Mar 28, 2024  
2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2011-2012 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Mechanical Engineering Major, BS in Mechanical Engineering


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Mechanical engineering involves the design, analysis, testing, and manufacture of mechanical and thermal systems. Mechanical engineers are employed in nearly every industry, from basic research through mass production of energy systems, computer software/hardware, robotics, and automobiles.

Mechanical engineering is a versatile and broadly based engineering discipline that also provides pathways into many exciting fields of specialization. Its foundation is in the basic sciences, but mechanical engineers must further understand such subject areas as mechanical design, solid and fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, vibrations, manufacturing processes, instrumentation and automatic control. Design projects throughout the curriculum develop student skills in handling practical real-world problems. Because of the broad engineering foundation and design training in this program, graduates are found in nearly every industry and at different levels of research, design, and management.

The educational objectives of the mechanical engineering program are

  • To prepare students for professional careers by developing their skills in problem formulation, problem solving, analysis, computation, synthesis, teamwork and effective communication.
  • To teach students the underlying principles of mechanical and thermal systems, and the application of these principles in the design process.
  • To instill in students an appreciation for the importance of lifelong learning, individual professionalism and ethical practice.
  • To prepare capable students for graduate study at major universities.

 

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering


   

First Year

Hours Credit

1ENGL 101 * or ENGL 118 *, ENGL 102  6
CHEM 120 * or CHEM 128 * 4
MATH 141 * or MATH 147 *, MATH 142 * or MATH 148 * 8
EF 105 , EF 151  or EF 157 , EF 152  or EF 158  9
ME 202  2
2Cultures and Civilizations  Elective* 3
   

Second Year

 
MATH 231 , MATH 241  or MATH 247 , MATH 251  or MATH 257  10
EF 230  2
PHYS 231 * 3
ME 231 , ME 321  6
MSE 201  3
ECON 201 * or ECON 207 * 4
2Cultures and Civilizations  Elective* 3
2Arts and Humanities Elective * 3
   

Third Year

 
ME 331 , ME 344 , ME 345 , ME 363 , ME 366 , ME 466  18
ECE 301  3
3Departmental Elective 3
AE 341  3
ME 391  3
   

Fourth Year

 
ME 410 *(OC), ME 475 , ME 449 *(WC), ME 450 , ME 460  13
EF 402  1
ME 365  or ME 463  3
4Technical Elective 3
3Departmental Electives 6
2Social Sciences  Elective* 3
2Arts and Humanities Elective * 3
   
 

Total 128

   
* Meets University General Education Requirement .
1 Students receiving a grade of A or B in ENGL 118  will complete their first year composition requirement by choosing ENGL 102 , a sophomore literature course in the English Department, or ENGL 355 .
2 Choose any course from the University General Education list .
3 Any 300-level or above courses in aerospace, biomedical, or mechanical engineering that are not already required.
4 Must be pre-approved and petitioned by the advisor and department head.

 

Honors Mechanical Engineering Concentration


In addition to satisfying the requirements for the mechanical engineering major, candidates for the honors mechanical engineering concentration must also complete the following  requirements.

  • First-year courses for honors concentrations in the engineering majors. (Note: Most of the honors requirements are course substitutions for the mechanical engineering major.)
  • Two upper-division honors courses in mechanical engineering via Honors-by-Contract or Honors Independent study. If participating in only the Chancellor’s Honors Program, the Honors-by-Contract paperwork goes to the Chancellor’s Honors Office on campus during the first 10 days of the semester. If participating in Engineering Honors and not Chancellor’s Honors, the Honors-by-Contract paperwork is submitted the first 10 days of the semester to the engineering major department. If participating in both Chancellor’s and Engineering Honors, the Honors-by-Contract paperwork is submitted to both areas.
  • A minimum of 3-credit hours of an honors senior design course. This requirement is normally satisfied as part of the senior capstone design course (ME 460 ).

Five-Year BS/MS Mechanical Engineering Program


The department offers a 5 year BS-MS program for qualified students. The primary component of the program is that qualified students may take up to 9 hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee. This program is designed for students attending the University of Tennessee for their Master of Science degree because other universities may not accept these courses for graduate credit since they were used to satisfy requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree. Significant components of the program are:

  • Students must have an overall GPA of at least 3.4 to be admitted to the program. Conditional admission may be granted after completing 64 hours of required course work while full admission is granted after completing 96 hours of required course work with a minimum overall GPA of 3.4 in required course work.
  • Students must at least have conditional admission before taking graduate courses for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. All courses taken for graduate credit must be approved by the departmental chair of the program. Students admitted to the program must request permission from the Graduate School to take approved courses for graduate credit. Students admitted to the program must also follow the normal procedure for admission to the Graduate School.
  • Admission of students into this program must be approved by the department and the Graduate School.
  • Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.
 

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