnesota: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: PhD in Mechanical Engineering North Dakota:
North Dakota State University: PhD in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Montana: None
Wyoming: University of Wyoming, Laramie: PhD in Mechanical Engineering
5
This question addresses opportunities available through Minnesota Reciprocity and the Western Undergraduate Exchange in adjacent states. List only programs at the same degree level as the proposed program. For example, if the proposed program is a baccalaureate major, then list only related baccalaureate majors in the other states and do not include associate or graduate programs.
5. Are students expected to be new to the university or redirected from other programs? How many majors are expected in the first years of the program? How many graduates are expected?
Over 50% of the student population is expected to be new to the university and a lesser percentage will be comprised of students returning after completion of their bachelor’s in mechanical engineering or a closely related field. Additionally, the program will help to retain master’s-level students, who would otherwise need to move to another university to pursue a doctoral degree in mechanical engineering.
Five to seven students are expected to be enrolled in the program in its first year, with the overall number growing at the rate of 2 or 3 per year until steady state is reached in the range of 10 to 15 students. After the fourth year of the program, roughly three to five students are expected to graduate each year with a PhD.
6. Does the university intend to seek authorization to deliver this entire program at any off-campus locations? If yes, enter location(s) and intended start date(s). Does the university intend to seek authorization to deliver this entire program by distance technology? If yes,
identify delivery method(s) and intended start date(s).
Off-campus No Distance delivery No
7. What are the University’s plans for obtaining the resources needed to implement the program? Indicate “yes” or “no” in the columns below.
Development/Start-up Long-term Operation
Reallocate existing resources No No
Apply for external resources Yes; research proposals Yes; research proposals Ask Board to seek new State resources No No
Ask Board to approve new or increased student fee
No No
As noted under item (1), increased research funding over the past few years (which brings with it greater available support for graduate students and research equipment), the program could successfully be implemented without new resources from the state, and without straining current resources.
8. Curriculum Example: Provide (as Appendix A) the curriculum of a similar program at another college or university. The Appendix should provide the required and elective courses in
the program. Catalog pages or web materials may be used. Identify the college or university
and explain why the program may be used as one model when the proposed program is developed.
Information about the University of Minnesota Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering is provided in Appendix A. This is an internationally recognized and well established program with strengths
relevant to our three goals of expanding research funding, contributing to the state’s economic development, and attracting high-quality students and faculty to the region.
9. Additional Information. None.
Appendix A
University of Minnesota
PhD in Mechanical Engineering
This appendix provides an overview of the mechanical engineering PhD program at the University of Minnesota (U of M) and points out features that we would like to consider in our planning process. While we would like to replicate some of these features in our program, we realize that our program must adequately reflect our state’s/school’s needs and expertise.
In particular, our goal will be to offer a similar degree of flexibility in course selection in the student’s concentration area while providing a balance between depth and breadth. As noted below, the U of M program includes significant coursework in a minor field of study, taken while the student is pursuing research and coursework in a chosen area of concentration. One aspect in which our program will differ from the U of M program will be in the total number of credits required for graduation. We will require 80 credits for graduation, consistent with the School of Mines graduate study requirements. Specifically, our program will include a minimum of 50 course credits (including 12 in a minor area or areas) and 30 research/dissertation credits beyond a Bachelor’s degree.
Detailed information on the U of M program may be accessed through the following web links. University of Minnesota Mechanical Engineering Department Graduate Student Handbook 2008-2009
http://www.me.umn.edu/education/grad/grad%20handbook/index.shtml University of Minnesota Graduate School Catalog:
http://www.catalogs.umn.edu/grad/programs/g115.html
The following description is excerpted from the University of Minnesota graduate catalog and provides a brief overview of the PhD curriculum and degree requirements:
Graduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department pursue a program of study which embodies two major ingredients:
1. A disciplinary focus to amplify your knowledge in a specific area of technical expertise. 2. A dimension of technical literacy beyond the disciplinary focus to equip yourself with breadth of perspective to enable adaptation to future engineering challenges and technological change. Achieve technical literacy through the following types of course selections:
• Those offered within the Department but beyond the main concentration of your study. • Those taken outside the Department with sufficient uniqueness to stand the test of breadth.
• Technical courses which emphasize micro-scale phenomena in such areas as materials, electronics, chemistry, and physics.
• Graduate-level courses in Mathematics or Numerical Methods (at least one).
Whereas no formal credit count is stated for the doctoral degree in the Graduate School Catalog (other than the 12 credits required in the supporting program or minor), the Mechanical Engineering Department observes a nominal minimum standard between 44 and 50 semester credits including master’s course credits as a hallmark of adequate course study.
Students completing a doctoral degree are required to enroll for 24 doctoral thesis credits (ME 8888) before receiving a degree (students can register for a maximum of 18 in one semester). Doctoral students may not register for thesis credits until the semester after they have passed their preliminary oral examinations (see the Preliminary Oral Examinations section).
Course Suggestions
The following is a listing of suggested courses for graduate students in Mechanical Engineering. These suggestions are divided into different topic areas that reflect common areas of research. The listing is not an exhaustive one and is provided only as a general suggestion. Each student should consult with his or her thesis advisor before registering for courses.
Design, Manufacturing, and Controls Core Classes
ME 5247, Stress analysis, sensing and transducers ME 5248, Vibration Engineering
ME 5243, Advanced Mechanism Design
ME 8221, New Product Design and Business Development I ME 8222, New Product Design and Business Development II Controls Focus
Complete list of classes and scheduled offerings for classes (pdf) Fluid Power/Control Focus
ME 5232, Fluid Power Control Laboratory ME 5281, Analog and Digital Control
*See also listing of classes for Controls Focus Human Factors Focus
IE 5513 Engineering Safety
HUMF/IE 8541 Intelligent Decision Support Systems PSY 5051 The Psychology of Human Machine Interaction
CSci 5115 User Interface Design, Implementation and Evaluation DHA 5185 Human Factors in Design
Complete list of human factors courses Medical Device Focus
ME 5241, Computer-Aided Engineering ME 5243, Advanced Mechanism Design ME 5281, Analog and Digital Control ME 5223, Materials in Design
ME 8221, New Product Design and Business Development I ME 8222, New Product Design and Business Development II Sensors Focus
ME 5241, Computer-Aided Engineering ME 5281, Analog and Digital Control
ME 8254, Fundamentals of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) EE 5171, Microelectronic Fabrication
ECE 5657, Principals of Thin Film Technology Solid Mechanics Focus
Complete list of classes and scheduled offerings for classes (pdf) Transportation Research Focus
ME 5286, Introduction to Robotics
ME 8772, Advanced Transportation Technologies Seminar ME 5281 - Analog and Digital Control
ME 8281 - Advanced Control System Design CSCI 5552 - Sensing and Estimation in Robotics AEM 5451- Optimal Estimation
PSY 5051W - Psychology of Human-machine Interaction Thermal and Fluid Sciences
Core Courses
ME 5080, Energy - Resources, Technology and Society ME 5351, Computational Heat Transfer
ME 5666, Modern Thermodynamics ME 8341, Conduction
ME 8343, Radiation
ME 8345, Computational Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow
ME 8228, Finite Elements in Multidisciplinary Flow/Thermal/Stress and Manufacturing
AEM 8201, Fluid Mechanics I AEM 8202, Fluid Mechanics II AEM 8207, Hydrodynamic Stability AEM 8211, Theory of Turbulence I AEM 8212, Theory of Turbulence II AEM 8213, Turbulent Shear Flows Topic Courses
ME 5105, HVAC System Design
ME 5341, Case Studies in Thermal Engineering and Design ME 5344, Thermodynamics of Fluid Flow with Applications ME 5348, Heat Transfer in Electronic Equipment
Biotransport Focus
Complete list of classes and scheduled offerings for classes (pdf) Energy Conversion and Renewable Energy Focus
ME 5103, Thermal Environmental Engineering ME 5312, Solar Thermal Technologies
ME 5461, Internal Combustion Engines ME 5446, Introduction to Combustion ME 5101, Vapor Cycle Systems Combustion, and Plasmas
ME 5361, Plasma-Aided Manufacturing ME 5446, Introduction to Combustion ME 8362, Introduction to Plasma Technology ME 8361, Molecular Gas Dynamics
ME 5446, Introduction to Combustion ME 5461, Internal Combustion Engines Power Systems Focus
ME 5101, Vapor Cycle Systems
ME 5461, Internal Combustion Engines ME 5446, Introduction to Combustion ME 8462, Turbomachinery
Nanotechnology/Nanomanufacturing ME 5113, Aerosol/Particle Engineering ME 8361, Molecular Gas Dynamics
ME 8362, Introduction to Plasma Technology
NPSE 8001, Introduction to Nanoparticle Science and Engineering ME 8253 Computational Nanomechanics
ME 8113, Advanced Aerosol/Particle Engineering
ME 8254, Fundamentals of Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Environmental/Aerosol Science and Environmental Engineering Focus ME 5113, Aerosol/Particle Engineering
ME 5133, Aerosol Measurement Laboratory ME 8113, Advanced Aerosol/Particle Engineering CE 8521, The Atmospheric Boundary Layer CE 8572, Environmental Fluid Mechanics CE 8541, Aquatic Chemistry
EnHS 6190, Environmental Chemistry EnHS 6191, Air Pollution
Thermal Environmental Focus ME 5101, Vapor Cycle Systems
ME 5103, Thermal Environmental Engineering ME 5105, HVAC Systems Design
