Curriculum in Mechanical Engineering

Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
154 Mechanical Engineering Building
1206 West Green Street
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-0366
Fax: (217) 244-6534

For the Degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering may be the most diverse of the engineering fields, embracing many subfields and affecting all aspects of our lives. Mechanical engineers work on new machines, products, and processes that hold the promise of better lives for all of us. They are concerned with both technological and economic aspects in the design, development, and use of their products. Today, one of the challenges is to design efficient, low-cost machines and processes that use the fewest possible natural resources to improve the lives of people throughout the world.

The technical portion of the mechanical engineering curriculum is designed as a sequence of increasingly specialized experiences. The entering student's first year is spent mastering the basics of science: math, chemistry, and physics. Building on this base, in the second year students begin to take fundamental engineering courses such as statics, dynamics, basic circuits and electronics, thermodynamics, and strength of materials. By the third year, students are taking specialized mechanical engineering courses in the subfields of fluid mechanics, heat transfer, dynamic systems and controls, materials, mechanical design, and manufacturing. Finally, during the senior year, students have the opportunity to both broaden and deepen their knowledge of the field through technical elective courses. At the end of the curriculum, students take the capstone senior design course (ME 470), in which the knowledge and skills they have learned are applied to projects submitted to the department by industrial firms or by faculty members. Engineering design, communication, teamwork, and laboratory experiences are integrated throughout the curriculum from the first year to the last year.

The objectives of the Mechanical Engineering program are to prepare students for successful careers as engineers and leaders and to prepare them for graduate study by providing:

• a rigorous foundation in mathematics, science, and engineering;
• the analytical, computational, experimental, and methodological tools to define and analyze complex problems;
• the technical, teamwork, and communication skills necessary to design complex systems and processes;
• an understanding of ethical and societal issues that impact engineering solutions; and
• an awareness of the importance to remain abreast of the latest technological developments and contemporary issues that affect the theory and practice of engineering.

The educational outcomes associated with meeting these objectives are listed in the College of Engineering description.

To qualify for registration in the mechanical engineering courses shown in the third (junior) year of the curriculum, a student must have completed the mathematics, chemistry, physics, computer science, and engineering courses that are shown in the first (freshman) and second (sophomore) years of the curriculum with a combined grade-point average of at least 2.25. To remain in good academic standing or to graduate from this curriculum, a student must have a grade-point average of at least 2.0 in all 300- and 400-level required engineering courses and technical elective courses taken on this campus.

The curriculum requires 132 hours for graduation.

The department's web site contains additional information about the Mechanical Engineering program.

Suggested Sequence

First year

Second year

Third year

Fourth year

* 2.25 GPA rule course

1. RHET 105 may be taken in the first or second semester of the first year as authorized. The alternative is ME 170.

2. Each student must satisfy the social sciences and humanities requirements of the College of Engineering, including ECON 102 or 103, and campus general education requirements for social sciences and humanities.

3. ME & IE electives — 6 hours required. Choose from a departmentally approved list.

4. Statistics elective — 3 hours required. MATH 461/STAT 451 or MATH 463/STAT 400 must be taken as a technical elective or IE 300 must be taken as an M&IE or technical elective.

5. Technical electives — 6 hours required. Choose from a departmentally approved list.

For the Combined Degrees of Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering

The department offers a combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science program. This program allows students who wish to earn both degrees to become involved in graduate coursework and thesis research during their fourth year of study. It also offers the possibility to earn both degrees on an accelerated schedule. The educational objectives of the combined program are the same as for the individual degrees.

Course Requirements

The combined program requires 120 hours of undergraduate credit and 32 hours of graduate credit. This compares to 132 hours of undergraduate credit and 32 hours of graduate credit when the BS and MS degrees are earned separately. The undergraduate requirements are identical to the four-year BS program shown above, except that the following requirements are eliminated:

• one M&IE elective — 3 hours
• one Technical elective — 3 hours
• Free electives — 6 hours

In addition, independent study project courses may not be used as M&IE or technical electives in the BS portion of the combined program.

A Master's thesis is required, and eight of the 32 graduate hours must be thesis units (ME 599). At least eight of the remaining 24 graduate hours must be 500-level courses. In addition, at least eight hours of the graduate courses must be ME or IE courses. Students in the combined program will also be required to register and complete the requirements for the graduate seminar course, ME 590, every semester following formal admission into the program. The non-thesis MS option is not available to students in the combined program.

A student in the combined program must spend at least two academic years in residence, full time in the combined degree program, and at least one of these years must be with graduate status. Students must maintain a graduate GPA of 3.0 in order to remain in the combined program.

The BS and MS degrees are granted simultaneously at the end of the program.

Admission

Students may request provisional admission to the combined program at any time after enrolling in the BS degree program. Provisional admission helps the department advise students who want to prepare themselves for the combined program.

Formal admission to the combined program normally occurs late in the junior year or early in the senior year. Undergraduate students in M&IE may apply for formal admission to the combined program with the following provisions:

• Students must have a GPA of 3.6 or higher, and have earned, or anticipate earning, 96 credit hours by the time they enter the combined program. At least 60 credit hours must have been earned at UIUC.
• Students must submit the combined-program application form and supporting documents to the M&IE Graduate Programs Office. There are two annual application deadlines: October 15 and March 15.
• GRE scores are not required for admission to the program. However, students are strongly encouraged to take the GRE in their senior year in order, for example, to be eligible for national fellowship competitions.
• Students in the combined program will be recommended by the department for admission to the Graduate College after they complete the 120 hours required for the BS portion of the combined program.
• The department will reimburse students for the graduate school application fee.
• Each student is required to identify a graduate advisor and file a graduate course plan in the semester the student is granted formal admission to the program.

Withdrawal

Students may withdraw from the program at any time by notifying the Undergraduate Programs Office. Students who do not meet the Graduate College and departmental requirements for admission to the graduate program at the time they complete the 120-hour BS portion of the combined program will be required to leave the program.

Students who withdraw from the program for any reason may continue in the regular four-year BS degree program, which currently requires 132 hours, provided they meet the normal GPA requirements of that program. Students who withdraw from the combined program after they have taken courses for graduate credit may petition to have those credits counted toward their undergraduate program requirements.

Continued Graduate Study

Students who complete the combined program may petition to continue in graduate school for a PhD. These students will hold the same status (post MS) as students entering the PhD program with an MS degree, and will be required to take the department's qualifying examination no later than the second calendar semester after graduation from the combined program.