An elementary Heat Transfer course is offered for undergraduate students in a four-year mechanical engineering degree program. It covers the fundamental concepts of conduction, convection and radiation along with principles of heat-exchange. Prerequisites may include general physics, thermodynamics, the ability to choose an appropriate thermal system and the ability to identify flows of mass and energy. This course expects students to implement knowledge of calculus such as non-linear algebraic equations, integration, differentiation and solving differential equations. Hence, some minimum course credit in college calculus is required. Few schools offer this course as an online course.
A graduate level certificate course in Heat Transfer or Applied Heat Transfer at a university can either earn you credits toward a master's degree in Mechanical Engineering or a certificate, depending on what program you enroll in. The first prerequisite is a bachelor's degree in engineering, science, mathematics or technology. Certain universities may require a minimum grade point average (GPA). Further, you must have some minimum number of credits in heat transfer and related mechanical engineering courses. The school decides how many credits you may transfer from another school, and the minimum grade needed in each course for credit.
This course enhances your understanding of the heat transfer process and technologies and how you may apply them in the industry. It involves interdisciplinary problem solving and is targeted toward mid-career and late-career engineers, engineering managers and engineers new to applied heat transfer.
Some institutes offer online courses for professionals to continue their education and maintain their work license. Licensing ensures that professionals take adequate safety measures in an industrial setting. One such online school is PDHengineer.com, which offers courses for engineering professionals in the U.S. for maintaining their state license. There is a "Fundamentals of Heat Transfer" course, "Heat Exchanger Fundamentals," "Heat Exchanger Applications," "Compressible Flow Components Analysis," "Evaporation and Condensation" and other related courses as part of its mechanical engineering category.
The value and worth of each course depends on the program, its purpose and targeted students. Overall, students will be well-equipped for the industry or academics either at basic, advanced, research or vocational-specific applied areas.