There are over 300 U.S. universities that offer accredited bachelor's degree programs in mechanical engineering, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and Yale University. Read on to learn more about the mechanical engineering bachelor's degree programs at these colleges.
Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering
If you're interested in becoming a mechanical engineer, the first step is to complete a mechanical engineering bachelor's degree program. These 4-year degrees typically include both science and math courses, as well as classes in thermal fluids, dynamics, mechanical engineering tools and fluid mechanics. Some programs may also require you to complete either a senior project or thesis.
Mechanical engineers who plan on offering their services to the public need to be licensed, which requires the completion of an ABET-accredited degree program. As of October 2018, there were 327 U.S. schools that offered mechanical engineering bachelor's degree programs accredited by ABET. While requirements may vary slightly by state, additional requirements typically include several years of work experience and passing two licensing exams. Read on to learn about three schools offering mechanical engineering programs.
<h3 id="section---ImportantFactsAboutThisFieldOfStudy">Important Facts About This Field of Study</h3><p></p><table border="1"><tr><td> Common Courses </td><td> Professional Design Practices, Introductory Fluids Engineering, Engineering Drawing & Design, Mechanical Systems Design</td></tr>
<tr><td> Possible Careers </td><td> Mechanical engineer, graduate study, mechanical designer</td></tr>
<tr><td> Concentrations </td><td> Automation & Robotics, Manufacturing, Nuclear Energy, Mechanics of Materials</td></tr>
<tr><td> Online Availability </td><td> Some programs offered entirely online</td></tr>
</table><h3 id="section---SchoolOptions">School Options</h3><h3 id="section---MassachusettsInstituteOfTechnology">Massachusetts Institute of Technology</h3><p>The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, offers a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering program. The degree program is structured to give students a comprehensive education in the sciences of engineering and to provide students with communications, design, problem-solving and quantitative skills. MIT students working toward a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering can choose between three different degree programs. The first option is the traditional mechanical engineering program found at many universities. The second choice gives students a foundation in mechanical engineering and also allows students to focus on a second area of study. The third choice allows students to earn their degree in mechanical engineering with an emphasis in ocean engineering.
</p><h3 id="section---YaleUniversity">Yale University</h3><p>The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, offers Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. This degree is suitable for students who wish to enter the field as a mechanical engineer or who want to continue their education and earn a graduate degree. Courses for this program include topics in mechanical design, thermodynamics, material science, solid mechanics, fluid mechanics, mechatronics, computer-aided design and biomechanics.
</p><h3 id="section---StanfordUniversity">Stanford University</h3><p>Stanford University is located between San Francisco and San Jose in Stanford, California. The focus of Stanford's Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering program is to teach students how to meet the needs of society as a mechanical engineer. Stanford's mechanical engineering department is structured around five themes in engineering in order to make the programs offered as comprehensive as possible and to give students the opportunity to choose from a series of options within the field. The five themes are:
</p><ul><li>Energy
</li><li>Design
</li><li>Computational engineering
</li><li>Biomedicine
</li><li>Multi-scale engineering
</li></ul><h3 id="section---CareerInformation">Career Information</h3><p>After completing an undergraduate program in engineering, graduates may begin their career as mechanical engineers, where they design, test and manufacture mechanical equipment and systems. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has predicted that employment of mechanical engineers will increase by 2% between 2021 and 2031, which as fast as the national average for all occupations. The BLS also reported that, as of May 2021, mechanical engineers had a mean annual wage of $95,300.</p>
