Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering

Return to: USC Viterbi School of Engineering  

Student Services Office
Olin Hall of Engineering
Room 500
(213) 740-4303
FAX: (213) 740-7774
Email: ame@usc.edu

Business Office
Olin Hall of Engineering
Room 400
(213) 740-8762
FAX: (213) 740-8071
Email: ame@usc.edu
ame.usc.edu
Chair: Paul Ronney, PhD

Faculty

Choong Hoon Cho Chair in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering: Michael Kassner, PhD

Arthur B. Freeman Professorship in Engineering: Andrea Hodge, PhD

Hughes Professorship: Assad Oberai, PhD

Smith International Professor of Mechanical Engineering: Satyandra K. Gupta, PhD

William E. Leonhard Professor of Engineering: Fokion Egolfopoulos, PhD

Zohrab A. Kaprielian Fellow in Engineering: Eva Kanso, PhD

WiSE Gabilan Assistant Professors: Ananya Renuka Balakrishna, PhD; Alejandra Uranga, PhD

Professors: Julian Domaradzki, PhD**; Fokion Egolfopoulos, PhD*; Henryk Flashner, PhD; Satyandra K. Gupta, PhD; Yan Jin, PhD; Eva Kanso, PhD; Paul K. Newton, PhD; Assad Oberai, PhD; Carlos Pantano-Rubino, PhD; Paul Ronney, PhD; Satwindar S. Sadhal, PhD; Geoffrey Spedding, PhD*; Firdaus E. Udwadia, PhD (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Data Science and Operations, Systems Architecting and Engineering and Mathematics); Bingen Yang, PhD

Associate Professor: Geoffrey R. Shiflett, PhD*

Assistant Professors: Ivan Bermejo-Moreno, PhD; Mitul Luhar, PhD; Quan Nguyen, PhD; Niema Pahlevan, PhD; Nestor Perez-Arancibia, PhD; Paul Plucinsky, PhD; Ananya Renuka Balakrishna, PhD; Alejandra Uranga, PhD; Hangbo Zhao, PhD

Professor of Engineering Practice: M. Oussama Safadi, PhD*

Associate Professors of Engineering Practice: Charles Radovich, PhD; Yann Staelens, PhD

Senior Lecturers: Inna Abramova, PhD; Matthew Gilpin, PhD; Takahiro Sakai, PhD

Lecturers: BoCheng Jin, PhD; Akshay Potnuru, PhD; Ramtin Sheikhhassani, PhD 

Research Associate Professor: Adam Fincham, PhD

Research Assistant Professor: Anita Penkova, PhD

Joint Appointments: Andrea Martin Armani, PhD (Chemical Engineering and Material Science); Yong Chen, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Heather Culbertson, PhD (Computer Science); Daniel Erwin, PhD* (Astronautics); Roger Georges Ghanem, PhD (Civil and Environmental Engineering); Mike Gruntman, PhD (Astronautics); Andrea Hodge, PhD (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science); Petros Ioannou, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering — Systems); Mihailo Jovanovic, PhD (Electrical and Computer Engineering); Michael Kassner, PhD (Chemical Engineering and Materials Science); Berok Khoshnevis, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Peter Kuhn, PhD (Biological Sciences); Stephen C-Y Lu, PhD (Industrial and Systems Engineering); Sami F. Masri, PhD (Civil and Environmental Engineering); Steven Nutt, PhD (Materials Science); Constantinos Sioutas, PhD (Civil and Environmental Engineering); Francisco Valero-Cuevas, PhD (Biomedical Engineering); Qiming Wang, PhD (Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Emeritus Professors: Ron Blackwelder, PhD*; Fred Browand, PhD; Charles Campbell, PhD; Clarke Howatt, MS; S. Lampert, PhD; Terence Langdon, PhD; Robert Mannes, MS, PE*; Larry G. Redekopp, PhD*; Donald E. Shemansky, PhD

*Recipient of university-wide or school teaching award.

**Recipient of university-wide or school research award.

Mechanical Engineering Honor Society: Pi Tau Sigma

Aerospace Engineering Honor Society: Sigma Gamma Tau

Degree Requirements

Educational Mission

The degree programs of the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering provide the educational foundation for success in all walks of life whether or not one’s career path includes employment as a professional engineer, work in a field outside of engineering, or pursuit of further education.

Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives

Graduates of the undergraduate programs in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering are expected to attain the following objectives within a few years after graduation:

• Work as professionals within engineering or a related area in both small- and large-scale businesses;
• Pursue further education through graduate school or professional development courses; and
• Become leaders within their chosen profession whether it be industry, academia or service.

Undergraduate Program Criteria

The program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering prepares graduates to have a knowledge of aerodynamics, aerospace materials, structures, propulsion, flight mechanics, and stability and control. The program also prepares graduates to have design competence that includes integration of aeronautical topics.

The program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering requires students to apply principles of engineering, basic science and mathematics (including multivariate calculus and differential equations); to model, analyze, design and realize physical systems, components or processes; and prepares students to work professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas.

Aerospace Engineering Degrees

Master of Science in Product Development Engineering

See the listing under Product Development Engineering .

Master of Science in Systems Architecting and Engineering

See the listing under Systems Architecting and Engineering Program .

Engineer in Aerospace Engineering

Requirements for the Engineer in Aerospace Engineering are the same as the general requirements. Also, 3 to 6 of the units required for the degree must be AME 690 . Prior approval must be obtained from the qualifying exam committee before registration in AME 690 .

Mechanical Engineering Degrees

The department offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Additionally, petroleum engineering exists as an emphasis within the mechanical engineering program. An area of emphasis appears in parenthesis after the primary major name on the transcript.

Minor in Music Recording

A minor in music recording is offered through the USC Thornton School of Music to provide undergraduate students with the background necessary to enter the field of recording engineering and to familiarize them with the design needs of modern recording equipment. The minor is recommended to mechanical engineering majors with extensive musical training who would like to combine their technical and musical abilities while learning the engineering applications of physical and mathematical principles to the art of music recording. See the listing under the USC Thornton School of Music .

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

The field of mechanical engineering is incredibly broad. To accommodate both the breadth of the field and students’ interests, the department offers several options for students pursuing the MS in Mechanical Engineering. These options include several tracks through the general MS program as well as several named emphases.

Tracks, both topical and traditional, through the general MS in Mechanical Engineering program are intended to guide students through a particular area of specialization. Advanced manufacturing is an example of a topical specialization. The use of Advanced Manufacturing is key to increasing the competitiveness of manufacturing in the US. The Advanced Manufacturing Track within Mechanical Engineering educates and trains multidisciplinary professionals to pursue careers in manufacturing companies as designers, manufacturing engineers, and engineering managers. This program covers modeling of physical manufacturing processes, development and utilization of computational tools, and modeling and optimization of manufacturing systems. It includes recent developments in manufacturing such as collaborative robotics, additive manufacturing, smart manufacturing, and Industry 4.0. This degree provides the graduate student with a broad, well-rounded, advanced education that can be applied to many different industries in which advanced manufacturing plays a role. For more information about the Advanced Manufacturing track within the MS in Mechanical Engineering program, please contact the faculty adviser for this track: Prof. S.K. Gupta (guptask@usc.edu).

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (Energy Conversion)

See Sustainable Infrastructure Systems Program .

Engineer in Mechanical Engineering

Requirements for the Engineer in Mechanical Engineering degree are the same as set forth in the general requirements. Six of the units required for the degree must be AME 690 . Prior approval must be obtained from the committee before registration in AME 690 .

Programs

• Aerospace Engineering (BS)
• Mechanical Engineering (BS)
• Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering (BS)

• Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (Computational Fluid and Solid Mechanics) (MS)
• Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering (Dynamics and Control) (MS)
• Aerospace Engineering (MS)
• Aerospace Engineering/Engineering Management (MS)
• Mechanical Engineering (MS)
• Mechanical Engineering (Nuclear Power) (MS)
• Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Management (MS)

• Aerospace Engineering (PhD)
• Mechanical Engineering (PhD)

Courses

• AME 101L Introduction to Mechanical Engineering and Graphics
• AME 105 Introduction to Aerospace Engineering
• AME 150L Introduction to Computational Methods
• AME 201 Statics
• AME 204 Strength of Materials
• AME 222 Fundamentals of Audio Engineering
• AME 231L Mechanical Behavior of Materials
• AME 232L Manufacturing Processes
• AME 261 Basic Flight Mechanics
• AME 291 Undergraduate Design Projects I
• AME 301 Dynamics
• AME 302 Dynamic Systems
• AME 303 Dynamics of Machinery
• AME 305 Mechanical Design
• AME 308 Computer-Aided Analyses for Aero-Mechanical Design
• AME 309 Dynamics of Fluids
• AME 310 Engineering Thermodynamics I
• AME 331 Heat Transfer
• AME 341aL Mechoptronics Laboratory I and II
• AME 341bL Mechoptronics Laboratory I and II
• AME 390 Special Problems
• AME 403 Stress Analysis
• AME 404 Computational Solutions to Engineering Problems
• AME 405 Functional Approach to Computational Methods
• AME 408 Computer-Aided Design of Mechanical Systems
• AME 409 Senior Design Project
• AME 410 Engineering Design Theory and Methodology
• AME 412 Molecular Theory of Gases
• AME 414 Engineering Thermodynamics II
• AME 415 Turbine Design and Analysis
• AME 420 Engineering Vibrations I
• AME 428 Mechanics of Materials
• AME 430 Thermal Systems Design
• AME 436 Energy and Propulsion
• AME 441aL Senior Projects Laboratory
• AME 441bL Senior Projects Laboratory
• AME 443 Control Systems Laboratory
• AME 451 Linear Control Systems I
• AME 453 Engineering Dynamics
• AME 455 Introduction to MEMS
• AME 457 Engineering Fluid Dynamics
• AME 459 Flight Mechanics
• AME 460 Aerodynamic Theory
• AME 461 Formation Data Sensing with Well Logs
• AME 462 Economic, Risk and Formation Productivity Analysis
• AME 463L Introduction to Transport Processes in Porous Media
• AME 464L Modeling and Simulation of Subsurface Flow Systems
• AME 465L Drilling Technology and Subsurface Methods
• AME 481 Aircraft Design
• AME 485 Aerospace Structures I
• AME 486 Mechanics of Composite Materials for Modern Structures
• AME 490x Directed Research
• AME 491 Undergraduate Design Projects II
• AME 499 Special Topics
• AME 501 Innovative Conceptual Design for New Product Development
• AME 502 Modern Topics in Aerospace Design
• AME 503 Advanced Mechanical Design
• AME 504L Mechatronic Systems Engineering
• AME 505 Engineering Information Modeling
• AME 506 Continuum Mechanics
• AME 507 Mechanics of Solids I
• AME 509 Applied Elasticity
• AME 510 Advanced Computational Design and Manufacturing
• AME 511 Compressible Gas Dynamics
• AME 513a Fundamentals and Applications of Combustion
• AME 513b Fundamentals and Applications of Combustion
• AME 515 Advanced Heat and Mass Diffusion
• AME 516 Convection Processes
• AME 517 Radiation Heat Transfer
• AME 520 Modeling of Bio-Systems
• AME 521 Engineering Vibrations II
• AME 522 Nonlinear Dynamical Systems, Vibrations, and Chaos
• AME 523 Random Vibrations
• AME 524 Advanced Engineering Dynamics
• AME 525 Engineering Analysis
• AME 526 Introduction to Mathematical Methods in Engineering II
• AME 527 Elements of Vehicle and Energy Systems Design
• AME 528 Finite Element Analysis
• AME 529 Aircraft Structures Analysis
• AME 530a Dynamics of Incompressible Fluids
• AME 530b Dynamics of Incompressible Fluids
• AME 532a Flight Vehicle Stability and Control
• AME 532b Flight Vehicle Stability and Control
• AME 533 Multi-Phase Flows
• AME 534 Nuclear Thermal-Hydraulics
• AME 535a Introduction to Computational Fluid Mechanics
• AME 535b Introduction to Computational Fluid Mechanics
• AME 536 Biofluid Mechanics: Transport and Circulatory Systems
• AME 537 Microfluidics
• AME 539 Multi-body Dynamics
• AME 541 Linear Control Systems II
• AME 542 Theory of Plates and Shells
• AME 543 Structural Instability and Failure
• AME 544 Computer Control of Mechanical Systems
• AME 545 Modeling and Control of Distributed Dynamic Systems
• AME 546 Design for Manufacturing Assembly
• AME 547 Foundations for Manufacturing Automation
• AME 548 Analytical Methods in Robotics
• AME 549 Systems Architecting
• AME 550 Seminar in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering
• AME 551 Mechanical Behavior of Engineering Materials