Emphasis areas at all levels in control systems, energy conversion, environmental systems, instrumentation, manufacturing processes, materials science, mechanical design and analysis, and thermal science.
The mechanical engineering program is offered in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering.
Mechanical engineering has broad applications and is one of the most basic of all branches of engineering.
As a mechanical engineer you will be concerned with the conversion and transfer of energy from one form to another; with the design, construction, and operation of all types of machines; and with the selection and design of instrumentation and systems for the control of all types of physical and environmental systems.
You may design products and manufacturing processes, supervise production methods and operations, design and supervise fabrication and testing of individual machines and complete plants, or be involved in applied or basic research.
In your first few semesters as a mechanical engineering student, you will develop a sound background in the fundamental sciences of mathematics, physics, and chemistry, and you will take a broad selection of liberal arts courses. You will also learn to work with computers. Onto this foundation you will add the basic required courses of engineering sciences and technology including stress analysis, machine design, machine dynamics, electricity, electronics, control theory, thermodynamics, heat transfer, energy conversion, fluid mechanics, computer-aided engineering (CAE), and computer-aided design (CAD).
To provide some degree of specialization for those students who are interested in a particular area of mechanical engineering, there are nine hours of technical electives that you can select to concentrate in an emphasis area (such as robotics, manufacturing automation, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, dynamics and controls, solid mechanics, vibrations, and design). If you are interested in getting some background in a closely allied field such as aerospace, petroleum, or nuclear engineering, you can, with the aid of your advisor, select some of your desired technical electives in those fields.
Mission Statement
We will provide a rigorous, productive, and relevant academic learning environment for students, faculty, and staff in the mechanical and aerospace engineering department by continually focusing on our core missions of teaching, research, and service.
We will ensure that graduating students are well-educated and sufficiently prepared in the fundamentals of mechanical and aerospace engineering practice and science, such that they have the ability to solve open-ended problems in these disciplines and the capabilities required in order to become competent, productive, and well-rounded professionals.
We will emphasize scholarship, graduate education, and the development of new knowledge and skills in the traditional areas associated with mechanical and aerospace engineering. Additionally, we will develop cross-cutting multi-disciplinary efforts such that we are widely recognized by local, national, and international research and business communities as respected leaders in research, innovation, and discovery.
We will render meritorious service to our profession through active participation and engagement in service activities in our professional communities at all levels (local, national, and international), as well as in fulfilling campus and departmental governance, outreach, and service activities.
Program Educational Objectives
The mechanical engineering program seeks to prepare its graduates for the following early career and professional accomplishments in their employment by industry, government agencies, academia, or private practice:
- Demonstrated engineering competence, successfully contributing within their career fields with increasing levels of responsibility and influence
- Continuous growth in knowledge and capability, within the mechanical engineering field as well as across interdisciplinary boundaries