Graduate students in WPI’s Mechanical Engineering MS program don’t just ask “why,” they ask “why not?” If you’re a passionate innovator, builder, and problem solver, the collaborative and inspiring environment will help you tackle society’s most critical engineering challenges whether in research or industry.
The program receives significant funding, including support from such sources as the National Institutes of Health, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and Sandia National Labs.
Our world-class, dedicated faculty members invite students into their research projects in our various cutting-edge labs. And in our classrooms, you’ll gain a depth and breadth of understanding mechanical engineering practices to assume leadership roles in industry. Whatever your goals are, our faculty will push you to forge your path and realize your ambitions.
Your course work will include mechanical engineering, mathematics, electives, and a graduate seminar. You may choose to complete a thesis or non-thesis option, the latter requiring more courses in mechanical engineering to replace the thesis requirements.
Graduate students may choose from five fields of study to allow the most opportunity to work on current research with WPI faculty. These diverse areas of study include the following:
The diverse research activities within WPI’s Mechanical Engineering MS program place graduate students at the center of research that’s advancing key 21st century industries.
Companies that work with WPI’s faculty (and you):
Our comprehensive facilities offer an open and collaborative environment where you’ll work on new discoveries with engineers from across disciplines. We offer five centers and more than 20 research laboratories run by renowned faculty, supported by industry partners, and outfitted with innovative equipment and instruments.
Chris Brown has been on the WPI faculty since 1989. In 1983 he completed his doctoral work on machining at the University of Vermont, where he also worked in orthopedics and studied ski injuries. As an undergraduate, he was Vermont’s only walk-on All-American skier. He raced and coached there during the longest regular season undefeated streak in NCAA history and is a member of UVM’s athletic hall of fame.
Professor Liang’s research explores the physics of interfaces between the nanometer and micron scales. Her team responds to the challenging interdisciplinary nature of their research endeavor through successful collaboration with colleagues with expertise in metrology, physics, bioscience, medical science, chemistry, and fire protection engineering. Her educational effort includes novel approaches to project-based learning and global centers for science and engineering.
Prior to joining the faculty at WPI in 2001, I was a Senior Staff Engineer in the Advanced Propulsion Technology Group at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). My research at JPL included application of plasma sources for materials processing and the development of pulsed plasma and small-scale hydrazine thrusters. In the mission support area, I worked as the propulsion engineer for the Deep Space 3 Interferometer and Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) missions.
My research is aimed at the challenge of meeting the growing energy needs of society and replacing fossil fuels with clean energy sources. The first thrust of my research focuses on creating materials that will be the building blocks of economical, large-scale, clean energy technologies of the future. The key to creating effective energy conversion materials is controlling the flow of energy, electricity and matter at the nanoscale by careful design of the shape, size and composition of materials at the same scale.
You’ll leave WPI with the hands-on research experience and a practical, in-depth knowledge of your specialty—whether that’s aerospace, fuel technology, medical devices, or even automotive design. You’ll understand the how and the why, but also will be able to apply your knowledge to hit the ground running in your next venture.
