The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has approved a new Ph.D. program in mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at El Paso.
The doctoral program will have an emphasis on energy, aerospace and advanced manufacturing, areas which have a strong record of success for the Department of Mechanical Engineering, which is part of UTEP’s College of Engineering. Students will be able to apply for the program immediately and begin the course of study in fall 2016.
“The program’s long-term vision is to create a new generation of doctoral graduates to lead industry innovation, to create new technology businesses, and to bring jobs to the Southwest border region as well as to our state and nation,” said Department of Mechanical Engineering Chair Ahsan Choudhuri, Ph.D.
UTEP Mechanical Engineering Ph.D. candidates will receive a broad-based, integrative education, including design thinking for complex engineered systems, research training in a creative knowledge environment, and research training in a national laboratory or industry setting.
“The approval of our new Ph.D. in mechanical engineering represents further validation of UTEP’s success in building excellence in research and doctoral education,” said UTEP President Diana Natalicio. “Under the leadership of Dr. Choudhuri, the mechanical engineering faculty has systematically enhanced its doctoral program capacity through highly competitive research initiatives and the funding they have attracted.”
While conventional mechanical engineering doctoral programs aim to develop future educators, UTEP’s program will focus on training future technology leaders for industry, which will strengthen the innovation ecosystem for regional, state and national economic growth. Students in the program, trained in technology entrepreneurship and leadership, will partner with industry to create new jobs.
The new program brings the total of doctoral degrees offered by UTEP to 21, along with 72 bachelor’s and 73 master’s programs.