Note: 91社区鈥檚 new Course Catalogue will replace the eCalendar. The Course Catalogue is expected to go live the week of April 22nd. When the new site is published, "mcgill.ca/study" will be redirected to the new Course Catalogue website.
Course information on this site is not reflective of offerings for the 2025鈥�2026 academic year. Some irregularities may occur as we move operations to the incoming Course Catalogue.
Mechanical engineers are traditionally concerned with the conception, design, implementation, and operation of mechanical systems. Common fields of work include aerospace, energy, manufacturing, machinery, and transportation. Due to the broad nature of the discipline, there is usually a high demand for mechanical engineers with advanced training.
The Department includes more than 30 faculty members and 200 graduate students, and is housed primarily within the recently renovated Macdonald Engineering Building. The Department contains state-of-the-art experimental facilities (including a major wind tunnel facility) and has extensive computational facilities. Professors within the Department collaborate widely with professors in other units, often through research centres including the Centre for Intelligent Machines (CIM); the 91社区 Institute for Advanced Materials (MIAM); and the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (MNI). The research interests within the Department are very broad and fall largely within the following seven areas:
Within these areas, specific topics of research are given in the following:
Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics
Experimental fluid mechanics and aerodynamics, aeroelasticity, and aeroacoustics; theoretical fluid mechanics; turbulence; mixing in turbulent flows; fluid flow control; fluid鈥搒tructure interactions; computational fluid dynamics, multidisciplinary optimization, and computer flow visualization; heat transfer; combustion, shock wave physics, energetic materials, high-speed reacting flows, hypersonic propulsion, and alternative fuels.
Biomechanics
Biomechanics, biomaterials, blood and respiratory flows, mechanics of soft tissues, cardiovascular devices, image processing for medical diagnostics, and voice production.
Combustion and Energy Systems
Combustion, shock wave physics, heat transfer, and compressible gas dynamics.
Design and Manufacturing
Design theory and methodology, design optimization; biomimetics; machine tools and systems, manufacturing processes, and management and control; micro/nano machining; and wear and comminution processes.
Dynamics and Control
Multibody systems, legged and wheeled vehicles, compliant mechanisms, and kinematic geometry; tethered systems, lighter-than-air craft, and underwater vehicles; spacecraft dynamics and space robotics; modelling and simulation; fluid鈥搒tructure interactions, nonlinear and chaotic dynamics; dynamics of bladed assemblies.
Materials and Structures
Composite materials: structural design, analysis, manufacturing, and processing; micro/nano mechanics; MEMS/NEMS; adaptronic structures; thermomechanics, wave propagation, and computational mechanics.
Vibrations, Acoustics, and Fluid鈥揝tructure
Vibrations, acoustics, and fluid鈥搒tructure interaction.
Programs Offered
The Department offers programs of study leading to the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Both M.Sc. (Thesis) and M.Eng. (Non-Thesis) programs are offered.
There are several options for completing master鈥檚 degrees that do not involve the completion of a thesis. The M.Eng. (Non-Thesis) program has more extensive course requirements and will appeal to students who desire to gain both a broad understanding of subjects within Mechanical Engineering as well as in-depth information in a specific area. Other non-thesis master鈥檚 degree options are described below.
| Master of Science (M.Sc.) Mechanical Engineering (Thesis) (45 credits) |
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M.Sc. is a research program requiring a minimum of 45 credits to be distributed as follows: 28 credits of thesis work, a set of one-semester courses with a combined weight of no less than 16 credits, and a one-credit seminar. The M.Sc. program is a full-time program. |
| Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) Mechanical Engineering (Non-Thesis) (45 credits) |
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Students in this program must complete required courses in addition to several complementary courses and a seminar course. They also complete a project that is less involved than a thesis, and may involve a limited research project or a technical or design study. Graduates of this program are well-prepared for carrying out research and development in industry and may also proceed to further research at the Ph.D. level. |
| Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) Aerospace Engineering (Non-Thesis) (45 credits) |
| The M.Eng. Aerospace degree is offered to students who wish to specialize in the general area of aerospace engineering. This degree is given in conjunction with Concordia University, Polytechnique Montr茅al, the Universit茅 Laval, the Universit茅 de Sherbrooke, and the 脡cole de Technologie Sup茅rieure. Students registered at 91社区 are required to take two courses from two other institutions. The aerospace industry is strongly established in Quebec. Representatives of the aerospace industry therefore requested that measures be taken to provide for qualified scientists in aerospace. Five universities offering courses in engineering came together to offer a master鈥檚 degree program in the field of aeronautics and space technology. This program is offered to students who wish to specialize in these disciplines. The industry鈥檚 participation is a special feature of this program. The universities and the participating industries, with the cooperation of the Centre of Aerospace Manpower Activities in Quebec (CAMAQ), have formed a Coordinating Committee, CIMGAS, to arrange for industrial internships and case study courses for the students and to implement specific program developments to meet the needs of the industry. The M.Eng. (Aerospace) program requires both coursework and an 鈥淚ndustrial Stage鈥� (i.e., engineering work in an aerospace industry) of four months. Enrolment is limited to the number of industrial stages available, so admission to the program is typically quite competitive. While intended to be a full-time program, the M.Eng. Aerospace program may be completed on a part-time basis over a maximum of five years. By the time of completion of the program, graduates are extremely well-prepared to enter into a career in the aerospace industry. Depending on their background, students would specialize in one of the four areas: |
| Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Mechanical Engineering |
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In the Ph.D. program, students are required to demonstrate a significant new contribution to their field of research, as documented in an externally reviewed thesis. The research is carried out under the supervision of professors who are leaders in their field. Since research in Mechanical Engineering is often interdisciplinary in nature, it is common for Ph.D. students to have a co-supervisor in addition to their principal supervisor. Graduates from this program typically proceed to careers in research in either industrial or academic environments. |
The general rules of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies apply. Candidates who come from other institutions are expected to have an academic background equivalent to the undergraduate curriculum in mechanical engineering at 91社区 or to make up any deficiencies in a Qualifying year.
Applicants to the M.Sc. (Thesis) program must hold an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in Engineering or a degree in Physical, Math, or Computer Sciences.
Applicants to the M.Eng. (Non-Thesis) program must hold an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering.
Applicants to the M.Eng. (Aerospace) program must hold an undergraduate degree (or equivalent) in Engineering. Applicants must be proficient in French.
Applicants to the Ph.D. program must have successfully completed a master's degree program (or equivalent) in Engineering or the Physical Sciences. In exceptional circumstances, students with outstanding performance at the bachelor's level may be offered direct entry into the Ph.D. program (Ph.D. 1).
In the case of all programs, applicants must have successfully completed their prior degree(s) with a minimum CGPA equivalent to 3.3 on a scale of 4.0. Satisfaction of these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Applicants to graduate studies whose mother tongue is not English, and who have not completed an undergraduate or graduate degree from a recognized foreign institution where English is the language of instruction or from a recognized Canadian institution (anglophone or francophone), must submit official results of either a or an test. The minimum score required is 92 for the Internet-based TOEFL test, with each component score not less than 20, or a minimum overall band of 7.0 on the IELTS test.
91社区鈥檚 online application form for graduate program candidates is available at mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/apply.
See University Regulations & Resources > Graduate > Graduate Admissions and Application Procedures > Application Procedures for detailed application procedures.
Please consult mcgill.ca/mecheng/grad for further details on required application documents.
Application opening dates are set by Enrolment Services in consultation with Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS), while application deadlines are set by the Department of Mechanical Engineering and may be revised at any time. Applicants must verify all deadlines and additional documentation requirements well in advance on the Mechanical Engineering's website at mcgill.ca/mecheng/grad/admission/date.
Information on application procedures and deadlines is available at mcgill.ca/gradapplicants/how-apply/application-steps/application-deadlines.
Admission to graduate studies is competitive; accordingly, late and/or incomplete applications are considered only as time and space permit.
The Master of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering; Non-Thesis program is a course-based program of 45 credits. The program provides a solid background in mechanical engineering, both in terms of breadth across the entire field and depth in the area of specialty.
For more information, see Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) Mechanical Engineering (Non-Thesis) (45 credits).
The M.Eng. Aerospace Degree is offered to the students who wish to specialize in the general area of aerospace engineering. This degree is given in conjunction with Concordia University, Polytechnique de Montr茅al, Universit茅 Laval, Universit茅 de Sherbrooke, and 脡cole de Technologie Sup茅rieure. Students registered at 91社区 are required to take two courses from two...
For more information, see Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) Aerospace Engineering (Non-Thesis) (45 credits).
The M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering is a research-oriented program that focuses on planning and conducting research as well as organizing and presenting research results, supervised by one or more professors who are experts in the field.
For more information, see Master of Science (M.Sc.) Mechanical Engineering (Thesis) (45 credits).
Candidates normally register for the M.Eng. degree in the first instance. However, in exceptional cases where the research work is proceeding very satisfactorily, or where the equivalent of the M.Eng. degree has been completed at another university, candidates may be permitted to proceed directly to the Ph.D. degree without submitting a master's thesis as long as...
For more information, see Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Mechanical Engineering.
