Mechanical Engineering (BSE)
The faculty of the Mechanical Engineering program at the University of Connecticut strives to continuously improve our undergraduate program in Mechanical Engineering. The program’s educational objectives are that our graduates: will be gainfully employed in Mechanical Engineering or related career paths including industrial, academic, governmental and non-governmental organizations and will continue their professional development by engaging in professional activities and/or training to enhance their careers and/or pursue post-graduate studies.
The Mechanical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Mechanical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.
Location
- Storrs Campus
Modality
- In Person
Bachelor of Science in Engineering
The Mechanical Engineering major requires a total of 128 credits. Mechanical Engineering majors are required to complete the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CE 2110 | Applied Mechanics I | 3 |
| CE 3110 | Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| ECE 2000 | Electrical and Computer Engineering Principles | 3 |
| or ECE 2001 | Electrical Circuits | |
| ENGR 1166 | Foundations of Engineering | 3 |
| ENGR 3400 | Engineering Data Analysis Techniques | 3 |
| MATH 2110Q | Multivariable Calculus | 4 |
| MATH 2410Q | Elementary Differential Equations | 3 |
| ME 1100 | Technical Communication for Engineers | 3 |
| ME 2015 | Introduction to Computing for Mechanical Engineers | 1 |
| ME 2016 | Introduction to Computational Fluid Dynamics | 1 |
| ME 2017 | Introduction to Finite Element Analysis | 1 |
| ME 2120 | Applied Mechanics II | 3 |
| ME 2140 | Computer-Aided Design and Manufacturing | 3 |
| ME 2232 | Engineering Thermodynamics | 4 |
| ME 2250 | Fluid Dynamics I | 3 |
| ME 3130 | Advanced Engineering Mathematics | 3 |
| ME 3220 | Mechanical Vibrations | 3 |
| ME 3227 | Design of Machine Elements | 3 |
| ME 3242 | Heat Transfer | 3 |
| ME 3254 | Linear Systems Theory | 3 |
| ME 3262 | Applied Measurements and Data Analysis | 3 |
| ME 3970 | Junior Design | 3 |
| ME 4974W | Ethics for Engineers | 1 |
| ME 4975 | Senior Design Project I 1 | 3 |
| ME 4976 | Senior Design Project II 1 | 3 |
| MSE 2001 | Introduction to Structure, Properties, and Processing of Materials I | 3 |
| or MSE 2101 | Materials Science and Engineering I | |
| Electives | 12 | |
- 1
Students who begin their senior year prior to the 2027-2028 academic year must complete ME 4972 Senior Design Project I and ME 4973W Senior Design Project II in place of ME 4975 Senior Design Project I and ME 4976 Senior Design Project II.
Concentration Requirements
- Nine credits (three courses, 2000 level and above);
- no course grades of less than “C”;
- plan of study for concentration;
- must take courses from a subset of identified courses.
Aerospace Concentration
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Combustion for Energy Conversion | ||
| Fluid Dynamics II | ||
| Numerical Methods in Fluid Mechanics | ||
| Propulsion | ||
| Turbines and Centrifugal Machinery | ||
| Advanced Thermo-Fluids I | ||
| Computational Fluid Dynamics | ||
| Turbines and Centrifugal Machinery | ||
| Combustion and Air Pollution Engineering | ||
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering 1 | ||
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering 2 |
- 1
Taught as any of the following: Acoustics; Aerodynamics; Aerospace Control Systems; Aircraft Performance, Stability and Control; Analysis of Composite Materials and Structures; Introduction to the Finite Element Method; Fundamentals of Environmentally Sustainable Aviation; Micro-Nanoscale Heat Transfer; Mechanics of Composite Materials, Orbital Mechanics; Structural Dynamics.
- 2
Taught as either of the following: Fundamentals of Environmentally Sustainable Aviation or Micro-Nanoscale Heat Transfer.
Energy and Power Concentration
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable Energy Sources and Systems | ||
| Combustion for Energy Conversion | ||
| Fluid Dynamics II | ||
| Fuel Cells | ||
| Numerical Methods in Fluid Mechanics | ||
| Propulsion | ||
| Turbines and Centrifugal Machinery | ||
| Advanced Thermo-Fluids I | ||
| Computational Fluid Dynamics | ||
| Radiation Heat Transfer | ||
| Turbines and Centrifugal Machinery | ||
| Combustion and Air Pollution Engineering | ||
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering 1 | ||
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering 2 |
- 1
Taught as any of the following: Aerodynamics; Energy Efficiency in Buildings; Fundamentals of Environmentally Sustainable Aviation; Micro-Nanoscale Heat Transfer; or Radiation Heat Transfer.
- 2
Taught as either of the following: Energy Efficiency in Buildings; Fundamentals of Environmentally Sustainable Aviation or Micro-Nanoscale Heat Transfer.
Dynamic Systems and Control Concentration
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamics of Particles and Rigid Bodies | ||
| Introduction to Robotics | ||
| Robot Motion Planning | ||
| Robot Control and Dynamics | ||
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering 1 | ||
| Theory and Design of Automatic Control Systems | ||
| Dynamics | ||
| Intelligent Material Systems and Structures | ||
| Mechanical Vibrations I | ||
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering 2 |
- 1
Taught as any of the following: Aerospace Control Systems; Acoustics; Advanced Dynamics; Advanced Vibrations; Intelligent Material Systems and Structures; Mechatronics; Modeling and Simulation for Materials and Biology; Nonlinear Systems; Orbital Mechanics; Soft Robotics; or Structural Dynamics.
- 2
Taught as Mechatronics.
Design and Manufacturing Concentration
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Robotics | ||
| Robot Motion Planning | ||
| Robot Control and Dynamics | ||
| Metal Cutting Principles | ||
| Manufacturing Automation | ||
| Production Engineering | ||
| Computer-Aided Design, Modeling, and Graphics | ||
| Introduction to Fatigue in Mechanical Design | ||
| Principles of Optimum Design | ||
| Analytical and Applied Kinematics | ||
| Intelligent Material Systems and Structures | ||
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering 1 | ||
| Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering 2 |
- 1
Taught as any of the following: Advanced Biomechanics of Soft Tissues; Analysis of Composite Materials and Structures; Computational Foundations of Digital Manufacturing; Computers in Manufacturing; Flexible and Stretchable Electronics; Geometric Modeling; Intelligent Material Systems and Structures; Introduction to Composite Manufacturing Processes; Introduction to Products and Processes; Introduction to the Finite Element Method; Manufacturing of Biointegrated Materials and Devices at Micro and Nanoscales; Mechanics of Architected Materials; Mechanics of Composite Materials; Principles of Optimum Design; Six Sigma Green Belt Using Minitab; or Soft Robotics.
- 2
Taught as either of the following: Flexible and Stretchable Electronics; Probabilistic Engineering Design; or Introduction to Composite Manufacturing Processes.
Concentration in Naval Science and Technology
The concentration in Naval Science and Technology is designed to expose students to engineering concepts and topics of importance to the Navy and industries that support naval science and technology. It is focused on facilitating interactions between students and naval professionals as well as hands-on and experiential activities related to senior design projects or independent study projects that have naval science and technology connections.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGR 3109 | Navy STEM Professional Development Seminar (at least 3 credits) | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Honors Research | ||
| Problems in Mechanical Engineering | ||
| Senior Design Project I | ||
| Senior Design Project II | ||
Students electing to complete the concentration must do so in their primary major, and as such select elective coursework from their primary discipline. Students electing to use their Senior Design course sequence must have their project topic approved by both their departmental senior design coordinator and either the director of the Navy STEM Program or the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.
Students electing to use Special Topics courses or Independent Study/Research courses must have the course or research topic approved by both their department and either the director of the Navy STEM Program or the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. Other courses relevant to naval science and technology may be considered for the concentration by petition to the director of the Navy STEM Program or the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education. Students may not apply courses used in this concentration to fulfill requirements for other concentrations or minors.
The concentration in Naval Science and Technology is restricted to U.S. citizens.
Learning Objectives
- Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
- Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
- Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
- Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
- Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Accelerated Mechanical Engineering MS
The Accelerated Mechanical Engineering MS is a program available to ME undergraduate students that allows them to complete a significant portion of their Master of Science degree during their undergraduate studies. Upon graduation from their Bachelor’s degree, students enroll in the MS program to complete the requirements. The Accelerated Mechanical Engineering MS program is a Plan-A program; therefore, all the corresponding requirements apply. As such, our Accelerated program is a research-centered degree. Seniors enrolled in the program conduct research under the supervision of their future MS major advisor, typically as their Senior Design Project; it is possible (but less common) for students to participate in a regular Senior Design Project and conduct separately their research work, contingent on approval from the faculty advisor. This research continues after graduation from the Bachelor’s degree into the Master’s degree studies and forms the basis for the student’s Master’s thesis.
In addition to conducting research during the senior year, undergraduate students enrolled in the program take graduate-level courses that satisfy the requirements of the MS degree to make progress towards the MS coursework requirements. Up to 12 credits of these graduate-level courses may be used to satisfy the requirements of both the undergraduate degree and the MS degree (for example, to be used as ME electives for the undergraduate degree).
The ability to conduct a significant portion of the research and coursework required for the MS degree during their undergraduate studies allows students enrolled in the program to complete the MS degree in a shorter time (typically one year) than the regular degree. Since this is a Plan-A MS, students must write a Master’s thesis and defend it to graduate from the program.