Enhance Your Degree with Focus
Learn to develop high performance and ultra-efficient aircraft, including drones and UAVs and to improve aerospace technology by reducing emissions, noise and vibration.
Duke MEMS's globally recognized faculty are experts in structures and dynamics, aerodynamics, acoustics, and mathematical and computational methods.
The graduate certificate customizes and focuses your Duke experience — without adding to your course count.
"I chose Duke because its aeroelasticity faculty are some of the most renowned in this field in the world."
Jing Li | TurboMachine Research Engineer, Ge
Hands-on and In-Depth
- Receive advanced training in high-impact courses aligned with faculty research
- Experience compelling aerospace seminars given by industry experts
- Create a research presentation
- Receive a transcript designation you can share with potential employers or doctoral programs
Certificate Requirements
- Complete four technical courses
- Attend four aerospace seminars
- Deliver an aerospace research presentation
- Structures & Dynamics Courses
- ME 544 Advanced Mechanical Vibrations (Fall)—Core Course
- ME 524/CE 530 Introduction to Finite Element Methods (Spring)—Core Course
- ME 527 Buckling of Engineering Structures (Every other Spring)
- CEE 541 Structural Dynamics (Occasionally)
- ME 541 Intermediate Dynamics (Fall)
- ME 742 Nonlinear Mechanical Vibrations (Spring)
- CEE 629 System Identification (Every other Spring, even years)
- Aerodynamics & Acoustics Courses
- ME 571 Aerodynamics (Fall)—Core Course
- ME 572 Engineering Acoustics (Spring)—Core Course
- ME 672 Unsteady Aerodynamics (Fall)
- ME 671 Advanced Aerodynamics (Occasionally)
- ME 555 Advanced Acoustics (Occasionally)
- ME 775 Aeroelasticity (Spring)
- Mathematical and Computational Methods Courses
- MATH 551 Applied Partial Differential Equations & Complex Variables (Fall)
- MATH 577 Mathematical Modeling (Spring)
- ME 639 Computational Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer (Fall)
- ME 524/CE 530 Finite Element Method (Fall)
- MATH 561 Numerical Linear Algebra, Optimization & Monte Carlo Simulation (Fall)
- COMPSCI 520 Numerical Analysis (Spring)
- MATH 563 Applied Computational Analysis (Spring)
- Important Notes
- The certificate is only available to graduate students in Duke's Thomas Lord Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
- Students must declare enrollment in this certificate program within their first semester
- Participants must select a focus area, either Structures & Dynamics or Aerodynamics & Acoustics
- Each focus area has two (2) required core courses (in bold)—at least one (1) must be in another area
- Only one (1) Mathematical and Computational Methods course can be counted toward the four required courses
- Course lists are subject to change
Meet Our Faculty
Top-Flight Aerospace and Engineering Experts
With over 250 years combined of academic and industrial experience, our faculty includes many AIAA and ASME fellows—as well as recipients of the highest awards for research excellence in aerospace engineering.
Also, Duke is home to the GUIde Consortium of government, university and industry experts in turbomachinery aeroelasticity.
Faculty Profiles
Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science
- Wilkins Aquino
- Donald Bliss
- John Dolbow
- Earl Dowell
- Kenneth C. Hall
- Laurens Howle
- Josiah Knight
- Brian Mann
- Lawrie N. Virgin
Civil Engineering
Mathematics
Research Facilities
Aerospace Testing, Robotics, Fabrication & More
- Subsonic wind tunnel
- Professional and student machine shops
- 3D printers (polymers, metals and composites)
- Autonomous Systems faculty
- Computational facilities
Get Started
For New Students
Become a Duke MEMS Graduate Student
For Current Duke MEMS Students
Download and Complete an Enrollment Form