Degree Requirements
We fully meet the requirements of an accredited mechanical engineering curriculum, as accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
A complete description of the program and degree requirements can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog (excerpt).
- Students need a minimum of 382 units to complete the B.S. degree (Class of 2014 - minimum unit requirement is 381).
- During their first year, students complete (24-101) Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering course and another introductory engineering course. If students did not take 24-101 during their first year, they should take 24-101 during the fall semester of their sophomore year in place of the General Education Course.
- Students must pass the following three courses before they begin the core Mechanical Engineering courses in the fall semester of the sophomore year:
(21-120) Differential and Integral Calculus
(21-122) Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation
(33-106) Physics I Engineering Students - Students should complete the following courses in mathematics, science, and engineering by the end of their sophomore year.
(21-120) Differential and Integral Calculus
(21-122) Integration, Differential Equations and Approximation
(21-259) Calculus in Three Dimensions
(21-260) Differential Equations
(33-106) Physics I Engineering Students
(33-107) Physics II Engineering Students
(09-105) Modern Chemistry I
(15-110) Intro/Intermediate Programming
(24-101) Intro to Mechanical Engineering
(xx-xxx) Other Intro to Engineering course
(24-200) Machine Shop Practice
(24-202) Introduction to Computer Aided Design
Students must complete a science laboratory requirement to graduate. To fulfill this requirement, students usually complete (09-101) Introduction to Experimental Chemistry – 3 units. However students can take any of the following lab courses (these courses may have prerequisites or enrollment limits ):
(03-124) Modern Biology Laboratory
(33-100) Basic Experimental Physics
(33-104) Experimental Physics
(42-203) Biomedical Engineering Lab - Students must complete (36-220) Engineering Statistics and Quality Control, but they can schedule this course any semester.
- Students should complete the communications requirement during their junior year. They can satisfy this requirement by taking either:
(24-302) ME Seminar – 2 units
(70-340) Business Communications – 9 units
(76-270) Writing for the Professions - Students must enroll in (24-452) Mechanical Systems Experimentation in the fall of their senior year.
- Students must take (24-441) Engineering Design II either in the fall or spring of their senior year.
- Students are required to take at least one elective that we offer, labeled as “Mechanical Engineering Technical Electives” in the example course sequence. We regularly offer these courses according to our teaching schedule. Students cannot use the research or project courses to fulfill the technical elective requirement.
- Students must complete five elective courses. Students can take either technical or non-technical courses to fill these five slots from either the mechanical engineering department, College of Engineering, or any other Carnegie Mellon department. However, students only use one elective slot for a physical education course or for ROTC. We offer these electives so students can pursue individual interests or obtain a minor or double major.
QPA Requirements
We require students to attain at least a 2.00 QPA (quality point average) for all required mechanical engineering courses. Students must also attain at least a 2.00 QPA for all courses after their first year, according to the College of Engineering’s requirements.
Students can repeat a course they received a grade below “C” in order to achieve the QPA requirement. We will use the student’s highest grade in the course(the original grade or the repeated grade) to calculate their QPA for required mechanical engineering courses.
Curriculum Template
The following template outlines the four-year B.S. program through the standard and recommended course sequence. To ensure prerequisites are completed and to prevent scheduling conflicts, students should discuss changes to this sequence with the department academic advisor.
Freshman Year
| FALL |
Units | |
| 21-120 | Differential and Integral Calculus | 10 |
| 24-101 | Fundamentals of Mechanical Engineering | 12 |
| 33-106 | Physics for Engineering Students I | 12 |
| 99-101 | Computing Skills Workshop | 3 |
| xx-xxx | General Education Course |
9 |
| Total | 44 | |
| SPRING | Units | |
| 21-122 |
Integration, Differential Equations, and Approximations |
10 |
| xx-xxx | Secondary Introductory Engineering Course | 12 |
| xx-xxx | Restricted Technical Elective | 10-13 |
| xx-xxx | General Education Course | 9 |
| Total | 41-44 | |
Sophomore Year
| FALL | Units | |
| 21-259 | Calculus in Three Dimensions | 9 |
| 24-221 | Thermodynamics I | 10 |
| 24-261 | Statics | 10 |
| xx-xxx | Restricted Technical Elective | 10-13 |
| xx-xxx | General Education Course | 9 |
| 24-200 | Machine Shop Practice | 1 |
| Total | 48-52 | |
| SPRING | Units | |
| 21-260 | Differential Equations | 9 |
| 24-231 | Fluid Mechanics | 10 |
| 24-262 | Stress Analysis | 12 |
| xx-xxx | Restricted Technical Elective | 10-13 |
| xx-xxx | General Education Course | 9 |
| 24-202 | Introduction to Computer Aided Design | 1 |
| Total | 51-54 | |
Junior Year
| FALL | Units | |
| 24-302 | Mechanical Engineering Seminar (or spring) | 2 |
| 24-311 | Numerical Methods | 12 |
| 24-322 | Heat Transfer | 10 |
| 24-351 | Dynamics | 10 |
| 36-220 | Engineering Statistics & Quality Control | 9 |
| xx-xxx | General Education Course | 9 |
| Total | 52 | |
| SPRING | Units | |
| 24-370 | Engineering Design I: Methods & Skills | 12 |
| 24-321 | Thermal Fluids Experimentation & Design | 12 |
| 24-352 | Dynamic Systems & Controls | 12 |
| xx-xxx | General Education Course | 9 |
| Total | 41-44 | |
Senior Year
| FALL | Units | |
| 24-441 |
Design II: Conceptualization & Realization* or Elective |
12 |
| 24-452 | Mechanical Systems Experimentation | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Elective | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Elective | 9 |
| xx-xxx | General Education Course | 9 |
| Total | 48 | |
| SPRING | Units | |
| 24-441 |
Design II: Conceptualization & Realization* or Elective |
9 |
| 24-xxx | Mechanical Engineering Technical Elective | 9-12 |
| xx-xxx | Elective | 9 |
| xx-xxx | Elective | 9 |
| xx-xxx | General Education Course | 9 |
| Total | 48-51 | |