Mechanical Engineering (ME) Curriculum and Courses

  • General Catalog, ME:
  • Sample four-year plan: ME undergraduate curriculum sheet (including pre-/co-requisites)
  • ME curriculum flow chart
  • ME seminars:
    • ME:2020: ME Program Seminar (formerly ME Sophomore Seminar) is required to enroll in ME:3091 ME Professional Seminar.
    • ME:2020: ME Program Seminar can be waived if students transfer into the ME program after the fall semester of their junior year. They have to take ME:3091: ME Professional Seminar in their senior year.
  • Prerequisite ENGR:1100 is waived for ME:2200 for spring 2021 and spring 2022
    • ENGR:1100 canceled in fall 2020 due to COVID-19 can be substituted with any course not required for your degree offered in the College of Engineering including an elective course in the focus area (FA).
    • The students need to submit a prerequisite waiver form for approval. 

Required and elective program courses offered by the mechanical engineering program (i.e., those with course numbers of the form ME:XXXX) are numbered according to the following policy.

Undergraduate program required courses:

ME:2000–ME:2999 Required courses typically taken in the sophomore year
ME:3000–ME:3999 Required courses typically taken in the junior year
ME:4000–ME:4099 Required courses typically taken in the senior year


Undergraduate elective and graduate courses:

ME:4100–ME:4999

Electives primarily taken by undergraduates, which are eligible for undergraduate FA credit and graduate credit*

*ME:4186 Enhanced Design Experience is not eligible for graduate credit
*ME:3179 Continuum Mechanics IS eligible for graduate credit

ME:5000–ME:5999 Electives primarily taken by graduate students, which are eligible for undergraduate FA credit and graduate credit
ME:6000–ME:7999 Graduate courses (taken by masters and PhD students and eligible for graduate credit)

The mechanical engineering program will follow the below when reviewing requests to transfer credits from BME to ME.

  • Accept BIOS:4120 transfer credit for STAT:2020
  • Students cannot transfer credits from BME:2200 to ME:3351.
  • Students cannot transfer credits from BME capstone to ME capstone. 
  • Students cannot transfer credits from BME Seminar to ME Professional Seminar (PS).
    • Students requesting to transfer credit from a BME (or other engineering) seminar to ME PS should be permitted to do so ONLY if it is not possible to take the ME PS without delaying graduation.

Recurring schedule of ME electives

Updated March 18, 2022

The following schedule helps ME undergraduate students select elective courses for their focus area. It provides a guide for when a particular elective course is offered.

Fall, spring, and summer: Every year

  • ME:4098 Individual Investigations: Mechanical Engineering

Fall: Every year

  • ME:4111 Scientific Computing and Machine Learning
  • ME:4116 Manufacturing Processes and Automation
  • ME:4117 Finite Element Analysis
  • ME:4145 Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
  • ME:4150 Artificial Intelligence in Engineering
  • ME:4200 Modern Engineering Materials for Mechanical Engineering
  • ME:5113 Mathematical Methods in Engineering
  • ME:5115 Cooperative Autonomous Systems
  • ME:5143 Computational Fluid and Thermal Engineering
  • ME:5145 Intermediate Heat Transfer
  • ME:5149 Propulsion Engineering
  • ME:5150 Intermediate Mechanics of Deformable Bodies
  • ME:5154 Intermediate Kinematics and Dynamics
  • ME:5160 Intermediate Mechanics of Fluids

Spring: Every year

  • ME:4110 Computer-Aided Engineering
  • ME:4112 Engineering Design Optimization
  • ME:4120 Advanced Linear Control Systems
  • ME:4140 Modern Robotics and Automation
  • ME:4160 Engines and Power Plants
  • ME:4186 Enhanced Design Experience
  • ME:5114 Nonlinear Control in Robotic Systems

Spring: Even years

  • ME:4175 Computational Naval Hydrodynamics
  • ME:5120 Vehicle System Dynamics
  • ME:5146 Modeling of Materials Processing
  • ME:5167 Composite Materials
  • ME:5179 Continuum Mechanics

Spring: Odd years

  • ME:4125 Biomimetic Fluid Dynamics
  • ME:4153 Fundamentals of Vibrations
  • ME:4176 Experimental Naval Hydrodynamics
  • ME:5159 Fracture Mechanics

Fall: Odd years

  • ME:5210 Intermediate Thermodynamics (subject to change)

Electives on an irregular schedule or currently not offered

  • ME:5195 Contemporary Topics in Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering undergraduate students planning to take ME:4098 Individual Investigations in Mechanical Engineering should identify a mechanical engineering faculty member to act as a project supervisor. The faculty supervisor will provide guidance during project execution, evaluate the student’s work, and assign a grade at the end of the project.

The student and faculty supervisor will discuss the scope of the project, goals, and resources, and an appropriate number of semester hours in which to register for ME:4098. Students must complete a minimum of 3 hours of technical work on the project per week (on average), per semester hour during the 15-week spring and fall semesters, and an equivalent total effort (i.e. 45 hours per semester hour) during other sessions.

Project deliverables are specified by the faculty supervisor; however, students must submit at least the following to the faculty supervisor:

  • A project proposal, describing the motivation, goals, and methods to be used, as well as a timeline for project execution, and any additional items specified by the faculty supervisor.
  • A final report and/or presentation summarizing the approach taken and the major results and conclusions of the study, as well as any additional items specified by the faculty supervisor.

Additional deliverables may be required by the faculty supervisor.

Programs and Certificates in Mechanical Engineering

Senior Design Projects

Virtual International Project Team

Senior Design Projects Overview

Students are required to take a capstone course that allows them to translate what they learned in the classroom into real-world projects.

Combined Degree Option

Camilla Tabasso, Undergraduate Student, bends over facing the camera to pick up a small robot car

Undergraduate-to-Graduate (U2G) Program

Joint BS/MS Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Apply during a student's third year

ME Certificates

Naval Science

Artificial Intelligence, Modeling, and Simulations (AIMS) Certificate

Learn about artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), deep learning (DL), and modeling and simulation (M&S) in the context of designing intelligent complex machines. 

Naval Hydro Testing

Naval Science and Technology Certificate

Introduces students to the principles of naval hydrodynamics including propulsion, resistance, maneuvering, and seakeeping, as well as the fundamentals of autonomous systems.

Other Programs and Certificates

More Resources

For college-wide resources and student services, visit: