The D.E. in Mechanical Engineering is granted in recognition of superior achievement in coursework and an independent project. The project will usually be broad in scope, involve more than one discipline or subdiscipline, and be closely tied to an industrial application.

A minimum of 60 semester hours beyond the master's degree is required for the D.E. degree. This includes a minimum of 21 semester hours for the dissertation and a minimum of 39 semester hours of coursework. A student seeking the D.E. is required to complete a minimum of 21 semester hours in the major area (covering the domains of at least two subdisciplines), nine semester hours in advanced mathematics, and nine semester hours in a synergistic area of engineering or science.

The dissertation must address an integrated industrial project. It is expected to result in a manuscript suitable for publication in an applied engineering journal and/or to documentation leading to a patent.

The student must satisfactorily complete the courses listed in the doctoral plan of study with a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average. One grade of "F" or more than one grade of "C" may be grounds for dismissal from the program pending recommendation of the doctoral advisory committee.

For more information about admission, program requirements and course descriptions, see the Doctoral Degree Requirements in the University of Dayton School of Engineering Graduate Bulletin.