"I already have a MSME from another school. As part of the curriculum I took two classes that were advertised as finite element analysis. The classes only covered how to push the buttons to make a program run. The finite element method was only briefly mentioned. Just enough so that we would have 'heard some of the terminology'. I recognized that finite element analysis (FEA) was a powerful tool but I was taught just enough to be dangerous. My attempts to use a professional code that was loaned to my company by a vendor ended in frustration. ME345 was what I needed to give me the necessary foundation before trying again to use FEA. I am already putting together a list of analyses that will benefit my company. The kind of stuff that would be very hard to do closed form. The class covers the basics of the finite element method through hand calculations and transitions into student written FEA programs. A professional code is introduced, as it should be, after a study of the basics. Thinking through the homework and especially through the programing assignments was an excellent way to learn both the theory and implementation of FEA. There is a lot of work but that is because there is a lot to cover. The pacing is good and Professor Thomas knows when review is necessary and when to go on to the next topic. I would recommend this class to someone who wants to start from zero and end up with a good foundation in Finite Element Analysis."

-- Robert Pearce, Online Student

"Thank you for the excellent course; it truly did measure up to all of the claims advertised at the website. I suspect a significant degree of extra effort goes into preparing these classes so that folks like me can absorb them at a distance. I've highly recommended both this and Dr. Socie's ME 347 (ME 431)course to several of my interested colleagues."

Keith Smith Research Engineer - Structural Fatigue Analysis and Testing