Many engineers today are required to routinely solve complex problems in fluid mechanics, heat and mass transfer, structural mechanics, vibrations, and acoustics, using computational tools such as solid modeling, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) systems, system simulators, and finite element simulation. The proficiency in using such systems enables engineers to model complex engineering design and to analyze problems competently and efficiently.
The graduate certificate program in computer-aided mechanical engineering is designed specifically to:
- Train engineers to become professionally certified in the computer-aided mechanical engineering field without formally pursuing a graduate degree.
- Provide a set of integrated courses on the fundamentals of finite element analysis and CAD/CAM, and
- Enable students completing the certificate program to understand the theoretical foundations of modeling and analysis of various mechanical components and to conduct performance analysis.
The program's emphasis will be on the fundamentals of design and analysis, which will be supplemented with the learning of commercially available Engineering software tools such as NX NASTRAN, ANSYS, and STAR-CD, etc.
What are the requirements to complete the graduate certificate program?
To earn a graduate certificate you must complete 12 credit hours of graduate coursework, equivalent to four graduate courses, and obtain at least a "B" average over all courses applicable towards the certificate. The minimum grade acceptable is "C". Courses with a grade of "C-" or less must be retaken to count towards the certificate. All requirements for the certificate must be completed within three years of admission.
Required and Elective Courses
The required courses are:
- ME 55100 Finite Element Analysis
- ME 54600 CAD/CAM - Theory and Advanced Applications
Select two electives from the following:
- ME 50000 Advanced Thermodynamics
- ME 50500 Intermediate Heat Transfer
- ME 50900 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics
- ME 51000 Gas Dynamics
- ME 52000 Imaging-based Computational Hemodynamics for Cardiovascular Assessment
- ME 52500 Combustion
- ME 53503 Model Based Systems Engineering
- ME 53504 Systems Driven Product Development
- ME 55000 Advanced Stress Analysis
- ME 55800 Composite Materials
- ME 56300 Mechanical Vibrations
- ME 56900 Mechanical Behavior of Materials
- ME 58100 Numerical Methods in Mechanical Engineering
- ME 59100 Mechanical Engineering Projects
- ME 59700 Composite Materials for Automotive Applications
- ME 60101 Computational Modeling of Turbulence
- ME 60601 Optimal Design of Complex Mechanical Systems
- ME 61400 Computational Fluid Dynamics
- ME 65100 Advanced Finite Element Method for Solids
Will any of these four courses count toward a graduate degree?
Yes! All four courses may be used toward the requirements for a graduate degree in mechanical engineering, if you wish to pursue a formal degree program.
What are the requirements for admission to the certificate program?
You must have a bachelor's degree with a minimum GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and in an area of study, which provides the necessary mathematical preparation for an engineering degree. Applicants with non-engineering degrees, including mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering technology, may be required to take undergraduate mechanical engineering courses before admission to the program. Appropriate work experience also will be taken into account in making decisions about admission. Students will be required to submit a statement of purpose and three letters of recommendation.
I have completed a few graduate courses in the past. Can I use the credits toward the certificate program?
If you have already earned credits for one or more of the equivalent courses from another institution or another certificate program, you may request to transfer up to a maximum of three credits of these courses toward this certificate. A maximum of 6 equivalent credit hours taken prior to admission to the certificate program, including 3 credit hours taken from another institution, may be counted towards the certificate. The rest of the courses must be completed at IUPUI within a three-year period from the time of admission. Any waivers or substitutions require approval. No undergraduate courses can be applied to this certificate program.
How do I apply for admission to the certificate program?
If you have questions about Applying for admissions, contact Monica Stahlhut, MEE Graduate Programs Assistant by telephone at (317) 278-4960 or by email:
Program Course Listing and Descriptions
ME 50000 Advanced Thermodynamics (3). The empirical, physical basis of the laws of thermodynamics. Availability concepts and applications. Properties and relations between properties in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems. The criteria of equilibrium. Application to a variety of systems and problems including phase and reaction equilibrium.
ME 50500 Intermediate Heat Transfer (3). Heat and mass transfer by diffusion in one-dimensional, two-dimensional, transient, periodic, and phase change systems. Convective heat transfer for external and internal flows. Similarity and integral solution methods. Heat, mass, and momentum analogies. Turbulence. Buoyancy-driven flows. Convection with phase change. Radiation exchange between surfaces and radiation transfer in absorbing-emitting media. Multimode heat transfer problems.
ME 50900 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics (3). Fluid properties, basic laws for a control volume, kinematics of fluid flow, dynamics of frictionless incompressible flow, basic hydrodynamics, equations of motion of viscous flow, viscous flow applications, boundary layer theory, wall turbulence, and lift and drag of immersed bodies.
ME 51000 Gas Dynamics (3). Flow of compressible fluids. One-dimensional flows including basic concepts, isentropic flow, normal and oblique shock waves, Rayleigh line, Fanno line, and simple waves. Multidimensional flows including general concepts, small perturbation theory for linearized flows, and method of characteristics for nonlinear flows.
ME 52000 Imaging-based Computational Hemodynamics for Cardiovascular Assessment (3). mage-based computational hemodynamics is a newly-emerged computational technique for non-invasive and patient-specific assessment of cardiovascular diseases based on medical imaging data. In this course, students will learn (1) concepts and principles of cardiovascular circulation in the human body and imaging modalities for cardiovascular diseases; (2) image-based computational modeling methods for quantification of hemodynamics (velocity, pressure, and wall-shear stress) in human vessels based on CT/MRI and Doppler ultrasound imaging data; and (3) computational analysis to assess the severity of cardiovascular diseases. Team projects to non-invasively assess the severity of arterial stenosis in renal, iliac, and coronary arteries via quantification of trans-stenotic pressure gradient and/or fractional flow reserve will provide first-hand experience of how computational modeling and analysis can contribute to medical innovation and advanced precision medicine.
ME 52500 Combustion (3). Physical and chemical aspects of basic combustion phenomena. Classification of flames. Measurement of laminar flame speeds. Factors influencing burning velocity. Theory of flame propagation. Flammability, chemical aspects, chemical equilibrium. Chain reactions. Calculation and measurement of flame temperature. Diffusion flames. Fuels. Atomization and evaporation of liquid fuels. Theories of ignition, stability, and combustion efficiency.
ME 53503 Model Based Systems Engineering (3). This course teaches applications of SysML to real life projects and businesses, in order to define, track and visualize various aspects of a system. The coursework is structured around the Object Modeling Group’s SysML used in modeling systems. The Cameo Systems Modeler will be used to for advanced features of engineering analysis – design decision evaluation and requirements verification, check model consistency and track design progress. Several case studies from healthcare and engineering disciplines are studied.
ME 53504 Systems Driven Product Development (3). Integrated Model-based systems driven product development, or SDPD (Systems Driven Product Development) is a framework for integrating system behavioral modeling with downstream design and manufacturing practices. SDPD is an implementation of MBE (Model-based Engineering) which integrates MBSE (Model-based Systems Engineering) and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management). SDPD can also be seen as an approach to creating the “Digital Twin” of a product/process, and supporting the digital factory/digital enterprise of Industry 4.0 (4th Industrial Revolution). In addition to introducing key concepts and definitions such as MBSE (Model-based Systems Engineering), SDPD, Digital manufacturing, Digital Twin, Digital Thread, Industry 4.0, Interoperability, Traceability, Validation/Verification, Predictive analytics, etc., the course will focus on covering the key tools that enable the implementation and demonstration of System driven model-based integrated product and process lifecycle, including: Cameo (for MBSE), Amesim (for Systems simulation), NX CAD (for 3D modeling), Star-CCM+ and NASTRAN (for model analysis), Teamcenter Process planner (for process design), Tecnomatix (for process and plant simulation), HEEDS (for design optimization), and Teamcenter (for Product data and lifecycle management). The course includes at least one case study and one project that leverage these technologies to implement SDPD as a key step towards building the digital solution that drives Industry 4.0.
ME 54600 CAD/CAM - Theory and Applications (3). Introduction to computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) theory and applications. Topics include CAD/CAM systems (Hardware and Software), Geometric Modeling using curves, surfaces and solids, CAD/CAM data exchange, CAD and CAM integration, Mechanical assembly, Mechanical Tolerancing, Mass property calculations, Process planning and Tool path generation, integration of CAD/CAM with the production machine, and Computer control of machines and processes in manufacturing systems. Projects focus on development of geometric procedures for design and manufacturing applications and the use of commercial CAD/CAM software for automating the production cycle. Applications will include NC machining, design of (optimum) cutting tools and modeling and design of fixtures for dies and molds. Hands-on experience is attained through laboratory experiment.
ME 55000 Advanced Stress Analysis (3). Studies of stresses and strains in three-dimensional problems. Failure theories and yield criteria. Stress function approach to two-dimensional problems. Bending of nonhomogeneous asymmetric curved beams. Torsion of bars with noncircular cross sections. Energy methods. Elastic stability. Introduction to plates.
ME 55100 Finite Element Analysis (3). Concepts of finite elements methods; formulations for different engineering problems and their applications. Variational methods, the finite element concept, and applications in stress analysis, dynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer.
ME 55800 Composite Materials (3). Basic concepts of reinforced composites, manufacturing, mechanics and analysis of composite laminates and their applications to engineering design.
ME 56300 Mechanical Vibrations (3). Review of systems with one degree of freedom. Lagrange equations of motion for multiple-degree-of-freedom systems. Matrix methods. Transfer functions for harmonic response, impulse response, and step response. Convolution integrals for response to arbitrary inputs. Principle frequencies and modes. Applications to critical speeds, measuring instruments, isolation, torsional systems. Nonlinear problems.
ME 56900 Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3). How loading and environmental conditions can influence the behavior of materials in service. Elastic and plastic behavior, fracture, fatigue, low- and high-temperature behavior. Fracture mechanics. Failure analysis case studies emphasis on design.
ME 58100 Numerical Methods in Mechanical Engineering (3). The solution to problems arising in mechanical engineering using numerical methods. Topics include nonlinear algebraic equations, sets of linear algebraic equations, eigenvalue problems, interpolation, curve fitting, ordinary differential equations, and partial differential equations. Applications include fluid mechanics, gas dynamics, heat and mass transfer, thermodynamics, vibrations, automatic control systems, kinematics, and design.
ME 59100 Mechanical Engineering Projects (3). Individual Advanced Study in various fields of Mechanical Engineering. May be repeated for up to 6 credit hours. Students must consult MEE Faculty for permission to enroll in this Project Based Course.
ME 59700 Composite Materials for Automotive Applications (3). This course focuses on Development of Low-Cost Carbon Fiber for Automotive Applications, Mechanical Properties of Advanced Pore Morphology Foam Composites, Automotive Composite Structures for Crashworthiness, Crashworthiness Analysis of Composite, Hybrid Structures Consisting of Sheet Metal and Fiber Reinforced Plastics for Structural Automotive and Design Solutions to Improve Crash-Box Impact Efficiency for Racing Applications.
ME 60101 Computational Modeling of Turbulence (3). This course consists of three parts: (i) turbulence principles including turbulence concepts, statistical description, and Kolmogorov hypothesis; (ii) major modeling concepts and formulations such as direct numerical simulation (DNS), large eddy numerical simulation (LES), and Reynolds averaged Navier-stokes simulation (RANS); (iii) Projects related to DNS/LES/RANS of turbulence with applications in environment, industry, and biomechanics.
ME 60601 Optimal Design of Complex Mechanical Systems (3). Optimization as an element of the engineering design process. Case studies that demonstrate the theory and application of nonlinear programming as a design tool. Comparative examination of unconstrained algorithms. Development and application of methods for the constrained case. Selected contemporary topics.
ME 61400 Computational Fluid Dynamics (3). Application of finite difference methods, finite element methods, and the method of characteristics for the numerical solution of fluid dynamics problems. Incompressible viscous flows: vorticity transport equation, stream function equation, and boundary conditions. Compressible flows: treatment of shocks, implicit and explicit artificial viscosity techniques, and boundary conditions. Computational grids.
ME 65100 Advanced Finite Element Method for Solids (3). Various algorithms for nonlinear and time-dependent problems in two and three dimensions. Emphasis on advanced applications with problems chosen from fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and solid mechanics areas. Independent project required.