Undergraduate Program Information
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BS - Mechanical Engineering
What is a Mechanical Engineering degree?
Whether you want to design a more efficient power generator, develop new methods of automation or engineer the latest machine system, you can get there with a mechanical engineering degree from Florida Tech. Here, you'll develop a strong background in engineering and get hands-on experience in fields like instrumentation and thermal systems.
Our mechanical engineering degree program is dynamic and focused. You'll get started right away, taking core courses like Introduction to Mechanical Engineering and Calculus-based Physics as a freshman. Guided by highly qualified faculty who care about your success, you'll hone your strengths and begin specializing as early as sophomore year.
New technical electives allow you to specialize in unique career-track sub-fields such as systems engineering, nuclear technology and energy engineering, making you a hot prospect in the eyes of future employers.
Advantages
Why Florida Tech: The mechanical engineering degree at Florida Tech includes:
- ABET accredited program
- Hands-on from day one
- Personal attention from faculty who have a reputation for excellence in teaching and research
- Proximity to high-tech companies means close involvement with the latest advances in science and engineering
- Capstone student design experience that gives students the opportunity to work in teams in addressing real-world issues through hands-on projects
- ProTrack Co-op program, which incorporates 3 professional work experiences into your four-year degree curriculum
Facilities: The F.W. Olin Engineering Complex has three levels linked by the latest electronic and communications technology which promotes cross-functional learning. A 142-seat multimedia auditorium and 26 specialized research and teaching laboratories support multiple departments within the College of Engineering. A fixture of the F.W. Olin Engineering Complex is the A-frame teaching laboratory, a configuration that promotes cooperative learning by design.
Learning
Clubs and Organizations: Beyond the classroom, mechanical engineering degree majors build leadership and professional experience through participation in academic organizations such as:
- American Society of Mechanical Engineers
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Society of Women Engineers
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
- Society of Manufacturing Engineers
- National Society of Black Engineers
- Pi Tau Sigma - National Honorary Mechanical Engineering Society
- Tau Beta Pi - National Engineering Honor Society
Research: Mechanical engineering degree students at Florida Tech get involved in research early and often. Undergraduates compete in national competitions, present at conferences, support faculty research efforts, and have co-authored scholarly articles. The hallmark of a Florida Tech mechanical engineering degree is Senior Design, which requires that students conceive, design and implement a project; write the description; document the requirements; secure corporate and community support for the project; and present the final outcome of their work. The project simulates a real-world work environment in a variety of engineering and science fields. The students apply theory, think creatively and develop practical skills such as teamwork, professionalism and leadership.
Sample Senior Design Projects
- Formula SAE Car
- Racing Electric Vehicle
- SAE Mini Baja
- Sea Doo Hydrogen Conversion
- PANTHR Rocket
- Zero-E Hydrogen Plane
Internships and Cooperative Learning: Aerospace and mechanical engineering degree undergraduates pursue internships with local industries and government organizations. These internships allow students to work in design and CAD/CAM; understand test, maintenance and operation protocols related to space launch systems and subsystems; and learn technical reporting, communication, team work and leadership skills.
Future Outcomes
Outcomes - Grad School: Approximately 20% of aerospace and mechanical engineering degree students enter graduate schools such as: CalTech MIT Standford
Outcomes - Career and Salary: Florida Tech aerospace and mechanical engineering degree graduates work for prestigious companies like: Boeing Lockheed Martin Northrop Grumman Pratt and Whitney General Electric Harris Corporation Airbus Consortium
Curriculum
Curriculum program plans shown reflect current degree requirements. Previous academic year requirements can be accessed from the catalog page by choosing the appropriate academic year.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
| Major Code: | 7131 | Degree Awarded: | Bachelor of Science |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delivery Mode(s): | Classroom | Location(s): | Main Campus - Melbourne |
| Admission Status: | Undergraduate | Age Restriction: | No |
Mechanical engineers are deeply involved in activities that are essential to our modern civilization. These activities include the research, development, design and testing of materials, structures and machines for the generation of power, transportation and the production of electricity by the conversion of energy from various sources including chemical, nuclear, solar and geothermal; conception and design of all types of machines that serve humans and their many needs; construction and operation of production machinery for the manufacture of materials and consumer products; and instrumentation, control and regulation of these and other types of manual and automatic mechanical systems.
The mechanical engineering undergraduate curriculum at Florida Tech presents the fundamentals underlying modern mechanical engineering and prepares the student for a lifetime of continued learning. During the freshman and sophomore years, the emphasis is placed on mathematics and physics. An introduction to engineering in the freshman year previews the field and gives the students their first experience in engineering design. The sophomore and junior years direct the student toward the engineering sciences, including mechanics of solids, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. During the junior and senior years, the study becomes progressively centered on the specific issues facing practicing mechanical engineers. The student uses the basic tools imparted during the first two years and applies them in studies of machine systems, instrumentation, automatic controls, thermal systems and design projects. Other courses taken during the last two years expand the student’s knowledge in the fields of thermal energy systems, heat transfer, electronics, vibrations and mathematics. Technical electives taken during the senior year allow the student to direct the program toward specific areas of personal interest.
Laboratory experiences are essential to the education of engineers, and these are provided in chemistry, physics, computer-aided design, materials, fluids and heat transfer. The capstone of the educational process is the senior mechanical engineering design project, which synthesizes and focuses elements from the various disciplines into a design activity of current mechanical engineering interest. The faculty serve jointly in the supervision and consultation for these projects.
The nuclear technology area of emphasis curriculum consists of four courses, available as free and/or technical electives. The objective is to train students from a broad spectrum of engineering disciplines (i.e., mechanical, electrical, civil and chemical) that will be needed to construct, operate, maintain and regulate nuclear power plants and associated facilities. The nuclear technology curriculum is interdisciplinary.
After graduation, the mechanical engineering student is prepared to pursue a career either in industry or government as a practicing engineer, or to enter graduate work in engineering, applied mechanics or mathematics. In some cases, mechanical engineering graduates also enter professional schools of medicine, law or business.
Students are encouraged to define career objectives early in the program (preferably during the sophomore year) so that in consultation with faculty advisers, electives can be selected that are best suited to the achievement of specific goals.
Educational Objectives
The broad educational objectives of the mechanical engineering program at Florida Tech are:
Academic fundamentals: Graduates have successfully applied and integrated their knowledge of fundamental principles in their chosen career.
Engineering practice: Graduates have used their engineering skills in the successful completion of an engineering project.
Teamwork and communication: Graduates have demonstrated the ability to communicate their ideas and technical results verbally, in writing and via presentations, and are effective team members.
Professional development: Graduates have advanced their knowledge and contributed to the profession and society.
Degree Requirements
Candidates for a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering must complete the minimum course requirements as outlined in the following curriculum.
For definitions of electives for engineering programs, see the Academic Overview section.
Freshman Year
| FALL | CREDITS | |
| ASC 1000 | University Experience | 1 |
| CHM 1101 | General Chemistry 1 | 4 |
| COM 1101 | Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| MAE 1024 | Introduction to Mechanical Engineering | 3 |
| MTH 1001 | Calculus 1 | 4 |
| Social Science Elective | 3 | |
| 18 | ||
| SPRING | CREDITS | |
| COM 1102 | Writing about Literature | 3 |
| CSE 150x | Introduction to Software Development (CL) |
3 |
| MTH 1002 | Calculus 2 | 4 |
| PHY 1001 | Physics 1 | 4 |
| PHY 2091 | Physics Lab 1 | 1 |
| 15 | ||
Sophomore Year
| FALL | CREDITS | |
| CHE 3260 | Materials Science and Engineering | 3 |
| CHE 3265 | Materials Lab | 1 |
| COM 2223 | Scientific and Technical Communication | 3 |
| MAE 2081 | Applied Mechanics: Statics | 3 |
| MTH 2001 | Calculus 3 | 4 |
| PHY 2002 | Physics 2 | 4 |
| 18 | ||
| SPRING | CREDITS | |
| MAE 2024 | Solids Modeling and 3-D Mechanical Design Principles | 3 |
| MAE 2082 | Applied Mechanics: Dynamics | 3 |
| MAE 3083 | Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| MAE 3191 | Engineering Thermodynamics 1 | 3 |
| MTH 2201 | Differential Equations/Linear Algebra | 4 |
| PHY 2092 | Physics Lab 2 | 1 |
| 17 | ||
Junior Year
| FALL | CREDITS | |
| HUM 2051 | Civilization 1 | 3 |
| MAE 3090 | Design of Machine Elements | 3 |
| MAE 3161 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| MAE 3192 | Engineering Thermodynamics 2 | 3 |
| MTH 3210 | Introduction to Partial Differential Equations and Applications |
3 |
| 15 | ||
| SPRING | CREDITS | |
| MAE 3024 | Computer-Aided Engineering | 3 |
| MAE 3064 | Fluid Mechanics Lab | 1 |
| MAE 3091 | Theory of Machines | 3 |
| MAE 4171 | Principles of Heat Transfer | 3 |
| MAE 4190 | Design Methodologies and Practice (Q) | 1 |
| Humanities Core Course* | 3 | |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| 17 | ||
Senior Year
| FALL | CREDITS | |
| ECE 4991 | Electric and Electronic Circuits | 3 |
| MAE 4024 | Mechanical Vibrations | 3 |
| MAE 4071 | Thermal Systems Design | 3 |
| MAE 4074 | Heat Transfer Lab | 1 |
| MAE 4193 | Mechanical Engineering Design 1 (Q) | 3 |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| 16 | ||
| SPRING | CREDITS | |
| MAE 4014 | Control Systems | 3 |
| MAE 4175 | Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning | 3 |
| MAE 4194 | Mechanical Engineering Design 2 (Q) | 4 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Humanities Elective | 3 | |
| 16 | ||
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED 132
| *Humanities Core Courses | |
| HUM 2052 | Civilization 2: Renaissance Through Modern |
| HUM 2142 | World Art History 2: Early Modern to Post-Colonial |
| HUM 2212 | English and American Literature 1 |
| HUM 2213 | English and American Literature 2 |
| HUM 2331 | American History: Pre-Columbian to Civil War Era |
| HUM 2332 | American History: From Reconstruction to the Present |
Not all humanities core courses are offered online or every term; check the current schedule of classes for humanities core options.