Mechanical Engineering

Program Description

The Mechanical Engineering Department offers a design-oriented, project-based undergraduate program that emphasizes fundamental engineering principles, with many courses providing hands-on and active learning experiences. Students receive a strong foundation in mechanical engineering disciplines and a working knowledge of modern engineering tools, e.g., design and manufacturing techniques. To explore the many opportunities as a mechanical engineer, students may choose a track which provides depth in specific areas, e.g., automotive, aerospace, biomechanics, energy and manufacturing, among others.  With over 80% of our students participating in industry-sponsored internships or research with our faculty, our graduates are well prepared for a mechanical engineering career in a world of rapid technological change.

The Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org/, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Mechanical Engineering.

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering program intentionally embeds professional and technical skills, e.g., working on teams, engineering design, technical communication, and programming throughout the Mechanical Engineering curriculum.  Our project-based design spine is bookended by the first-year experience in Introduction to Design (EDNS151) and our multidisciplinary capstone experience (EDNS 491 & 492) in the senior year.  Following their first year at Mines, our students enter our project-based design spine in the middle years (sophomore and junior years):

• MEGN200 Introduction to ME: Programming & Hardware Interface.  This course has students utilizing Arduinos while learning to program and breadboard to respond to an open-ended design problem.
• MEGN201 Introduction to ME: Design & Fabrication. In this course, students learn to design in SolidWorks, create technical drawings, use GD&T, and fabricate components in our machine shop with manual and CNC equipment.
• MEGN 300 Instrumentation and Automation: This course teaches our students to use more advanced instrumentation to collect and interpret real engineering data.  Students use the LabVIEW programming language to design and control their devices and experiments.
• MEGN301 Mechanical Integration & Design. In this course students utilize the skills from the previous three courses as well as other ME courses to design, build and test their solution to an open-ended design project.  This semester-long project immerses students in the design process and utilizes Scrum process to respond to project milestones.

This project-based experience teaches design methodology and stresses the creative aspects of the mechanical engineering profession. The courses help prepare students for open-ended, industry-based projects in the senior design experience.

Additionally, students complete an advanced mechanical engineering core that includes fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, dynamics, heat transfer, numerical methods, machine design, finite element analysis, and manufacturing processes. This engineering core is complemented by courses and electives in Culture and Society (CAS), which elaborate on the societal and economic impact of engineering solutions in our world. Students also take four advanced technical electives and three additional free electives to explore specific areas of interest.  If students want to gain depth in a particular area on mechanical engineering, they can align their four ME electives in one of our eight tracks:  Aerospace, Automotive, Automation and Controls, Biomechanics, Energy, Manufacturing, Materials, and Nuclear Energy.

There are plenty of opportunities outside of the curriculum for students to explore their passions.  We have active Mines Maker Space, Robotics Club, and Formula SAE student groups among the over 300 student groups on campus, where students engage with the community, arts, and the outdoors.  

Program Educational Objectives (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering)

The Mechanical Engineering program contributes to the educational objectives described in the Mines' Graduate Profile and the ABET accreditation criteria. Accordingly, the Mechanical Engineering program at Mines has established the following program educational objectives for the BS in Mechanical Engineering degree:

The Mechanical Engineering program prepares graduates within three to five years of completing their degree to:

• Apply their Mechanical Engineering education as active contributors to their professional community and society more broadly;
• Effectively communicate information and its practical and societal impact to a diverse and globally integrated society;
• Demonstrate their commitment to professional development and life-long learning through workforce readiness training, professional community involvement, and community outreach;
• Embody ethical, environmental and societal responsibility encompassing diversity, equity and inclusion in their professional activities.

Student Outcomes

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Primary Contact

Mechanical Engineering Program
mechanical@mines.edu

Professor and Department Head

Carl Frick

Emeriti Professors

Joan Gosink

Robert King

Graham G.W. Mustoe

Terry E. Parker

Emeriti Associate Professors

David Munoz

John P.H. Steele

Professors

Mohsen Asle Zaeem

John R. Berger

Robert Braun, Rowlinson Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Cristian V. Ciobanu

Gregory S. Jackson

Robert J. Kee, George R. Brown Distinguished Professor

Alexandra Newman

Brian G. Thomas

Associate Professors

Steven DeCaluwe

Mark Deinert

Veronica Eliasson

Joy Gockel

Owen Hildreth

Leslie Lamberson

Anthony J. Petrella

Andrew Petruska

Jason Porter

Anne Silverman, Rowlinson Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Neal Sullivan

Paulo Tabares-Velasco

Nils Tilton

Garritt Tucker, Director of Graduate Studies - ME

Ruichong "Ray" Zhang

Xiaoli Zhang

Assistant Professor

Andrew Osborne

Professors of Practice

Angel Abbud-Madrid

Craig Brice

Christopher Dreyer

George Sowers

Teaching Professors

Kristine Csavina, Assistant Department Head and Director of Undergraduate Studies - ME

Ventzi Karaivanov

Teaching Associate Professors

Jeff Ackerman

Joel M. Bach

Daniel Blood

Oyvind Nilsen

Derrick Rodriguez

Jeff Wheeler

Teaching Assistant Professors

Brian Donovan

Adam Duran

Stephen Geer

Gary Nave

Kelly Rickey

Polina Ringler

Jim Wong

Affiliate Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Michael Mooney

Research Associate Professors

Sandrine Ricote

Huayang Zhu

Research Assistant Professors

Ankit Gupta

Carolina Herradon Hernandez

Garrison Hommer

Xingchao Wang

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Degree Requirements:

* Mechanical Engineering students are required to take three Mechanical Engineering elective courses. At least one of these courses must be from the Advanced Engineering Sciences list. The remaining must be from either the Advanced Engineering Sciences list or the Mechanical Engineering Electives list.

Advanced Engineering Sciences:

Mechanical Engineering Electives:

Major GPA

During the 2016-2017 Academic Year, the Undergraduate Council considered the policy concerning required major GPAs and which courses are included in each degree’s GPA.  While the GPA policy has not been officially updated, in order to provide transparency, council members agreed that publishing the courses included in each degree’s GPA is beneficial to students. 

The following list details the courses that are included in the GPA for this degree:

• CEEN241
• EDNS491 
• EDNS492
• MEGN100 through MEGN699 inclusive

Tracks for me undergraduate program

Tracks in Mechanical Engineering offer an opportunity for ME undergrads to explore various topics in mechanical engineering in more depth.  Students gain depth in the areas by focusing their ME Electives on four courses prescribed in each track.  Each proposed track is defined below with one course required in the Advanced Engineering Science Elective and three courses required from the ME Elective courses.  Note that undergraduate students are not required to align with a track. Tracks are suggestions for students to gain advanced knowledge in a subdiscipline area and are “transcriptable.”

Aerospace 

Automation & Controls 

Automotive

Biomechanics 

Energy

Manufacturing 

Materials 

Nuclear Energy

Combined Mechanical Engineering Baccalaureate and Masters Degrees

Mechanical Engineering offers a five year combined program in which students have the opportunity to obtain specific engineering skills supplemented with graduate coursework in mechanical engineering. Upon completion of the program, students receive two degrees, the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.

Admission into a graduate degree program as a Combined Undergraduate/Graduate degree student may occur as early as the first semester Junior year and must be granted no later than the end of registration the last semester Senior year. Students must meet minimum GPA admission requirements for the graduate degree.

Students enrolled in Mines’ combined undergraduate/graduate program may double count up to six credits of graduate coursework to fulfill requirements of both their undergraduate and graduate degree programs. These courses must have been passed with “B-” or better, not be substitutes for required coursework, and meet all other University, Department, and Program requirements for graduate credit.

Students are advised to consult with their undergraduate and graduate advisors for appropriate courses to double count upon admission to the combined program.

The Mechanical Engineering Graduate Bulletin provides detail into the graduate program and includes specific instructions regarding required and elective courses. Students may switch from the combined program, which includes a non-thesis Master of Science degree to a M.S. degree with a thesis option; however, if students change degree programs they must satisfy all degree requirements for the M.S. with thesis degree.

The Mines guidelines for Minor/ASI can be found in the Undergraduate Information section of the Mines Catalog.

Mechanical Engineering Areas of Special Interest (ASI) and Minor Programs

General Requirements

The Mechanical Engineering department offers minor and ASI programs. Students who elect an ASI or minor, must fulfill all prerequisite requirements for each course in a chosen sequence. Students in the sciences or mathematics must be prepared to meet prerequisite requirements in fundamental engineering and engineering science courses. Students in engineering disciplines are better positioned to meet the prerequisite requirements for courses in the minor and ASI Mechanical Engineering program. (See Minor/ASI section of the Bulletin for all requirements for a minor/ASI at CSM.)

For an Area of Special Interest in Mechanical Engineering, the student must complete the following 12 credits hours:

For a Minor in Mechanical Engineering, the student must complete a minimum of 18 credits from the following:

Biomechanical Engineering Minor

General Requirements

To obtain a Biomechanical Engineering Minor, students must take at least 11.0 credits from the courses listed below. Fundamentals of Biology I (CBEN110) and Introduction to Biomechanical Engineering (MEGN330) are required (7.0 credits). Three more courses may be chosen from the proposed list of electives. The list of electives will be modified as new related courses become available.

Required Courses (7.0 credits)

Biomechanical Engineering Elective Courses

*

 As the content of these courses varies, the course must be noted as relevant to the biomechanical engineering minor.

Minor and ASI in Additive Manufacturing

The interdisciplinary Additive Manufacturing program will prepare undergraduates to meet the challenges of careers in additive manufacturing. Undergraduate students have the following degree options:

• Area of Special Interest (12 credits)
  • Requirements: AMFG401 and 9 credits of electives (see Table 1)
• Minor (18 credits)
  • Requirements: AMFG401 and 15 credits of electives (see Table 1)

Table 1: Undergraduate elective courses, listed by specialty area (AMFG531, AMFG 511 and FEGN 526 require approval by appropriate program directors)

Aerospace Engineering Minor

The Aerospace Engineering minor includes six required courses listed below.  Four of the courses currently exist in the mechanical engineering curriculum, and two are new courses.  Courses in this minor, some developed in conjunction with industry, will help prepare Mines students for a career in aerospace industries. 

ASI in Aerospace Engineering

For an Area of Special Interest in Aerospace Engineering, the student must complete a minimum of 12 credits from the following:

Courses