Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Undergraduate Program
Total Credits: 129
The Mechanical Engineering (MECH) Undergraduate Program offers a curriculum that combines classroom learning with engineering practice. A broad spectrum of coursework is available for learning the fundamentals of engineering science, analysis, and design. Students also gain valuable hands-on experience through class projects.
During senior year, all MECH students participate in a major capstone design project experience. Each senior design project is based on a corporate model that provides students with significant opportunities for leadership development and experiential learning. Senior students also select technical elective courses from specific areas of study to enhance knowledge and gain further understanding of chosen specialization.
To declare a major
Incoming students: Please contact Office of Admissions.
Current students: Please view change of major process webpage.
To declare a concentration, please contact your assigned advisor.
Resources
Coursework
First-Year
Credits: 33
Credits: 4 (3-0-1)
Course Description: Fundamental aspects of chemistry and chemical principles; emphasis on structure, bonding, and stoichiometry.
Prerequisite: MATH 118 or MATH 141 or
MATH 155 or MATH 160 or MATH 161 or MATH 229 or MATH 261 and CHEM 105
Registration Information: CHEM 105 or an appropriate score in the chemistry preparation module. Must register for lecture and recitation. Credit allowed for only one of the following: CHEM 111, CHEM 107, or CHEM 117.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Additional Information: Biological and Physical Sciences 3A, Natural and Physical Sciences without lab (GT-SC2)
Credit: 1 (0-3-0)
Course Description: Laboratory applications of principles covered in CHEM 111.
Prerequisite: CHEM 111, may be taken concurrently or CHEM 117, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Credit not allowed for both CHEM 112 and CHEM 108.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Additional Information: Biological and Physical Sciences 3A, Natural and Physical Sciences w/ lab (GT-SC1)
Credit: 1 (0-3-0)
Course Description: Laboratory applications of principles covered in CHEM 111.
Prerequisite: CHEM 111, may be taken concurrently or CHEM 117, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Credit not allowed for both CHEM 112 and CHEM 108.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Additional Information: Biological and Physical Sciences 3A, Natural and Physical Sciences w/ lab (GT-SC1)
Credits: 4 (3-2-0)
Course Description: Limits, continuity, differentiation, and integration of elementary functions with applications; conic sections.
Prerequisite: (MATH 124 with a minimum grade of B) and (MATH 126 with a minimum grade of B)
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory. Sections may be offered: Online. Credit allowed for only one of the following courses: MATH 141, MATH 155, MATH 159 or MATH 160
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Additional Information: Quantitative Reasoning 1B, Mathematics (GT-MA1)
Credits: 4 (3-2-0)
Course Description: Transcendental functions, integration techniques, polar coordinates, sequences and series, with mathematical software.
Prerequisite: MATH 124 and MATH 159 or MATH 160
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory
Sections may be offered: Online.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Additional Information: Quantitative Reasoning 1B, Mathematics (GT-MA1)
Credits: 3 (3-0-0)
Course Description: The discipline of Mechanical Engineering as described in problems and problem solving methods-energy, materials, motion, fluids.
Prerequisite: None
Term Offered: Fall
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Credits: 3 (3-0-0)
Course Description: Programming and engineering problem solving techniques, algorithms and processes from physics and calculus first principles.
Prerequisite: MECH 103 and MATH 160 and PH 141, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Credit not allowed for both MECH 105 and MECH 102.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Credits: 5 (3-2-1)
Course Description: Forces, energy, momentum, angular momentum, oscillations, waves, heat, thermodynamics (calculus based).
Prerequisite: MATH 126, may be taken concurrently and MATH 155, may be taken concurrently or MATH 155, may be taken concurrently or MATH 159, may be taken concurrently or MATH 160, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Must register for lecture, lab, and recitation. Credit not allowed for both PH 141 and PH 121.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Additional Information: Biological & Physical Sciences 3A, Natural & Physical Sciences w/ lab (GT-SC1)
Take 6 Credits
Sophomore
Credits: 33
Credits: 3 (3-0-0)
Course Description: Forces using vector notation; static equilibrium of rigid bodies; friction, virtual work, centroids, and moments of inertia.
Prerequisite: MATH 159 or MATH 160, and PH 141
Registration Information: Sections may be offered Online.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Credits: 4 (4-0-0)
Course Description: Vector functions, partial differentiation, cylindrical and spherical coordinates, multiple integrals, line integrals, Green’s theorem.
Prerequisite: MATH 161
Registration Information: Sections may be offered Online. Credit not allowed for both MATH 255 and MATH 261.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Modes: Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory or Traditional; Student Option
Special Course Fee: No
Credits: 3 (2-2-0)
Course Description: Engineering drawings, materials, manufacturing, and safety. Hand tools, cutting, drilling, the lathe, mill and numerical control.
Prerequisite: MECH 105
Registration Information: Mechanical engineering and engineering science majors only. Must register for lecture and laboratory.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Credits: 2 (1-2-0)
Course Description: Engineering design methods used to portray three-dimensional objects and visually communicate design information with an emphasis on computer-aided design using parametric solid modeling and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing.
Prerequisite: MECH 105
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory. Offered as Mixed Face-to-Face.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Credits: 5 (3-2-1)
Course Description: Electricity and magnetism, circuits, light, optics (calculus based).
Prerequisite: PH 141 and MATH 161, may be taken concurrently or MATH 255, may be taken concurrently or MATH 271, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Must register for lecture, lab, and recitation. Credit not allowed for both PH 142 and PH 122.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Additional Information: Biological & Physical Sciences 3A, Natural & Physical Sciences w/ lab (GT-SC1)
Credits: 3 (3-0-0)
Course Description: Kinematics and kinetics of particles and rigid bodies; concepts of work-energy and impulse-momentum; computer applications; vector notation.
Prerequisite: CIVE 260
Registration Information: Sections may be offered Online
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Modes: Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory or Traditional; Student Option
Credits: 4 (3-2-0)
Course Description: First and second order equations, series, Laplace transforms, linear algebra, eigenvalues, first order systems of equations, numerical techniques.
Prerequisite: MATH 255 or MATH 261
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory. Credit not allowed for both MATH 340 and MATH 345.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Modes: Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory or Traditional; Student Option
Special Course Fee: No
Credits: 3 (2-2-0)
Course Description: Engineering design process with emphasis on teamwork, ideation, decision-making, project planning applied to a group design project.
Prerequisite: MECH 201 and MECH 200, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory
Term Offered: Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Credits: 3 (2-2-0)
Course Description: Measurement systems; experimental design; data acquisition and analysis techniques.
Prerequisite: MECH 102 or MECH 105, and PH 142
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Credits: 4 (3-0-1)
Course Description: First and second laws, property relationships, characteristic functions, thermodynamics solver, various thermodynamics applications.
Prerequisite: MATH 261 and PH 141
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and recitation
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Junior
Credits: 34
Credits: 3 (3-0-0)
Course Description: Stresses and deformations in structural members and machine elements, combined stresses, stress transformation.
Prerequisite: CIVE 260
Registration Information: Sections may be offered: Online.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Modes: Satisfactory / Unsatisfactory or Traditional; Student Option
Special Course Fee: No
Credit: 1 (0-2-0)
Course Description: Application of computer-aided finite element analysis (FEA) tools for the simulation and prediction of robustness and performance of mechanical components and assemblies.
Prerequisite: CIVE 360 and MECH 202, may be taken concurrently and MECH 342
Registration Information: This is a partial semester course. Offered as Mixed Face-to-Face. Credit not allowed for both MECH 301 and MECH 301A or MECH 301A and MECH 302.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Credit: 1 (0-2-0)
Course Description: Application of computer-aided computational fluid dynamics (CFD) tools for the simulation and prediction of robustness and performance of mechanical components and assemblies.
Prerequisite: CIVE 360 and MECH 202, may be taken concurrently and MECH 301A, may be taken concurrently and MECH 342
Registration Information: This is a partial semester course. Offered as Mixed Face-to-Face. Credit not allowed for MECH 301 and MECH 301B or MECH 301B and MECH 302.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Credits: 4 (3-3-0)
Course Description: Mechatronic and measurement system analysis and design; applied electronics; data acquisition; microcontroller interfacing and programming.
Prerequisite: CIVE 261 and ECE 204 and MATH 340 and MECH 231
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Credits: 3 (3-0-0)
Course Description: Design of mechanical components to avoid failure during operation. Stress analysis, failure theories, and specific mechanical components in design context.
Prerequisite: CIVE 360
Term Offered: Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Credits: 4 (3-2-0)
Course Description: Characteristics of metallic, plastic, and ceramic material; basic principles which relate properties of materials to their atomic and microstructure.
Prerequisite: CHEM 111 and CHEM 112 and MECH 231
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Credit: 1 (0-3-0)
Course Description: Experimental methods in heat transfer, fluid flow, and thermodynamics.
Prerequisite: MECH 337 and MECH 342 and MECH 344, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Biomedical Engineering with ME and Mechanical Engineering majors only.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Credits: 3 (3-0-0)
Course Description: Transport and rate processes, conduction, convection, and radiation.
Prerequisite: MECH 342
Term Offered: Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
Senior
Credits: 29
Group A
MECH 486A: Engineering Design Practicum: I
Credits: 4 (1-6-0)
Course Description: Capstone engineering design project; transition experience to the mechanical engineering profession in industry and graduate education.
Prerequisite: MECH 301 or MECH 301B, may be taken concurrently and MECH 301A and MECH 307 and MECH 331 and MECH 344 ,and MECH 324, may be taken concurrently or MECH 325, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory.
Terms Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
MECH 486B: Engineering Design Practicum: II
Credits: 4 (1-6-0)
Course Description: Capstone engineering design project; transition experience to the mechanical engineering profession in industry and graduate education.
Prerequisite: MECH 324 and MECH 325 and MECH 338 and MECH 486A
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory.
Term Offered: Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: Yes
Group B
MECH 498A: Engineering Research Practicum: I
Credits: 4 (1-6-0)
Course Description:Capstone engineering research project; transition experience to graduate research and education.
Prerequisite: MECH 301 or MECH 301A and MECH 301B, may be taken concurrently, and MECH 307 and MECH 331 and MECH 344, and MECH 324, may be taken concurrently or MECH 325, may be taken concurrently
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory.
Term Offered: Fall
Grade Mode: Traditional
Special Course Fee: No
MECH 498B: Engineering Research Practicum: II
Credits: 4 (1-6-0)
Course Description: Capstone engineering research project; transition experience to graduate research and education.
Prerequisite: MECH 324 and MECH 325 and MECH 338 and MECH 498A
Registration Information: Must register for lecture and laboratory.
Term Offered: Spring
Grade Mode: Traditional
The Mechanical Engineering department offers several technical elective courses in different areas of study such as aerospace, automotive engineering, biomedical engineering and more. Students are able to choose courses in different areas of study to enhance knowledge and gain further understanding in whichever area(s) chosen.
Specialization Areas and Course Descriptions
Note: In order to graduate, students must earn a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative GPA as well as a 2.0 minimum within the following areas: all AUCC courses, and all math, science, and engineering courses.
It is highly recommended that students review their Degree Progress Audit at least once each semester in order to track their progress toward graduation.
Additionally, most students graduate in 5 years. Students who plan to graduate in 4 years should anticipate summer courses in order to build a balanced schedule.
Program Educational Objectives
The Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Program Educational Objectives (PEO) were chosen to meet the mission statements of Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering and Colorado State University. The PEOs are as follows:
Mechanical Engineering Bachelor of Science graduates will be able to accomplish the following within the first few years after graduation:
1.) Identify, analyze, formulate, and solve engineering problems associated with their professional position, both independently and in a team environment.
2.) Manage multi-faceted and multi-disciplinary projects with significant legal, ethical, regulatory, social, environmental, and economic considerations using a broad systems perspective.
3.) Communicate effectively with colleagues, professional clients, and the public
4.) Demonstrate commitment and progress in lifelong learning, professional development, and leadership.
Student Outcomes
The student outcomes for the Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Program are the Engineering Accreditation Commission ABET outcomes. The student outcomes are as follows:
1.) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2.) An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3.) An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4.) An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5.) An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6.) An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7.) An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University is about using our knowledge of materials, energy, and health to solve society’s global engineering challenges.
Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University is about using our knowledge of materials, energy, and health to solve society’s global engineering challenges.
Join Us.
Programs and Information
Programs and Information
Faculty and Staff
Labs and Researchers