Department of Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

It is highly recommended that all freshmen engineering students starting fall 2017 purchase laptop computers. Laptop computer specifications are at: https://www.atu.edu/engineering/specifications.php.

Mechanical engineering is the profession which designs, develops, and manufactures machines that produce, transmit, or use power. Mechanical engineers are involved in the design, development, and production of virtually every product one can imagine. The range of job possibilities for mechanical engineers, both in location and function, is limitless. The mechanical engineering program at Arkansas Tech is designed to give its students a solid grounding in the machine design and thermal systems areas and to satisfy the engineering manpower needs of industry in Arkansas and the mid-south region. The required courses provide a basic foundation in mechanical engineering with a strong cross-disciplinary component and an emphasis on engineering design.

Most graduates of the engineering program go directly into the work force as practicing engineers. Many are employed by manufacturing companies in the Arkansas River Valley area, while others have obtained positions with large national and multinational corporations. A number of graduates have elected to attend one of many different graduate schools specializing in disciplines such as engineering (electrical, mechanical, industrial, or nuclear), mathematics, physics, or business.

The first two years of the curriculum contain the needed mathematics, science, and engineering science basics to prepare the student for the upper-level mechanical engineering courses. The junior and senior years include 12 hours of engineering electives which allows the student to concentrate in one of the available areas of specialization which include machine design, nuclear systems, or thermal systems.

For a detailed policy regarding transfer credit for the Mechanical Engineering programs, please see the Department of Mechanical Engineering page. 

Curriculum

The matrix below is a sample plan for all coursework required for this program.

•  Freshman

  Fall		Spring
  ENGL 1013 Composition I1	3	ENGL 1023 Composition II1	3
  Fine Arts & Humanities1	3	PHYS 2114 Calculus-Based Physics I	4
  MATH 2914 Calculus I	4	MATH 2924 Calculus II	4
  CHEM 2124 General Chemistry I	4	MCEG 1002 Engineering Graphics	2
  MCEG 1011 Introduction to Mechanical Engineering	1	MCEG 2203 Computational Methods in Engineering	3
  TECH 1001 Orientation to the University	1
  Total Hours	16	Total Hours	16

•  Sophomore

  Fall		Spring
  CHEM 2134 General Chemistry II or PHYS 2124 Calculus-Based Physics II	4	Social Sciences1	3
  MATH 2934 Calculus III	4	ELEG 2103 Electric Circuits I	3
  MCEG 2013 Statics	3	MATH 3243 Differential Equations I	3
  MCEG 2023 Engineering Materials	3	MCEG 2033 Dynamics	3
  		MCEG 3013 Mechanics of Materials	3
  Total Hours	14	Total Hours	15

•  Junior

  Fall		Spring
  ELEG 2113 Electric Circuits II	3	MCEG/ELEG 4202 Engineering Design	2
  MCEG 3313 Thermodynamics I	3	MCEG 4403 Mechanics of Fluids and Hydraulics	3
  MCEG 3413 Fundamentals of Mechanical Design	3	MCEG 4423 Machine Component Design	3
  MCEG 3442 Mechanical Laboratory I	2	MATH Electives5	3
  ENGR Electives3	3	ENGR Electives3	3
  Total Hours	14	Total Hours	14

•  Senior

  Fall		Spring
  U.S. History/Government1	3	Fine Arts & Humanities1	3
  MCEG/ELEG 3003 Engineering Modeling and Design	3	ELEG 4303 Control Systems	3
  MCEG 4433 Thermodynamics II	3	MCEG 4443 Heat Transfer	3
  MCEG 4442 Mechanical Laboratory II	2	MCEG 4492 Mechanical Design Project II	2
  MCEG 4491 Mechanical Design Project I	1	ENGR Lab Elective2	2
  Technical Elective4	3	ENGR Electives3	3
  Total Hours	15	Total Hours	16

¹See appropriate alternatives or substitutions in "General Education Requirements".
²3000-level or above ELEG or MCEG laboratory class.
³3000-level or above ELEG or MCEG course with minimum of three (3) hours at the 4000-level and approval of advisor.
⁴Technical elective course to be chosen with approval of advisor from list of eligible courses maintained in the departmental office.
⁵Mathematics elective course to be chosen with approval of advisor from list of eligible courses maintained in the departmental office.