Mechanical Engineering, B.M.E.

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Description

Mechanical Engineers design machines, engines, automotive components, robots, welding devices, and ventilation systems. Career opportunities are diverse and include aeronautics, aerospace, automotive, biomedical, cryogenics, robotics, product design, and manufacturing.

What careers can this major prepare you for?

Graduates work in careers such as: Acoustics Engineering, Building Systems Engineering, Marine Mechanical Engineering, HVAC Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Robotics Engineering, Tool Engineering.

What skills are developed within this major?

Students learn apply principles of mathematics, science, and engineering in a variety of contexts. They hone their ability to use the techniques, skills, and tools necessary for science and engineering practice as well as design and conduct experiments. They learn to analyze and interpret data.

Admission to Major

Admission to the Washkewicz College of Engineering.

Hours Required for Degree

Minimum hours required for degree: 128 (not including credits earned in the Engineering Cooperative Education Program)

Major-Field Requirements

Grade Restriction: Mechanical Engineering students are limited to a total of two D grades in ESC and MCE courses.

Mathematics Required Courses (3 courses)

Ethics Required Courses (1 course)

PHL 215 - Engineering Ethics

Science Required Courses (4 courses)

Co-Op Required Course

(Course optional for degree - required for co-op program)

ESC 130 - Engineering Co-op Orientation

Engineering Science Required Courses (12-13 courses)

Mechanical Engineering Required Courses (16 courses)

Mechanical Engineering Capstone Required Courses (2 courses)

Mechanical Engineering Elective Courses

(Choose 3 courses from the list below - must include a minimum of 1 lab elective)

Honors Program Requirements

The Department of Mechanical Engineering requires honors students to complete four courses for a total of 16 credit hours. These four courses are integrated into the requirements for the bachelor’s degree and do not increase the total number of hours beyond the regular curriculum. The objective of the upper division requirements is to expose the student to an advanced level and broader base of engineering design and problem solving. The one course at the junior level is a contract course and introduces problem solving in a more realistic setting than most design problems at this level. The student must accommodate the myriad of constraints encountered by projects in industry. The two courses at the graduate level introduce the student to advanced design and analysis methods. The final course is the honors thesis and exposes the student to the process of research, analysis, and documentation so crucial to future success in all career fields. Each of these courses are four credit hours.

1. One (1) junior level honors contract course chosen from:

MCE 260HC Kinematics
MCE 324HC Honors Introduction to Heat Transfer
MCE 365HC Machine Design I
MCE 371HC Honors Vibrations

2. Two (2) graduate level courses chosen from:

MCE 521 Applied Thermodynamics
MCE 541 Introduction to Linear Controls
MCE 5XX (Any departmental 500 level course will also substitute for a senior technical elective)

3. One (1) honors thesis course:

MCE 499H Honors Thesis (This course substitutes for the second senior technical elective)

Honors students will be graded in the graduate courses according to graduate level standards and on the graduate grading scale (no “D” grade). Honors students are encouraged to enroll in the M.E. 4+1 accelerated masters program during their junior year. In this program, the graduate coursework will apply towards the student’s undergraduate degree as well as the masters degree. Note however, while grades of “C” or “B-” in graduate coursework will apply towards the undergraduate degree, they will not be accepted for graduate credit in the 4+1 program.

University Scholars Requirements

The Department of Mechanical Engineering requires scholars students to complete three courses for a total of 12 credit hours at the graduate level. These courses form an integrated part of the bachelor’s degree and do not increase the total number of hours beyond the regular curriculum. The purpose of these courses is to expose the student to the advanced level of design and analysis required in many career fields. These courses may be chosen from:

MCE 521 Applied Thermodynamics
MCE 541 Introduction to Linear Controls
MCE 5XX (Any departmental 500 level course will also substitute for a senior technical elective)

Scholars students are also strongly encouraged to enroll in the M.E. 4+1 accelerated masters program during their junior year. In this program, the graduate coursework will apply towards the student’s undergraduate degree as well as the masters degree. Note however, while grades of “C” or “B-” in graduate coursework will apply towards the undergraduate degree, they will not be accepted for graduate credit in the 4+1 program.

Accelerated 4+1 Program

See the Mechanical Engineering, Accelerated 4+1 BME/MSME page.