This study employs the space-time conservation element and solution element (CESE) method to simulate the temperature and heat flux distributions in a finite medium subject to various non-Fourier heat conduction models. The simulations consider three specific cases, namely a single phase lag (SPL) thermal wave model with a pulsed temperature condition, a SPL model with a surface heat flux input, and a dual phase lag (DPL) thermal wave model with an initial deposition of thermal energy. In every case, the thermal waves are simulated with respect to time as the thermal wave propagates through the medium with a constant velocity. In general, the simulation results are found to be in good agreement with the exact analytical solutions. Furthermore, it is shown that the CESE method yields low numerical dissipation and dispersion errors and accurately models the propagation of the wave form even in its discontinuous portions. Significantly, compared to traditional numerical schemes, the CESE method provides the ability to model the behavior of the SPL thermal wave following its reflection from the boundary surface. Further, a numerical analysis is performed to establish the CESE time step and mesh size parameters required to ensure stable solutions of the SPL and DPL thermal wave models, respectively. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.