MechSE at Illinois
The Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering offers top-ranked degree programs in engineering mechanics, mechanical engineering, and theoretical and applied mechanics. Our curricula offer students unparalleled strengths in key fundamental areas, such as fluid and solid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer, dynamics and controls, biomechanical sciences, computational science, applied math, applied physics, and chemistry.
Engineering is evolving from an empirical discipline to one that uses first principles to understand physical phenomena spanning multiple length and time scales. MechSE integrates basic sciences and engineering to address the critical societal needs of today and to identify and respond to emerging needs and issues. Our faculty's research is impacting energy, the environment, health, manufacturing, security and defense, transportation, and more.
MechSE Mission
By leveraging core competencies in fluid and solid mechanics, materials, thermodynamics and heat transfer, dynamics and control, and computation, we prepare students to work in a variety of areas including energy and the environment, health and biomedical engineering, robotics, manufacturing, national defense, and transportation.
The mission of the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering is to prepare our graduates to:
- Create new knowledge, techniques, and sustainable processes and products;
- Address pressing local, national, and global sustainability challenges;
- Innovate and conduct research with a focus on developing life-long learning skills;
- Practice effective teamwork while maintaining high ethical standards and demonstrating leadership;
- Serve local and broader communities and professional societies.
MechSE Objectives
Engineering Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering are distinct programs with important differences in outlook, philosophy, and content. These differences are most apparent in the junior and senior years as the Engineering Mechanics major delves deeper into fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, dynamics, and applied mathematics than the Mechanical Engineering major, while the Mechanical Engineering major focuses more on courses with a strong design component.
The Engineering Mechanics program emphasizes analytical skills, scientific breadth, and research preparedness. The Engineering Mechanics graduate is well equipped for further study and research in graduate school and for working on a wide range of industrial applications. They will have a thorough education in applied mathematics, with emphasis on the techniques needed to solve mechanical problems.
The Mechanical Engineering program emphasizes problem-solving skills, design skills, and analytical skills. The Mechanical Engineering graduate is well equipped for working on a wide range of industrial applications and for further study and research in graduate school. They will have a thorough education in solid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer, fluid mechanics, and dynamics and control, with emphasis on advanced design skills.
Engineering Mechanics Program Educational Objectives
The program educational objectives for the Engineering Mechanics program reflect the mission of the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering and the importance placed on successful professional practice, the ability to pursue advanced degrees, the assumption of professional and societal leadership roles, and a commitment to life-long learning.
University of Illinois Engineering Mechanics graduates will demonstrate:
- Excellence: The demonstration of proficiency in diverse career paths utilizing their engineering abilities in analysis and design, their preparedness for research, and their professional skills to address complex problems for achieving positive societal impacts.
- Service: Their dedication to serving their profession and the public as ethical team members and leaders with awareness of contemporary issues, a commitment to inclusive collaboration, and effective communication.
- Lifelong Learning: Their commitment to lifelong learning, expanding and enhancing their knowledge, creativity, and skills through professional development, continuing education, and/or the pursuit of advanced degrees.
- Participation: Their active involvement in and contribution to professional societies and community advancement.
Mechanical Engineering Program Educational Objectives
The program educational objectives for the Mechanical Engineering program reflect the mission of the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering and the importance placed on successful professional practice, the ability to pursue advanced degrees, the assumption of professional and societal leadership roles, and a commitment to life-long learning.
University of Illinois Mechanical Engineering graduates will demonstrate:
- Excellence: The ability to excel in diverse career paths using their engineering abilities in design and analysis, their readiness for research, and their professional skills to address complex problems to achieve positive societal impacts.
- Service: Their commitment to serving their profession and the public as ethical team members and leaders with awareness of contemporary issues, a dedication to inclusive collaboration, and effective communication.
- Lifelong Learning: Their commitment to lifelong learning, expanding and enhancing their knowledge, creativity, and skills through professional development, continuing education, and/or the pursuit of advanced degrees.
- Participation: Their active involvement in and contribution to professional societies and community advancement.
The Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering offers two distinct undergraduate degree programs, the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Mechanical Engineering (ME) and the Bachelor of Science (BS) in Engineering Mechanics (EM). These programs have significant overlap, but with different emphases, described more fully below.
Both provide a basic foundation in mathematics, science (physics, chemistry, and by student choice, biology), and engineering fundamentals, including
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thermodynamics (with application to engines, batteries, power generation, and refrigeration);
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fluid mechanics (with application to flow in pipelines, aerodynamics, combustion, and microfluidics for medical diagnostics);
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solid mechanics (with application to mechanical design, stress analysis, deformation and fracture, and cellular and macroscopic biomechanics);
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dynamics (with application to robotics, manufacturing, machine design, ground and atmospheric flight vehicles, and spacecraft);
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materials (metals and alloys, plastics/polymers, engineering ceramics, and electronic and photonic materials); and
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electrical and electronic circuits.
Of the six semesters of mathematics required by each curriculum, four semesters are in common. For the remaining two semesters, ME requires one semester each of differential equations and statistics, while EM requires two semesters of differential equations. Beyond these six courses, EM also requires a senior-level course in computational mechanics.
Both curricula have significant design components, with three courses (computer-aided design, design for manufacturing, and the senior “capstone” design course) in common. The ME curriculum requires two additional junior/senior-level mechanical design courses, while the EM curriculum includes two shorter design courses typically completed earlier in the curriculum.
The ME curriculum provides a broad education in the important areas of mechanical engineering described above in items 1-5, as well as in heat transfer, signal processing, and controls. The EM curriculum is more focused on developing depth in items 2-5, requiring more advanced coursework in these areas than is required in the ME curriculum.
Both curricula provide flexibility for students to select technical electives in areas that are of particular interest to them.
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In the ME curriculum, two technical electives are chosen from advanced courses offered by MechSE, and two others are chosen from a wide range of science, engineering, and mathematics courses (including MechSE courses), with some students using the flexibility to explore different technical areas, or add depth in one or two areas. For example, a student with an interest in medical school can use technical electives to take the necessary two semesters of organic chemistry, while the MechSE science requirement can be satisfied in part by a course in molecular and cellular biology.
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In the EM curriculum, courses in the required “secondary field” (a concentration involving 12 credit hours, typically four courses) allow students to develop considerable depth and breadth in pre-approved fields (i.e., biomechanics, computational mechanics, engineering science and applied mathematics, experimental mechanics, fluid mechanics, mechanics of materials, or solid mechanics), or customized areas (e.g., dynamics, micro- and nano-technology, automotive systems, robotics and controls, sustainability engineering, and design and manufacturing), which can be tailored to student interest, subject to approval.
Both curricula have significant hands-on laboratory requirements, in the foundational science courses, in the required electrical and electronics circuits course, and in the required MechSE courses taken during the junior and senior years.
A notable fraction of our undergraduate students complete a formal “minor”, the most popular being electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, physics, business, and a foreign language.
Finally, both curricula provide excellent preparation for employment in industry (or a government laboratory), or graduate study (at the MS and PhD levels) in mechanical and aerospace engineering, as well as in certain areas of biomedical, agricultural, civil, environmental, chemical, and nuclear engineering. In addition to the successful careers that our BS graduates have pursued in engineering areas closely related to their undergraduate degrees, many have gone on to successful careers in other areas, including chemical and biomolecular engineering, electrical engineering, law, finance, government, and business.
Degree Programs
The Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering offers baccalaureate degrees in engineering mechanics and mechanical engineering, and master's and doctoral degrees in mechanical engineering and theoretical and applied mechanics.
Engineering mechanics is the basis of most of the engineering disciplines, including aerospace engineering, civil engineering, materials science and engineering, and mechanical engineering. It focuses on the study of forces that act on bodies, and the resulting motion.
Mechanical engineering applies the principles of physics to the analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It includes many areas of specialization, including bioengineering, energy systems and thermodynamics, and nano- and microelectromechanical systems (NEMS and MEMS).
Master's and doctoral students in theoretical and applied mechanics specialize in fluid mechanics, solid mechanics and materials, dynamics, applied mathematics, and computational science and engineering.
MechSE Administration
Anthony M. Jacobi
Department Head; Richard W. Kritzer Distinguished Professor
Sanjiv Sinha
Associate Head for Undergraduate Programs; Professor
Elif Ertekin
Associate Head for Graduate Programs and Research; Director of Mechanics Programs; Associate Professor; Andersen Faculty Scholar
M. Quinn Brewster
Director of M.Eng.ME Program; Hermia G. Soo Professor
More About MechSE
First referenced as Mechanical Science and Engineering in 1870, the department has long been a leader in research and education. After a few reorganizations through the decades, mechanical engineering combined with theoretical and applied mechanics in 2006 to create the current MechSE department. This combination of science and engineering provides a uniquely excellent education for the department’s students.
The MechSE Department offers top-ranked degree programs in engineering mechanics, mechanical engineering, and theoretical and applied mechanics. Our curricula offer students unparalleled strengths in key fundamental areas, such as fluid and solid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer, dynamics and controls, biomechanical sciences, computational science, applied math, applied physics, and chemistry. MechSE integrates basic sciences and engineering to address the critical societal needs of today and to identify and respond to emerging needs and issues. MechSE faculty members are deeply involved in emerging and high-profile research areas such as energy, big data, digital manufacturing, and bioengineering. MechSE has a vibrant research-focused program, operating at about $35M/year.
The department has more than 14,000 living alumni, 60+ full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty members, and more than 40 staff. The degrees offered are BS, MS, and PhD in Mechanical Engineering (ME); BS in Engineering Mechanics (EM); MS and PhD in Theoretical & Applied Mechanics (TAM); and M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering (M.Eng.ME). The department has about 1,600 students (1,200+ undergraduates and 400+ graduate students).
MechSE undergraduates begin the design-based education their first semester, take advantage of the interface between curricular and extra-curricular activities, and experience a strong laboratory component in their education. MechSE graduate students contribute an annual average of 200 refereed journal articles with their MechSE faculty advisors, and present even more papers at conferences around the world. One in four (25%) recent PhD graduates go on to tenure-track positions. Other graduates earn exciting opportunities in industry, at national labs, and as postdocs.
The department's two primary facilities, Sidney Lu Mechanical Engineering Building and Mechanical Engineering Laboratory, contain thousands of square feet of student maker spaces within MechSE MakerWorks, as well as state-of-the-art classrooms, team project huddle rooms, a staff-run machine shop, MNMS cleanroom, a large student center that includes a Starbucks, renowned faculty research labs, and much more. In addition, our faculty members have offices and laboratories at the Beckman Institute, Coordinated Science Laboratory, Nick Holonyak Micro and Nano Technology Laboratory, Talbot Laboratory, Digital Computer Lab, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, and others.
The MechSE Department is also home to several research center directors among its faculty.
Tenured/tenure-track and
specialized teaching faculty
Undergraduate Students
Graduate Students