The requirements for obtaining
a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering are
described below. In addition to required courses within and outside
of the department, students also are required
to take four mechanical engineering technical electives, six humanity and social science electives, and one communication skills elective.
There are a total of 125 passed units required for graduation,
all of which must be taken with the letter-grade option.
Required Mechanical Engineering Courses
Students must satisfactorily
complete each of the following mechanical engineering courses. There
are 15 required courses for a total of 45 units.
- ME 0022: Kinematics of Machinery
(3 units)
- ME 0024: Intro. to Mechanical
Engineering Design (3 units)
- ME 0031: Electrical Circuits (3 units)
- ME 0051: Intro. to Thermo-Fluids
Engineering (3 units)
- ME 1014: Dynamic Systems (3
units)
- ME 1015: Kinetics (3 units)
- ME 1028: Mechanical Design
1 (3 units)
- ME 1029: Mechanical Design
2 (3 units)
- ME 1041: Mechanical Measurements
1 (3 units)
- ME 1042: Mechanical Measurements
2 (3 units)
- ME 1043: Mechanical Measurements
3 (3 units)
- ME 1051: Applied Thermodynamics
(3 units)
- ME 1052: Heat Transfer (3
units)
- ME 1065: Thermal Systems Analysis
(3 units)
- ME 1072: Applied Fluid Dynamics
(3 units)
- ME 1085: Departmental Seminar
(0 units)
Required Courses from Outside the Department
Students must satisfactorily
complete each of the following courses from outside the department. There are 14 required courses for a total
of 47 units.
- CHEM 0960: General Chemistry for Engineers 1 (3 units)
- CHEM 0970: General Chemistry for Engineers 2 (3 units)
- ENGR
0011: Introduction to Engineering Analysis (3 units)
- ENGR
0012: Engineering Computing (3 units)
- ENGR 0022: Materials Structure and Properties (3 units)
- ENGR 0135: Statics and Mechanics
of Materials 1 (3 units)
- ENGR 0145: Statics and Mechanics
of Materials 2 (3 units)
- MATH 0220: Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1 (4 units)
- MATH 0230: Analytic Geometry and Calculus 2 (4 units)
- MATH 0240: Analytic Geometry and Calculus 3 (4 units)
- MATH 0280: Matrices & Linear Algebra (3 units)
- MATH 0290: Differential Equations (3 units)
- PHYS 0174: Physics for Science and Engineering 1 (4 units)
- PHYS 0175: Physics for Science and Engineering 2 (4 units)
Technical
Electives
Students are required
to satisfactorily complete four of the following mechanical engineering
technical elective courses, for a total of 12 units. The courses are presented by subject area to assist students who wish to choose courses from an area of personal interest (note that some courses are listed under more than one subject area). At least one of the four technical electives must be from the Dynamic Systems subject area.
Technical Electives
by Subject Area
Dynamic Systems
- ME 1020: Mechanical Vibrations
(3 units)
- ME 1045: Automatic Controls
(3 units)
- ME 1049: Mechatronics (3 units)
- ME 2027: Advanced Dynamics
(3 units)
- ME 2045: Linear Control
Systems (3 units)
- ME 2046: Digital Control
Systems (3 units)
- ME 2080: Introduction to Microelectromechanical
Systems (MEMS) (3 units)
- ME 2082: Principles of
Electromechanical Sensors and Actuators (3 units)
Engineering Mathematics and Computation
- ME 1047: Finite Element Analysis
(3 units)
- ME 1055: Computer Aided Analysis in Transport Phenomena (3 units)
- ME 2001: Differential
Equations (3 units)
- ME 2002: Linear and Complex
Analysis (3 units)
- ME 2060: Numerical Methods
(3 units)
Fluid/Thermal Systems
- ME 1055: Computer Aided Analysis in Transport Phenomena (3
units)
- ME 2003: Introduction
to Continuum Mechanics (3 units)
- ME 2056: Introduction
to Combustion Theory (3 units)
Manufacturing
- ME 1032: Automotive Fabrication
(3 units)
- ME 1033: Fracture Mechanics
for Manufacturing and Performance (3 units)
- ME 1045: Automatic Controls
(3 units)
- ME 1047: Finite Element Analysis
(3 units)
- ME 1057: Micro/Nano Manufacturing (3 units)
- ME 1049: Mechatronics (3 units)
nuclear engineering
- ENGR 1700: Introduction to Nuclear Engineering (3 units)
- ENGR 1701: Fundamentals of Nuclear Reactors (3 units)
- ENGR 1702: Nuclear Plant Technology (3 units)
Solid Mechanics
- ME 1033: Fracture Mechanics
for Manufacturing and Performance (3 units)
- ME 1047: Finite Element Analysis
(3 units)
- ME 1062: Orthopaedic Engineering (3 units)
- ME 2003: Introduction
to Continuum Mechanics (3 units)
- ME 2022: Applied Solid
Mechanics (3 units)
Special Projects
- ME 1097: Engineering Research
Special Projects 1
(1–3 units)
- ME 1098: Engineering Research Special Projects 2
(1–3 units)
Please note also the following.
- Co-op students can earn three units for completing three co-op rotations and a written technical report on their co-op experience, which may be substituted
for one of the technical electives. However, the Dynamic Systems
technical elective requirement must still be satisfied.
- Upper-level engineering courses from other engineering departments
may be substituted for mechanical engineering technical electives,
subject to the approval of the undergraduate director. To request
approval for such a substitution, a student must submit a Technical
Elective Approval Request form to the undergraduate director.
- Technical electives are not offered during the summer term.
- Students must complete the proper prerequisites before
enrolling in any of the technical electives and should have acquired
senior standing.
Communication Skills Elective
To satisfy the communications skills elective requirement, students must satisfactorily complete one of the following five courses offered by the School of Engineering (ENGR), the Communication Department (COMMRC), and the English Department (ENGCMP). The communication skills elective should be taken as soon as possible, preferably in the fourth term of a student's course of study.
- ENGR 1010: Communication Skills for Engineers (3 units)
- COMMRC 0500: Argument (3 units)
- COMMRC 0520: Public Speaking (3 units)
- COMMRC 0540: Discussion (3 units)
- ENGCMP 0400: Written Professional Communication ("W") (3 units)
Humanities
and Social Science Electives
Students must satisfactorily
complete a minimum of six humanities
and social science electives for a total of 18 credits to satisfy
the degree requirements for mechanical engineering. All courses
selected must be on the list of approved humanity/social science
courses that has been prepared by the Office of the Associate Dean.
External studies courses are not acceptable, nor are ENGCMP
0150 and ENGCMP 0200.
Students must additionally
satisfy the following requirements.
- Students must satisfactorily complete PHIL 0300, Introduction
to Ethics. If there is a compelling reason, the undergraduate
director may waive the requirement.
- Students must satisfactorily complete two humanities/social
sciences courses from the same department or program, only one of which may be an introductory course (indicated by an asterisk
[*] on the list of approved humanity/social science courses).
This meets ABET's requirement for depth in the humanities and
social sciences.
- Students must satisfactorily complete at least two humanities
courses (PHIL 0300 counts as one of them) and at least two social science courses. For example, it is not acceptable for five of the six humanities/social science courses to be in the humanities. This meets ABET's requirement for breadth in the humanities and social sciences.
- The University of Pittsburgh requires that all students complete at least one writing intensive "W" designated course; the "W" indicates that a course has a substantial writing component, with students revising their written work after receiving feedback from instructors.
If a student would like
to take a humanity or social science elective that is not on the
approved list, then the student must complete an Approval Request
for Humanities/Social Science Elective form.
The form must be submitted to the Office of the Associate Dean (323
Benedum Hall) for approval. Students can contact the Undergraduate
Office approximately one week after submission to see whether the course was approved.
It is helpful to include a copy of the course description.
