Department of Mechanical Engineering

Telephone: (302) 831-2421
E-mail: me-info@udel.edu
http://www.me.udel.edu
Faculty Listing: http://www.me.udel.edu/People/people.html

The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers a program accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET leading to the Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree, including a University of Delaware Honors Degree option. Mechanical engineers receive one of the broadest educations of any of the modern engineering disciplines and, consequently, are well prepared to apply basic engineering principles to a wide variety of society’s needs.

In order to prepare the mechanical engineers of the future to take their places in this profession and to be fully consistent with the published University and College Mission Statements, the UD Department of Mechanical Engineering’s mission is to cultivate both learning and the advancement of knowledge in the engineering sciences by providing all of our students with outstanding undergraduate education programs so that they will know how to reason critically and independently yet cooperate productively.

Thus, a goal of the undergraduate Mechanical Engineering Program at the University of Delaware is to produce graduates with a strong foundation in engineering fundamentals enabling them to lead a successful career in industry or government and/or obtain an advanced degree, and contribute to engineering knowledge, the profession, and the community.

The educational program is structured around a basic core program that will enable the Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering graduate to follow many career paths, including research, development, design, production, maintenance, management, patent law, or education. The curriculum also allows a student to select engineering fields of particular interest for study, such as aerospace, materials, biomedical, controls, design, systems, robotics, energy, and fluids.

The degree program is designed to serve not only those students who go into industry or government directly after the B.M.E. degree, but also those who go on to a graduate program in engineering or continue their education in other professions such as medicine, law, or business administration. Undergraduates are encouraged to participate in research projects with faculty and graduate students which may involve the use of state-of-the-art instrumentation, electronics, and networked computers.

The Department offers a minor in Biomechanical Engineering. For inquiries regarding the Biomechanical Engineering minor, contact the Mechanical Engineering  Department at (302) 831-2421 or me-info@udel.edu.

The Integrated Design minor provides a comprehensive learning experience that highlights and implements the design process within and across disciplines. At the core of the design process is problem solving. This includes identifying issues and addressing them through an integrative process that leads to finding creative and successful solutions. Included are prototype building and evaluation with the goal of meeting user needs. This Integrative Design learning is especially important in today’s world, as the complex problems we face require trans-disciplinary approaches and innovative thinking to bring about meaningful solutions.

Technical Electives

Technical electives in the Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering curriculum provide the student with an opportunity to pursue areas of particular interest. Because of the breadth of technical areas in which mechanical engineers work, at least three of these credits must be in a basic science. The remaining technical electives demonstrate technical depth and are typically courses at or above the 400-level which are taken after much of the basic engineering science has been mastered and comprise a minimum of 12 credits. Although the majority of the technical depth electives are typically drawn from the Mechanical Engineering department, courses from other departments and colleges can also be selected.

Students can choose, typically towards the end of sophomore or early junior year, to pursue an Aerospace Concentration  or a minor in Biomechanical Engineering  to focus their upperclass studies; those two programs are offered through the Mechanical Engineering Department. There are many other minors available to undergraduates that are offered through the College of Engineering as well as by other departments at the University. Students are encouraged to peruse the undergraduate catalog based on their interests. For those pursuing the degree without a concentration or minor, there are certainly other opportunities to focus the technical electives. One suggestion is to look at the faculty research interests and projects as those often provide opportunities for undergraduate students. The technical elective program can also be structured to meet individual interests and students are encouraged to discuss their educational objectives with their advisor early in the junior year to develop an appropriate selection of technical electives.

Programs

• Mechanical Engineering (BME)
• Mechanical Engineering - Aerospace Engineering Concentration (BME)

• Mechanical Engineering Honors (HBME)

• Biomechanical Engineering Minor
• Integrated Design Minor

• Mechanical Engineering 4+1 (BME/MME)
• Mechanical Engineering/Business Administration 4+1 (BME/MBA)
• Mechanical Engineering/Materials Science and Engineering 4+1 (BME/MMSE)