Graduate Degrees

• Master of Science (M.S.) in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
• Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.) in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
• Joint Master of Science in Engineering (M.S.E.)/Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering
• Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) in Concurrent Marine Design
• Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

Masters Programs

M.S. and M.S.E. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

The applicant should have a bachelor's degree in a mechanics-oriented engineering discipline, such as naval architecture and marine engineering, aerospace, mechanical, applied mechanics, or civil engineering. Applicants with bachelor's degrees in other engineering disciplines, mathematics, or physics may have to take additional courses beyond the 30-credit-hour minimum.

A minimum of 30 credit hours is required for the degree, of which at least 18 hours are Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Department credits. A student is required to take NA 500, plus at least two of five core courses. Half of the program must consist of 500-level (or higher) courses.  Two courses of a minimum of 2 credit hours each (cognate courses)  must be taken outside the department. One of these cognate courses may be a graduate level mathematics course. Three or more hours must be in graduate-level mathematics courses, which will count as cognates.

The student is free to set up his/her own program of course work that meets the above requirements. The two primary areas of graduate study and research are marine mechanics and marine systems design. In each of these broad areas of focus there are a number of sub-areas of specialization possible through the choice of electives. Examples of such areas are hydrodynamics, structures, coastal processes, marine systems design, concurrent marine design, marine structures, marine systems management and offshore engineering.

Joint M.S.E./M.B.A. in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

The Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering and the School of Business Administration offer a joint degree program for qualified persons to pursue concurrent work in business administration and naval architecture and marine engineering studies leading to the M.B.A. and M.S.E. degrees. The program is arranged so that all requirements for both degrees can be completed in two years of enrollment, depending on undergraduate NAME background and the specialty area of the NAME master's program. The degrees are awarded simultaneously.

The program can begin with studies in either school. However, because of the sequential nature of the core courses in the M.B.A. program, most students will find it advantageous to start with year one in the Business School. During the remainder of the program, courses might be taken in both schools. Students who wish to begin in NAME should consult a counselor in the Business School to formulate an appropriate plan of study. Students admitted to this joint program must satisfy the following degree requirements:

• Roughly 30 credit hours M.B.A. core
• Roughly 15 elective hours in business administration
• MBA communication requirement
• 18 hours of graduate-level NAME courses, including NA 500 and any two of NA 510, NA 520, NA 540, NA 570, and NA 580.
• 3 or more credit hours of mathematics
• Up to 9 hours acceptable to the NAME program advisor, some of which could be part of the business electives.
• Interested students must file separate applications and be admitted to both schools. 

M.Eng. in Concurrent Marine Design

The M.Eng. in Concurrent Marine Design is a professionally-oriented graduate degree program designed to meet the needs of the marine industry. It focuses on providing entry- and mid-level marine professionals with knowledge and practical experience dealing with the product development for marine vehicles, structures, and systems for both performance and production. The integrating philosophy for this degree is that of concurrent engineering-the simultaneous consideration of the design of both the product and the production methods considering the full life-cycle costs and operation of the product.

World competitiveness demands that performance and production are considered concurrently with the goal of an associated reduction in the design/build time. This approach requires the integrating support of a product model-based computer environment with simulation of both product and process performance. This degree program deals with the linkages within early marine design among life-cycle economics, performance, and manufacturing processes.

A prerequisite for this program of study is the equivalent of a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree in naval architecture and marine engineering, naval architecture, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, aerospace engineering, or an equivalent field. Relevant marine industrial experience totaling at least two years is preferred. Significant internship and co-op assignments will be considered as a substitute. Prerequisite courses are Foundations of Ship Design (NA 470) and Probability and Statistics for Marine Engineers (NA 387), or their equivalents.

The degree requires 30 credit hours of graduate courses beyond the prerequisites, of which 24 must be graded (not pass/fail), 15 must be at the 500-level and above, and 15 of the 24 graded credits must be in engineering courses. The minimum grade point average for graduation is 5.0/9.0 ("B" average).

In addition to the prerequisite courses, each student is required to meet the following course distribution requirements:

• At least twelve (12) credits of naval architecture courses including: Marine Systems Production Business Strategy and Operations Management (NA 562), Advanced Marine Design (NA 570), and Reliability and Safety of Marine Systems (NA 582).
• At least six (6) credits from a list of advanced engineering courses in related fields.
• At least 6 credits of relevant, non-engineering courses; however, one may be Optimization, Market Forecasts and Management of Marine Systems (NA 580).
• Six (6) credits of industrial-based Concurrent Marine Design Team Project (NA 579).

The above requirements are intended to provide the student with the educational background demanded by an engineering design environment capable of integrating basic engineering principles with consideration of manufacturing and life-cycle costs. The program helps prepare the student for participation and leadership in cross-functional design teams involved in marine systems product development.

Ph.D. Programs

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering

The doctoral degree is conferred in recognition of marked ability and scholarship in some relatively broad field of knowledge. A part of the work consists of regularly scheduled graduate courses of instruction in the chosen field and in such cognate subjects as may be required by the committee. In addition, the student must conduct an independent investigation in a subdivision of the selected field, and must present the results of the investigation in the form of a dissertation.

A student becomes a pre-candidate for the doctorate when admitted to the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies and accepted in a field of specialization. Candidacy is achieved when the student demonstrates competence in her/his broad field of knowledge through the completion of course work, passing comprehensive exams, and successful presentation of a Ph.D. prospectus.

There is no general course requirement for the doctorate. However, during the course of a student's graduate study, nine (9) credit hours of math and 50 total classroom credit hours are expected as a minimum. The comprehensive exam consists of a Part I written exam covering general mechanics, and a Part II oral exam and prospectus presentation describing the proposed Ph.D. dissertation. A special doctoral committee is appointed for each applicant to supervise the work of the student both in election of courses and in the preparation of the dissertation.

A pamphlet describing the general procedure leading to the doctorate is available from the Rackham Graduate School upon request.