PhD Mechanical Engineering at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Programme overview

The Department of Mechanical Science & Engineering offers both a traditional doctoral program (for students with a previous master's degree) and a direct doctoral program (for students with only a bachelor's degree) in Mechanical Engineering. Opportunity exists for specializing in computational science and engineering via the Computational Science & Engineering optional graduate concentration.

Faculty: The Grainger College of Engineering | Study mode: full-time | Location: Champaign, IL, United States

What you will study

Required courses listed include ME 599 Thesis Research (min-max applied toward the degree); MSE 492 Lab Safety Fundamentals (1 hour if not taken while completing the Master’s degree; credit does not apply toward the degree); ME 590 Seminar (registration for 1 hour every term while in residence; credit does not apply toward the degree).

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering Admission Requirements An applicant for admission to the PhD program in Mechanical Engineering in Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering must: Be a graduate of an institution awarding a baccalaureate degree equivalent to that granted by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; be adequately prepared for advanced study as demonstrated by his or her previous program of study and scholastic record; and be recommended for admission by the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. A minimum grade point average of 3.25 (A = 4.00) for the last two years of undergraduate study is required, and a minimum grade point average of 3.50 (A = 4.00) is required for any previous graduate work completed.

Domestic applicants: USD 21,272 a year (2026-27). Illinois resident rate. Tuition only for new and continuing graduate students, Fall 2026-Spring 2027 at full-time (12 credit hours per term). Non-Illinois U.S. resident tuition for this programme: $40,444. Excludes campus and mandatory fees, health insura Source

International applicants: USD 40,444 a year (2026-27). International rate. Tuition only for new and continuing graduate students, Fall 2026-Spring 2027 at full-time (12 credit hours per term). Excludes campus and mandatory fees, health insurance, housing and other expenses as the source states them separately Source

Not all graduate programmes offer admission in all terms; term availability is set by each programme of study.

Graduate applicants apply online through the Graduate College application; deadlines and term availability are set by each programme. Medicine, law and veterinary medicine applicants apply directly to their colleges.

Apply through the official page: https://mechanical.illinois.edu/graduate/applying-mechse-graduate-programs

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