Undergraduate Program
WHY MAJOR IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING?
The Mechanical Engineering Department prides itself in providing a challenging yet rewarding experience for undergraduate students to develop as engineers, scholars and citizens. The department supports an undergraduate degree program leading to a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME). Some highlights of the ME program:
- Strong background in core engineering and science courses with course options in thermodynamics, fluids, mechanics of materials, machine design, computer-aided engineering and heat transfer
- Advanced technical elective options that can be used to focus on an area of emphasis (e.g. aerospace or automotive) or to obtain a minor in another field
- Four-course project-based experience in the middle years, with integrated design concepts and ME applied skills in programming, machining, instrumentation and prototyping
- Yearlong multidisciplinary senior design capstone course offering real-world engineering experiences through client-driven projects and national competitions
- Diverse student organizations to apply learning outside the classroom, grow a professional network and gain valuable leadership experience
Scheduling
The BSME Flowchart provides a typical schedule for a four-year program to fulfill the degree requirements. While this flowchart represents example paths, we invite our undergraduate students to discuss course options with department advisors.
Advisement
Advisement is an important part of the ME undergrad experience. Advisors help students with academic skills, course completion planning, post-graduation plans and professional relationships. The sections below gives helpful tips for ME students at each stage of their undergraduate career. For questions about advisement, contact Lizi Fapp (lizi.fapp@mines.edu) or Chris Rief (christopher.rief@mines.edu), Mechanical Engineering undergraduate major advisors. See the curriculum tab below for course offerings and program path options.
Advisement Tips: All Students
In addition to keeping track of prerequisite and corequisite chains, all Mechanical Engineering students should be aware of the following critical sequences of courses:
- CEEN 241 > MEGN 212 > MEGN 324 > MEGN 481 & EDNS 491
- EDNS 151/CSCI 128 > MEGN 200 > MEGN 300 > MEGN 301 > EDNS 491
- EDNS 151 /CSCI 128 > MEGN 201 > MEGN 301 > EDNS 491 > EDNS 492
All Mechanical Engineering prerequisite courses must be passed with a grade of C- or better to fulfill requirement.
Advisement Tips: Freshmen
- Review your transcript to ensure any AP, IB, and dual enrollment credits you have earned have transferred to Mines.
- Mechanical Engineering recommends that you have a laptop or desktop computer that can run the SolidWorks computer aided design program. Requirement specifications can be found
- Review your schedule. Ensure that you are taking EDNS 151 Introduction to Design during your first semester. Ensure that you are taking CSCI 128 during your second semester.
- Review the ME flowchart and create a semester-by-semester course plan to graduation.
- Meet with your CASA advisor at least once each semester.
- If interested in studying abroad, meet with the international office to start planning.
- Attend office hours, introduce yourself to professors and TAs (build your network).
- Attend/participate in ME sponsored events. For example: Mechanical Mondays, sticker design competition, and group advising.
- Join a club or activity – school can be stressful, so it is important to find fun ways to connect with others on campus.
Advisement Tips: Sophomores
- Review your schedule; ensure that you complete MEGN 200 and MEGN 201 by the end of your sophomore year. You are welcome to enroll in both courses in the fall semester, if there is space. We will ensure you are able to enroll in the remaining course(s) in the spring if you are unable to enroll in the fall.
- Complete major declaration with CASA (usually completed halfway through sophomore year).
- Review degree evaluation in Trailhead.
- Review and update plan to graduation.
- Schedule a meeting with ME faculty advisor to review and discuss academic goals, plan to graduation, degree evaluation, AoE/ASI/minor, and career aspirations.
- Work with career center to build professional resumé and attend both fall and spring career fairs.
- Attend/participate in ME sponsored events.
- Summer: look for/complete internship, undergraduate research (ex. MURF) or coursework (strongly recommended but not required).
Advisement Tips: Juniors
- Review your schedule. ensure that you are taking MEGN 300 during the first semester and MEGN 301 (required prerequisite for EDNS 491) during the second semester.
- Take at least 1 midlevel or 400-level H&SS course.
- Attend office hours, introduce yourself to professors and TAs (build your network).
- Complete Minor/ASI declaration form (if appropriate and not completed already).
- Review degree evaluation in Trailhead.
- Review and update plan to graduation.
- Meet with ME faculty advisor at least once each semester to review your degree evaluation and your plan to graduation. Discuss what would be appropriate internship opportunities and ME technical electives that align with your career aspirations.
- Research graduate school and 4+1 (BS+MS) opportunities (if interested).
- 17% of ME students went directly to graduate school
- Average starting salary with: MS = $83,400, BS = $76,500
- For information on ME graduate programs, please review the ME Graduate website
- Consider applying for a TA/tutoring position. This is a great opportunity to build understanding of subject matter while earning money, growing professional network, and strengthening bonds to ME department.
- Attend/participate in ME sponsored events.
- Review/update resumé and attend fall and spring career fair.
- Summer: Find and complete an internship, undergraduate research, or coursework (strongly recommended but not required).
Advisement Tips: Seniors
- Review your schedule. Ensure that you are taking EDNS 491 during the first semester and EDNS 492 during the second (and final!) semester.
- Complete H&SS requirements.
- Apply for graduation for the appropriate semester (must be completed after earning 90 credit hours and before first day of final semester of enrollment).
- Review degree evaluation in Trailhead and finalize any forms (minors, course substitutions, catalog changes, etc.).
- Review and update plan to graduation.
- Meet with ME faculty advisor to review degree evaluation and to discuss graduate school and career aspirations, how to connect with industry, and job-securing techniques for your field.
- Apply to graduate school (if applicable).
- Work with Career Center on resumé, cover letter, interviewing, and effective job searches.
- Request recommendation letters and references from the professional network that you have built, well in advance of due dates.
Advisement Tips: Transfer Students
- Review your transcript to ensure all applicable credits that you have earned have been transferred.
- We encourage you to enroll in EDNS 151 and/or CSCI128 in the summer prior to starting at Mines. These are prerequisite courses to our Project-Based Design Sequence, including MEGN200 & 201. You could also take MEGN 200 and/or 201 in the summer if you are able.
- We also encourage you to think about how many semesters you might have with us in the ME program. If it is 5 semesters, then we want to enroll you in MEGN200 & 201 in your first full semester on campus. You will then advance into the MEGN 300 | MEGN 301 | EDNS 491 | EDNS 492 courses, which are all hard prerequisites to one another. Again, this is why it is important to consider EDNS 151 and CSCI 128 in the summer if at all possible.
- Work closely with CASA before classes begin to review degree requirements and first semester schedule.
- Review flow chart/catalog degree requirements and create semester-by-semester plan to graduation.
- If you have any concerns about the critical course sequence listed in “All Students” section delaying graduation, please contact Lizi Fapp or Chris Rief, Advising Coordinator, or Dr. Daniel Blood, Director of Undergraduate Studies – ME.
- Complete Major Confirmation form at the end of your first semester. A link to the form will be sent to your Mines email address when you become eligible to confirm your major. Through the major confirmation process you will be assigned a major advisor and a ME faculty mentor.
- Attend/participate in ME sponsored events.
- Students who are Veterans of the U.S. military may be eligible to petition for EDNS 151 credit (talk to CASA advisor for more details).
- Review appropriate grade level advising information contained on this page. Freshman- 0-29 credit hours, Sophomore- 30-59 credit hours, Juniors- 60-89 credit hours, Seniors- 90+ credit hours.
AEROSPACE MINOR
ME TRACKS
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY DISTINCTION
POSTER PRINTING
CAPSTONE DESIGN SUBMISSION
CONTACT US FOR MORE INFORMATION
$76,500
2023 average starting salary for BSME graduates
76.4%
undergrads who complete internships
140
companies, national labs and universities
that hire our grads
#14
in BSME degrees awarded, out of the top 50 institutions (ASEE Engineering by the Numbers, 2022)
- Degree Overview & Objectives
- Student Outcomes
- Curriculum
- Courses
- ME Tracks
- Minors and ASIs
- BS + MS in ME
- Student Organizations
- Contact
BSME DEGREE OVERVIEW
The Mechanical Engineering program intentionally embeds several professional and technical skills, e.g. working on teams, engineering design, technical communication and programming, throughout the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. During the freshman and sophomore years, students complete a set of core courses that include mathematics, basic sciences, and fundamental engineering disciplines. This includes early open-ended design experiences in Introduction to Design (EDNS151), Introduction to Mechanical Engineering: Programming and Hardware Interface (MEGN200), and Introduction to Mechanical Engineering: Design and Fabrication (MEGN201). Additionally, courses in Humanities & Social Science (H&SS) allow students to explore the linkages between the environment, human society, and engineered systems.
In the middle years, Mechanical Engineering offers a four course project-based design sequence to learn engineering tools, including MATLAB, SolidWorks, and LabVIEW, to solve engineering problems in a hands-on environment. This experience teaches design methodology and stresses the creative aspects of the mechanical engineering profession. This course sequence helps prepare students for open-ended, industry-based project in the senior design experience.
In the junior and senior years, students complete an advanced mechanical engineering core that includes fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, numerical methods, control systems, machine design, computer-aided engineering, and manufacturing processes. This engineering core is complemented by courses in economics and electives in Humanities & Social Science (H&SS). Students must also take three advanced technical electives and three additional free electives to explore specific fields of interest. In the senior year, all students must complete a capstone design course focused on a multidisciplinary engineering project.
Students in mechanical engineering spend considerable time with design and testing equipment available in the CECS Garage, a large machine shop, and automation spaces for prototyping and testing equipment. Students are also encouraged to get involved in research with our faculty in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. These research areas include: biomechanics; solid mechanics and materials; thermal-fluid systems; and robotics. Our students also find internship opportunities to gain practical experience and explore the many industries under the mechanical engineering umbrella.
There are plenty of opportunities outside of the curriculum for students to explore their passions. We have an active Mines Maker Space, Robotics Club, and Abilities Research & Design Group, a group of students enabling those with disabilities to try new activities or advance their performance in a given sport. These are just a few of the clubs and societies where students engage with the community or compete in design challenges nation-wide.
Program Educational Objectives (Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering)
The Mechanical Engineering program contributes to the educational objectives described in the Mines’ Graduate Profile and the ABET Accreditation Criteria. Accordingly, the Mechanical Engineering Program at Mines has established the following program educational objectives for the B.S. in Mechanical Engineering degree:
Within three to five years of completing their degree, graduates will be able to:
- apply their Mechanical Engineering education as active contributors to their professional community and society more broadly;
- effectively communicate information and its practical and societal impact to a diverse and globally integrated society;
- demonstrate their commitment to professional development and life-long learning through workforce readiness training, professional community involvement, and community outreach;
- embody ethical, environmental and societal responsibility encompassing diversity, equity and inclusion in their professional activities.
The Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering 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.
The enrollment and graduation data for the Mechanical Engineering program and other Mines programs can be found on the homepage of the Office of Institutional Research.
STUDENT OUTCOMES | BSME
The Student Outcomes for the Mechanical Engineering program are the same as those required by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). BSME graduates from our program will demonstrate:
- An ability to identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics
- 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
- An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- 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
- 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
- An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies
ME PROGRAM CRITERIA
Lead Society: American Society of Mechanical Engineers
These program criteria will apply to all engineering programs that include “mechanical” or similar modifiers in their titles.
- Curriculum
The curriculum must require students to apply principles of engineering, basic science and mathematics (including multivariate calculus and differential equations); to model, analyze, design and realize physical systems, components or processes; and prepare students to work professionally in either thermal or mechanical systems while requiring topics in each area.
- Faculty
The program must demonstrate that faculty members responsible for the upper-level professional program are maintaining currency in their specialty area.
CURRICULUM
The Mechanical Engineering department offers a design-oriented undergraduate program that emphasizes fundamental engineering principles. Students receive a strong foundation in ME disciplines and a working knowledge of modern engineering tools. Many courses are augmented through hands-on and project-based experiences. Successful graduates are well prepared for an ME career in a world of rapid technological change. The program leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.
Current course descriptions, course offerings and co-/prerequisites can be found on the Courses tab.
Click here to view the ME Curriculum Flowchart for 2023-2024.
2023-24 ME Flowchart_ME Electives
_______________________________________
2022-2023
Flowchart | See Catalog Year
2021-2022
Flowchart | See Catalog Year
2020-2021
Flowchart | See Catalog Year
2019–2020
Flowchart | See Catalog Year
2018–2019
Flowchart | See Catalog Year
2017–2018
Flowchart | See Catalog Year
2016–2017
Flowchart | See Catalog Year
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING TRACKS
Tracks in Mechanical Engineering offer an opportunity for ME undergrads to explore various topics in mechanical engineering in more depth. Students gain depth in the areas by focusing their ME Electives on four courses prescribed in the tracks. Each track is defined below with one course required in the Advanced Engineering Science Elective and three courses required from the ME Elective courses. Note that undergraduate students are not required to align with a track. Tracks are suggestions for students to gain advanced knowledge in a subdiscipline area and are “transcriptable.”
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ME TRACKS
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ACADEMIC CATALOG
MINORS AND AREAS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
- Minors and Areas of Special Interest (ASI) are for students who have a major outside of Mechanical Engineering and want to supplement their degree with a Mechanical Engineering specialty minor or concentration.
- Students majoring in Mechanical Engineering, see the ME Tracks tab for specialty focus options.
The Mechanical Engineering department offers minors and areas of special interest (ASI). Students who elect a minor or ASI must fulfill all prerequisite requirements for each course in a chosen sequence. Students in the sciences or mathematics must be prepared to meet prerequisite requirements in fundamental engineering and engineering science courses. Students in engineering disciplines are better positioned to meet the prerequisite requirements. (See Minor/ASI section of the catalog for all requirements for a minor/ASI at Mines.)
View our current list of minors and ASIs.
COMBINED MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
BACHELOR’S AND MASTER’S DEGREES
Mechanical Engineering offers a combined program for our Master’s Non-Thesis Degree in which students have the opportunity to obtain specific engineering skills supplemented with graduate coursework in mechanical engineering. Upon completion of the program, students receive two degrees: the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and the Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering.
Admission into a graduate degree program as a combined undergraduate/graduate degree student may occur as early as the first semester of junior year. In order to be eligible for the combined program, students must have one overlapping semester between their undergraduate and Graduate Program. This means students must apply and be admitted to (at minimum) the same semester they are graduating with their Undergraduate Degree. For example, if you are graduating in Spring 2024 you must be admitted to the Graduate Program for the Spring 2024 semester meaning you must apply in the Fall 2023 semester. Students admitted into the combined program can double-count a maximum of 6 credit hours (2 courses) between the BS and MS degrees. Courses eligible to double count meet the following criteria:
– 400 level or above
– Passed with a B or better
– On the ME Electives List (Back of the ME UG Flowchart)
– Not the only course counting toward the Advanced Engineering Science Requirement (ME Majors Only)
Students are required to take an additional 24 credit hours for the MS degree. Up to 9 of the 30 total credit hours can be 400-level courses (if you double count the maximum 6 credits you have 3 credits – or one course – of 400-level courses remaining. The remainder of the courses will be at the graduate level (500-level and above). The Mechanical Engineering Graduate Bulletin provides detail for the graduate program and includes specific instructions for required and elective courses.
CLICK HERE FOR THE COMBINED PROGRAM DETAILS, FAQS
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ME GRADUATE PROGRAM
CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ACADEMIC CATALOG
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
One way to apply learning outside the classroom at Mines is through active participation in student organizations. There are a number of mechanical engineering and professional engineering student organizations in which a student can become involved. Each organization extends networking opportunities and leadership experiences.
AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS
Professional organization seeking to educate students and the community about the benefits of space and inspiring people through involvement in space-related projects.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING REFRIGERATION AND AIR CONDITIONING ENGINEERS (ASHRAE)
Professional organization dedicated to shaping tomorrow’s built environment today. Exploring heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration engineering as well as building modeling, control systems and HVAC design.
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS (ASME)
The Mines chapter of ASME strives to serve and improve the Mines campus and community by advancing, educating and applying engineering knowledge. This is accomplished through service hours, tutoring, social and professional development events and project presentations. Projects include floating arm trebuchet, build-your-own long board and a kinetic wave sculpture.
MINES MAKER SOCIETY
The Maker Society functions to strengthen the collaborative mindset and streamline resources to develop a strong “making community” at Mines.
ROBOTICS CLUB
Mines Robotics is dedicated to bringing basic robotic knowledge and competition to the students of Mines and also encourages volunteering in STEM.
SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS (SAE)
SAE is a professional organization for scientists and engineers who have an interest in cars. The organization promotes learning and innovation in the automotive world and establishes many of the industry standards for the safety of automobiles and passengers. Mines has a collegiate chapter that is a branch of SAE International.
FORMULA SAE
Formula SAE challenges students to conceive, design, fabricate and compete with small formula-style racing cars. Teams spend 8–12 months designing, building and preparing their vehicles for a competition. These cars are judged in a series of static and dynamic events, including technical inspection, cost, presentation, engineering design, solo performance trials and high-performance endurance.
What can Mechanical@Mines do for you?
In 2024, the year of our 150th anniversary, we will celebrate Colorado School of Mines’ past, present and possibilities. By celebrating and supporting the Campaign for MINES@150 you will help elevate Mines to be an accessible, top-of-mind and first-choice for students, faculty, staff, recruiters and other external partners. When you give, you are ensuring Mines becomes even more distinctive and highly sought-after by future students, alumni, industry, and government partners over the next 150 years. We look forward to celebrating Mines’ sesquicentennial with you and recognizing the key role you play in making the MINES@150 vision a reality through your investments of time, talent and treasure. Give now