Undergraduate Degrees

In order to meet the challenge of today’s rapidly changing technologies, mechanical engineering students are well-grounded in the basic principles of analysis, design, experimentation, and computer utilization. A range of technical electives enables students to develop and specialize in their fields of interest. After graduation, mechanical engineers conceive, plan and design a wide variety of devices, machines, and systems for energy conversion and utilization, automation and robotics, environmental control, material processing and handling, manufacturing and CAD/CAM, dynamical systems, fluid flow, and other purposes. They are active in creative design, applied research and development, and management.

Degrees Offered

Program Goals

The principal goal of the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (B.S.M.E.) program is to provide students with the fundamentals of mechanical engineering so that they have a solid base for an engineering career. This includes building a sufficient knowledge base, exercising creative and analytical capability, and developing communication skills so that the graduates can continue to expand their learning as their fields of interest and the scope of mechanical engineering evolve. Our core courses are intended to provide a broad base so that those who terminate their formal education with the B.S.M.E. degree can continue to grow intellectually. Likewise, the base provides insight into fields that students may choose to study at the graduate level.

This goal is met by a curriculum in which fundamental knowledge of earlier years is applied in later engineering courses. Specifically, the goals for the B.S.M.E. program at the University of New Mexico are closely linked to the criteria set forth by ABET. The following statement has been adopted by the Mechanical Engineering Faculty to represent our educational goals.

Outcomes

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University provides students with quality mechanical engineering education. Each Mechanical Engineering student will demonstrate the following by the time of graduation:

  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.

Objectives

The Department of Mechanical Engineering produces graduates who:

  1. Meet or exceed the expectations of employers of mechanical engineers
  2. Continue their professional development by pursuing advanced study if qualified and desired
  3. Continue their professional development by pursuing leadership roles in their profession and/or communities

Cooperative Education

To complement their formal course work with practical experience, mechanical engineering students may elect a cooperative education program in which they are employed full-time by an industrial or governmental agency for a part of the year. They are full-time students for the remaining part of the year. Students who need financial aid or who wish to gain engineering experience will find this program attractive. The Department of Mechanical Engineering does not offer technical elective credit for cooperative education.

Minor in Mechanical Engineering

This minor is a good opportunity for current UNM Engineering students or other UNM science-oriented students (i.e. Physics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Chemistry or Biology) and Architecture. The student in the majors mentioned above may already have some of the pre-requisites or courses as part of their major. This minor will allow students to learn a holistic view of engineering and technology beyond the boundaries of just their current major.

The undergraduate minor in Mechanical Engineering requires a total of 24-25 credit hours, depending on the option selected.