The Majors

The department offers undergraduate degree programs that lead to the B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and the B.S. in Industrial Engineering. The educational objectives of the curricula are to develop engineers who think critically, creatively, and rigorously; who employ engineering methods to identify and solve important problems in industry, business, government, and academe; who communicate effectively and function cooperatively in professional contexts; who approach professional practice responsibly and ethically and with an awareness of business, environmental, safety, cultural, societal, and global concerns; who demonstrate professional leadership; and who employ their engineering education as a foundation for advanced study, life-long learning, and career development in engineering, management, and other professional fields.

The freshman year curricula in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering are identical. The sophomore year curricula are nearly identical. During the junior and senior years, students select required and elective courses relevant to their chosen majors.

Requirements

No course taken on a Pass/Fail basis may be applied to General Education, major or PR-ENGIN requirements.

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Majors

  • 124 Computational Approaches to Engineering Problems (or CMPSCI 121 or CHEM-ENG 120 or CE-ENGIN 121)
  • 201 Introduction to Materials Science
  • 210 Statics
  • 211 Strength of Material
  • 273 Probability and Statistics for Engineers
  • 375 Manufacturing Processes
  • 395A Engineering Professionalism
  • ENGIN 113 (or 110 or 111 or 112) Introduction to Engineering I
  • ENGIN 351 Writing in Engineering
  • MATH 131 Calculus I
  • MATH 132 Calculus II
  • MATH 233 Multivariate Calculus
  • MATH 331 Differential Equations
  • PHYSICS 151
  • PHYSICS 152
  • CHEM 111 or 121H

Mechanical Engineering Majors

  • 230 Thermodynamics I
  • 302 Mechanical Engineering Laboratory I
  • 310 Dynamics
  • 313 Design of Mechanical Components
  • 340 Fluid Mechanics I
  • 354 Heat Transfer
  • E&C-ENG 361 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering
  • 344 System Dynamics
  • 402 Mechanical Engineering Laboratory II
  • 413 Design of Mechanical Assemblies
  • 415 Design of Mechanical Systems
  • Four ME Technical electives:
  • Elective offerings vary year to year. Please see the registration notes on the undergraduate tab of the department web site.
  • MIE elective: Please see the registration notes.

Industrial Engineering Majors

  • 353 Engineering Economic Decision Making
  • 373 Introduction to Simulation Methods
  • 379 Deterministic Operations Research
  • 380 Stochastic Operations Research
  • E&C-ENG 361 Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering or E&C-ENG 242 Data Structures and Algorithms
  • 422 Statistical Quality Control
  • 460 Human Factors Engineering I
  • 477 Production Planning and Control
  • 478 IE Capstone Design
  • 492 Senior Seminar
  • ECON 103 or 104
  • MATH 235 Introduction to Linear Algebra
  • Three Level I IE Tech Electives
  • One Level II IE Tech Elective
  • One IE Elective
  • One Free Elective

Students can select from approved elective courses in business, computer science, kinesiology, math, psychology, resource economics, or civil, electrical, industrial, and mechanical engineering.  They can also do independent studies working closely with our faculty on state-of-the-art research projects, or get experience as teaching assistants.

Additional Requirement

Students in both degree programs are required to complete a senior exit survey.

Course Prerequisites

All students must meet the listed prerequisites for a course or obtain permission of the instructor. Students are responsible for their failure to meet prerequisites. Students may be dropped from any course for which they have not met the prerequisites and, in the instructor’s opinion, do not have adequate preparation.

Curriculum Modification

Students who wish to modify either the ME or IE curriculum to satisfy their needs must have written prior approval from the MIE undergraduate committee for all changes.

Honors Program

Both the ME and the IE programs support a departmental honors program. Information on the Honors Program can be found in the Commonwealth Honors College section in this Guide. Students interested in the departmental honors program should contact the undergraduate program director.