Michigan Technological University Courses

Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology (Biotechnology)

School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science offers an MS in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology. There are three options to complete this course: M.S with a thesis which requires a research thesis to be prepared under the supervision of an advisor; M.S with a report which requires a report describing the results of an independent study project; M.S with coursework which requires only course work to qualify for the degree. The doctoral program offered by the department is a Ph.D. in Forest Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology.

The biotechnology and molecular genetics program focus on understanding the life process and genetic controls of forest organisms as they relate to their environment.

The research labs available in the department are :

• Forest Biometrics
• Life Sciences Technology Institute
• Michigan Gradient Study
• Sustainable Landscapes
• Wood Protection Group.

Areas of Expertise:

• Biomechanics
• Biomaterials
• Biomedical Sensors
• Physiological Measurement
• Tissue Angiogenesis And Neurogenesis
• Tissue Engineering
• Biomedical Optics

Chemical

The Chemical Engineering department offers a B.S in Chemical Engineering. This four-year course also allows a student to take up research to gain credits. This may be even paid research either on-campus or off-campus.
The department also offers an accelerated program where a student may earn Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees together. The student can qualify for both Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and Master of Science in Chemical Engineering in ten semesters (five academic years) of full-time course work. To qualify for this accelerated program, a student must consistently have high grades in his/her Bachelor’s course.
The Chemical Engineering department offers both MS and Ph.D. degrees under its graduate programs. The Master of Science program has three options - M.S with a thesis which requires a research thesis prepared under the supervision of an advisor; M.S with a report which requires a report describing the results of an independent study project; M.S with coursework which requires only the completion of coursework to qualify for the degree. Ph.D. students may apply for the Ph.D. program after their M.S degree or even after their B.S.

The labs available in the Department of Chemical Engineering are :

• Advanced Sustainable Iron and Steel Center Lab
• Center for Environmentally Benign Functional Materials
• Composites Preparation Laboratory
• Extruder Laboratory
• Biochemical Engineering Lab
• Biofuels and Bio-Based Products Lab
• Particle Separation Lab
• Membrane Separation and Process Safety Lab
• Physical Properties/Electrochemistry Laboratory
• Composites Characterization Laboratory
• Rheology Research and Teaching Laboratory
• Center for Nanostructured and Lightweight Materials
• Bio separations Lab
• Medical microdevice Engineering Research Laboratory
• Water Chemistry Lab

Centers and Institutes at the Department of Chemical Engineering are :

• Sustainable Futures Institute
• Center for Advanced Sustainable Iron and Steel
• Center for Nanostructured and Lightweight Materials
• Center for Environmentally Benign Functional Materials.

Areas of Expertise

• Medical Microdevices
• Alternative Energy
• Safety and Environmental Engineering
• Sustainability
• Iron and Steel Making
• Biochemical Engineering
• Polymers and Composites
• Mineral Processing

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Department offers four-year B.S programs in Civil, Environmental, Surveying and Construction Management. 

The accelerated 5-year master’s programs in civil engineering and environmental engineering allow students to qualify for both a Bachelor of Science in Civil or Environmental Engineering and a Master of Science in Civil or Environmental Engineering. One must have high academic scores to continue on to the Master’s program. This program has both thesis and report options.The Department offers a Master of Science in Civil Engineering as a part of its graduate programmes.

The areas of research which the student can choose from are:

• Geotechnical engineering
• Structural engineering
• Transportation engineering
• Civil engineering materials
• Water resource engineering

The department also offers an M.S program in Environmental Engineering.

The research areas in this course are :

• Air-quality engineering
• Atmospheric sciences
• Drinking-water and wastewater treatment
• Environmental microbiology and chemistry
• Groundwater and subsurface remediation
• Hydrology and water resources
• Surface-water quality
• Pollution prevention.

Its graduate programme also offers an M.S in Environmental Engineering Science.

The focus areas in this program are :

• Surface-water quality and water resources
• Environmental-systems modeling
• Pollution prevention
• Environmental chemistry
• Wastewater
• Solid waste and hazardous wastes
• Atmospheric systems and air-pollution control
• Groundwater and subsurface remediation.

The Department offers PhD programmes in both Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering.

The centers and institutes available in this department are :

• Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences Institute (EPSSI)
• Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC)
• Keweenaw Research Center (KRC)
• Michigan Tech Research Institute (MTRI)
• Sustainable Futures Institute (SFI).

Areas of Expertise

• Air Quality
• Ground Water Quality
• Sustainability Engineering & Science
• Civil Engineering Materials
• Structural Engineering
• Water Resources Engineering
• Water And Wastewater Treatment
• Transportation Planning
• Surface Water Quality
• Infrastructure Systems Engineering

List of Labs: Michigan Tech Transportation Institute 

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering offers a four-year B.S in Electrical Engineering and a B.S in Computer Engineering.
The 5-year Electrical and Computer Engineering Accelerated Master’s program allows a student to qualify for both a Bachelor of Science in Electrical or Computer Engineering and a Master of Science in Electrical or Computer Engineering.

The department’s graduate school offers Master of Science (M.S) in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Computer Engineering. Both these courses have three options – Thesis plan requires a research thesis prepared under the supervision of an advisor; Report Plan which requires an independent study project and report conducted and prepared under the supervision of an advisor; Coursework only plan.

Students after their BS or MS can apply for Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Computer Engineering 
The Department has in its faculty 13 Professors and 13 Assistant Professors.

The Research Centers and Labs include :

• AMJOCH Observatory
• Center for Computer Systems Research (CCSR)
• Cyber-Physical System (CPS)
• Michigan Tech VLSI CAD Lab
• Micro-fabrication Facility
• Optics and Photonics Labs
• Power and Energy Research Center (PERC)
• Wireless Local Positioning System Laboratory.

Areas of Expertise:

• Electrical Power Systems
• Computer Networks
• Electronic Materials and Devices
• Optics and Photonics
• Sensors And Sensor Systems
• Embedded Computing Systems
• Communication and Information Theory
• Power Electronics

Materials Science

The Material Science and Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The department is ranked 42 overall among US universities.
The Materials Science and Engineering Department at Michigan Technological University offers a 4-year B.S in Material Sciences and Engineering. The thrust areas in the undergraduate course are Nanomaterials, Energy, Battery technology, Biomaterials, Environment, and Failure analysis.

The department also offers an accelerated master's degree where students with a high G.P.A in their undergraduate course can opt to apply for and finish their Masters with one extra year of study.
Under its graduate programs, the department offers traditional two-year M.S in Materials Science and a Ph.D.

A student has the option to get his M.S degree either through a thesis or a non-thesis option.
The department has 12 full professors and four associate professors in its faculty.

Areas of Expertise:

• Materials Processing and Manufacturing; Materials For Energy
• Metallurgy
• Photovoltaics
• Materials Characterization
• Alloy Design
• Integrated Computational Materials Engineering
• Nanostructural Materials
• Composite Materials
• Electronic Materials

List of Labs: Institute of Materials Processing

Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical engineering courses are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The Mechanical Engineering department offers a B.S in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) as a part of its undergraduate program. The department provides an Accelerated Program BS/MS in 5 years. Students have the option to qualify for a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering or Master of Science in Engineering Mechanics. The options available for this course are the thesis, report, and only coursework.

There are two M.S degree options available :

• Engineering Mechanics—MS
• Mechanical Engineering—MS

Both the courses have 3 options for a student to choose from -the Thesis, Report, and coursework only options.

Under its doctoral programs, the Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics is a research-intensive program. Eighty percent of the Ph.D. graduates go to work in the industry.
The Department has a distinguished faculty consisting of 14 Full Professors and 21 Associates.

Areas of Expertise: 

• Robotics and Mechatronics
• Space Systems, Plasma Dynamics, and Orbital Mechanics
• Controls, NVH, and Dynamic Systems
• Advanced Power Systems, Ic & Diesel Engines, Wind, and Biomass Microfluidics and Nanomaterials
• Multi-scale Modeling and Computational Mechanics
• Multi-scale Sensors & Systems, Mems, and Nems
• Biological Systems
• Biomechanics