The Master of Advanced Study in Simulation-based Engineering is a 36-unit degree program which consists of nine 4-unit courses.

The program begins fall quarter and can be completed in two years of consecutive fall, winter and spring quarters; no courses are conducted during the summer. The second year culminates in the presentation of the team capstone project in the final spring quarter. The capstone team project (4 units) requires a combination of in-class, laboratory, and off-campus work. It provides an opportunity for students to integrate knowledge acquired over previous quarters in a written report and oral presentation.

Proposed Courses

• Fall Quarter - Year One
Computational Techniques in Finite Element Methods
Practical application of the finite element method to problems in solid mechanics including basic preprocessing and post-processing. Topics include element types, mesh refinement, boundary conditions, dynamics, eigenvalue problems, and linear and nonlinear solution methods.

Finite Element Methods in Solid Mechanics I
Finite element methods for linear problems in solid mechanics. Emphasis on the principle of virtual work, finite element stiffness matrices, various finite element formulations and their accuracy and the numerical implementation required to solve problems in small strain, isotropic elasticity in solid mechanics.
• Winter Quarter - Year One
Finite Element Methods in Solid Mechanics II
Finite element methods for linear problems in structural dynamics. Beam, plate, and doubly curved shell elements are derived. Strategies for eliminating shear locking problems are introduced. Formulation and numerical solution of the equations of motion for structural dynamics are introduced and the effect of different mass matrix formulations on the solution accuracy is explored.

Finite Element Methods for Fluids and Fluid-Structure Interaction
In the first part, development and application of advanced computational techniques for fluid flow, and stabilized and variational multiscale methods for finite element and related discretizations are stressed. Incompressible and compressible Navier-Stokes equations, and turbulence modeling will also be covered. In the second part, conservation laws on general moving domains, Arbitrary Lagrange-Eulerian (ALE) and spacetime approaches to fluid-structure interaction are covered. Suitable discretizations, mesh motion, and discrete solution strategies are discussed.

• Spring Quarter - Year One
Cardiovascular Fluid Mechanics*
Topics in the mechanics of blood flow including analytical solutions for flow in deformable vessels, one-dimensional equations, cardiovascular anatomy, lumped parameter models, vascular trees, scaling laws, and an introduction to the biomechanics and treatment of adult and congenital cardiovascular diseases.

Finite Element Methods in Solid Mechanics III
Finite element methods for problems with both material and geometrical (large deformations) nonlinearities. The total LaGrangian and the updated LaGrangian formulations are introduced. Basic solution methods for the nonlinear equations are developed and applied to problems in plasticity and hyperelasticity.
• Fall Quarter - Year Two
Validation and Verification of Computational Models*
Methods applied to the verification and validation of predictive numerical simulations with an emphasis on testing and finite element analysis for Structural Dynamics. Areas covered include code verification, solution verification, feature extraction, test-analysis correlation, statistical modeling, meta-modeling, calibration, and assessment of prediction accuracy. The quantification of uncertainty, both in the forward mode and inverse mode is also addressed.
• Winter Quarter - Year Two
Dynamic Behavior of Materials*
Elastic waves in continuum; longitudinal and shear waves. Surface waves. Plastic waves; shock waves, Rankine-Hugoniot relations. Method of characteristics, differential and difference form of conservation equations; dynamic plasticity and dynamic fracture. Shock wave reflection and interaction.
• Spring Quarter - Year Two
Application of Simulation Based Engineering - Capstone Course
In the project-based course the students work individually or in small groups (2-3 students) and make use of a commercial FEM software package to produce a case study that involves nonlinear finite element analysis of an engineering system. The projects may be directly related to a particular problem the student is interested in as a part of his/her professional career. A list of possible project will also be available to those who do not have a particular problem in mind to solve. Projects may include computational assessment of aerodynamic efficiency of wind turbine blades via coupled fluid-structure interaction or a computational simulation of a proposed surgical design for a bypass graft.

*electives - subject to change

Benefits

• Engage in state-of-the-art engineering that will lead to the development of next-generation technology
• Earn a masters degree from a world class institution and faculty in a unique, cross-disciplinary field
• Emerge a technical leader in engineering in a field that will enhance career experiences and help to prepare for future technical challenges

Key Features

• High-quality technical program with interdisciplinary focus
• Courses taught by UCSD faculty experts
• Courses are planned to be simultaneously offered on campus and online
• 9 courses, complete degree in 2 years
• Apply new technologies in capstone design project

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