Mechanical Engineering Technology, A.ENGT. (Behrend)

Program Code: 2MEB_AENGT

Program Description

This major helps graduates prepare for technical positions in manufacturing, machine and tool design, computer drafting and design, computer integrated manufacturing, materials selection and processes, technical sales, and other related industries in mechanical applications. The primary objective of the program is to provide a broad foundation in mechanical systems and applications; computer systems in drafting (CAD), manufacturing (CAM), and automation and robotics (CIM); production and product design; mechanics, dynamics, and strength of materials.

Graduates of this major may qualify for admission to the baccalaureate degree majors in Mechanical Engineering Technology and Structural Design and Construction Engineering Technology programs at Penn State Harrisburg; the Mechanical Engineering Technology and the Plastics Engineering Technology programs at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College; or the baccalaureate degree major in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology offered at Penn State Altoona, Penn State Berks, Penn State New Kensington, or Penn State York. Two tracks are available to streamline the transition to these baccalaureate degree programs. A general track is provided for students who do not plan to continue their engineering technology education at the baccalaureate level.

What is Mechanical Engineering Technology?

Mechanical engineering technology is the understanding of how products and machinery work and how they are designed, made, and used.

You Might Like This Program If...

  • You are interested in computer-aided drafting (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing.
  • You enjoy physics, math and statistics.
  • You have a passion for robotics and automation.
  • You have an interest in programming and data acquisition.

Entrance to Major

Students must have a minimum 2.0 GPA to change to this Associate degree after admission to the University.

Degree Requirements

For the Associate in Engineering Technology degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology, a minimum of 65 credits is required:

Requirement Credits
General Education 21
Requirements for the Major 54-64

12-15 of the 21 credits for General Education are included in the Requirements for the Major. This includes: 3 credits of GN courses; 3 credits of GQ courses; 6 credits of GWS courses, 0-3 credits of GH or GS.

Requirements for the Major

A First-Year Seminar is required for students at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.

Prescribed Courses
CAS 100Effective Speech3
IET 215Production Design2
IET 216Production Design Laboratory2
MET 213Strength and Properties of Materials3
MET 214Strength and Properties of Materials Laboratory 11
MET 210WMachine Design3
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
IET 101Manufacturing Materials, Processes, and Laboratory3
MET 111Mechanics for Technology: Statics3
MET 206Dynamics3
Additional Courses
ENGL 15Rhetoric and Composition Keystone/General Education Course3
or ENGL 30H Honors Rhetoric and Composition Keystone/General Education Course
Select 5-6 credits of the following:5-6
College Algebra With Analytic Geometry and Applications II Keystone/General Education Course
and Plane Trigonometry and Applications of Trigonometry Keystone/General Education Course
Algebra, Trigonometry, and Analytic Geometry Keystone/General Education Course 1,2
Technical Mathematics I Keystone/General Education Course
and Technical Mathematics II Keystone/General Education Course 1,2
Technical Mathematics II Keystone/General Education Course 1,2
Select 3-4 credits of the following:3-4
Technical Physics I Keystone/General Education Course
General Physics: Mechanics Keystone/General Education Course
Introductory Physics I Keystone/General Education Course
Select 3-4 credits of the following:3-4
Technical Physics II Keystone/General Education Course
General Physics: Electricity and Magnetism Keystone/General Education Course
Introductory Physics II Keystone/General Education Course
Select at least 19-24 credits from one of the following three tracks:19-24
General Track
Cornerstone Engineering Design
Spatial Analysis in Engineering Design
Spatial Analysis and Computer-Aided Drafting
Electrical Systems
Computer Applications for Technologists
Critical Issues in Science, Technology, and Society Keystone/General Education Course
Ethics and the Design of Technology Keystone/General Education Course
or STS 245
Select at least 6 credits from the approved supporting course list for this track
Baccalaureate Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology (EMET) Track
Digital Electronics 1
Digital Electronics Laboratory 1
Cornerstone Engineering Design
Spatial Analysis in Engineering Design
Spatial Analysis and Computer-Aided Drafting
Electrical Systems
Electrical Circuits II 1
Electrical Circuits Laboratory 1
Technical Calculus Keystone/General Education Course 1,2
Calculus With Analytic Geometry I Keystone/General Education Course
Critical Issues in Science, Technology, and Society Keystone/General Education Course
Ethics and the Design of Technology Keystone/General Education Course
or STS 245
Baccalaureate Mechanical Engineering Technology (METBC or MET) Track
Electric Circuits, Power, and Electronics
Introduction to Graphics and Solid Modeling
Applied Solid Modeling
Computer Applications for Technologists
Select 1 credit of First-Year Seminar
Select 6 credits from the approved supporting course list for this track
1

Students pursuing the baccalaureate track must take MATH 22 and MATH 26.

2

Students who choose to take MATH 81 and MATH 82 must select MATH 83. Students who choose to take MATH 22 and MATH 26 must select MATH 140.

General Education

Connecting career and curiosity, the General Education curriculum provides the opportunity for students to acquire transferable skills necessary to be successful in the future and to thrive while living in interconnected contexts. General Education aids students in developing intellectual curiosity, a strengthened ability to think, and a deeper sense of aesthetic appreciation. These are requirements for all associate degree students and are often partially incorporated into the requirements of a program. For additional information, see the General Education Requirements section of the Bulletin and consult your academic adviser.

The keystone symbol Keystone/General Education Course appears next to the title of any course that is designated as a General Education course. Program requirements may also satisfy General Education requirements and vary for each program.

Foundations (grade of C or better is required and Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

  • Quantification (GQ): 3 credits
  • Writing and Speaking (GWS): 3 credits

Knowledge Domains

  • Arts (GA): 3 credits
  • Humanities (GH): 3 credits
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
  • Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits

Note: Up to six credits of Inter-Domain courses may be used for any Knowledge Domain requirement, but when a course may be used to satisfy more than one requirement, the credits from the course can be counted only once.

Exploration

  • Any General Education course (including GHW and Inter-Domain): 3 credits

University Degree Requirements

Cultures Requirement

3 credits of United States (US) or International (IL) cultures coursework are required and may satisfy other requirements

Writing Across the Curriculum

3 credits required from the college of graduation and likely prescribed as part of major requirements.

Total Minimum Credits

A minimum of 60 degree credits must be earned for a associates degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 60 credits. Students should consult with their college or department adviser for information on specific credit requirements.

Quality of Work

Candidates must complete the degree requirements for their major and earn at least a 2.00 grade-point average for all courses completed within their degree program.

Limitations on Source and Time for Credit Acquisition

Credit used toward degree programs may need to be earned from a particular source or within time constraints (see Senate Policy 83-80). For more information, check the Suggested Academic Plan for your intended program.

Program Educational Objectives

The Associate Mechanical Engineering Technology program prepares students with technical and professional skills for the professional practice. Due to their experience in our program, within few years of graduation, we expect our graduates to have the ability to:

  1. Safely practice in the areas of applied design, manufacturing, testing, evaluation, technical sales, or 2D and 3D modeling.
  2. Collaborate effectively in project team activities through recognizing the global, societal, and ethical contexts of their work.
  3. Work collaboratively in multi-disciplinary teams and assume an increasing level of responsibility and leadership within their organizations.
  4. Demonstrate troubleshooting skills by following protocols and using technical literature.

Student Outcomes

Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. The Associate Mechanical Engineering Technology program is designed to enable students to:

  1. Apply knowledge, techniques, skills, and modern tools of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology to solve well-defined engineering problems appropriate to the discipline.
  2. Design solutions for well-defined technical problems and assist with the engineering design of systems, components, or processes appropriate to the discipline.
  3. Apply written, oral, and graphical communication in well-defined technical and non-technical environments; and an ability to identify and use appropriate technical literature.
  4. Conduct standard tests, measurements, and experiments and to analyze and interpret the results.
  5. Function effectively as a member or leader on a technical team.

Academic Advising

The objectives of the university's academic advising program are to help advisees identify and achieve their academic goals, to promote their intellectual discovery, and to encourage students to take advantage of both in-and out-of class educational opportunities in order that they become self-directed learners and decision makers.

Both advisers and advisees share responsibility for making the advising relationship succeed. By encouraging their advisees to become engaged in their education, to meet their educational goals, and to develop the habit of learning, advisers assume a significant educational role. The advisee's unit of enrollment will provide each advisee with a primary academic adviser, the information needed to plan the chosen program of study, and referrals to other specialized resources.

READ SENATE POLICY 32-00: ADVISING POLICY

Erie

Fredrick Nitterright
Assistant Teaching Professor
227 Burke Center
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6185
fxn101@psu.edu

DuBois

Douglas J. Miller
Assistant Teaching Professor and Program Coordinator
1 College Place
110 DEF Building
DuBois, PA 15801
814-375-4731
djm290@psu.edu

York

Andrea Giorgioni
Lecturer and Program Coordinator
4 Romano Administration Building
York, PA 17403
717-771-4033
aug19@psu.edu

Suggested Academic Plan

The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2023-24 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition (Note: the archive only contains suggested academic plans beginning with the 2018-19 edition of the Undergraduate Bulletin).

Mechanical Engineering Technology, A.ENGT. ​Ending at Erie Campus

The course series listed below provides only one of the many possible ways to move through this curriculum. The University may make changes in policies, procedures, educational offerings, and requirements at any time. This plan should be used in conjunction with your degree audit (accessible in LionPATH as either an Academic Requirements or What If report). Please consult with a Penn State academic adviser on a regular basis to develop and refine an academic plan that is appropriate for you.

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
EGT 1203EGT 1213
ENGL 15 or 30H (GWS)‡†3IET 2152
First Year Seminar1MATH 41 (GQ)*3
IET 101*3MET 111*3
MATH 22 (GQ)*3PHYS 250 (GN)*4
General Education Course3General Education Course3
 16 18
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
IET 2162CAS 100 (GWS)‡†3
MET 2133EET 1003
MET 2141MET 210W3
MET 1073PHYS 251 (GN)4
MET 206*3General Education Course3
MET Track Elective3 
MET Track Elective3 
 18 16
Total Credits 68
*

Course requires a grade of C or better for the major

Course requires a grade of C or better for General Education

#

Course is an Entrance to Major requirement

Course satisfies General Education and degree requirement

University Requirements and General Education Notes:

US and IL are abbreviations used to designate courses that satisfy Cultural Diversity Requirements (United States and International Cultures).

W, M, X, and Y are the suffixes at the end of a course number used to designate courses that satisfy University Writing Across the Curriculum requirement.

General Education includes Foundations (GWS and GQ) and Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.

​College Notes:

  • Permissible Math substitutions: MATH 26 or MATH 41 instead of MATH 81, MATH 22 instead of MATH 82, and MATH 140 instead of MATH 83.
  • 2MET Technical Electives:
    • AET 297* (1-3), BA 242 (2), BA 243 (2), CHEM 101 (3), CHEM 110 (3), CHEM 111 (1), CMPSC 101 (3), EDSGN 210 (2), EET 114 (4), EET 118 (1), EGT 201 (2), EGT 297* (1-9), IET 105 (2), IET 109 (3), IET 297* (1-3), IST 110 (3), IST 210 (4), IST 220 (3), IST 250 (3), MATH 83 (4), MATH 140 (4), MATH 141 (4), MATH 210 (3), MET 281 (4), MET 297* (1-3), MET 306 (3), MET 320 (3), MET 330 (3), MET 341 (3), MGMT 301 (3), PLET 205 (3), STAT 200 (4), SUR 111 (3)
  • Upon approval of the College of Engineering, students may be allowed to select technical elective courses from other disciplines. * Requires prior approval from the Mechanical Engineering Technology Department Chair.

Career Paths

Graduates from the mechanical engineering technology program work in a variety of industries such as automotive, aeronautical, petroleum, defense, medical, power generation, transportation, and materials.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT POTENTIAL CAREER OPTIONS FOR GRADUATES OF THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES FOR GRADUATE STUDIES

Accreditation

The A.ENGT. in Mechanical Engineering Technology at Penn State Behrend is accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Mechanical Engineering Technology Program Criteria.

Professional Licensure/Certification

Many U.S. states and territories require professional licensure/certification to be employed. If you plan to pursue employment in a licensed profession after completing this program, please visit the Professional Licensure/Certification Disclosures by State interactive map.

Contact

Erie

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
242 Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center
5101 Jordan Road
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6125
engineering@psu.edu

https://behrend.psu.edu/school-of-engineering

DuBois

1 College Place
DuBois, PA 15801
814-375-4731
djm290@psu.edu

https://dubois.psu.edu/academics/degrees/engineering/options

York

4 Romano Administration Building
York, PA 17403
717-771-4113
mfc5@psu.edu

https://www.york.psu.edu/academics/associate/mechanical-engineering-technology

University Park

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING DESIGN AND INNOVATION
213 Hammond Building
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-2952
adviser@engr.psu.edu

https://www.sedi.psu.edu/