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Overview of the Undergraduate Program

Are you interested in the way things work? Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics (MEAM) is the study of forces, deformations and motions of solid bodies and fluids, heat generation and transport, and applications to analysis, design, and manufacture of components, machines, and systems. Students in mechanical engineering follow a program which contains basic groundwork in all aspects of mechanical engineering, but flexibility in the curriculum allows students to pursue elective programs in fields such as aeronautics, robotics, computers, electronics, automatic controls, and materials.

The career opportunities available to mechanical engineers are perhaps the broadest among all the fields of engineering. A wide variety of industries, including aerospace, automotive, electronics, computers, and robotics, employ mechanical engineers. Positions range from research and development to design and manufacturing to field engineering and marketing. Some recent graduates have taken positions with consulting and financial institutions while others have gone on to graduate studies in engineering, business, law, and medicine.

MEAM undergraduates are encouraged to do research during their course of study. The department's research interests are in the areas of computer integrated design and manufacturing, energy engineering, micromechanical systems, microelectronic manufacturing, mechanics of modern materials, numerical simulation of complex phenomena, and robotics.

Students are encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities.  One example is Formula SAE, a club that participates in an international competition in which students from Universities from across the world design, manufacture and then test small Formula style race cars.  Each year, the organizing body provides a set of rules and more than 130 teams design and manufacture a car to compete in four driving events, as well as three presentation events.