Economic student applying to Mechanical Engineering Master

[byakkoshe]

Hi. I'm an undergrad student, majoring in Development Economics. Currently, I'm working on my own project that help Karen villagers along the Thai-Myanmar border taking aerial photography with drones to prepare and monitor the land for agriculture. I didn't have much engineering background, but I learn some on my own. I really really love what I do and I want to give it a shot on applying for a master degree in mechanical engineering. The problem is that I don't know about what's the overall picture of studying a master degree will be about, what are the things that graduate students do. As far as I understand, a graduate student needs to find and make a connection with professors that do research that match with the student's interest. Am I correct? Do you have some of your friends who come from social science undergrad and currently studying a master degree in mechanical engineering or related fields? Thank you so much for your comments!

Edited December 27, 2014 by byakkoshe
Edited title

[Texan_Air]

Well it looks like you are looking for more information, so I would recommend reading topics in the The Forums Overview-->The Menu-->Engineering Forum. Also they are other non-Eng. Majors applying for Eng. masters that can give you some more advice. My undergrad is in Mechanical Engineering but I can give you an idea on the overall picture.

Your main concentrations in a mechanical engineering masters will be the following (but you can take some elective courses in different cores):

1. Thermal/Fluid Systems (Which is thermal dynamics, heat transfer, and Fluid Mechanics w/ CFD)

2. Mechanics & Materials Engineering (Solid Mechanics and Computational Mechanics w/ FEA)

3. Dynamic Systems and Control (Linear Systems, vibration, and Robot Control)

4. Manufacturing & Design (Computer aided design and Manufacturing lines)

You can also have specializations in Acoustics, parts of biomedical eng., and parts of chemical or nuclear eng. (it all depends on the University's program)

 

You will most likely have to complete many engineering undergrad background courses along with the master program's 30+ credit hours. But these background courses can benefit you, by giving you a good idea on what area of mechanical engineering you want to pursue. Make sure to take full advantage of Co-op prorams and internships offered so you can gain experience while inside of school, so you can come out competive for jobs. Also I recommend looking at graduate catalogs at schools your considering to read the class descriptions to give you a better idea if you are unfamiliar with these subjects I mentioned.

Edited December 27, 2014 by Texan_Air

[ShadowFairy]

byakkoshe,

 

Based on a superficial glance of your work with drones, I would say you'd best be fit for a concentration in controls and systems or robotics and spatial kinematics. Two fields which are heavily emphasized in mechanical engineering, so I'd say you're on the right track if you're interested in obtaining an engineering degree to supplement your fieldwork interests.

 

However, it's very hard to imagine the transition from an undergraduate social science major to an graduate engineering major; I'm sure it is possible but not probable unless your application is very engineering focused. It is a lot easier and manageable to go from physical sciences or another engineering field, just because all of the required elementary courses in science and math overlap to an extent. I'm telling you this not to discourage you, but to give you a heads-up on the amount of catch-up you might be required to do. For example, if you haven't done/never done calculus or linear algebra in a few years, you'd better start practicing now. Since you are an Econ major by default, I assume your curriculum is heavily focused on theory of labor, logistics, supply & demand, and business, so you probably haven't touched this stuff in a while except perhaps a little bit of calculus, am I right? Personally to me, that's like going from mechanical engineering to theoretical physics (a whole 'nother level of theory).

 

So unless you really want to do it, start by looking into departments and their admission requirements (I know some will not take social science/humanity undergrads), and take a few relevant courses at your university, a local community college or online courses to help you get started! Design projects (which should be open to take anyone) within a major are very valuable too. Reply back in this thread if you are interested in continuing!

 

Happy New Year!

[Jojo2015]

Also, in mechanical is HVAC and Refrigeration specialization, a growing industry. Good luck.

Edited January 3, 2015 by Jojo2015