PhD Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University

Programme overview

Doctoral candidates reach mastery in one mechanical engineering field and take its most advanced courses, guided by a faculty adviser for coursework and a research adviser for the dissertation. Students entering without a master's degree earn an MS along the way.

Faculty: Columbia Engineering | Department: Mechanical Engineering | Duration: 30 credits beyond master's degree | Study mode: full-time | Location: New York, NY, United States

What you will study

Four semesters of graduate seminar (MECE E9500), completion of all milestones, two semesters of teaching experience of about 20 hours per week, and a GPA of 3.2 or better in graduate courses, followed by dissertation research and defense.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Columbia Engineering graduate admissions (faculty level): bachelor's degree from an institution of acceptable standing; application with transcripts, three letters of recommendation, personal statement and resume/CV; GRE not required for the 2026 admission cycle and scores not penalised when omitted (Physics GRE is required for the Applied Physics doctoral track; not required for Medical Physics); applicants whose bachelor's degree is from a country other than Australia, Canada, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, the UK or the US submit one English test (TOEFL iBT, IELTS Academic, PTE Academic or Duolingo), with no minimum score set; application fee $85.

Requirements published at faculty level.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Duration: 30 credits beyond master's degree

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