Applying to the Graduate Program

**We do not accept applications for the Summer Session.*

• Application
  May be submitted electronically or printed out and mailed to the Graduate School. Application Form
• Application Fee: Domestic Applicants: $50, International Applicants: $65
  Click here to pay electronically.
• One Official Copy of Transcripts from all Colleges or Universities Attended
• Official GRE Scores from ETS (register for test here)
  School code: 1837
  Department code: 1502
• Official TOEFL Scores from ETS (register for test here) or Official IELTS scores (register for test here)
  (Only for applicants who received Bachelor's degree outside the United States)
  School code: 1837
  Department code: 68

**Send the above items to:**
Kathy Ice-Wedding
University of Kentucky
202C Ezra Gillis Building
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0033
(859) 257-4618

• Resume (International students: please specify which is your first name and which is your family name.)
• Statement of Purpose (International students: please specify which is your first name and which is your family name.)
• Three (3) Letters of Recommendation
  There is no form to accompany these letters and there is no specified format.
• One Official Copy of Transcripts from all Colleges or Universities Attended

**Send the above three items to:**
Jill Fisher
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Kentucky
155 Ralph G. Anderson Building
Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0503
(859) 257-6336, ext. 80611

This process requires a User ID and Password. The User ID is your Social Security Number or Temporary ID Number. The password is your birthdate entered in the following format: mm/dd/yyyy.

If you require information beyond application status, such as information about application materials and !-20s, you should contact your Admissions Officer in the Graduate School:

Kathy Ice-Wedding

Email: ice@uky.edu

Phone: 859-257-4618

Office: 202C Ezra Gillis Building

Admission to the mechanical engineering graduate programs normally requires a bachelor's degree in engineering (not necessarily in mechanical engineering), a GPA of at least 3.0/4.0 on all graduate and undergraduate work, Graduate Record Examination scores of at least 1200 (Verbal + Quantitative) and 3.5 (Analytical), and Test of English as a Second Language scores of 550 (paper-based) / 213 (computer-based) / 80 (Internet-based). An undergraduate degree in chemistry or physics combined with a strong interest in engineering topics may be acceptable when certain required undergraduate courses are also taken. Satisfying the above requirements does not guarantee admission to the mechanical engineering graduate program.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering provides programs for study and research leading to the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and the Doctor of Philosophy. Graduate curricula within the Department of Mechanical Engineering are concentrated in the following four major areas: 1) Manufacturing; including Manufacturing Processes, Manufacturing Systems, and Robotics; 2) Mechanics; including Acoustics, Composite Materials, Dynamics, Fracture Mechanics, Mechanics of Materials, Solid Mechanics, Tribology, and Vibration; 3) Systems and Design; including Aerospace Structures, Control, Intelligent Structural Systems, and Machine Design; and 4) Thermal-Fluid Sciences; including Combustion and Fire Research, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Heat and Mass Transfer, Radiative Transfer, Thermal Systems, Thermodynamics, and Two-Phase and Phase-Change Heat Transfer.

The master's degree requires 24 credit hours of course work and a thesis (Plan A). A non-thesis option (Plan B) consisting of 30 credit hours is available with admission and enrollment limited to those students with acceptable previous research or design experience. Enrollment in the non-thesis option requires approval of the Director of Graduate Studies and must be requested within the student's first 9 credit hours of graduate course work.

The Ph.D. degree is a research degree granted on the basis of broad knowledge of mechanical engineering and in-depth study in a specific area leading to a dissertation reflecting original work by the doctoral candidate. To obtain a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering, in addition to meeting the general Graduate School requirements, a student must:

1. Earn 48 graduate credit hours taken at the University of Kentucky while in graduate standing. Alternatively, those holding a non-UK M.S. may satisfy this requirement by earning 24 graduate credit hours at UK.
2. Satisfy the mathematics requirement. The mathematics requirement for the Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineering may be satisfied by completing three math-related courses with a grade of B or better in each. A list of acceptable courses is maintained by the Director of Graduate Studies.
3. Pass the Ph.D. Preliminary Examination. The Preliminary Examination is a written examination and shall satisfy the written portion of the Qualifying Examination required by the Graduate School. This examination tests the student's knowledge in the field of mechanical engineering. This is a uniform examination that is required in three subject areas. For the Ph.D. preliminary examination, a doctoral student may select any of the available technical areas as a major field (two of the three subject areas should be from the student's chosen major field). A list of current technical areas, subject areas, and various courses under each subject area is maintained by the Director of Graduate Studies.
4. Pass the Qualifying Examination. This examination evaluates the soundness of the student's proposed doctoral dissertation research. A prospectus prepared by the student and submitted to the student's advisory committee is required. Only those who have passed the preliminary examination and have satisfied the doctoral mathematics requirement may sit for this examination.
5. Present and satisfactorily defend the dissertation.

For a more detailed description of these requirements, contact the Director of Graduate Studies.

The Department, in collaboration with the College of Engineering's UK Center for Manufacturing (UKCM), has several research laboratories: Acoustics Lab, Advanced Structures Lab, CAD/CAM/CAE Lab, Combustion and Fire Research Lab, Computational Fluid Dynamics Systems (CFD) Lab, Engineering Metrology Lab, Fluid Mechanics Lab, Machine Vision Lab, Machining Dynamics Systems Lab, Machining Research Lab, Manufacturing Simulation and Tribiology Research Lab, Nonlinear Dynamics Research Lab, Metal Forming Research Lab, Non-traditional Manufacturing Processes Lab, Phase Change and Microgravity Heat Transfer Lab, Radiative Transfer and Optics Lab, Rapid Prototyping Lab, Robotics Lab, Thermal Sensing Lab, and Welding Research Lab.

Financial aid for international graduate students is provided primarily by the department. This aid is provided as Research Assistantships (RAs) and Teaching Assistantships (TAs).

Research assistants are chosen by individual professors who have openings in their research programs. RAs are expected to contribute to the research effort in accordance with the student’s experience level, the specific responsibilities defined by the funding professor. In addition to being a source of financial aid, a research assistantship is an opportunity to gain hands-on research experience that can form the basis of a graduate thesis. There is no formal application process for research assistantships, but all mechanical engineering professors have access to the files of graduate school applicants, and may chose to contact you about a RA position. Alternately, you may directly contact any professor whose research interests you. Short biographical sketches of faculty members, including their research interests and contact information, are available here.

Teaching assistants are chosen by the department based on the needs of the course schedule for a given semester and the input of concerned faculty members. TAs are expected to grade assignments, be available to answer questions from students in the class, and otherwise assist the professor in class preparations. Teaching assistantships are typically given on a semester-by-semester basis, and students may be both a TA and a RA over the course of a given academic year. Like research assistantships, there is no formal application process for a teaching assistantship. However, if you are a new Ph.D. student and are interested in a teaching assistantship, please contact Dr. Stephens, Director of Graduate Studies.

There is no set timetable for the awarding of RAs and TAs; these decisions are made on a continuous basis. If you are offered an assistantship, you will be notified immediately.

At the university level, there is no institutional financial aid designated for international students. For further assistance, you might want to contact the Office of International Students and Scholars at (859) 257-2755, or 112 Bradley Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0058. You might also contact the International Affairs Office at (859) 257-4067, or 311 Bradley Hall, Lexington, KY 40506-0058. The International Affairs Office also has a website here.

Other possible sources of financial support are fellowships granted from outside the university. The eligibility of international students for these awards is determined by the granting organization. A regularly updated (but not exhaustive) list of outside fellowship opportunities is located on the prospective graduate student website under the Fellowships, Assistantships, and Support Funding topic.