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Department of Mechanical Engineering

General Overview

Mechanical engineers design, analyze, and manufacture new products and technologies. They address society’s needs by combining mechanical engineering fundamentals with innovative ideas. We structure our curriculum by emphasizing engineering theory, hands-on experience and technical skills. By doing so, our students learn how to solve practical problems and analyze situations by converting concepts into reliable and cost-effective devices and processes.

Mechanical engineers work in a variety of sectors: small start-up companies, multi-national corporations, government agencies, national laboratories, consulting firms, and universities. Specializing in research, design, manufacturing, or management, they design and implement devices that affect our daily lives. For example:

• Jet Engines
• Automobiles
• Aircraft and Spacecraft
• Acceleration and Pressure Sensors
• Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Systems
• Power Generations Systems
• Biomedical and Biomechanical Devices (such as artificial hip implants)
• Mechanical and Electronic Systems (such as robots)

Through our curriculum, students receive a solid scientific foundation from the start. During their first year, students take courses in mathematics, physics, computer programming, and chemistry. In addition, students also take two introductory engineering courses which expose them to the different engineering departments. Our mechanical engineering introductory course is project-oriented; students learn about the various disciplines of mechanical engineering through lectures, laboratories, and hands-on projects.

In their sophomore and junior years, students take core engineering courses to develop strong engineering fundamentals. These course topics include:

• Solid and Fluid Mechanics
• Thermodynamics
• Heat Transfer
• Dynamics
• Systems and Controls
• Design Methods and Skills
• Experimentation and Numerical Methods

During their senior year, students complete a capstone course in engineering design. In this course, students work on teams to develop prototype hardware for new products. These projects expose students to the design process, from concept to product, and emphasize effective communication and presentations skills. Past design projects include:

• low-squeal disk brakes
• high efficiency engines
• neck gear to minimize spinal injury in sports
• stabilizer support arm for movie cameras

Additionally, students can utilize our flexible elective structure to pursue individual interests. We recognize the broad role mechanical engineers play in society—as leaders in business, government, and law. Therefore, we offer elective options that enable students to:

• begin taking elective courses during their junior year
• specialize in a particular area of mechanical engineering
• emphasize a technical area within another engineering or science department
• pursue interests in another Carnegie Mellon department (such as foreign language, design, music, or business) to earn a double major or minor

We offer advanced courses that students can choose as electives, depending on their interests. Electives include:

• energy conversion
• controls
• vibrations
• dynamics
• manufacturing
• robotics
• internal combustion engines
• mechatronics
• fluid and solid mechanics
• aerodynamics
• engineering design

As mentioned, students can also take technical and non-technical electives from other Carnegie Mellon departments. Students can use these courses to pursue a double major or minor, or develop an individual concentration with a faculty advisor.

Students can also tailor their undergraduate experiences through study abroad, research, or the Accelerated Graduate Program. In today’s global society, a study abroad experience is crucial and should serve as an integral part of an undergraduate engineering education, including a possible college International Engineering minor. An academic experience abroad is encouraged and assistance provided for course choices, but students may also participate in research, complete an internship, or partake in an international service-learning engineering (ISLE) project abroad. Exceptional students are eligible to participate in departmental or college senior honors research under faculty supervision, which students find enriching. In the Accelerated Graduate program, students take graduate courses during their senior year, accumulating credit toward their Master’s degrees. Students can then complete all the requirements for the M.S. degree (course-work option) in the summer and fall following their B.S. degree.

Students use the latest computer-based design and analysis methods for their courses and project work, including industry-standard design tools aided by computers. We provide an undergraduate computer lab where students can complete design work, structural analyses, thermal/fluid finite element analyses, and dynamic system simulations. Using computer tools, students can visualize a product’s performance before they fabricate it.

We also provide students with a variety of resources including MIG welding, rapid prototyping, and a fully equipped student shop (includes lathes, drill presses, milling machines, band saws, and other hand and power tools). Our Thermal Fluids and Mechanical Systems laboratories contain state of-the-art experimentation hardware and software.

Our faculty performs research sponsored by industry and government agencies. Faculty often use their research results as specific examples, case studies, and projects in undergraduate courses, allowing students to see firsthand the recent advances in mechanical engineering.

We also sponsor frequent seminars and invite nationally and internationally reputed speakers to give lectures. We encourage all students to attend these seminars to learn about broad perspectives on mechanical engineering.

You can find additional information about the Mechanical Engineering program on our website, http://www.cmu.edu/me/. Additionally, we describe our resources and policies in more detail in our Undergraduate Student Handbook, available online or by request at Scaife Hall 416.

Educational Objectives

The highest-level objective of Carnegie Mellon University's mechanical engineering undergraduate program is to make positive, substantive, and lasting contributions to the lives of our students. This overall objective is articulated by the following two program educational objectives:

1. Graduates will recognize that they have obtained a high quality and rigorous technical education that is enriched by a flexible curriculum and interdisciplinary research opportunities.
2. Graduates will have applied their education to pursue successful career paths in either the engineering profession or an alternative field

The undergraduate curriculum in the Department of Mechanical Engineering offers students significant opportunities to pursue directions of personal interest, including minors, double majors, participation in research projects, and study abroad. Design and teamwork experiences occur at regular intervals in the curriculum, and graduates have significant hands-on experience through laboratories and projects. The faculty of the Department has endorsed the following set of skills, or outcomes that graduates of the program are expected to have:

The Department's program fully meets the requirements of an accredited curriculum in mechanical engineering as certified by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET).

Curriculum

The following template outlines the four-year B.S. program through the standard and recommended course sequence. To ensure that prerequisites are completed and to prevent scheduling conflicts, students should discuss any changes to this sequence with the department academic advisor.

Freshman Year

 Sophomore Year 

Junior Year 

Senior Year

Notes on the Curriculum

1.  Students need a minimum of 382 units to complete the B.S. degree.

2.  During the first year, students complete 24-101 Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering and another introductory engineering course.  If students did not take 24-101 during their first year, they should take 24-101 during their fall semester of their sophomore year in place of the General Education Course.  They can then replace that General Education Course in their junior or senior years.

3.  Students must pass the following three courses before they begin the core Mechanical Engineering courses in the fall of their sophomore year:

21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus (10 units)
21-122 Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation (10 units)
33-106 Physics I for Engineering Students (12 units)*

*33-106 / 33-107 is the recommended sequence for engineering students, although 33-111 / 33-112 or 33-131 /33-132 would also meet the CIT Physics requirement.

Mechanical engineering undergraduates must satisfy a Science Laboratory requirement to graduate. Normally the Science Laboratory requirement is satisfied by passing 09-101 Introduction to Experimental Chemistry (3 units). Students can also satisfy the Science Laboratory requirement by passing one of the following courses:

These courses may have prerequisites and tight enrollment limits that students should consider in their planning.

4.  Students are required to complete 36-220 Engineering Statistics and Quality Control, which may be scheduled in any semester. The sequence of calculus courses (21-120 , 21-122 , 21-259 ) and 21-260 Differential Equations should be scheduled as indicated, due to Mechanical Engineering Core class prerequisites.

5.  The communications requirement can be satisfied by completing at least one of the following options:

6. Students must enroll in 24-452 Mechanical Systems Experimentation in the fall of their senior year.

7. 24-441 Engineering Design II: Conceptualization and Realization may be taken in either fall or spring of senior year.

Restricted Technical Electives

Students should have the following courses completed by the end of their sophomore year.  These courses are listed as “Restricted Technical Electives” in the example course sequence.  Students do have some flexibility in how they sequence these courses during their freshman and sophomore years:

Mechanical Engineering Technical Electives

We require students to take at least one elective that we offer labeled as “Mechanical Engineering Technical Electives” in the example course sequence.  Students must take at least one non-core 24-xxx course (9-unit minimum) to fulfill the technical elective requirement:

Design and Manufacturing

Mechanical Systems

Thermal-Fluid Systems

Special Topics

We regularly offer these courses according to our teaching schedule.  However we cannot guarantee to offer a particular course in a given semester.

Students can also take certain mechanical engineering graduate courses to fulfill the technical elective requirement.  However, students must have the appropriate prerequisites and the instructor must approve taking the course.  Students can find a list of graduate courses we offer on our website.

Students cannot use the research or project courses to fulfill the technical elective requirement.  However, they can use these courses to fill the remaining five elective slots.  Courses that do not fulfill the technical elective requirements are:

24-391 / 24-392 Mechancial Engineering Project
24-491 / 24-492 Department Research Honors
39-xxx CIT series courses

Electives

Students must complete five elective courses, as indicated in the example course sequence. Students can take either technical or non-technical courses to fill these five slots from either the mechanical engineering department, College of Engineering, or any other Carnegie Mellon department. However, students only use one elective slot for a physical education course or for ROTC. We offer these electives so students can pursue individual interests or obtain a minor or double major.
 

Constructing a Program of Study

In order to properly plan their course sequence, students should select their six elective courses with the department academic advisor.  If students are pursuing minors, double majors, or double degrees, they should choose electives that meet requirements of these programs.  We provide more information on selecting courses and electives in the Undergraduate Student Handbook. We offer the following options to students for tailoring our program to fit their needs and interests.

Specialization Within Mechanical Engineering

Students can specialize in a specific area by taking additional mechanical engineering electives beyond the one required technical elective. Students can choose courses from the Mechanical Engineering Technical Electives list or take approved mechanical engineering graduate courses.

Research and Independent Study Projects

Students can work on a design or research project if supervised and coordinated by a faculty advisor.  Interested students should contact faculty members to identify potential projects of mutual interest.  Projects generally involve lab, analytical, field, design or computer work.

Students complete projects and research by taking either or both of the following courses for their electives.  As previously mentioned, students cannot use these courses to fulfill the technical elective requirement.

Qualified students enrolled in 24-491/492 are recognized at commencement. To graduate with research honors, students must have a QPA of 3.2 or higher, complete 18 units of 24-491/492 with at least at least a "B" grade, and submit an approved thesis to their faculty research advisor.

Students who complete all requirements for CIT Honors Research will also graduate with research honors. These students must complete 18 units of (39-500 ) CIT Honors Research under the supervision of a mechanical engineering faculty member.

Developing a Concentration of Interdisciplinary Studies

Students can also take courses outside of mechanical engineering to fill elective slots.  Usually students select courses around a common theme; although courses span several departments, students choose courses to form a specific concentration.  Students can either construct an informal program of study based on their interests or they can pursue a minor or double major using these courses.

Pursuing a Minor or Double Major

The College of Engineering offers designated minors for students wishing to specialize in an engineering area.  Students can find a list of minors on the CIT website (www.cit.cmu.edu).  Students can generally complete a designated minor without increasing the number of units required for graduation, but they should plan early in order to complete a minor on time.

Students can also complete a double major within the College of Engineering. Students can earn double majors in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering and Public Policy, or Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering.

Additionally, students can pursue minors or double majors with other Carnegie Mellon departments.  Interested students should contact the main department of the minor/double major they seek to learn the requirements for that program.

Advising

The department academic advisor is assigned initially to all new students and will continue to assist with any curriculum questions and registration issues until they graduate. 

The department academic advisor will:

• Verify progress toward degree requirements
• Discuss course alternatives for CIT requirements and electives
• Register research credit
• Assist with pre-requisite waivers
• Offer basic information regarding double major/minors, study abroad procedures, etc
• Explain summer transfer credit policies

Faculty mentors will:

• Explain technical content of coursework
• Suggest appropriate concentrations that match students' career objectives
• Discuss research opportunities
• Offer graduate school and employment advice
• Offer general advice and mentoring

Students should attend the fall sophomore dinner to meet professors, utilize introductions during sophomore core classes and check the website for additional faculty information.  Faculty appointments as needed, may also be arranged through the academic advising office.  The academic advisor will assign a faculty mentor to students that have not indicated a selection at the end of the sophomore year. 

As a regular part of monitoring progress toward completion of the degree, students should compare their transcripts with the department's degree requirements. Academic Audit - the HUB website- www.cmu.edu/hub.

Accelerated Graduate Program

We offer an accelerated graduate program to CIT undergraduate students interested in completing the M.S. in Mechanical Engineering- Course Option degree. Exceptional students can apply to the program at the end of their first semester as a senior.  We can only admit students who meet all of the program's admissions requirements. We do not offer financial aid for the M.S. degree.  Interested students should contact our graduate coordinator for further information.

Students in the Accelerated Graduate Program must:

• Complete at least 24 units of graduate coursework by the end of their senior year.
• Have a QPA of at least a 3.0 in these courses
• Not use these courses to satisfy their B.S. requirements
• If necessary, complete up to 24 units of 24-793 Supervised Reading and/or 24-794 Master of Science Project in the summer immediately following their senior year.
• Complete a total of 96 units to fulfill the M.S. Course Option requirements.

Quality Point Average Requirements

In addition to the College of Engineering's requirement of a cumulative quality point average (QPA) of 2.00 or higher for all courses taken after the Freshman year, the Mechanical Engineering Department requires that students attain a quality point average of 2.00 or higher for all required Mechanical Engineering courses.

Pursuant to university rules, students can repeat a course in which a grade below C was attained in order to achieve the QPA requirement. The highest grade so obtained will be used to calculate the quality point average for all required Mechanical Engineering courses.

In this section

• General Overview
• Educational Objectives
• Curriculum
• Notes on the Curriculum
• Restricted Technical Electives
• Mechanical Engineering Technical Electives
• Electives
• Constructing a Program of Study
• Advising
• Accelerated Graduate Program
• Quality Point Average Requirements
• Course Descriptions

Full-Time Faculty

ADNAN AKAY, Lord Professor – Ph.D, North Carolina State University; Carnegie Mellon, 1992–.CRISTINA HORTENSIA AMON, Lane Distinguished Professor – D.Sc., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 1988–.SHELLEY ANNA, Associate Professor – Ph.D, Harvard University; Carnegie Mellon, 2003–.NADINE N. AUBRY, Raymond J. Lane Distinguished Professor and Department Head – Ph.D, Cornell University; Carnegie Mellon, 2006–.JACK LEE BEUTH, Professor – Ph.D., Harvard University; Carnegie Mellon, 1992–.MAARTEN P. DE BOER, Associate Professor – Ph.D, University of Minnesota; Carnegie Mellon, 2007–.JONATHAN CAGAN, George Tallman and Florence Barrett Ladd Professor – Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 1990–.STEVEN COLLINS, Assistant Professor – Ph.D, University of Michigan; Carnegie Mellon, 2010–.C. FRED HIGGS III, Associate Professor – Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Carnegie Mellon, 2003–.LEVENT BURAK KARA, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University; Carnegie Mellon, 2007–.PHILIP R. LEDUC, Professor – Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University; Carnegie Mellon, 2002–.SHAWN LITSTER, Assistant Professor – Ph.D, Stanford University; Carnegie Mellon, 2008–.CARMEL MAJIDI, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 2011–.JONATHAN A. MALEN, Assistant Professor – Ph.D, University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 2009–.ALAN J.H. MCGAUGHEY, Associate Professor – Ph.D., University of Michigan; Carnegie Mellon, 2005–.WILLIAM CHARLES MESSNER, Professor – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 1993–.JEREMY J. MICHALEK, Associate Professor – Ph.D., University of Michigan; Carnegie Mellon, 2005–.O. BURAK OZDOGANLAR, Associate Professor – Ph.D, University of Michigan; Carnegie Mellon, 2004–.YOED RABIN, Professor – D.Sc., Technion-Israel Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2000–.ALLEN L. ROBINSON, Professor – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 1998–.EDWARD STEPHEN RUBIN, Professor – Ph.D., Stanford University; Carnegie Mellon, 1969–.SHENG SHEN, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2011–.KENJI SHIMADA, Theodore Ahrens Professor of Engineering – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 1996–.METIN SITTI, Professor – Ph.D., University of Tokyo; Carnegie Mellon, 2002–.PAUL SETH STEIF, Professor – Ph.D., Harvard University; Carnegie Mellon, 1983–.RYAN SULLIVAN, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., University of California at San Diego; Carnegie Mellon, 2012–.SHI-CHUNE YAO, Professor – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 1977–.DONGHYUN YOU, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., Stanford University; Carnegie Mellon, 2009–.YONGJIE ZHANG, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin; Carnegie Mellon, 2007–.

Adjunct Faculty

ROBERT REID, – Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University; .JOHN WILLIAM WISS, Adjunct Professor of Mechanical Engineering – M.ME, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Carnegie Mellon, 1982–.

Emeriti

NORMAN CHIGIER, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Emeritis – Sc.D., University of Cambridge; Carnegie Mellon, 1981–.JERRY HOWARD GRIFFIN, William J. Brown Emeritus Professor – Ph.D., California Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 1981–.JOHN FLETCHER OSTERLE, Theodore Ahrens Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus – D.Sc., Carnegie Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 1946–.WILFRED THOMAS ROULEAU, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Emeritus – Ph.D., Carnegie Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 1954–.