Accreditation
The Mechanical Engineering Program 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.
Graduates will have utilized a foundation in engineering and science to improve lives and livelihoods through a successful career in mechanical engineering or other fields.
Graduates will have become effective leaders, collaborators, and innovators solving social, technical, business, and global challenges.
Graduates will have engaged in life-long learning and professional development through self-study, continuing education, or graduate and professional studies in engineering, business, law, medicine, or other fields.
Graduates will have fostered inclusive and diverse environments and functioned effectively in inclusive and diverse environments.
The mechanical engineering department has an on-going focus on outcomes in terms of student learning. We continuously review program educational objectives to be consistent with our mission and assess the student outcomes as part of continuous improvement.
These efforts are coordinated by the Continuous Improvement of Learning Committee (CILC). The members of this committee have areas of responsibility within the curriculum and chair faculty subcommittees called Curriculum Development Committees that review the data and look at what changes might be suggested. Data are discussed at general faculty meetings and retreats specifically to improve student learning.
In addition, the department uses a variety of assessments from constituent groups.
- Student course surveys every semester
- Course outcomes assessments that are reported to the State of Iowa annually
- Results of the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination (FE) – a nationally administered examination
- Feedback from the Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory Council (MEIAC) annually
- Alumni surveys administered by the College of Engineering
- Annual evaluations by supervisors of students doing cooperative education or internships in industry
The ME Program currently has the following student outcomes describing what ME majors are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation.
- 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.
| Academic Year | Fall Enrollment | Annual Graduation Data |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 1765 | — |
| 2022-2023 | 1657 | 356 |
| 2021-2022 | 1718 | 409 |
| 2020-2021 | 1851 | 451 |
| 2019-2020 | 2000 | 429 |
| 2018-2019 | 2151 | 474 |