School of Engineering and Digital Sciences
School of Engineering and Digital Sciences
School of Engineering and Digital Sciences
The Master of Science in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MSc-MAE) degree program is a specialized degree program offered by School of Engineering and Digital Sciences (SEDS) at Nazarbayev University (NU). Students are required to complete 120 ECTS credits, in 4 semesters, which satisfies requirements stipulated by the Bologna Process and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) for Master’s Degrees. The program is focusing on research and has been designed to provide advanced skills and a detailed knowledge base at the graduate level for individuals working in academia, industry, or research settings in Kazakhstan or throughout the world.
The MSc-MAE provides a comprehensive technologic and scientific preparation for engineers in 3 (three) key areas of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering:
(1) Applied Mechanics;
(2) Energy and Thermofluids; and
(3) Engineering Design, Materials and Manufacturing,
in perfect alignment with today ́s technological challenges. A set of mandatory core courses guarantees competence in advanced mathematics, the 3 (three) key areas of the program, classic and novel research methods and effective oral and written communication in the science and technology domain.
By delivering an MSc at an international standard level, we are offering our master’s students future opportunities in terms of PhD and positions in research centers, locally or abroad.
Aims and Objectives
The mission of the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences at Nazarbayev University is to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan in terms of:
1. To enable mechanical and aerospace engineers to make critical decisions based on uncertain and complex data, so that they can lead multidisciplinary teams within a modern organization;
2. To train mechanical and aerospace graduates in scientific research, so that they can effectively organize and manage engineering-research projects at mid-managerial level in a modern industrial environment;
3. To prepare the engineers for their professional practice with strictest and highest ethical standards, taking into consideration economic, environmental, safety and social responsibility;
4. To support the economic development of Kazakhstan by empowering the new generation of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers who can facilitate the creation of innovative and highly technological goods and services.
The MSc-MAE provides a comprehensive technologic and scientific preparation for engineers in 3 (three) key areas of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering:
(1) Applied Mechanics;
(2) Energy and Thermofluids; and
(3) Engineering Design, Materials and Manufacturing,
in perfect alignment with today ́s technological challenges. A set of mandatory core courses guarantees competence in advanced mathematics, the 3 (three) key areas of the program, classic and novel research methods and effective oral and written communication in the science and technology domain.
By delivering an MSc at an international standard level, we are offering our master’s students future opportunities in terms of PhD and positions in research centers, locally or abroad.
Aims and Objectives
The mission of the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences at Nazarbayev University is to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan in terms of:
- Educating students with engineering expertise to lead organizations and provide innovative solutions for complex technical issues of enterprises.
- Conducting innovative and pioneering basics of applied research that evolve the body of knowledge in Engineering through interdisciplinary collaboration with other schools and research centers at Nazarbayev University and leading universities worldwide.
- Advancing the professional development in engineering through our service to the professional community and providing lifelong learning opportunities for practitioners.
1. To enable mechanical and aerospace engineers to make critical decisions based on uncertain and complex data, so that they can lead multidisciplinary teams within a modern organization;
2. To train mechanical and aerospace graduates in scientific research, so that they can effectively organize and manage engineering-research projects at mid-managerial level in a modern industrial environment;
3. To prepare the engineers for their professional practice with strictest and highest ethical standards, taking into consideration economic, environmental, safety and social responsibility;
4. To support the economic development of Kazakhstan by empowering the new generation of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineers who can facilitate the creation of innovative and highly technological goods and services.
Total Number of Credits: 120 ECTS
Year 1: Fall Semester (Semester 1)
Year 1: Spring Semester (Semester 2)
Year 2: Fall Semester (Semester 3)
Year 2: Spring Semester (Semester 4)
Program Core Courses
This course addresses the primary need for graduate students to undertake formal training that will help them in understanding how to conduct their research. The course will develop student’s understanding of research plan and engender skills enhancement for reading, interpreting, writing, and presenting key ideas. The course will also instill an understanding of a variety of research methods and ethics and implement appropriate strategies in lecture and workshop settings.
This graduate level course combines the application of rhetorical analysis to stylistic conventions of writing in engineering, with a focus on clarity, conciseness, and coherence. Students will employ process writing to produce genre specific writing familiar to Engineers, including research reports scientific papers designed for specific audiences. This course also trains students to deliver effective and appealing professional and scientific presentations, with attention to best practices in the use of technical English and oral communication.
This course reviews and deepens the advanced analytical and numerical methods to solve ODEs and PDEs. The whole course will be supported by a mathematical software package capable to perform
symbolical calculations. The module is designed for graduate students to cover their research needs concerning mathematical modeling via analytical, semi-analytical or numerical techniques.
symbolical calculations. The module is designed for graduate students to cover their research needs concerning mathematical modeling via analytical, semi-analytical or numerical techniques.
This course enables students to gain and apply basic research knowledge and skills to select their research projects in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering by attending a series of expert presentations and by assessing, preparing and presenting his or her own preliminary research ideas.
The course develops the following knowledge and skills:
1. Identifying the area of research interest;
2. Surveying of state of the art for the area of interest;
3. Identifying the research topic and associated issues;
4. Understanding of the social, cultural, global, and environmental issues associated with chosen
research topic;
5. Writing a research paper based on the literature survey under the supervision of a faculty
member;
6. Presentation of a seminar and being assessed by a panel.
The course develops the following knowledge and skills:
1. Identifying the area of research interest;
2. Surveying of state of the art for the area of interest;
3. Identifying the research topic and associated issues;
4. Understanding of the social, cultural, global, and environmental issues associated with chosen
research topic;
5. Writing a research paper based on the literature survey under the supervision of a faculty
member;
6. Presentation of a seminar and being assessed by a panel.
This course reviews the classical control systems, advanced classical control method, state space representation, optimal controller design, adaptive controller design as well as robust controller design. In addition, it deals with the H-infinity performance analysis for Robust controller and digital controller design with pole placement technique. It covers the areas of modern control technologies in manufacturing industries such as NC, CNC, precision control, etc. Finally, it deals with projects based on the problems drawn from mechatronics and manufacturing systems.
This module aims to provide deep understanding of advanced manufacturing terminology and introduces principles, techniques, and applications of abrasive and non-conventional machining processes as well as additive manufacturing. Course topic also includes philosophies, and practices developed by world-class manufacturers to meet current manufacturing challenges, such as lean production, push and pull, just in time, continuous flow manufacturing, Kanban, plant-floor quality assurance, warehousing, life cycle assessment and ISO-9000 certification. Theory is integrated with hands-on, computational and laboratory modeling of 3D product using specific processes, including the concepts of failure and improved performance. Students are expected to carry out an independent study by project and term paper on the related topics.
This course will provide students detailed theoretical backgrounds, formulations and implementations of the Finite Element Method and its application to solid and fluid mechanics. The specific topics include: (1) linear algebra; (2) one-dimensional element formulations; (3) two-dimensional beam element formulations; (4) two-dimensional plate element formulations; (5) plasticity and time integration in finite element methods; and (6) Application of solid and fluid mechanics.
This module presents an advanced approach to Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Heat Transfer (CHT), focusing in problem-solving with applications in Mechanical Engineering. The course will pay especial attention to the overview of fundamental principles, verification, and validation of CFD models and deep immersion in applications with scientific and engineering interest, including turbulence, multiphase, heat transfer and interfacial (i.e., microfluidics) phenomena.
This course intends to give students the opportunity to develop the research proposal. The course develops the following knowledge and skills:
1. Preparation of a thorough and comprehensive literature review to support the research
proposal;
2. Formulation of the research hypothesis;
3. Developing and justifying the methods to conduct the research.
1. Preparation of a thorough and comprehensive literature review to support the research
proposal;
2. Formulation of the research hypothesis;
3. Developing and justifying the methods to conduct the research.
This course intends to give students the opportunity to fully implement the research proposal and bring it to a conclusion. The course develops the following knowledge and skills:
1. Planning and conducting, independently, research at an advanced level;
2. Critically analyzing research results;
3. Effectively presenting their results to a wide audience;
4. Effectively compiling their results in the form of an authoritative thesis.
1. Planning and conducting, independently, research at an advanced level;
2. Critically analyzing research results;
3. Effectively presenting their results to a wide audience;
4. Effectively compiling their results in the form of an authoritative thesis.
Elective Courses Descriptions
The concepts of probability and statistics contribute extensively to the solutions of many types of engineering problems. According to an analysis conducted by LinkedIn, Statistical Analysis was one of the most sought-after skills in 2016. Graduates must have a fundamental knowledge of probability and statistics to be competitive in the world market. Advanced Statistics and Probability will best serve Master students in all engineering disciplines. The first half of this course aims at bringing the students, who arrive with quite varying undergraduate backgrounds in statistics and probability, up to the same advanced level. The 2nd half discusses advanced topics (e.g. Decision trees, Multiple Regression Analysis, Statistical Quality Control).
This subject deals primarily with numerical methods to solve differential equations of relevance in Mechanical Engineering. Emphasis will be placed on solution of systems of ordinary differential equations and boundary value problems in partial differential equations. The student will need to develop numerical algorithms on a programming platform (e.g., MATLAB, C++, Excel, etc., as indicated by instructor) to solve a variety of engineering applications. Numerical solution will be compared with analytical results whenever these ones are available, and students will explore the principles of validity, accuracy, and computational cost of their numerical solution.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Design is a design course that covers the aspects of modern aircraft design for small unmanned and autonomous vehicles. It covers the design of fixed wing and multi-rotor aerial vehicles that can be used for a variety of applications such as parcel delivery, surveillance, environmental monitoring, and mapping. The course integrates the student’s knowledge of aerodynamics and control and introduces the concepts of static and dynamic stability. Students design, build and test conceptual models to affirm the concepts of flight and control.
The course provides deeper knowledge of applied aerodynamics by focusing on computational methods and unsteady flows. During the course, students first review fundamentals of ideal aerodynamics and then extend the scope to include computation of aerodynamic forces for arbitrary streamlined bodies using different panel methods. The course also covers boundary layer corrections to account for viscous drag. Corrections for high speed are also discussed by introducing various compressibility corrections. Unsteady ideal aerodynamics is introduced to examine the effects of sudden plunging, periodic heave and pitching of airfoils.
In this course students will learn to analyze aircraft dynamics and aircraft flight control systems. Students will review the influence of forces and moments acting on the aircraft in terms of its static and dynamic stability, as well as how to model and analyze its dynamic motion and handling qualities. Additionally, students will study different theories on control of dynamic systems and learn to design stability augmentation systems and trajectory control and optimization solutions.
Building on knowledge of materials science, mechanics and machine design, the course explores and exploits the couplings between design, manufacturing, operation/ performance, maintenance, and end-of-life and equips students with core knowledge regarding the physical principles involved, constitutive models and applicable architectures and design methods from the state of the art. The mechanical performance of mission-critical engineering systems and components is analyzed in consideration of a) realistic material constitutive models (incl. hysteresis, plasticity, and creep) and boundary/ operating conditions, b) manufacturing affordances and limitations, incl. residual stresses/
strains, and c) the complete system lifecycle, including technically important phenomena such as fatigue and ageing. The module is delivered in a project-based format, involving case studies from machine design, space satellite design, aeronautical structures, wind turbines, ground vehicles etc., in the context of running design and research projects with industrial partners. The course makes use of a dedicated Concurrent Engineering Design environment (Machine Design Laboratory), training students in state-of-the-art workflows (CAD/ CAE/ PDM).
strains, and c) the complete system lifecycle, including technically important phenomena such as fatigue and ageing. The module is delivered in a project-based format, involving case studies from machine design, space satellite design, aeronautical structures, wind turbines, ground vehicles etc., in the context of running design and research projects with industrial partners. The course makes use of a dedicated Concurrent Engineering Design environment (Machine Design Laboratory), training students in state-of-the-art workflows (CAD/ CAE/ PDM).
Nowadays it is crucial to be able to design, manufacture and operate systems in a way that they use energy and resources sustainable while at the same time minimize potential negative impact on the environment. Sustainability implies that the use of energy and resources is at a rate that does not compromise the natural environment, or the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This course addresses fundamental aspects of sustainability in the development of engineering designs and manufacturing. Topics to be presented include: (a) sustainable development; (b) environmental impact of engineering designs; (c) legal aspects associated to mechanical engineering design and environmental impact; (d) Life-Cycle-Analysis (LCA); (e) ISO 14000 Environmental section; (f) integration of recycling in the design; (g) biology-inspired design; and (h) life-cycle cost analysis.
This module is offered for graduate students who are interested in the design optimization of engineering systems considering several aspects. The objective of this module is to present tools and methodologies for performing engineering optimization in a multidisciplinary design context. This module will cover all three aspects of the problem: (a) the multidisciplinary requirements of the problem, (b) the appropriate guidelines and methodologies applied in modelling for design optimization and (c) the employed tools and methodologies for optimization. However, focus will be given in the modelling requirements and the modern optimization methods that are used to address such problems.
This is an advanced module to Master’s in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering program and deals with the use of computational tools to generate 3D digital models of parts and to analyze their mechanical performance when used in engineering machinery or devices. This course aims at bringing the MSc students, who arrive with quite varying backgrounds in Computer Aided Engineering (CAE), up to the same advanced level. This module also covers the use of standard software to prepare mathematical models of interest in engineering applications.
This course addresses the primary need for graduate students to undertake formal training that will help them in understanding the basic concepts, principles, techniques, and theories for the analysis of aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics in aerospace propulsion systems. The course will develop students’ capabilities for applying the knowledge learnt for the analysis and design of aerospace propulsion systems. The course will also instill an appreciation of the historical development of aerospace propulsion systems, as well as develop their skills in using modern engineering tools to solve propulsion-related engineering problems.
To provide knowledge of dynamics, stability, and control of aircraft and to interpret these in the context of flying. The course would be subdivided into two main sections: governing equations and flight dynamics.
To provide an understanding of the theories of Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics and to show how these structural concepts can be applied to the design and testing of aircraft structures. Some appreciation of the relationship to Airworthiness Certification will also be included.
This course will immerse students in a Concurrent Engineering Design environment (Machine Design Laboratory), where they will be working on the design of various Space Structures in the context of running research projects in a workshop-project format. Students will become intimately acquainted with bleeding edge space technologies, such as gyroscopic systems, vibration damping systems, satellite structures, composites, honeycombs, truss-cores, and nanomaterials. By the end of the course students will be able to perform design of these kinds of space structures.
The objective of this course is to present the mechanics of living systems from an engineering point of view. The students will learn about the history of biomechanics, constitutive equations, the flow properties of bio-fluids, mechanics of cells and the interaction of red blood cells with blood vessels and wall shear with endothelium.
The course aims to introduce the students to an important and complicated topic in engineering: Fluid Structure interaction (FSI) and its analysis by computational simulation. The students will learn to understand the physics, methods, and models available for the study of FSI and how to apply them in engineering applications.
The whole world is campaigning for sustainable living. Energy used by the built environment is a major factor. As such, energy efficient and low energy building should be designed and built in accordance with its location and functionality and be operated to its requirements and maintained adequately.
This module presents advanced knowledge in Conduction and Radiation. The problems will be oriented towards Mechanical Engineering applications. Starting from fundamental principles of conduction and radiation, the course will explore advanced aspects of these two concepts. A special attention will be given to the deep understanding of the problem-solving process and interpretation. Applications such as semi-infinite and/or multidimensional conduction problems, moving interfaces, advanced radiation view factors, radiation involving non-ideal surfaces and semi-transparent media will be investigated.
The ever-increasing demand of power, heating and cooling associated to global population and economic growth, parallel to anthropogenic global warming and fast depletion of fossil fuels, creates an imperative need to incorporate a much larger share of clean and renewable energy. The Renewable Energy Systems course introduces graduate students to the principles of energy conversion, storage, technologies, and economy associated to the use of renewable energy sources. The course presents a global overview of renewable energy sources with a focus on solar and wind energy sources, covering various aspects of the modeling, design and analysis of solar power and heating, and on-shore/off-shore wind power systems, including their economic and environmental impact analyses.