Technical Electives
The undergraduate major in Mechanical Engineering offers significant flexibility in allowing students to tailor their academic program to their interests. When choosing technical electives, we encourage students to think about their most likely career path, whether it may be industry, academia, research, or perhaps a profession outside of engineering, and then explore the most interesting or relevant course(s) that pertain to that career path.
A technical elective can be any engineering course offered in the SEAS bulletin that is 3000 level or above. Undergraduates are required to complete 9 points of technical electives, six (6) of which must be offered through the Mechanical Engineering department. Courses with designations MECE, MEBM, EEME, and IEME qualify as mechanical engineering technical electives.
Other courses/activities that count as technical electives include:
- Honors tutorial in mechanical engineering, which can earn up to 3 points.
- Research, which can earn up to 3 points.
The letters x and y next to the course number indicate fall and spring semester courses, respectively. Check the online directory of classes to verify whether a course is offered in the desired semester. Though students are advised to contact their faculty advisor prior to registration to discuss choosing technical electives that are in line with their academic/research goals, here is a list of some technical electives that are often suggested to Mechanical Engineering majors:
General Topics
MECE E3900x-E3901y: Honors tutorial in mechanical engineering
MECE E3998x and y: Projects in mechanical engineering
Design, Control, and Manufacturing
MECE E4058x and y: Mechatronics and embedded microcomputer control
MECE E4212x: Microelectromechanical systems
MECE E4501y: Geometrical modeling
MECE E4502x: Computational geometry for CAD/CAM
EEME E4601y: Digital control systems
MECE E4602y: Introduction to robotics
MECE E4604x: Product design for manufacturability
MECE E4609y: Computer-aided manufacturing
MECE E4610x: Advanced manufacturing processes
IEME E4310x: The manufacturing enterprise
MSAE E3103x: Elements of material science
Thermofluids
MECE E4100y: Mechanics of fluids
MECE E4211y: Energy sources and conversion
MECE E4302y: Advanced thermodynamics
MECE E4304x: Turbomachinery
MECE E4312y: Design of thermal systems
MECE E4314y: Energy dynamics of green buildings
MECE E4404x: Lubrication theory and design
APPH E4200x: Physics of fluids
EAEE E3103y: Energy and materials systems
Mechanics, Dynamics, and Vibrations
MECE E3401x: Mechanics of machines
MECE E4404x: Lubrication theory and design
ENME E3114y: Experimental mechanics of materials
ENME E4113x: Advanced mechanics of solids
ENME E4114y: Mechanics of fracture and fatigue
ENME E4202y: Advanced mechanics
ENME E4214y: Theory of plates and shells
ENME E4215x: Theory of vibrations
MSAE E3103x: Elements of material science
MSAE E4215y: Mechanical behavior of materials
Bioengineering
MEBM E4702x: Advanced musculoskeletal biomechanics
APMA E4400y: Introduction to biophysical modeling
BMEN E3320y: Fluid biomechanics
BMEN E4300y: Solid biomechanics
BMEN E4301x: Structure, mechanics, and adaptation of bone
BMEN E4305y: Cardiac mechanics
BMEN E4340y: Biomechanics of cells
Applied Sciences
APMA E3101x: Applied mathematics, I: linear algebra
APMA E3102y: Applied mathematics, II: partial differential equations
APMA E4001y: Principles of applied mathematics
SIEO W3600y: Introduction to probability and statistics