The Bachelor of Science program in Mechanical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, , under the General Criteria and the Mechanical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria.
Program Educational Objectives: Graduates from our program, within the first few years of their career, will either achieve professional employment in the broad field of mechanical engineering or related disciplines, or succeed in programs of advanced study in engineering, science and other professions, including business and law.
The curriculum has been designed to provide strong technical preparation in the broad field of mechanical engineering. Students enter the BS ME program as second-year students from the Engineering Design Division, as third-year transfer students from other schools such as community colleges or as internal transfers from Harpur College of Arts and Sciences. The program emphasizes the application of engineering fundamentals rather than specialization within areas of mechanical engineering. Care has been taken to ensure a balanced integration of theory, design and laboratory practice through the selection and sequencing of courses within the curriculum. Computer applications are an integral part of the total education program.
Some degree of specialization is permitted in the curriculum through the selection of elective courses, but the primary goal is to prepare the mechanical engineering bachelor of science graduate for a creative, lifelong engineering career based on a thorough grounding in the fundamentals and skills used by the mechanical engineer, as well as motivation for continued self-education.
Accelerated master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and materials science and engineering are available to qualified students. Minor programs in sustainability engineering and other disciplines are also possible.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
To receive the BS ME degree, students must complete a minimum of 128 credit hours in the courses outlined below with a minimum 2.0 (C) grade-point average in mechanical engineering courses, and a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.0. Three second-year courses, ME 273, ME 274, and ME 211, must be completed with a grade of C- or above in order to satisfy the prerequisite requirements.
All entering °®¶¹´«Ã½ first-year students and transfer students must complete the General Education requirements. For more details, refer to the General Education section of this publication or consult with a faculty advisor or the Watson College Advising Office.
In the table below, the courses listed in the first year/fall semester and first year/spring semester constitute Watson College’s common first-year program for engineering students. The common first year is administered by the Engineering Design Division, as described in the Engineering Design Division section of the Bulletin.
| First Year/Fall Semester | Credits |
| MATH 224/225 Differential Calculus/Integral Calculus | 4 |
| CHEM 111 Chemical Principles | 4 |
| EDD 111 Intro. to Engineering Design | 2 |
| EDD 103 Engineering Communications I | 2 |
| General Education elective (G, D, A, N, H)* | 4 |
| Total | 16 |
| First Year/Spring Semester | Credits |
| MATH 226/227 Integration Technique and Application/Infinite Series | 4 |
| PHYS 131 General Physics I | 4 |
| EDD 112 Intro. to Engineering Analysis | 2 |
| EDD 104 Engineering Communications II | 2 |
| General Education elective (G, D, A, N, H)* | 4 |
| Total | 16 |
| * It is advised that students take one of the required General Education courses in both the fall and spring semesters of the first year. | |
| Second Year/Fall Semester | Credits |
| MATH 323 Calculus III | 4 |
| PHYS 132 General Physics II | 4 |
| ME 212 Mechanical Engineering Programming | 2 |
| ME 273 Statics** | 3 |
| General Education elective (G, D, A, N, H)* | 4 |
| Total | 17 |
| Second Year/Spring Semester | Credits |
| MATH 324 ODE’s for Scientists/Engineers | 4 |
| EECE 260 Electric Circuits | 4 |
| ME 211 Introduction to Solid Mechanics** | 3 |
| ME 274 Dynamics** | 3 |
| General Education elective Physical Activity/Wellness (Y, S, B) | 2 |
| Total | 16 |
| Third and Fourth Years | Credits |
| ME 302 Engineering Analysis | 3 |
| ME 303 Engineering Computational Methods | 3 |
| ME 331 Thermodynamics | 3 |
| ME 351 Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| ME 362 Science of Engineering Materials | 3 |
| ME 363 Engineering Materials Laboratory | 1 |
| ME 381 Computer-Aided Engineering | 3 |
| ME 391 Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory | 3 |
| ME 392 Mechanical Engineering Design | 3 |
| ME 421 Mechanical Vibrations | 3 |
| ME 424 Control Systems in Mechanical Engineering | 3 |
| ME 441 Heat Transfer | 3 |
| ME 491 Mechanical Engineering Laboratory | 3 |
| ME 493 Senior Project I | 2 |
| ME 494 Senior Project II | 2 |
| ME 498 Senior Project Lab I | 1 |
| ME 499 Senior Project Lab II | 1 |
| Mechanical Engineering elective*** | 3 |
| Mechanical Engineering elective*** | 3 |
| Technical elective*** | 3 |
| Technical elective*** | 3 |
| General Education elective (G, D, A, N, H)* | 4 |
| General Education elective (G, D, A, N, H)* | 4 |
| Total | 63 |
Students must complete 30 credits of college-level mathematics and basic sciences with experimental experience appropriate to mechanical engineering. If students fail to meet the minimum 30 credits, additional math and/or science electives will be required. It is important that students meet with their major department to discuss options.
* General Education electives must meet certain General Education guidelines. Consult the Academic Guide (Formerly Bulletin), the Watson College Advising Office or your faculty advisor for information about the General Education requirements.
** Must be completed with a grade of C- or above in order to satisfy the prerequisite requirements.
*** Technical electives must be chosen from a pre-approved list of courses available in the Mechanical Engineering Department and in consultation with your faculty advisor. The mechanical engineering electives must be 300-level or above mechanical engineering courses (excluding required courses, internship courses, and independent study courses).
Required Course Prerequisites
The following courses, or their equivalent(s), are required prerequisites for the major:
If students do not place into MATH 224, then MATH 223 (or its equivalent) and, if needed, MATH 108 (or its equivalent) and, if needed, MATH 107 (or its equivalent) and, if needed, MATH 106 (or its equivalent) are required prerequisites for completion of the major.
Students who have not had adequate course preparation may need to take CHEM 100 prior to taking CHEM 104 or CHEM 111.
While EDD 103/111/104/112 is preferred, in rare cases, under advisement from the Watson Advising Office, a first-year composition course and an introduction to computer programming course may be used to meet the EDD 103/111/104/112 requirement.