Undergraduate Programs
Are you ready to make an impact on the world? The Department of Mechanical Science & Engineering (MechSE) at Illinois is consistently ranked in the Top 10 by U.S. News & World Report, and for good reason! Students from both of our majors— Engineering Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering—make a real impact here and abroad. They are solving today’s most pressing technological challenges in energy and the environment, biology and health care, defense and security, transportation, micro-nano technology, design and manufacturing, robotics, and many other areas. Our students gain the problem-solving and communication skills to excel in non-traditional areas like finance, management, business, medicine, and law.
MechSE MakerWorks
Take a tour of our state-of-the-art student maker spaces to learn more about the equipment and services available to MechSE students for creating and innovating.
Majors Overview
Get a quick overview in this Grainger College of Engineering video of our two undergraduate degree programs - Engineering Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering!
(MechSE begins at the 7:18 mark)
Bachelor of Science in Engineering Mechanics
Mechanical Science and Engineering. Mechanics is the study of forces that act on bodies and the resultant motion that those bodies experience.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Science and Engineering. Among the most diverse of the engineering fields, mechanical engineering affects almost all aspects of our lives and embraces many areas of specialization
#9
ranked undergraduate program
by U.S. News and World Report
#6
ranked graduate ME program by
U.S. News and World Report
#4
ranked online ME master’s degree program by U.S. News and World Report
60+
world-renowned research and teaching faculty
98%
of graduates secured first choice destination post-graduation
$79,118
average starting salary with a $5,000 bonus for full-time employed graduates
Engineering Mechanics Program
The Engineering Mechanics program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Licensure or Certification Requirements
The Engineering Mechanics program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Engineering Mechanics Program satisfies the educational requirements for engineering licensure or certification in all of the 55 U.S. states and jurisdictions. Please go to https://www.online.uillinois.edu/resources/sara.asp to find your state’s requirements, resources and contact information.
You are encouraged to contact the appropriate licensing agency for your location or wherever you desire to be licensed or certified to seek information and additional guidance. Please be aware that there may be licensure or certification requirements in addition to an academic program’s curriculum.
Note: This disclosure is being made in compliance with federal regulation 34 CFR §668.43 and the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreements Manual.
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.
Engineering Mechanics Program Student Outcomes
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.
Mechanical Engineering Program
The Mechanical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
Licensure or Certification Requirements
The Mechanical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Mechanical Engineering Program satisfies the educational requirements for engineering licensure or certification in all of the 55 U.S. states and jurisdictions. Please go to https://www.online.uillinois.edu/resources/sara.asp to find your state’s requirements, resources and contact information.
You are encouraged to contact the appropriate licensing agency for your location or wherever you desire to be licensed or certified to seek information and additional guidance. Please be aware that there may be licensure or certification requirements in addition to an academic program’s curriculum.
Note: This disclosure is being made in compliance with federal regulation 34 CFR §668.43 and the State Authorization and Reciprocity Agreements Manual.
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.
Mechanical Engineering Program Student Outcomes
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.
Enrollment and degree trends
For full information on the enrollment by year, students graduated, and many other details of the MechSE department, see http://www.dmi.illinois.edu/cp. To navigate to the program data, select "Engineering" under "Select a Major Unit" and "Mechanical Science & Engr" for "Department." Specific data for students may be found by selecting "Student Data" under "Jump to Data." Enrollment in the program by academic year may be found under item 3660 and students graduated are listed under item 4420 on this web page.
MechSE Department Facts
Enrollment
In the 2022-23 term, the MechSE Department has 934 undergraduate students majoring in Mechanical Engineering; 105 undergraduate students majoring in Engineering Mechanics as provided by the Division of Management Information's Fall 2022 10-day report; 128 graduate students working on master's degrees (42 thesis, 86 non-thesis); and 315 graduate students working on PhD degrees.
Degrees Granted
In the 2022 calendar year, the MechSE Department awarded 315 bachelor of science degrees, with 284 of these in Mechanical Engineering and 31 in Engineering Mechanics. During the same period, the MechSE Department awarded 39 M.Eng.ME degrees, 33 MS degrees, and 55 PhD degrees.
Faculty
MechSE’s 60+ full-time faculty are all active in research and publish in high-impact journals, such as Science, Nature, Applied Physics Letters, and more. Even more impressive, Engineering at Illinois faculty are ranked first among our peers in the number of publications per faculty. On average, 20 or more of the papers written by senior professors are cited more than 10 times. More than half have received young investigator awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) or Department of Defense.
Research
Research expenditures of $25 million allow faculty and students to advance knowledge in key fundamental areas such as biomechanical sciences, fluid mechanics, solid mechanics, thermodynamics and heat transfer, applied physics, chemistry, dynamics and controls, computational science and applied math.
Undergraduate Programs Contacts
Academic Advising & Prospective Student Information:
mechse-ug-advise@illinois.edu
Secondary Fields, Curriculum Modifications/Petitions, Study Abroad:
Stephanie Ott-Monsivais, ottmonsi@illinois.edu, 217-300-3102
Scholarships, MechSE events, Student Societies:
Missy Biehl, mbiehl@illinois.edu, 217-300-0278
Submit Your Feedback to The Undergraduate Office:
Feedback Form
MechSE's Undergraduate Programs Office is located in 1056 Lu MEB and open Monday through Friday from 8 am - noon and 1 - 4:30 pm.
CONTACT THE UNDERGRADUATE OFFICE:
mechse-undergrad@illinois.edu