Department of Mechanical Engineering

The mission of the Department of Mechanical Engineering is aligned with the mission of Watson College: to provide education and research opportunities through a firm grounding in fundamentals, elements of practical application, and an appreciation for liberal learning.

Our curriculum has been designed to provide strong technical preparation in mechanical engineering. The ME curriculum offers a balance among theory, design, and laboratory experience in the areas of thermal fluids, mechanics, dynamic systems, design and materials - all to help students develop into leaders in the field.

Our primary goal is to prepare our graduates for professional practice in mechanical engineering or continued study at the graduate level, based on a thorough grounding in the fundamentals and skills used by the mechanical engineer.

Undergraduate Program

The BS in Mechanical Engineering curriculum has been designed to provide strong technical preparation in the broad field of mechanical engineering.

The program emphasizes the application of engineering fundamentals rather than specialization within areas of mechanical engineering. However, some specialization is permitted through elective courses. Care has been taken to ensure a balanced integration of theory, design, and laboratory practice through the selection and sequencing of courses within the curriculum.

The primary goal is to prepare the mechanical engineering bachelor of science graduate for a creative, lifelong engineering career.

Combined degrees and minor programs are available.

Graduate Programs

The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers graduate programs (MS and PhD degrees) in the broad fields of mechanical engineering (ME) and materials science and engineering (MSE).

The MS in Materials Science and Engineering is described under Materials Science and Engineering, MS and the PhD in Materials Science and Engineering is described under Materials Science and Engineering, PhD. Both MSE programs may be found in the Graduate School section of the Academic Guide.

Funding

Teaching assistant (TA) and research assistant (RA) positions are available for MS and PhD students. As an admitted student, you will be automatically considered for TA funding, but please note that these positions are competitively assigned. Interested students should contact faculty members directly to see if they have RA positions available.

Qualified master’s program applicants, including those who apply to the 4+1 Program, can now earn a Mechanical Engineering Student Excellence Scholarship valued at $1,000.

Career outcomes

Our students graduate prepared to continue their research in academic institutions or enter the industry. Many have obtained positions as mechanical, manufacturing, project, design, and HVAC engineers with competitive companies, such as:

Analog Devices
BAE Systems
Cisco
Corning Inc.
Dover Technologies
Ford Motor Co.
General Electric
IBM Corp.
Intel
Lockheed Martin
Motorola
Qualcomm
Welch Allyn
Academic institutions and national laboratories

Programs

Undergraduate Programs

Mechanical Engineering, BS

Graduate Programs

Combined Programs

Mechanical Engineering 4+1 Programs