Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Mechanical Engineering - McGill University

Mechanical engineering is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. It is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering branches.

McGill University in Canada offers various degrees in mechanical engineering including the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Mechanical Engineering. Within twelve months of starting a Ph.D., the candidate is required to present his/her proposed research program for review by a faculty committee in a Preliminary Ph.D. Oral Examination. A defense of the Ph.D. thesis concludes the doctoral research. The time limit to complete a Ph.D. program is 4 years beyond the completion of the residency requirement, which is completed at the end of Ph.D. 3.

Requirements:

• Applicants to the Ph.D. program must have successfully completed a Master's degree program, or the equivalent, in Engineering or the Physical Sciences, with a minimum CGPA equivalent to 3.3 on a scale of 4.0. Satisfaction with these minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Students are not admitted directly from an undergraduate program.
• Courses of study selected for a Ph.D. program will depend upon the existing academic qualifications of the candidate and those needed for effective research. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with the thesis supervisor.
• Candidates are required to pass a preliminary oral examination within twelve months of their initial registration for the Ph.D. degree.

Course Structure:

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 they have satisfied the course requirements for the M.Eng. degree.

Thesis:

A thesis for the doctoral degree must constitute original scholarship and must be a distinct contribution to knowledge. It must show familiarity with previous work in the field and must demonstrate the ability to plan and carry out research, organize results, and defend the approach and conclusions in a scholarly manner. The research presented must meet current standards of the discipline; as well, the thesis must clearly demonstrate how the research advances knowledge in the field. Finally, the thesis must be written in compliance with norms for academic and scholarly expression and for publication in the public domain.

Required Courses:

• MECH 700 Ph.D. Literature Review
• MECH 701 Ph.D. Thesis Proposal
• MECH 702 Ph.D. Comprehensive Preliminary Oral Examination

Tuition Fees:

Tuition fees for international students at the Ph.D. program in Mechanical Engineering are $19,508 per year.

Scholarships:

A variety of award opportunities are offered by the Department of Mechanical of Engineering to students enrolled in graduate programs:

• MEDA International

This award is open to high-caliber International Ph.D. applicants who are subject to the international Ph.D. supplement fee. It is awarded in the amount of $29,824 each year for three academic years, a total value of $89,472. It is available upon nomination by the Engineering Departments. Candidates are considered during the Ph.D. application process. No additional application is required.

• MEDA International-PhD1

This award is open to high-caliber International Ph.D. applicants who are subject to the international Ph.D. supplement fee and admitted to PhD1. It is awarded in the amount of $29,824 each year for three academic years, and in the amount of $ 21,763 for a fourth academic year, a total value of $111,236. It is available upon nomination by the Engineering Departments. Candidates are considered during the Ph.D. application process. No additional application is required.

• MEDA International Leveraged

The Faculty of Engineering offers top-up awards to international students who are commencing a doctoral program in engineering and who have received an external fellowship from their home country's government. The value is dependent on the value and duration of the external award but is a minimum of $4,030 each year for the duration of the foreign government award. No application is required for this award. 

• McGill Engineering International Tuition Award (MEITA)

The MEITA provides competitive recruitment funding to continue attracting high-caliber international doctoral students to the Faculty of Engineering’s Ph.D. programs by contributing to the cost of their international Ph.D. tuition supplement fee.

In addition to minimum funding of $17,733 per year provided by the supervisor or Department, the Faculty of Engineering offers a MEITA award of $8,061 towards the international Ph.D. supplement fee, for a total funding package of at least $25,794. This award is for one year and up to a duration of 3 years. Candidates are considered during the Ph.D. application process. No additional application is required.

• Graduate Excellence Fellowship - Engineering (GEF)

In the Faculty of Engineering, this award is designed to assist in funding new and continuing Graduate students. The value of the GEF is at the discretion of the Department or School and is available to Research Master’s students registered full-time within their first two years of study (M1-M2) and Ph.D. students in PhD1-PhD5.

The nomination for this award is at the discretion of the Department or School. No additional application is required.

• Graduate Research Enhancement and Travel Award

The Graduate Research Enhancement and Travel (GREAT) Award supports graduate student travel to conferences and research-enhancement activities. The amount of the award remains at the discretion of the Department or School. Only students in Research Master’s programs within their first two years of study (M1-M2) and Ph.D. students in the first five years (PhD1-PhD5) are eligible.