The Doctor of Philosophy in mechanical engineering (Ph.D.) is designed for students who are interested in engineering careers that require education beyond the Master of Science degree. Examples of those include engineers performing industrial research, research at national laboratories, or careers in engineering academics. The program requirements include a minimum of seventy-six (76) semester hours of approved course work and research hours. A maximum of thirty (30) semester hours of approved graduate coursework from a master's in Mechanical Engineering or closely related field may be transferred to the Ph.D. program.