A Mechanical Engineering student who chooses to take specific electives will be awarded with a specialization that will appear on their transcript and diploma. They may also note the accomplishment on their resume/CV, and employers may contact the department for verification if requested.
Note:
- Specializations are optional and students are only eligible for one specialization. (Students on a pre-FA19 academic plan will be automatically updated to the FA19 academic plan when they request to switch to a new ME major with specialization.)
- In order to declare a specialization, please submit a request through the Major and Minor tool. (Search under Mechanical Engineering, followed by the name of the specialization.)
Due to the fact that some specialization courses may only be offered once a year, students are HIGHLY encouraged to begin planning their specialization at least 2 years before graduation. It is recommended to complete at least 2 specialization courses before your final year. If you choose to wait until your final year, it may be impossible to complete all the requirements.
IMPORTANT: If students cannot complete the requirements within four years or three years for transfer students, they must return to the major without a specialization.
Students Admitted Directly into a ME Major w/Specialization
Students will follow either the freshman 4-year ME plan or the transfer 3-year ME plan and will take 4 out of their required 5 technical electives (TEs) from the list of approved specialization courses below.
As for the 5th and final TE, students have the choice to take another course from the list of approved specialization courses or choose a TE from the general list of approved TEs here.
Note: The schedule of TEs varies from year to year. Students are recommended to check the course offerings webpage at the beginning of each academic year to see which TEs will be offered and then plan accordingly.
Controls & Robotics (MC34) - The specialization in controls and robotics is designed for students who want to understand the fundamentals of controls and optimization and their applications in robotics such as autonomous vehicles, biomedical technologies, and swarms of drones.
Students must complete all the mechanical engineering requirements described above, and four of the five technical electives must be selected from the list below, including at least two of the courses marked with an asterisk (*):
- MAE 108. Probability and Statistical Methods for Mechanical Engineering
- MAE 142. Dynamics and Control of Aerospace Vehicles*
- MAE 144. Embedded Control and Robotics*
- MAE 145. Introduction to Robotic Planning and Estimation*
- MAE 146. Introduction to ML Algorithms
- MAE 148. Introduction to Autonomous Vehicles
- MAE 180 Orbital Mechanics*
- MAE 200. Controls*
- MAE 204. Robotics*
- SE 143A. Aerospace Structural Design I
- SE 143B. Aerospace Structural Design II
Note: SE 143A/B are the SE senior design capstone courses so students will be expected to complete both A&B consecutively.
Fluid Mechanics & Thermal Systems (MC33) - The specialization in fluid mechanics and thermal systems is designed for students who are interested in the fundamentals of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and engineering applications.
Students must complete all the mechanical engineering requirements described above and four of the five technical electives must be selected from the list below:
- MAE 101D. Intermediate Heat Transfer
- MAE 104. Aerodynamics
- MAE 110. Thermodynamic Systems
- MAE 113. Fundamentals of Propulsion
- MAE 119. Introduction to Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind
- MAE 122. Flow and Transport in the Environment
- MAE 185. Computational Fluid Dynamics
- MAE 201. Mechanics of Fluids
- MAE 202. Thermal Processes
- BENG 103B. Bioengineering Mass Transfer or CENG 101C. Mass Transfer
- SIO 111. Introduction to Ocean Waves
- SIO 172. Physics of the Atmosphere
- SIO 173. Dynamics of the Atmosphere and Climate
- SIO 178. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
Mechanics of Materials (MC31) - The specialization in mechanics of materials is designed for students who are interested in gaining expertise in the areas of mechanics of solid and soft materials, and the dynamics of material systems (e.g., bioinspired systems and metamaterials), including applications to engineering structures and devices, manufacturing, energy, and biomedical engineering. Students can choose from a diverse set of courses in mechanics, numerical modeling, and material science.
Students must complete all the mechanical engineering requirements described above and four of the five technical electives must be selected from the list below, including both of the courses marked with an asterisk (*):
- MAE 130. Mechanics III: Vibrations*
- One of the following two courses*:
- MAE 131B. Fundamentals of Solid Mechanics II (if MAE 160 is used to satisfy ME major requirement)
- MAE 160. Mechanical Behavior of Materials (if MAE 131B is used to satisfy ME major requirement)
- MAE 133. Finite Element Methods in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
- MAE 165. Fatigue and Failure Analysis of Engineering Components
- MAE 166. Nanomaterials
- MAE 167. Wave Dynamics in Materials
- MAE 190. Biomaterials and Medical Devices (NOTE: It must be this subtitle.)
- NANO 134. Polymeric Materials (or MATS 257. Polymer Science and Engineering)
- NANO 148. Thermodynamics of Materials
- NANO 158. Phase Transformations and Kinetics
- NANO 158L. Materials Processing Laboratory
- NANO 161. Material Selection in Engineering
- NANO 174L. Mechanical Behavior Laboratory
- SE 142. Design of Composite Structures
- SE 163. Nondestructive Evaluation
Materials Science & Engineering (MC32) - The specialization in materials science and engineering is designed for students who are interested in materials fundamentals and applications in engineering such as criteria for materials selection, fabrication and failure analysis of engineering components, nanomaterials and materials for biomedical, energy, and electrical/magnetic/optical applications.
Students must complete all the mechanical engineering requirements described above and four of the five technical electives must be selected from the list below. Only one of the courses marked with an asterisk (*) will be accepted for the specialization, not all:
- MAE 130. Mechanics III: Vibrations
- One of the following two courses:
- MAE 131B. Fundamentals of Solid Mechanics II (if MAE 160 is used to satisfy ME major requirement)
- MAE 160. Mechanical Behavior of Materials (if MAE 131B is used to satisfy ME major requirement)
- MAE 133. Finite Element Methods in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering*
- MAE 165. Fatigue and Failure Analysis of Engineering Components
- MAE 166. Nanomaterials
- MAE 167. Wave Dynamics in Materials
- MAE 190. Biomaterials and Medical Devices (NOTE: It must be this subtitle.)
- NANO 134. Polymeric Materials (or MATS 257. Polymer Science and Engineering)
- NANO 148. Thermodynamics of Materials
- NANO 158. Phase Transformations and Kinetics
- NANO 158L. Materials Processing Laboratory
- NANO 161. Material Selection in Engineering
- NANO 174L. Mechanical Behavior Laboratory
- SE 131A. Finite Element Analysis*
- SE 131B. Finite Element Analysis: Beam and Shell Models*
- SE 142. Design of Composite Structures
- SE 163. Nondestructive Evaluation
Renewable Energy & Environmental Flows (REEF) (MC30) - The specialization in renewable energy and environmental flows is designed for students who are interested in technologies that enable sustainable growth, in flow and transport in atmosphere, ocean, and groundwater, and renewable energy solutions for the electric power system. Students can choose from a diverse set of courses in oceanography, chemistry, and various engineering disciplines.
Students must complete all the mechanical engineering requirements described above and four of the five technical electives must be selected from the list below, including both courses marked with an asterisk (*):
- Core
- MAE 119, Introduction to Renewable Energy: Solar and Wind*
- MAE 122. Flow and Transport in the Environment*
- Environmental Flows
- MAE 123. Introduction to Transport in Porous Media
- MAE 185. Computational Fluid Dynamics
- SIO 111. Introduction to Ocean Waves
- SIO 171. Introduction to Physical Oceanography
- SIO 172. Physics of the Atmosphere
- SIO 173. Dynamics of the Atmosphere and Climate
- SIO 175. Analysis of Oceanic and Atmospheric Data
- SIO 176. Observational Physical Oceanography
- SIO 178. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
- SIO 179. Ocean Instruments and Sensors
- Energy
- MAE 101D. Intermediate Heat Transfer
- MAE 108. Probability and Statistical Methods for Mechanical Engineering
- MAE 110. Thermodynamics Systems
- MAE 120. Introduction to Nuclear Energy
- MAE 125. Building Energy Efficiency
- MAE 206. Energy Systems
- ECE 121A. Power Systems Analysis and Fundamentals
- ECE 121B. Energy Conversion
- ECE 125A. Introduction to Power Electronics I
- ECE 125B. Introduction to Power Electronics II
- SIO 117. The Physical Basis of Global Warming
- Environmental Chemistry
- CENG 100. Material and Energy Balances
- CHEM 171. Environmental Chemistry I
- CHEM 172. Environmental Chemistry II
- CHEM 173. Atmospheric Chemistry
- ESYS 101. Environmental Biology
- SIO 141/CHEM 174. Chemical Principles of Marine Systems
- SIO 143. Ocean Acidification
- SIO 174. Chemistry of the Atmosphere and Oceans
- Most CENG and CHEM courses (with petition)