The mechanical engineering curriculum is designed to prepare students for productive careers in industry, government, education and private consulting as well as for graduate study. Thus, it is based on the fundamental principles of science and engineering. These provide a strong foundation that enables students to apply what they have learned to the complex technological problems of today and to teach themselves the new technologies of tomorrow. Since mechanical engineering is a broad field of endeavor, the curriculum offers a strong technical elective program to allow each student to craft a broad educational experience and to develop the flexibility to pursue diverse career goals.
   No less than any professional, the mechanical engineering graduate must work within the social and environmental context of our world. To be effective and successful, he or she must be aware of the roles of engineering and science in solving complex technological and social problems as well as of the impacts of social and environmental factors on engineering activities such as design. To foster this awareness, the curriculum allows the student an unusually wide choice of social science and humanities electives and emphasizes the links between society and engineering through courses such as Engineering Systems Design.
   The strength of any department is its faculty. The mechanical engineering faculty are committed to providing a dynamic and innovative learning environment and to maintaining and increasing their technical competence in a rapidly changing world. Stereotypes not withstanding, they understand that people are more important than things. Thus, they encourage each student to seek them out when he or she has academic problems or needs guidance in career planning.
   The freshman year of the mechanical engineering program includes courses in mathematics, physics, humanities and social science as well as introductory courses in engineering and design. The sophomore year features courses in mathematics, chemistry and the engineering sciences. The final two years of the program stress the design and analysis of systems, machines and their components, and the transfer and transformation of energy. The required courses provide the basic mathematical and scientific fundamentals underlying the practice of mechanical engineering, while 12 cr. hrs. of technical elective courses and 8 cr. hrs. of free elective courses allow flexibility in adapting the program to the interests and abilities of the individual student. The student is not encouraged to specialize in a particular area but rather to seek a broad background in basic engineering principles. For the student who wishes to pursue a career in the field of aerospace engineering, however, extensive sequences of courses are available as elective offerings.
   The mechanical engineering program is designed to encourage the best students to continue their education at the graduate level. For those who choose to study at Rose-Hulman, graduate work leading to a Master of Science degree is offered by the Mechanical Engineering Department. Options in the general areas of Thermal/Fluids Systems and Solid Systems Design are available. These options are devoted to developing a deeper understanding of engineering and are not intended to constrain the student to a high degree of specialization.

Mechanical Engineering Program Educational Objectives and Outcomes

Mission: To provide the curriculum, the educational environment, and the individual support necessary to graduate mechanical engineers who are technically competent, effective in practice, creative, ethical and mindful of their responsibility to society.

Vision:  To graduate the best baccalaureate mechanical engineers.

Mechanical Engineering Program Objectives

1. Apply engineering fundamentals to problem solving processes in an iterative manner.
2. Design effectively.
3. Continue to learn and educate themselves.
4. Communicate effectively.
5. Work responsibly.
6. Work effectively.

Outcomes

By the time a student graduates with a mechanical engineering degree from Rose-Hulman, they will possess the following abilities:

• Ethics – A recognition of ethical and professional responsibilities
  When given the opportunity, students will:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of professional codes of ethics.
2. Evaluate the ethical dimensions of professional engineering, mathematical, and scientific practices.

• Contemporary Issues - An understanding of how contemporary issues shape and are shaped by mathematics, science, & engineering
  When applying the principles of mathematics, science, and/or engineering to a technical problem, students will:

1. Demonstrate an awareness of how the problem is affected by social concerns and trends.
2. Demonstrate an awareness of how the proposed solution(s) will affect culture and the environment.

• Global - An ability to recognize the impact of global societies on citizens and professionals
  When given the opportunity, students will:

1. Demonstrate an awareness of the development of cultures and societies.
2. Show an awareness of the relationships of nations and the interdependence of peoples around the globe.

• Culture - An ability to understand diverse cultural and humanistic traditions
  When given the opportunity, students will:

1. Perform, interpret, analyze or otherwise engage in artistic, literary, and/or other forms of culture.
2. Recognize the importance of contributions of peoples from other cultures to the students’ professions and personal lives.
3. Evaluate an issue or problem from other cultural perspectives.

• Teams - An ability to work effectively in teams
  When assigned to teams, students will:

1. Share responsibilities and duties, and take on different roles when applicable.
2. Analyze ideas objectively to discern feasible solutions by building consensus.
3. Develop a strategy for action.
4. Listen openly, actively and critically.

• Communication - An ability to communicate effectively in oral, written, graphical, and visual forms
  When performing communication tasks, students will:

1. Identify the readers/audience, assess their previous knowledge and information needs, and organize/design information to meet those needs.
2. Provide content that is factually correct, supported with evidence, explained with sufficient detail, and properly documented.
3. Test readers/audience response to determine how well ideas have been relayed.
4. Submit work with a minimum of errors in spelling, punctuation, grammar, and usage.
5. Present information visually using drawings, graphs and sketches.
6. Deliver oral presentations with clarity and professionalism.

• Problem Solving - An ability to apply the skills and knowledge necessary for mathematical, scientific, and engineering practices

1. Inspect and define the problem.

2. Identify the basic principles and concepts that apply to the situation.

3. Use appropriate resources to locate pertinent information.

4. Build appropriate model(s).

5. Solve the problem by choosing appropriate tools. (analytical, experimental, and numerical)

6. Check a solution using appropriate criteria.

• Interpreting Data - An ability to interpret graphical, numerical, and textual data

1. Collect and present data in an accurate and orderly way.
2. Use appropriate statistical procedures to analyze and evaluate the information contained in a data set.
3. Analyze the data and draw supportable conclusions from the result.

• Experiments - An ability to design and conduct experiments

1. Identify the problem and develop a hypothesis.
2. Select measurement techniques to collect appropriate data and justify that selection.
3. Estimate experimental uncertainties.

• Design - An ability to design a product or process to satisfy a client's needs subject to constraints

1. Understand the problem.
2. Develop a design specification that addresses customer/client needs and constraints.
3. Carry out a conceptual design by generating multiple solutions that address the issues above, evaluating the feasibility of the solutions, and choosing the appropriate solution.
4. Carry out a detail-level design using appropriate design tools and methodologies.
5. Test and refine the implementation until the product or process design specifications are met or exceeded.
6. Document the finished product or process as appropriate for the discipline according to standard practice.
7. Present and transfer the product or process and documentation to the client.

• Continue to Learn and Educate One's Self

1. Learn new information independently.

Areas of Concentration

Aerospace Engineering Area of Concentration
   The aerospace industry provides job opportunities each year for many mechanical engineering graduates. The aerospace engineering area of concentration is intended to provide specialty courses which focus the application of basic mechanical engineering skills on aerospace systems.
   The courses that comprise this area of concentration are:

   Any student who completes five of these recommended courses may receive, upon request, a letter from the Department Head attesting to the fact that the student has completed the requirements in the aerospace engineering area of concentration in the Mechanical Engineering Department. With proper planning, students should be able to take at least five of these course offerings without overload

* Select only one, either ME 405 or MA 330 will count toward the Aerospace concentration.

Manufacturing and Production Engineering Area of Concentration
   Many mechanical engineering graduates will work in tasks related to the manufacture of various products. The manufacturing and production engineering area of concentration is intended to bridge the gap between the analytical and design courses which are the heart of the professional program and the practical problems of producing acceptable hardware, on time, at a profit.
   The courses that comprise this area of concentration are:

Solid Mechanics Area of Concentration
   The broad field of solid mechanics prepares the mechanical engineering graduate with many career opportunities in areas such as stress analysis, dynamics, vibrations, materials, and the design of mechanical components and systems.
   The courses that comprise this area of concentration are:

   With proper planning, students should be able to take five elective courses in the area without overload. Any student who completes five of these recommended courses may request a letter from the Department Head attesting to the fact that the student has completed the requirements in the solid mechanics area of concentration within the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Thermal Fluid Area of Concentration
Many Mechanical Engineering graduates will work with engineering systems that are based on the principles of thermodynamics, heat transfer and fluid mechanics. The Mechanical Engineering curriculum offers an opportunity for the student to concentrate his studies on the analysis and design of these systems. The courses that comprise the thermal fluid area of concentration may be classified according to whether the main emphasis is on the system or on the thermal or fluid concepts which underpin its design and operation.

   In order to complete the requirements in the thermal fluid area of concentration a student must select five elective from the lists such that at least one course is taken from the “Thermal Fluid Systems” list and at least two courses are taken from the “Thermal Fluid Sciences” list.
   With proper planning, students should be able to take five elective courses in the area without overload. Any student who completes five of these recommended courses may request a letter from the Department Head attesting to the fact that the student has completed the requirements in the thermal fluid area of concentration within the Mechanical Engineering Department.