Graduate Programs
Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins was the first university to offer graduate education as it is known today in the United States and, thus, has had a profound influence on American higher education. Since its inception, the university has been dedicated to graduate research. Students not only absorb existing knowledge but also add to the body of knowledge through their own research.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers graduate programs at the master’s and doctoral levels. Students can pursue programs that lead to a Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) degree (with or without a thesis), or a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree.
There are approximately 80 graduate students in the department’s. The total undergraduate enrollment of the department is approximately 145, so graduate students who serve as teaching assistants interact with very small classes. There are approximately 600 full-time graduate students in the Whiting School of Engineering, which has over 140 faculty members and almost 1,300 undergraduate students.
Graduate research and course work concentrate on the fundamentals of mechanics and materials, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and robotics. Graduate students are matched with a research and academic adviser during the admission process or upon arrival at Hopkins. Each student, together with his or her adviser, develops a coherent program of research and study that involves a coordinated sequence of courses. Typically, graduate programs involve core courses taken in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and courses in other related fields, such as materials science, mathematics, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, physics, and chemistry.