PhD Mechanical Engineering at University of South Carolina

Programme overview

Become an expert engineer and help make the world a better place by designing technology that is more accessible, equitable and sustainable. As a doctoral student, you will get the opportunity to design and build things that drive a circular economy and optimize both energy use and resource utilization. This is a highly versatile degree that provides opportunities to develop highly advanced skills.

Faculty: Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing | Department: Mechanical Engineering | Study mode: full-time | Location: Columbia, SC, United States

What you will study

Graduate students work side-by-side with our faculty in state-of-the art labs and research centers. Specialize in advanced materials and multi-scale manufacturing, aerospace engineering, mechanics and multi-physics, thermo-fluids engineering, energy and fuel cells, biomedical engineering, nuclear engineering, mechatronics or nanotechnology.

Career pathways

Potential careers include CEO/CTO, Systems Engineer, Product Engineer, Project Manager, Professor, Technical Salesperson/Manager.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admissions (University of South Carolina Academic Bulletin): The admission process for the Ph.D. program in Mechanical Engineering is highly competitive. Admission decisions are based on the quality of the applicant's previous university-level academic work as reflected by grade point average or GPA, letters of recommendations, GRE scores, and other evidence of past accomplishments. GRE General Test scores must be submitted by all applicants seeking assistantships and/or tuition support. International applicants must also submit TOEFL or the IELTS Intl. Academic Course Type 2 exam scores. The minimum required TOEFL and IELTS scores are set by the graduate school and can be found here: https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/graduate_school/apply/international_applicants/ Target Minimum Admission Standards The entire application file is considered when reviewing for admission; that said, the following target minimum standards are used during the...

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.

Graduate applications are accepted for Fall, Spring and Summer terms; Fall applications open the prior September, Spring applications open in January and Summer applications open in May.

The graduate application fee is $50 per primary application, reinstated effective August 1, 2026. Deadlines are programme-specific and listed per programme on the Degree Programs and Application Requirements pages.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sc.edu/admissions-at-sc/applications/index.php

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