Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering for Working Professionals
Boost Your Career
The Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering offered at our Capital Region Campus (CRC) in Schenectady is designed to meet the needs of working professionals.
With a combination of evening and online courses, you’ll learn and network with other professionals who are looking to advance their knowledge and become leaders in their fields.
Gain an edge in today’s competitive marketplace by furthering your engineering and business skills in a program tailored to meet your needs.
Why Earn an MS in Mechanical Engineering From Clarkson?
At our Capital Region Campus, we offer a blend of evening and online classes that allow you to pursue your master’s degree without taking a break from your career. You'll develop a valuable network of faculty, alumni and classmates from leading engineering firms to take your career to the next level.
Our advisors work closely with you to understand your career goals and develop a study plan that enables you to advance.
Program benefits include:
A master’s degree from Clarkson University, a top-ranked engineering school.
A course of study tailored to match your interests.
Connections to the region’s leading employers.
Knowledge applied to real-life challenges and opportunities.
Payscale Inc. ranks Clarkson in the top 12 Best Master’s Degree Granting Programs by salary potential. And, one in five Clarkson alumni is already a CEO, the owner of a company or in a senior executive position.
What You'll Learn
Your program of study will include a minimum of 10 graduate courses and a mechanical engineering project.
You'll expand your understanding and application of solid mechanics, thermal fluid systems, materials and energy systems and advance your career opportunities in power systems, emerging energy technologies and product design evolution.
You'll be encouraged to consider MBA electives and other non-technical courses to complement your engineering expertise with business and leadership skills.
Main Campus Degree Requirements
A minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate coursework, including at least 20 credit hours of course and seminar work.
Satisfactory completion of one of the research or professional experience components listed below.
A written thesis based on independent research
A comprehensive examination
An appropriate, professionally oriented special project
Those students who are not fully prepared to pursue graduate work in engineering may be required to take additional coursework for which graduate credit will not be given.
Required Courses
Minimum of 2 ME Graduate Courses
Advanced Thermal Systems (ME517)
Advanced Fluid Mechanics (ME527)
Stochastic Processes in Engineering (ME529)
Computational Fluid Dynamics (ME531)
Fluid Mechanics of Aerosol Dis (ME537)
Experimental Aerosol Mechanics and Instrumentation (ME538)
Advanced Optimal Design (ME543)
Advanced CAD (ME544)
Continuum Mechanics (ME554)
Advanced Mechanical Vibrations (ME555)
Advanced Mechanics of Composite Materials (ME557)
Applied Dynamical Systems (ME563)
Adv. Mod and Sim of Design Systems (ME580)
Advanced Welding Metallurgy (ME590)
Principles of Physical Metallurgy (ME595)
Plasticity (ME633)
Advanced Turbulence (ME639)
At least 1 mathematics course:
Engineering Analysis (CE556)
Engineering Analysis (CH561)
Finite Element Methods (ME515)
Sets and Topology (MA514)
Classical Complex Analysis (MA521)
Classical Real Analysis (MA522)
Initial and Boundary Value Problems (MA531)
Nonlinear Partial Differential Equations (MA550)
Numerical Methods (MA577)
Numerical Analysis (MA578)
Probability (MA581)
No more than 2 courses from:
Selected Topics in Materials Engineering (ME591)
Selected Topics in Manufacturing (ME594)
Selected Topics in Heat Transfer (ME618)
Special Topics in Fluid Mechanics (ME628)
Selected Topics in Solid Mechanics (ME657)
Capital Region Campus Degree Requirements
With evening courses and part-time study, our Capital Region Campus offers the only engineering program in the capital region designed to meet the needs of working professionals. You’ll learn and network with other professionals who are seeking to advance their knowledge and become leaders in their fields. Coursework is also well-matched to recent graduates who want to benefit from learning alongside experienced professionals. The GRE is not required for acceptance into this program.
Our advisors work closely with students to understand their career goals and develop study plans that enable them to advance. Each student program will include a minimum of 10 graduate courses and an MS graduate project in mechanical engineering (total 30 credits).
Please view the course catalog for details and course summaries for both Potsdam and Capital Region campuses.
Required Courses
Elasticity (ME500)
Transport Phenomena (ME501)
Engineering Analysis (ME502)
Mechanical Behavior of Materials (ME506)
Fracture Mechanics (ME508)
Processing and Selection of Engineering Materials (ME513)
Current Approach to Fatigue in Design (ME509)
Finite Element Methods in Engineering (ME516)
Advanced Dynamics (ME510)
Vibrations of Discrete Systems (ME512)
Engineering Optimization (ME561)
Composites (ME562)
Dynamics of a Viscous Fluid (ME563)
Compressible Fluid Flow (ME564)
Combustion Fundamentals (ME565)
Fluid Dynamics of Turbo Machinery (ME566)
Advanced Fluid Dynamics (ME572)
Flow and Heat Transfer in Multiphase Systems (ME573)
Computational Fluid Dynamics (ME574)
Thermodynamic Analysis (ME567)
Thermal Energy Processes (ME568)
Conduction Heat Transfer (ME569)
Superconductivity (ME570)
Convection Heat Transfer (ME571)
Principles of Thermal Systems (ME584)
Linear Control Systems (ME560)
Engineering Statistics (ME577)
Motor Acoustics (ME579)
Welding (ME586)
Nuclear Engineering and Technology (ME575)
Fuel Cell Science and Hydrogen Engineering (ME581)
Photovoltaic Engineering (ME582)
Turbine Engineering (ME583)
Solar Energy Engineering (ME587)
Wind Energy Engineering (ME588)
Synchronous Generator Engineering (ME589)
Disruptive Technology (ME600, elective only)
Sustainability (ME601, elective only)
Sample Electives:
BOE 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615
Global Supply Chain Management (OM607)
Leadership and Organizational Behavior (OS603)
I was part of a leadership development program at my work at Naval Nuclear Laboratory. And as part of that program, we are to seek an advanced degree if we don't have one already. So, I elected to do the master’s in mechanical engineering. Just finishing that leadership development program kind of put me in the job that I wanted to be in longer term.
Jenna Krotke '18 MS in Mechanical Engineering
Career Possibilities
Jobs for mechanical engineers exist in many sectors, ranging from aviation to manufacturing.
On average, engineers holding a master’s degree make thousands more upon hiring compared to engineers with only a bachelor’s degree. According to Payscale.com, engineers with a four-year degree make an average annual salary of about $87,000, while engineers with a graduate degree earn an average annual salary of about $96,000 — a difference of about $9,000 per year.
Positions for those with an MS in Mechanical Engineering include:
Engineering group manager
Manufacturing engineer
Mechanical design engineer
Mechanical engineering manager
Project engineer
Senior manufacturing engineer
Senior mechanical engineer
Recent Employers
Students interested in advancing their careers have participated in the MS in Mechanical Engineering program through or gone on to positions with:
Interested in learning more about the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering? Contact the Office of Graduate Admissions today with your questions.
Sharpen your technical skills, and establish yourself as an expert in a growing field with an MS in Mechanical Engineering for Working Professionals from Clarkson.
