Undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Course Descriptions
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Lower-division courses in the Major
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Upper-division courses in the Major
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Technical elective and option areas
Understanding course descriptions:
• The number following the course title indicates total credit hours. For example, in the case of the following course:
Mech 304 Instrumentation and Measurement 3 (2-3)
number 3 indicates that this is a three-credit course. If there are other numbers in parenthesis following the credit hour, they indicate the total number of lecture and laboratory hours per week. In the above example, (2-3) indicates that there are 2 lecture hours and 3 laboratory hours per week.
• Prerequisites are listed if there are courses you need to take before you enroll in a course. There are three types of prerequisites:
- Rec.: Recommended prerequisite
- Prereq.: Prerequisite course that must have been completed to take this course
- c//: Indicates that you may take the course at the same time you take the prerequisite
• [M] indicates that this is a writing in the major type course. The course will require writing related to the major of the student.
• Senior standing: In order to take this course the student must have completed at least 90 credits of course work towards the degree.
Lower-division courses in the Major
CS 251 C Programming Language 2. Prereq Math 171 or c//. Comprehensive programming practice using C.
Mech 101 (120) Intro to Mechanical Engineering (PDF) 2. Introduction to mechanical engineering profession; engineering problem solving; computers in engineering; design methods.
Mech 103 Engineering Graphics (PDF) 3 (1-6). Orthographic theory, conventions, and visualization; isometric and oblique pictorials; geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, computer-aided drafting and solid modeling.
Mech 211 Statics (PDF) 3. Prereq Math 172 or c//; Phys 201 or c//. Static equilibrium analysis of particles and rigid bodies, free-body diagrams, shear-moment diagrams, friction, center of gravity, moments of inertia.
Mech 212 Dynamics (PDF) 3. Prereq Mech 211. Kinematics and kinetics of particles and rigid bodies; Newton's second law of motion; work-energy concept; impulse and momentum.
Mech 215 Mechanics of Materials (PDF) 3. Prereq Mech 211. Concepts of stress, strain, and their relationships; axial, torsion, bending and combined stresses; properties of materials; columns and strain energy method.
Upper-division courses in the Major
Mech 301 Thermodynamics (PDF) 3. Prereq Phys 201; Rec Math 220, Rec Math 315. Thermodynamic properties of matter, ideal and real gases, work and heat, first and second laws and their application to engineering systems.
Mech 303 Fluid Mechanics (PDF) 3. Prereq certified Mech major, Mech 212, Mech 303 or c//. Fluid statics, laminar and turbulent flow, impulse and momentum, similitude, pipe flow, boundary layers, lift and drag, and measurement techniques.
Mech 304 Instrumentation and Measurement (PDF) 3 (2-3). Prereq CS 251, Math 220 or c//, Math 315 or c//, Phys 202. Introduction to basic DC and AC circuits, analog electronic components, digital circuits, computer data acquisition and engineering measurements.
Mech 309 Introduction to Engineering Materials (PDF) 3 (2-3). Prereq Chem 106, Phys 201 or c//. Structure of materials, phase equilibrium, phase transformations, and mechanical properties.
Mech 310 Introduction to Design and Manufacturing (PDF) 4 (3-3). Prereq certified Mech major, Mech 103, Mech 309. Basic mechanical design: visual thinking, engineering drawing, and design process. Manufacturing process: shaping and non-shaping processes. Exposure to 3D-CAD.
Mech 313 Engineering Analysis (PDF) 3. Prereq CS 251, Math 220, Math 315, major in engineering. Analysis and modeling of engineering problems utilizing numerical and mathematical techniques and computers.
Mech 314 [M] Design Process (PDF) 3. Prereq certified Mech major, Mech 215, completed writing portfolio or c//. Introduction to the engineering design process, including topics relevant to the engineering job.
Mech 348 Dynamic Systems (PDF) 3. Prereq certified Mech major, Mech 212, Mech 313. Fundamentals of vibration analysis, control systems, system modeling and dynamics analysis.
Mech 402 Thermal Systems Design (PDF) 3 (2-3). Prereq certified Mech major, Mech 301, Mech 404. Power and refrigeration cycles, thermodynamic relations, mixtures, reacting systems and combustion, phase and chemical equilibrium, compressible flow.
Mech 404 Heat Transfer (PDF) 3. Prereq Math 220, Math 315, Mech 303 or c//. Fundamentals of conduction, convection, and radiation heat transfer; analytical, numerical, and experimental results for solids, liquids, and gases; principals of heat exchanger design.
Mech 414 Machine Design (PDF) 3. Prereq certified Mech major, Mech 215, Mech 309. Optimal design of machinery; analysis for prevention of machine elements failure.
Mech 416 [M] Mechanical Systems Design I (PDF) 2. Prereq Mech 414 or c//, senior standing, consent of Academic Coordinator required. First term of year-long design class. Integrative design in ME; multidisciplinary design project, both technical and non-technical contexts.
Mech 417 Mechanical Systems Design II (PDF) 3. Prereq Mech 416, senior standing, or consent of instructor. Second term of year-long design class. Integrative design in M.E.; multidisciplinary design project, both technical and non-technical contexts.
Mech 483 Topics in Mechanical Engineering V 1-4 (0-4; 0-12). May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 7 hours. Contemporary topics in materials engineering.
Mech 495 Internship in Mechanical Industry 3 or 6. May be repeated for credit; cumulative maximum 12 hours. Prereq certified mechanical engineering major. By interview only. Students work full time on engineering assignment in approved industries with industrial and faculty supervision. S, F grading.
Mech 499 Special Problems V 1-4. May be repeated for credit. S, F grading.
Stat 360 Probability and Statistics (PDF) 3. Prereq Math 172. Probability models, sample spaces, random variables, distributions, moments, comparative experiments, tests, correlation and regression in engineering applications.
Technical elective and option areas:
Micro and Nano Technology option
(1) Mech 431 Semiconductor Devices (PDF) 3. Prereq Chem 106, Phys 202. Fundamentals of semiconductor device physics, including IC devices and MEMS devices. Use of TCAD for device simulation.
(2) Mech 438/538 Microfabrication Technology (PDF) 3 (2-3). Prereq Chem 106, Phys 202. Semiconductor micro lithography, thin film deposition, CMOS process integration, process simulation tools, microstructure/micro device fabrication and testing. Credit not granted for both Mech 438 and Mech 538.
(3) Mech 450/550 Advanced Topics for Nanoscience and Technology (PDF) 3 (2-3). Prereq Mech 431 or c//. Introduces quantum mechanics, physics in low dimensional structures and materials; hands-on experience with scanning probe microscope. Credit not granted for both Mech 450 and Mech 550.
Design and Manufacturing option
(1) Mech 425 Intro to Manufacturing Systems (PDF) 3. Prereq Mech 310 or c//. Study of traditional and contemporary tools used to support direct manufacturing processes in a manufacturing enterprise.
(2) Mech 476/576 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (PDF) 3. Prereq Mech 310. Advanced topics in manufacturing processes, including interrelationships between the properties of the material, the manufacturing process and design of components. Credit not granted for both Mech 476 and Mech 576.
(3) Mech 485/585 Computer-aided Engineering (PDF) 3. Prereq Mech 310, Mech 313. Introduction to the use of finite element techniques in engineering product design and analysis; basic concepts and applications in CAE. Credit not granted for both Mech 485 and Mech 585.
Mechatronics option
(1) Mech 405 Introduction to Microcontrollers (PDF) 3. Prereq CS 251, Mech 304 . Microcontroller architecture, microcontroller programming, mechanical system design with embedded microcontrollers.
(2) Mech 467/567 Automation (PDF) 3 (2-3). Prereq Mech 304, Mech 348. Automation systems, discrete event control using programmable logic controllers (PLC), human-machine interfaces, robot programming, process control. Credit not granted for both Mech 467 and Mech 567.
(3) Mech 468/568 Robotics (PDF) 3. Prereq Mech 304, Mech 348. Industrial robots, kinematics, control, robot programming, interfacing, sensors, actuators, vision systems and mobile robots. Credit not granted for both Mech 468 and Mech 568.