Online Certification in Practice of Finite Element Principles

The Certification in Practice of Finite Element Principles is a 100% online, non-credit, three-course certification program provided by The Ohio State University College of Engineering SIMCenter.

This program is designed for engineers and other practitioners who wish to learn more and increase their skills in Finite Element Principles. Three out of four courses must be completed in order to earn the certification, but students have the option to take standalone courses for targeted learning. Four CEUs are granted upon successful completion of each course.

Participants will learn to:

1. Recognize connections between theoretical (mathematical) concepts and modeling choices.

2. Recognize that the data generated by CAE tools needs to be critically evaluated.

3. Pursue integrating CAE into their work.

Online delivery includes: 

• Instructional material equivalent to a one semester credit hour class

• Approximately 2 hours "in-class" work and 4-6-hours of "homework" for a total weekly time commitment of 6-8 hours. Please note, every learner is different so this is only a guideline. Some learners may need to budget more time to complete the requirements of this course.

• Pre-recorded course lectures are available 24/7 through the university's Learning Management System called Carmen.

• ​Course duration of 10 weeks. 

COURSE LIST

FOUNDATIONS IN FINITE ELEMENT PRINCIPLES: 

Course Duration | August 24th, 2020 - November 2nd, 2020 

• Participants will learn how to explain linear static assumptions, demonstrate the derivation of element stiffness matrix using the direct method & potential energy approach, relate the concepts of a global stiffness matrix, and nodal degrees of freedom & boundary condition definitions. 

• Registration ends August 23rd, 2020

FINITE ELEMENT AND FINITE DIFFERENCE PRINCIPLES IN HEAT CONDUCTION:

 Course Duration | August 24th, 2020 - November 2nd, 2020 

• Participants will learn how to explain Fourier's Law, material properties and boundary conditions for heat conduction, describe the underlying theory for the finite difference method, compare implicit & explicit time integration schemes, and describe the Finite Element Method including elements, nodes, shape functions, and element stiffness matrix. 

• Registration ends August 23rd, 2020

FINITE ELEMENT PRINCIPLES IN NON-LINEAR STATIC ANALYSIS: 

Course Duration | Jan 11th, 2021 - March 22nd, 2021

• Participants will learn how to recognize geometric nonlinearities for Finite Element Analysis, describe stability & buckling analyses, define material nonlinearity, apply the Lagrange multiplier contact method, and apply the penalty method for contact analysis. 

• Registration ends January 10th, 2021

FINITE ELEMENT PRINCIPLES IN LINEAR DYNAMIC ANALYSIS: 

Course Duration | May 26th, 2021 - August 4th, 2021

• Participants will learn how to explain fundamental mechanical vibration concepts, describe the underlying theory for common dynamic solution methodologies employed in the finite element software, interpret results in the time, frequency & modal domains, understand the assumptions, and select appropriate damping models. 
• Registration ends May 25th, 2021

COURSE PREREQUISITES: 

Education

A bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field is strongly recommended.

Finite Element Software

To complete the requirements of this course students will be required to complete a project using finite element software. Before enrolling in these courses students should be able to:

• Build a mesh from CAD geometry

• Apply material definitions to model

• Apply loads and boundary conditions

• Visualize results

Students are encouraged to use the software of their choice. If FE software and/or hardware is not available to the student virtual classroom space will be provided through an agreement with the Ohio Supercomputing Center (OSC).

Enrollees should also have a background in the following areas:

Computational Skills

• Using computational approaches will reinforce skills required for computational engineering in a broader sense.

• Homework problems should be solved using MATLAB, Python, or other computational tools. Octave is similar to MATLAB and is freeware.

• Student will be asked to solve problems by generating basic scripts for homework assignments

• Minimal previous experience will be needed

Engineering Concepts

• Basic concepts of stress, strain, Hooke’s Law

• Material properties such as Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s Ratio

• Free body diagrams

• Beam equations

Linear Algebra

• Matrix Multiplication

• Matrix Transpose

• Identity Matrix

Calculus

• Differentiation

• Integration

Software and Hardware Requirements:

• Computer with high-speed internet connection for online course

• Computer capable of running FE software for project assignments

  • Students may use any appropriate software tool for the course.

  • No technical support will be provided from OSU staff for FE software being used by students

  • If FE software and/or hardware is not available to the student virtual classroom space will be provided through an agreement with the Ohio Supercomputing Center (OSC).

Note: Software training and support is not provided.

CANCELLATIONS & REFUNDS: 

A full refund minus a $50 administrative fee will be made if cancellation is received one week prior to the start of the course. No refunds within one week of the course start date. 

TUITION:

Each course is $1000 although students can take three courses to earn the certificate for $2,500. 

COURSE DATES:

Each course offering is tied to the academic calendar; therefore, they operate with specific start and end dates. Students must complete each course during the specific time frame. Access to the online course and materials is removed when the course ends.