Grad Profiles - North Carolina State University Engineering

Overview
North Carolina State University is the principal technological institution of the University of North Carolina System. Total enrollment is more than 29,500. A cooperative relationship with Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill contributes to a rich academic and research atmosphere, as does the University's association with the Research Triangle Park and the Oak Ridge National Lab. The College has 228 faculty members with professorial rank.

The College of Engineering had an enrollment of 5,690 undergraduate students and 1,673 graduate students in 2003-04. Most graduate students find full- or part-time support through fellowships, assistantships, and special duties with research organizations in the area. During the 2003-04 academic year, the College conferred 87 doctoral degrees, 537 master's degrees, and 1,312 Bachelor of Science degrees.

The Location and Community
Raleigh, the state capital, has a metropolitan population of about 500,000. Nearby is Research Triangle Park, one of the largest and fastest-growing research institutions of its type in the country. Sports and recreational facilities are also available.

Programs of Study and Degree Requirements
The College of Engineering comprises eleven degree-granting departments, which are authorized to award the Master of Science, the Master of Engineering in a designated field, and the Doctor of Philosophy. Programs of graduate study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. are aerospace engineering, biological and agricultural engineering, biomedical engineering (jointly with School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, electrical and computer engineering, industrial engineering, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, and nuclear engineering; textile engineering offers the M.S. degree. Nonthesis master's degrees are also offered in most of the discipline areas and in the interdisciplinary program of integrated manufacturing systems engineering. Most nonthesis degrees require project or research work and a written technical report. The M.S. and Ph.D. degrees as well as the nonthesis master's degree are offered in the interdisciplinary program of operations research. Master's degrees are offered via distance learning through the chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, and mechanical and aerospace engineering departments.

In most departments, the Master of Science degree is awarded for completing 30 credits of work, including a thesis. The Master of Engineering in a designated field is awarded for completing 30-36 course credits. A Ph.D. degree is awarded for completing a program of work, passing the oral preliminary examination, completing a research dissertation, and passing a final examination on the dissertation.

Facilities & Resources
Special research facilities and equipment include RAMAN and FIIR facilities; transmission electron microscopes; computerized SEM with full X-ray and image analysis capabilities; electron beam-induced current and cathodoluminescence microscopy equipment; a scanning laser microscope; laser MBE and pulsed laser depositions systems with full diagnostics; field emission electron beam lithography equipment; an imaging ion microscope for SIMS and 3-D ion imaging; a scanning Auger microprobe; an electron microprobe; complete X-ray analysis facilities including equipment for diffraction, topography, and radiography; a photoluminescence laboratory; MBE systems with in situ surface analysis; focused ion beam micromachinery; atomic resolution scanning tunneling microscopes; a precision engineering laboratory including diamond turning, ductile regime grinding, and surface metrology capabilities; a nuclear reactor with radiographic and neutron activation analysis; an applied energy laboratory; a plasma studies laboratory; a freon simulator of a PWR fission reactor; a synthesis laboratory for III-V semiconductor materials; an organometallic chemical vapor deposition system; a semiconductor device fabrication laboratory, a deep UV mask aligner, and oxidation diffusion furnaces; a plasma and chemical etching and vapor deposition facility; computer systems for research in communications and signal processing and in microelectronics; a commercial computer design system for large integrated circuits; an EPA automated pollution and combustion gas facility; anechoic and reverberation chambers; a computer-controlled gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer; a robotics and automation laboratory; state-of-the-art multimedia, voice I/O, and software engineering labs; UNIX, Linux, and Windows workstations linked through Ethernet; a large structures-testing system; pavement wheel-track testing; superpave asphalt testing; a shake table; geotechnical test pits; plasmas for fusion; plasma propulsion; and laser-ablated plasmas for thin-film deposition. An engineering graduate research center features more than 120,000 square feet of dedicated laboratory facilities, including a class-10 clean room for processing.

Expenses and Aid
Tuition and fees for full-time study is $2,661.75 per semester for North Carolina residents and $8,885.75 per semester for nonresidents. Students taking fewer than 9 credits pay reduced amounts. Most students appointed as teaching or research assistants qualify for tuition and health insurance support.

Financial Aid:
Approximately half of the engineering graduate students are provided assistantships with full support for studies, including tuition and health insurance.

Housing/Living Expenses:
On-campus dormitory facilities are provided for unmarried graduate students. The rent for double rooms started at $1,495 per semester. Accommodations in the newest residence hall for graduate students cost $1,835 per semester. Apartments for married students in King Village rented for $485 per month for a studio, $530 for a one-bedroom apartment, and $585 for a two-bedroom apartment.

How to Apply / Application
Applications may be submitted at any time. Although the GRE General Test is not always required, it is helpful in making decisions concerning financial aid. An applicant desiring to visit the campus may request information concerning travel allowances by writing to the graduate administrator of the preferred program of study. Students may apply for fellowships or assistantships in their application for admission. For application forms and further information, students should write to the address given below.

Who to Contact
Dean of the Graduate School
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-7102

919-515-2872

Graduate Programs, Faculty and Research
• BIOLOGICAL AND AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING. J. Young, Department Head. Faculty: F. Abrams, G. Baughman, D. Beasley, C. Bowers, M. Boyette, J. Cheng, G. Chescheir, M. Chinn, J. Classen, C. Daubert, R. Evans, B. Farkas, G. Grabow, S. Hale, A. Hassan, R. Huffman, F. Humenik, W. Hunt, K. Keener, T. Losordo, P. Mente, J. Parsons, G. Roberson, S. Roe, K. Sandeep, S. Shah, R. Sharma, R. Skaggs, J. Spooner, L. Stikeleather, K. Swartzel, P. Westerman, T. Whitaker, D. Willits. Research areas: Bioinstrumentation, bioprocessing, materials handling, energy conservation and alternative fuels, environmental control, machine systems, microprocessor applications, water and waste management, hydrology, environmental engineering.

• BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING. H. Troy Nagle, Department Head. Faculty: F. Abrams, S. Blanchard, D. Lalush, E. Loboa, M. McCord, P. Mente, B. Steele, G. Walker. Research areas: Bioelectronics and biosensors, bioinformatics, biomechanics, biomechatronics, bioMEMS, biophotonics, functional genomics, implants and medical devices, medical imaging, neuroscience, rapid prototyping, tissue biomechanics.

• CHEMICAL AND BIOMOLECULAR ENGINEERING. P. Kilpatrick, Department Head. Faculty: R. Carbonell, J. DeSimone, P. Fedkiw, R. Felder, C. Grant, J. Genzer, K. Gubbins, C. Hall, J. Haugh, H. Hopfenberg, R. Kelly, S. Khan, H. Lamb, P. Lim, D. Ollis, M. Overcash, G. Parsons, S. Peretti, G. Roberts, R. Spontak, J. Van Zanten, O. Velev. Research areas: Biomolecular engineering, biotechnology, catalysis, electrochemical and reaction engineering, electronic materials, green chemistry and engineering, molecular simulations, nanotechnology and interfacial science, polymers and colloids, supercritical fluids.

• CIVIL ENGINEERING. E. Downey Brill Jr., Department Head. D. Johnston, Director of Graduate Programs. Faculty: M. Barlaz, J. Baugh, L. Bernold, R. C. Borden, R. H. Borden, A. Chao, F. de los Reyes, J. Ducoste, J. Fisher, C. Frey, M. Gabr, M. Guddati, A. Gupta, A. K. Gupta, T. Hassan, J. Hummer, D. Johnston, N. Khosla, Y. Kim, D. Knappe, M. Kowalsky, G. M. Kumar, M. Leming, V. Matzen, J. Nau, M. Overton, S. Rahman, S. Ranjithan, W. Rasdorf, S. Rizkalla, N. Rouphail, J. Stone, E. Sumner, A. Tayebali, B. Williams. Research areas: Civil engineering systems; computer-aided engineering; construction engineering and management; construction materials; environmental engineering; geotechnical engineering; transportation systems and materials; solid mechanics; structural engineering; water resources and coastal engineering.

• COMPUTER SCIENCE. M. Vouk, Interim Department Head. Faculty: A. Anton, D. Bahler, D. Bitzer, F. Brglez, R. Chirkova, E. Davis, J. Doyle, R. Dutta, R. Fornaro, V. Freeh, R. Funderlic, E. Gehringer, K. Harfoush, C. Healey, S. Heber, T. Honeycutt, S. Iyer, J. Kang, J. Lester, X. Ma, R. Mayr, D. McAllister, F. Mueller, P. Ning, H. Perros, D. Reeves, I. Rhee, R. Rodman, G. Rouskas, R. St. Amant, C. Savage, M. Singh, M. Stallmann, W. Stewart, A. Tharp, D. Thuente, L. Williams, P. Wurman, J. Xu, R. Young, T. Yu. Research areas: Algorithms and theory of computation, architecture and operating systems, artificial intelligence and intelligent agents, information and knowledge management, intelligent and collaborative systems, e-commerce, graphics and human-computer interaction, networking and performance evaluation, parallel and embedded systems, scientific and high-performance computing, secure and reliable systems, software systems engineering.

• ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING. R. Trew, Department Head. Faculty: T. Alexander, W. Alexander, J. Baliga, M. Baran, D. Barlage, S. Bedair, G. Bilbro, J. Brickley, G. Byrd, M. Chow, T. Conte, H. Dai, R. Davis, A. Dean, M. Devetsikiotis, A. Duel-Hallen, M. Escuti, D. Eun, P. Franzon, K. Gard, E. Gehringer, M. Ghovanloo, J. Grainger, E. Grant, B. Greene, J. Hauser, W. Holton, A. Huang, B. Hughes, G. Iafrate, D. Kekas, K. Kim, R. Kolbas, H. Krim, G. Lazzi, X. Liu, L. Lunardi, N. Masnari, T. Miller, V. Misra, T. Mitchell, J. Muth, T. Nagle, A. Nilsson, C. Osburn, H. Ozturk, M. Ozturk, S. Rajala, D. Reeves, E. Rotenberg, S. Sair, J. Schetzina, M. Sichitiu, W. Snyder, Y. Solihin, M. Steer, C. Townsend, K. Townsend, J. Trussell, I. Viniotis, S. Walsh, W. Wang, M. White, J. Wilson, G. Yu. Research areas: Applied electromagnetics, microwaves/optics; communications; digital systems and computer architecture; microelectronics; power systems; power electronics; signal and image processing; software engineering; solid-state devices and circuits; VLSI design; parallel and distributed computing; mechatronics; biomedical instrumentation; LAN/WAN; electronic materials processing; embedded systems; robotics; photonics; quantum computing; quantum optoelectronics; nanostructures and devices; microarchitecture and compilers; microwave circuits.

• INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING. J. Wilson, Department Head. Faculty: M. Ayoub, R. Bernhard, X. Chao, D. Cormier, T. Culbreth, S. Elmaghraby, S.-C. Fang, Y. Fathi, O. Harrysson, T. Hodgson, D. Kaber, M. Kay, R. King, Y.-S. Lee, W. Meier, G. Mirka, H. L. W. Nuttle, S. Roberts, E. Sanii, R. Young. Research areas: Investment science; ergonomics; occupational safety; facilities design; production planning, scheduling, and control; logistics; supply chain design and management; material handling; concurrent engineering; manufacturing processes; rapid prototyping; optimization; soft computing; stochastic processes and simulation.

• INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS ENGINEERING. T. Hodgson, Executive Director. S. Jackson, Associate Director. Associated Faculty: P. Banks-Lee, L. Bernold, J. Blackhurst, M. Boyette, G. Buckner, S. Chapman, Y. Chen, T. Clapp, D. Cormier, T. Culbreth, Y. Fathi, T. Ghosh, P. Grady, R. Handfield, O. Harrysson, G. Hodge, J. Janet, W. Jasper, T. Johnson, M. Kay, R. King, J. Leach, Y.-S. Lee, T. Little, W. Meier, K. Mitchell, G. Mirka, H. Nuttle, M. Ramasubramanian, W. Rasdorf, P. Ro, R. Rodman, S. Roberts, J. Rust, E. Sanii, A. Seyam, L. Silverberg, C. Sommerich, J. Sutton, J. Taheri, K. Tai, K. Thoney, J. Trevino, J. Wilson, S. Winchester, R. Young, C. Zorowski. Research areas: Automation, CAD, CAM, CIM and advanced information technology, logistics, manufacturing system simulations, material handling, mechatronics, part fabrication, quality assurance and testing, process and facilities planning, product assembly, product design, robotics, scheduling and operations management, supply chain management.

• MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. J. Michael Rigsbee, Department Head. Faculty: K. Bachmann, C. M. Balik, R. Benson, D. Brenner, H. Conrad, J. Cuomo, R. Davis, G. Duscher, N. El-Masry, A. Fahmy, T. Hare, J. Hren, M. Johnson, J. Kasichainula, A. Kingon, C. Koch, J. P. Maria, K. Murty, J. Narayan, H. Palmour III, G. Rozgonyi, P. Russell, R. Scattergood, Z. Sitar, R. Spontak, H. Stadelmaier. Research areas: Atomic resolution electronic microscopy and analytical techniques, advanced materials and processing methods, composite materials, computer simulation techniques, corrosion, crystal structure and phase relations, electronic materials, irradiation effects, electrical and mechanical properties, metals, nanostructured materials, nonequilibrium processing, nuclear materials, polymers, stereology and image analysis, structure-property relations, superconducting materials, surface analysis, surface phenomena, thin-film processing and characterization, tribology.

• MECHANICAL AND AEROSPACE ENGINEERING. R. Gould, Interim Department Head. Faculty: E. Afify, M. Boles, G. Buckner, F. DeJarnette, T. Dow, T. Echekki, H. Eckerlin, J. Edwards, Jr., J. Eischen, A. Gopalarathnam, C. Hall Jr., H. Hassan, R. Johnson, R. Keltie, E. Klang, C. Kleinstreuer, A. Kuznetsov, J. Leach, K. Lyons, N. Ma, A. Mazzaleni, D. McRae, R. Nagel, G. Ngaile, M. Noori, K. Peters, A. Rabiei, M. Ramasubramanian, P. Ro, W. Roberts, S. Seelecke, L. Silverberg, J. Strenkowski, J. Tu, F. Wu, F. Yuan, T. Zeng, M. Zikry. Research areas: Aerothermodynamics, autoadaptive systems, biofluid dynamics, combustion, composite structures, computational fluid dynamics, control systems, electromechanics, energy conversion, environmental engineering, flight dynamics and aircraft design, fluid/aero dynamics, fluid mechanics and two-phase flow, fracture mechanics, heat transfer, hypersonics, manufacturing, materials processing, mechanical and random vibrations, mechatronics, nano thermosystems, precision engineering, probabilistic mechanics, propulsion, risk and reliability, robotics, solid mechanics, structural health monitoring, thermal management, theoretical and structural acoustics.

• NUCLEAR ENGINEERING. Paul J. Turinsky, Department Head. Faculty: D. Anistratov, M. Bourham, J. Doster, R. Gardner, J. Gilligan, O. Hankins, A. Hawari, C. W. Mayo, K. Murty, M.-S. Yim. Research areas: Computational reactor physics; fuel management; plasma engineering; radiation effects in nuclear materials; nuclear power systems modeling; plasma-surface interactions; radiation transport; reactor dynamics, control, and safety; computational thermal hydraulics; nuclear waste management; radiological engineering; industrial radiation applications; medical radiation physics; plasmas for fusion; plasma propulsion; laser-ablated plasmas for thin-film deposition; nuclear environmental risk analysis; radiation measurements; neutron scattering and imaging, advanced nuclear fuel cycles.

• OPERATIONS RESEARCH. Y. Fathi, Co-Director. R. Smith, Co-Director. Faculty: J. Baugh, R. Bernhard, B. Bhattacharyya, J. Bishir, E. Brill Jr., R. Buche, S. Campbell, X. Chao, R. Chirkova, W. Chou, M. Devetsikiotis, J. Dunn, S. Elmaghraby, S. Fang, Y. Fathi, J. Fouque, R. Funderlic, S. Ghosal, R. Handfield, R. Hartwig, T. Hodgson, D. Holthausen, T. Honeycutt, I. Ipsen, J. Joines, M. Kay, C. Kelley, R. King, J. Lavery, Z. Li, C. Maday, D. McAllister, C. Meyer Jr., A. Nilsson, H. Nuttle, H. Perros, E. Peterson, T. Reiland, S. Roberts, J. Rodriguez, J. Roise, G. Rouskas, C. Savage, M. Singh, C. Smith, R. Smith, M. Stallmann, L. Stefanski, W. Stewart, M. Suh, P. Tao, K. Thoney, H. Tran, I. Viniotis, M. Vouk, W. Wang, J. Wilson, F. Wu, P. Wurman, T. Yu. Research areas: Mathematical programming, fuzzy optimization and decision making, networks, queuing, production planning, scheduling, project management, routing, simulation, stochastic processes and modeling, systems theory and optimal control, facilities layout and planning, logistics, inventory theory, supply chain management, financial engineering.

• TEXTILE ENGINEERING. K. Beck, Department Head. Faculty: R. Barker, T. Clapp, R. Gorga, B. Gupta, H. Hamouda (Program Director), J. Hinestroza, W. Jasper, J. Joines, W. Krause, M. McCord, G. Mock, J. Rust. Research areas: Electromechanical design, real-time monitoring and control, studies in thermal and fluid sciences, polymer and fiber science, biomedical application of textiles, design and fabrication, process optimization, product/machine/system design, nanocomposites, nanolayer electrostatic self-assemblies, mathematical modeling of transport phenomena, rheology, polyelectrolytes, semi-crystalline polymers, carbon nanotube composite extrusion for enhanced mechanical/thermal/electrical properties, barrier fabrics, biopolymers, structure-property relationships.