Mechanical Engineering, B.S. (Capital)

Program Description

Built upon a broad foundation in physics, chemistry, and mathematics, this major has the objective of educating graduates to be problem solvers. Graduates of this program will have opportunities to learn about applying scientific principles, engineering analysis, and engineering design to solve unstructured problems that are typical of those found in mechanical engineering. The major helps prepare graduates for a lifelong productive career, whether they choose professional practice, graduate school, or some other career path. Graduates will have had opportunities to learn how to work with others toward a common goal, to clearly express their ideas in written and verbal form, and to be independent and capable of adapting to the continuously changing technology of the work environment.

After completing the fundamental science core, students may pursue their interest in mechanical engineering by studying fluid and solid mechanics, engineering materials and their properties, thermodynamics, and heat transfer, computer-aided design, kinematics and dynamics of machine elements, machine design, finite elements, control systems, electricity, and electronic instrumentation and machinery. The students will be required to analyze and solve a significant mechanical engineering design problem during their fourth year.

What is Mechanical Engineering?

Mechanical engineering is the largest and broadest engineering discipline. It uses a combination of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and materials science to study mechanical, fluid, and thermal systems. Mechanical engineers are problem solvers: They use their foundational knowledge to apply scientific and engineering methods to the design, construction, and testing of products and components to ensure that they are safe, reliable, and cost effective. Mechanical engineering differs from mechanical engineering technology in that it emphasizes the math and science behind the theoretical development of engineering analysis and design process principles rather than the application of these principles. Mechanical engineers design everything from athletic equipment, medical devices, theme park rides, and personal computers to engines and power plants.

You Might Like This Program If...

• You are a curious, creative problem solver.
• You are interested in engineering, math, chemistry, and physics.
• You are looking for a broad discipline with career flexibility.
• You enjoy working on team-based projects.

Entrance to Major

In addition to the Carnegie unit and minimum GPA requirements¹ described by University policies, all students applying for entrance to any of the engineering majors at Behrend, Berks, or Capital College must have at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA by the end of the semester prior to applying for entrance to the major and have completed, with a minimum grade of C: CHEM 110, MATH 140, MATH 141, and PHYS 211. These courses must be completed by the end of the semester during which the entrance-to-major process is carried out.

¹

In the event that the major is under enrollment control, a higher minimum cumulative grade-point average is likely to be needed.

Degree Requirements

For the Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, a minimum of 131 credits is required:

21 of the 45 credits for General Education are included in the Requirements for the Major. This includes: 9 credits of GN courses; 6 credits of GQ courses; 3 credits of GS courses; 3 credits of GWS courses.

Per Senate Policy 83.80.5, the college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of coursework in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned.

Requirements for the Major

Each student must earn at least a grade of C in each 300- and 400-level course in the major field.

To graduate, a student enrolled in the major must earn a grade of C or better in each course designated by the major as a C-required course, as specified by Senate Policy 82-44.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Prescribed Courses
CMPSC 200	Programming for Engineers with MATLAB	3
EDSGN 100S	Introduction to Engineering Design	3
EE 211	Electrical Circuits and Power Distribution	3
MATH 230	Calculus and Vector Analysis	4
PHYS 212	General Physics: Electricity and Magnetism	4
Prescribed Courses: Require a grade of C or better
CHEM 110	Chemical Principles I	3
EMCH 211	Statics	3
ENGL 202C	Effective Writing: Technical Writing	3
EMCH 212	Dynamics	3
EMCH 213	Strength of Materials	3
MATH 140	Calculus With Analytic Geometry I	4
MATH 141	Calculus with Analytic Geometry II	4
MATH 220	Matrices	2-3
MATH 251	Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations	4
MATSE 259	Properties and Processing of Engineering Materials	3
ME 300	Engineering Thermodynamics I	3
ME 320	Fluid Flow	3
ME 345W	Instrumentation, Measurements, and Statistics	4
ME 349	Intermediate Mechanics of Materials	3
ME 357	System Dynamics	3
ME 365	Materials Testing Laboratory	1
ME 367	Machine Design	3
ME 380	Machine Dynamics	3
ME 410	Heat Transfer	3
ME 448	Engineering Design Concepts	3
ME 449	Mechanical Design Projects	3
ME 468	Engineering for Manufacturing	3
PHYS 211	General Physics: Mechanics	4
Additional Courses
ECON 102	Introductory Microeconomic Analysis and Policy	3
or ECON 104	Introductory Macroeconomic Analysis and Policy
Select one of the following:		3
CHEM 111 & PHYS 214	Experimental Chemistry I and General Physics: Wave Motion and Quantum Physics
CHEM 112	Chemical Principles II
BIOL 141	Introduction to Human Physiology
Supporting Courses and Related Areas
Supporting Courses and Related Areas: Require a grade of C or better
Select 13 credits of program elective courses from school-approved list 1		13

¹

These credits must be selected to fulfill the thematic requirements of the major.

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 baccalaureate 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 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): 6 credits
• Writing and Speaking (GWS): 9 credits

Breadth in the Knowledge Domains (Inter-Domain courses do not meet this requirement.)

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

Integrative Studies

• Inter-Domain Courses (Inter-Domain): 6 credits

Exploration

• GN, may be completed with Inter-Domain courses: 3 credits
• GA, GH, GN, GS, Inter-Domain courses. This may include 3 credits of World Language course work beyond the 12th credit level or the requirements for the student’s degree program, whichever is higher: 6 credits

University Degree Requirements

First Year Engagement

All students enrolled in a college or the Division of Undergraduate Studies at University Park, and the World Campus are required to take 1 to 3 credits of the First-Year Seminar, as specified by their college First-Year Engagement Plan.

Other Penn State colleges and campuses may require the First-Year Seminar; colleges and campuses that do not require a First-Year Seminar provide students with a first-year engagement experience.

First-year baccalaureate students entering Penn State should consult their academic adviser for these requirements.

Cultures Requirement

6 credits are required and may satisfy other requirements

• United States Cultures: 3 credits
• International Cultures: 3 credits

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 120 degree credits must be earned for a baccalaureate degree. The requirements for some programs may exceed 120 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

The college dean or campus chancellor and program faculty may require up to 24 credits of course work in the major to be taken at the location or in the college or program where the degree is earned. 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.

Integrated B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering

Undergraduate degree available at the following campuses: Berks, Erie, Harrisburg

Graduate degree available at the following campuses: Harrisburg

Requirements for the Integrated B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering can be found in the Graduate Bulletin.

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

Harrisburg

Casey McDowell
Administrative Support Assistant
W239 Olmsted
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-6116
cmm8969@psu.edu

Berks

Rungun Nathan
Program Coordinator, Associate Professor
Gaige 223
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6170
BKMechEng@psu.edu

Erie

Elisa Wu, Ph.D.
Program Chair, Professor
227 AMIC
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6559
yxw22@psu.edu

Suggested Academic Plan

The suggested academic plan(s) listed on this page are the plan(s) that are in effect during the 2025-26 academic year. To access previous years' suggested academic plans, please visit the archive to view the appropriate Undergraduate Bulletin edition.

Mechanical Engineering, B.S. at Harrisburg 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.

*

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

¹

CHEM 111 - Experimental Chemistry I

Students may substitute either CHEM 112 (3) or BIOL 141 (3) for the combination of CHEM 111 (1) and PHYS 214 (2).

²

PHYS 214 - General Physics: Wave Motion and Quantum Physics

³

4XX Engineering Elective

See list below for eligible electives

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), Knowledge Domains (GHW, GN, GA, GH, GS) and Integrative Studies (Inter-domain) requirements. N or Q (Honors) is the suffix at the end of a course number used to help identify an Inter-domain course, but the inter-domain attribute is used to fill audit requirements. Foundations courses (GWS and GQ) require a grade of 'C' or better.

Program Notes

4XX Engineering Electives include:

• ME 401 - Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
• ME 408 - Energy Systems
• ME 431 - Internal Combustion Engines
• ME 432 - Rocket Propulsion
• ME 455 - Automatic Control Systems
• ME 456 - Introduction to Robotics
• ME 461 - Finite Elements in Engineering
• And others offered by the program

Career Paths

Because every industry values a mechanical engineer’s problem-solving capabilities, you’ll enjoy tremendous career flexibility in disciplines as varied as research, manufacturing, product and systems design and testing, health care, energy, the military, transportation, and consumer products. A mechanical engineering education also is excellent preparation for technical management, business, law, or technical sales.

Careers

Typical entry-level careers for mechanical engineering graduates are applications engineer, design engineer and mechanical design engineer, test engineer, equipment installation engineering, facilities technician, stress analysis engineer, product development engineer, and project engineer.

Opportunities for Graduate Studies

Graduate programs in mechanical engineering delve more deeply into areas of specialization such as automotive engineering, robotics, advanced manufacturing, thermal science, computational fluid mechanics, combustion modeling, or biomechanical engineering.

Professional Resources

• American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Society of Women Engineers
• National Society of Black Engineers

Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State Harrisburg is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Mechanical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

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

Harrisburg

SCHOOL OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND TECHNOLOGY
Olmsted Building, W239
Middletown, PA 17057
717-948-6116
kag6703@psu.edu

https://harrisburg.psu.edu/science-engineering-technology/mechanical-engineering-bs/contacts

Berks

EBC DIVISION
Gaige Building
Reading, PA 19610
610-396-6170
BKMechEng@psu.edu

https://berks.psu.edu/academics/bs-mechanical-engineering

Erie

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
242 Jack Burke Research and Economic Development Center
5101 Jordan Road
Erie, PA 16563
814-898-6153
engineering@psu.edu

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