The B.S. Program in Mechanical Engineering

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Rochester offers an undergraduate program leading to an ABET accredited B.S. degree in mechanical engineering. A program leading to a B.S. degree in geomechanics is also offered jointly with the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. The above links are to the University of Rochester Official Bulletin for Undergraduate Studies which describes these programs in detail. Below are guidelines for current students.



GUIDELINES:

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Bachelor of Science program in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Rochester is to educate able, creative, responsible engineers capable of assuming leadership roles in their profession.  The department offers a rigorous academic program designed to prepare students for engineering practice, graduate study, and a lifetime of continued learning.  The curriculum is based on a firm foundation of basic science, applied mathematics, and engineering sciences, and includes significant experience in experimental work and in the analysis, design, and development of mechanical and thermal systems.  The program aims to enhance the leadership and communication skills needed to excel in professional life and to promote an understanding of the broad social and economic impacts of engineering.


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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Rochester! This webpage contains an informal presentation of information of interest to Mechanical Engineering majors. Although the webpages are updated periodically, students are encouraged to meet periodically with their advisor to keep informed of any changes in University or Department requirements. The Official Bulletin of the University of Rochester contains the official set of academic rules and regulations, as well as departmental requirements. For the most up-to-date information, consult a Mechanical Engineering advisor or staff member in either the Department Office (Hopeman 235) or the Engineering Dean's Office (Lattimore 301).

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ADVICE ON COURSE SELECTION

The Department's undergraduate program consists of technical courses, distribution requirements and free electives. The courses are intended to make all mechanical engineering graduates technically competent and well-rounded. The program has adequate flexibility for specialization, research, and preparation for graduate school or engineering as a career. Courses should be selected carefully since many have prerequisites and are intended to build into a strong, interwoven structure that makes an outstanding well rounded engineering degree. Each entering student is assigned an engineering faculty advisor who helps with academic program planning during the student's undergraduate years.

Technical Course Requirements: The technical courses include carefully-structured sequences of mathematics courses, science courses, and engineering courses. The complete list is given below under Requirements for Graduation. It is important that these courses be taken in the proper sequence, as shown in the Typical Four-Year Program. Any deviation from the standard order should be discussed with the ME faculty advisor. Any replacement of required engineering courses by alternative courses (taken at the UR or elsewhere) must be approved first by the ME faculty advisor and then by the School of Engineering Administrative Committee.

Distribution Requirements: Four courses in the Humanities and/or Social Sciences are required. Three of these courses must constitute a cluster. Consult the Cluster Directory for a partial list of the ever increasing number of possible clusters. The purpose of the distribution requirements is to provide both breadth and depth in some area or areas of humanities and social sciences. Such courses are regarded as an important part of an engineering program by the University and also by the professional engineering societies which accredit our engineering programs. In addition to the distribution requirements, there is a required English course in the fall (or sometime spring) semester of the freshman year. As a general rule, students should endeavor to take one distribution requirement per semester until the distribution requirements are satisfied.

Electives: The B.S. program requires three free electives, one science elective, and one technical elective, that allow students the opportunity to explore interests in other areas or take advanced courses in Mechanical Engineering.


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REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

Program planning begins at Freshman Orientation and continues throughout a student's academic career at Rochester. Admission to a major concentration normally occurs at the end of the sophomore year.

Each entering engineering student is assigned an engineering faculty advisor who helps with academic program planning during the undergraduate years. Students normally apply for admission into the Mechanical Engineering major at the end of their sophomore year by submitting a concentration approval form to the advisor. Admission into the Mechanical Engineering program is based on completion of the technical courses in the Mechanical Engineering curriculum in the freshman and sophomore years. At the time of admission the overall GPA and the GPA in ME courses must both be at least 2.0. Once requirements are verified, the advisor signs the form, and then forwards it to the Engineering Dean's Office.


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REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION

For graduation, a minimum of 129 semester hours of satisfactory academic work is required. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required, both in Mechanical Engineering courses and overall. An annotated list of the specific requirements is given below.

English: A required English course is normally taken in the first semester of the freshman year. Entering students are advised by the Department of English at Orientation in the selection of this course.

Distribution Requirements: Distribution requirements are specified in terms of humanities and social sciences. For convenience the definition of these categories, as given in the Undergraduate Bulletin, is repeated here. A humanities course is any English course except English 101 and the required freshman English course; any art or art history course; any foreign and comparative literature course; any music theory or music history course; any philosophy course; any religion course; any film studies course cross-listed in a humanities department; any foreign language course beyond the 101 level; a foreign language course at the 101 level provided it is followed by a more advanced course in the same language (the pair then counts as two humanities). A social sciences course is any course in African or African-American studies; any anthropology course; any economics course; any history course; any linguistics course; any political science course; any psychology course; any sociology course. A total of four courses in the Humanities and/or Social Sciences are required. Three of these courses must constitute a cluster. Consult the Cluster Directory for a partial list of the ever increasing number of possible clusters. Students can use their free electives along with their distribution requirements to complete a minor in the humanities or social sciences. Minors are defined by the offering departments in the Undergraduate Bulletin.

Mathematics: The calculus sequence MTH 161, 162 is required; an alternative approved sequence is MTH 141, 142, 143, which covers the same material in three semesters rather than two. In addition, the sophomore mathematics sequence MTH 163, 164 is required.

Chemistry: The required chemistry course is either CHM 131 or 151, normally taken in the freshman year. The Chemistry Department will advise freshmen on the choice between these two at Orientation.

Physics: The first two courses of the three-course sequence in physics: PHY 121, 122, 123 are required. The third course of this series is recommended to satisfy the science elective. Alternatively, PHY 141 and PHY 142 can be used to satisfy the Physics requirements. The 140-courses are somewhat more advanced and are the versions normally taken by physics majors.

Mechanical Engineering: ME 110 (1 credit), 120, 121, 123, 204, 205, 211, 213, 223, 225, 226, 241, 242, 251, 280.

Circuits Course: A required circuits course is usually taken in the junior year. This requirement is normally fulfilled by EE 210, but it can be any other course approved by your ME advisor.

Free Electives: There are three free electives in the program, which can be any four credit courses. It is also possible to combine two 2-credit coursses for a single free elective.

Technical Elective: It is strongly recommended that students take ME104Q in their Freshmen year. Advisor approval is needed for other technical electives.

Science Elective: Most (but not all) science courses not already required for the mechanical engineering degree can be used to satisfy this requirement. Adisor approval needed. PHY123 is recommended, but this general sceince requirement offers more flexibility for students with other interests.


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TYPICAL FOUR YEAR PROGRAM (see key to course numbers below)

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KEY TO COURSE NUMBERS

(Prerequisites for ME courses are noted in boldface type)

CHM 131/151 Chemical Concepts, Systems, and Practices I
ECE 210 Circuits for Scientist & Engineers
ME 110 Engineering Graphics
ME 120 Engineering Mechanics I: Statics (MTH 161 or 141)
ME 121 Engineering Mechanics II: Dynamics (ME 120)
ME 123 Thermodynamics (MTH 162; PHY 113 or 121)
ME 201 Boundary Value Problems/MTH 281 (MTH 163, 164)
ME 202 Engineering Analysis: Applied Complex Variables/MTH 282 (MTH 163,164)
ME 204 Mechanical Design(ME 211,226)
ME 205 Advanced Mechanical Design (ME 204)
ME 211 Computational Methods in Mechanical Engineering (MTH 163,164)
ME 213 Mechanical Systems (ME 121,226; MTH 163,164)
ME 222 Introduction to Robust Design and Quality Engineering (MTH 164)
ME 223 Heat Transfer (ME 123,225)
ME 225 Introduction to Fluid Dynamics (MTH 163,164; ME 121)
ME 226 Introduction to Solid Mechanics (ME 120)
ME 241 Fluid Dynamics and Thermal Science Laboratory (ME 225)
ME 242 Solids & Materials Laboratory (ME 121, 226, 280)
ME 250 Optimum Design (ME 226, 204)
ME 251 Heat Power Applications (ME 123, 225)
ME 280 Introduction to Materials Science (ME 120; MTH 163, 164)
ME 281 Mechanical Properties of Materials (ME 280)
MTH 141 Calculus I
MTH 142 Calculus II
MTH 143 Calculus III
MTH 161 Analysis I
MTH 162 Analysis II
MTH 163 Ordinary Differential Equations I
MTH 164 Multidimensional Analysis
MTH 281 Introduction to Fourier Series, Orthogonal Polynomials and Boundary Value Problems
MTH 282 Introduction to Complex Variables with Applications
PHY 121 Mechanics
PHY 122 Electricity & Magnetism
PHY 123 Modern Physics

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MECHANICAL ENGINEERING MINOR

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TECHNICAL & NATURAL SCIENCE ELECTIVES

TECHNICAL ELECTIVES

BME – Any course at the 200 level or higher except BME 201
CS – 170, 171, 172, 173, and any course at the 200 level or higher
CHE – 113 and any course at the 200 level or higher
ECE – 111, 112, 113, 114, 140 and any course at the 200 level or higher
ME – Any course not otherwise required (with the restriction that ME 104Q must be taken in the freshman year).
OPT – Any course at the 200 level or higher
MTH – 150 and any course at the 200 level or higher
If taken during the freshman year – BME 101, CHE 150, ECE 101, OPT 101

NATURAL SCIENCE / MATHEMATICS ELECTIVES

AST – 102, 104, 105, 111, 142 and any course at the 200 level or higher
BIO – 110, 111, 198 and any course at the 200 level or higher
CHM – 132 and any course at the 200 level or higher
EES – 101, 102, 103, 106, 111, 119 and any course at the 200 level or higher
MTH – 150 and any course at the 200 level or higher
PHY – 103, 123, 143 and any course at the 200 level or higher

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