Program overview
Fluid mechanics might sound a bit abstract, but it's actually all around us—why can airplanes fly? How do rivers flow? How does wind affect buildings? These are all questions fluid mechanics explores. Simply put, it studies the motion of gases and liquids, including changes in velocity, pressure, and temperature. Core courses include Fundamentals of Fluid Mechanics, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Experimental Fluid Mechanics, Turbulence Theory, Aerodynamics, and Hydrodynamics. If you enjoy physics and math and are interested in solving real-world problems—like designing more fuel-efficient airplanes or more efficient wind turbines—this major is a great fit. Chinese universities are strong in fluid mechanics; for example, Tsinghua University, Beihang University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have world-class labs and wind tunnels, working on cutting-edge topics like hypersonic vehicles and flow control for deep-sea submersibles. International students here can engage in many practical engineering projects and get hands-on experience with advanced CFD software and experimental equipment.