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The Department of Mechanical Engineering has established five graduate certificates, all beginning this term.
Each requires the completion of five graduate courses in one area of concentration; students must select a total of three specialized courses and two electives.
S.V. Hoa, chair of the department, said the new certificates are aimed at practicing engineers who want to upgrade their skills in their field, and at students who wish to continue their studies with a stronger focus on one of these specialized areas.
"The certificate areas of specialization were selected based on areas of high-demand established by the engineering industry," he explained.
The Graduate Certificate in Aerospace provides the student with courses in flight control systems, aerodynamics, and gas turbine design.
The Graduate Certificate in Composite Materials consists of courses in mechanical behaviour of composites, manufacturing of composites, and testing of composites, among others.
The Graduate Certificate in Automation provides courses in control systems, microprocessors and applications, and avionic navigation systems.
The Graduate Certificate in Manufacturing Systems offers courses in metal machining and surface technology, as well as tribology and quality improvement.
The Graduate Certificate in Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics involves the study of fluid mechanics, numerical methods in fluid dynamics, as well as gas dynamics.
In addition to these new graduate programs, the Department is making the Capstone Design project compulsory for all students going through undergraduate Mechanical or Industrial Engineering programs.
Professor Hoa explained that this open-ended design project is completed at the fourth-year level and requires students to use the knowledge they have acquired over the previous three years to tackle an industrial-type problem.
"The course exposes students to various aspects of team work, ethics and intellectual rights, and also gives them excellent opportunities to practise their communication skills."
- Michael Lennane
