Mechanical Engineering Major Resources

For students entering Mechanical Engineering:

• Fall 2024 or later
• Fall 2023 to Fall 2024
• Fall 2021 to Spring 2023

• Courses offered in Mechanical Engineering
• Tentative plan for technical electives offered in coming semesters
• Technical elective requirements

• Thermal Energy Systems
• Certificate in Manufacturing Engineering
  • Intro to Machining Training
  • Key program faculty may serve as advisors for students pursuing this certificate.
    Department of Mechanical Engineering (ME)
    Lianyi Chen, Associate Professor
    Michael DeCicco, Associate Lecturer
    Xiao Kuang, Assistant Professor
    Sangkee Min, Associate Professor
    Frank E. Pfefferkorn, Professor
    Lih-Sheng (Tom) Turng, ProfessorDepartment of Industrial & Systems Engineering (ISyE)
    Kaibo Liu, Associate Professor|
    Hantang Qin, Assistant Professor
    Raj Veeramani, Professor
    Shiyu Zhou, ProfessorDepartment of Materials Science & Engineering (MS&E)
    Kumar Sridharan, Professor
    Dan Thoma, Professor
    Hyunseok Oh, Assistant ProfessorContact InformationStudent Services for Department of Mechanical Engineering
    coeadvising@engr.wisc.eduSangkee Min, Associate Professor
    sangkee.min@wisc.edu
    608-262-1993Advising (ME, MS&E):
    Sangkee Min, Associate Professor
    sangkee.min@wisc.edu
    608-262-1993Advising (ISyE):
    Shiyu Zhou, Professor
    shiyuzhou@wisc.edu

ME specializations enable students to tailor their mechanical engineering degree to their interests in a specific area or industry. Specializations have been curated by faculty in each respective area and are updated as new courses are introduced. Find more information about ME specializations here.

Independent studies and project courses are available for students wishing to complete an independent lab project under staff supervision: ME 291, ME 299, ME 491, or ME 492. To enroll in one of these courses, you must:

• Find a consenting instructor willing to serve as your support instructor throughout the project/semester.
• Work with your consenting instructor to determine the number of credits you will receive based on the amount of work/research you will complete. Generally, between 1-3 credits.
• Once agreed upon, the consenting instructor should send an email to ME enrollment at me-enroll@engr.wisc.edu indicating which course you will enroll in and the number of credits you will receive.

The Mechanical Engineering Summer Launch program helps incoming first-year Mechanical Engineering students get a head start on their degree by taking a high-demand course in the month before your freshman year.

Benefits include:

• Starting the Mechanical Engineering course progression with confidence
• Added flexibility in your fall schedule
• Getting to know College of Engineering facilities and resources
• Meeting students in your program
• Exploring the UW–Madison campus
• Becoming familiar with Mechanical Engineering and the career paths associated with this major

• Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student Handbook 2025-2026

Policies and procedures for on-campus MS and PhD degrees in the Mechanical Engineering Department are described in detail in the Mechanical Engineering Department Handbook.

Current students enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering department need to follow the policies and procedures contained in the current posted version of the Handbook. The Handbook also contains detailed information on degree requirements for on-campus graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering. The degree requirements for all students enrolled in ME degree programs are included in the handbook. Additional links related to Mechanical Engineering Department Policies and Procedures and course requirements are provided below.

Previous Graduate Student Handbooks can be found here.

• View all courses approved for instruction by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, in the Guide
• Explore Mechanical Engineering classes scheduled for the current and upcoming semester in Course Search & Enroll (requires a UW NetId)
• Tentative plan for technical electives offered in coming semesters
• Select graduate level course syllabi to help students select courses relevant to their academic plan and areas of interest
• ME and Non-ME courses that count toward 700-level course requirements

• Approval of UW–Madison Undergraduate Courses
• Equivalence of Graduate Transfer Credit Form
• Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program Academic Policy Exception Request
• Add or Change Your Graduate Faculty Advisor
• ABET Accredited Undergrad Credit Equivalence Form

• Accelerated Program Curriculum Approval & Warrant Request Form  (Please select appropriate form)
  • First enrolled in Fall 2025 and after
  • First enrolled in  Summer 2025 and prior
• Modeling & Simulation Curriculum Approval & Warrant Request Form (Please select appropriate form)
  • First enrolled in Fall 2025 and after
  • First enrolled in Summer 2025 and prior
• Research Thesis Track Curriculum Approval & Warrant Request Form (Please select appropriate form)
  • First enrolled in Fall 2025 and after
  • First enrolled in Summer 2025 and prior

• PhD Program and Minor Approval Forms (contact Sara if questions)
  • PhD Program and Minor Approval (Fall 2025 and after)
  • PhD Program and Minor Approval (Curricular Year 2024-2025)
  • PhD Program and Minor Approval (Curricular Years through 2023-2024)
• PhD and Minor Approval Update/Change request
• PhD Preliminary Exam Warrant Application Form
• PhD Final Oral Defense Warrant Request form
• PhD Minor Form for Non-Mechanical Engineering students

Students wanting to continue graduate study toward their PhD degree in the Department of Mechanical Engineering must take the PhD qualifying examination. The written portion of the exam is offered before the start of each spring and fall semester. The objectives of this exam are to:

• Ensure a standard of excellence associated with the degree of PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
• Ensure that you have basic competency in the technical material related to your intended research program.
• Offer a growth experience, i.e., an opportunity to synthesize knowledge across a broader range than generally done in any class.
• More information about the qualifying exams and the required process, can be found in the Graduate Student Handbook under “Qualifying for the PhD Program.”

Practice exams for study purposes can be found here.

• ME TA Policy
• ME Grader Policy
• TA and Grader Application Form (web form)
  • To access form, make sure you are logged on to the UW Google Website.

• Graduate Student Advisory Council (ME GSAC)
• Graduate Women in Mechanical Engineering (GWME)
• Graduate Engineering Mechanics Society (GEMS)
• To find other graduate students organizations on campus visit Wisconsin Involvement Network