Real-world. Meet really prepared.
As a mechanical engineer, you’ll help create improvements in technological problems that ultimately make life better by applying principles of motion, energy, and force. You’ll have opportunities to stay active working in cutting-edge research, development, design, testing, production, technical sales, technical management, as well as applications to medicine, agriculture, clean energy, law, and business. Because of your personal creativity, curiosity, breadth of knowledge, and versatility you’ll function and thrive as a valuable member and leader of multidisciplinary teams.
Almost every type of industry employs mechanical engineers including agricultural/heavy equipment, biotechnology, biomedical, aerospace, computer and electronics, consulting, energy and power, manufacturing, product design, transportation, and more.
Relevant courses for any engineering area
ME 425, ME 443, ME 466, ME 484; EM 425; IE 305; any courses for a minor in Non-Destructive Evaluation
Professor Elliot Winer is an expert in the area of optimization; he teaches ME 425.
Agriculture
Companies: Cargill, John Deere, Vermeer
Relevant Courses: ME 413, ME 414, EM 425, EM 544, TSM 335, AE 342, Other relevant courses can be found at the Tech Elective lists under “Agricultural Engineering”
Biomedical
Companies: Boston Scientific, Stryker, Medtronic
Relevant Courses: Chem 331, Chem 331L, Chem 332, Chem 332L; Other relevant courses can be found under courses for a minor in Non-Destructive Evaluation
More to Explore:
Computer-Aided Design
Companies: PTC, Solid Edge, Solidworks
Relevant Courses: ME 415, ME 417, ME 419, ME 475, ME 625, EM 425
More to Explore:
- Rapid Prototyping | The skill of solid modeling is required in rapid prototyping. Do you know who on the ME faculty is an expert in solid modeling and various applications of solid modeling?
- What is virtual reality?
- Finite Element Analysis is widely used in the industry. To learn more about FEA follow these links and take EM 425 in the Spring term.
- Algor, ANSYS, CosmosWorks, IDEAS
Construction and Heavy Equipment
Companies: Altec, Black & Veatch Corporation, Bobcat, Caterpillar, EFCO Corp, Kiewit, John Deere, Vermeer, Weiler.
Relevant Courses: ME 414, ME 449, ME 549, EM 425, TSM 335, AE 342
More to Explore:
Consulting
Companies: Accenture, Bibb and Associates Inc., Burns & McDonnell, KJWW, Stanley Consultants, Trinity Consultants
Relevant Courses: Con E 380, ME 412, ME 441, ME 442, ME 466
More to Explore:
- If you would like to open your own consulting firm, you will need to acquire a P.E. license. The very first step in getting a P.E. license is passing the Fundamentals of Engineering exam.
Controls
Companies: Emerson Electric, GARMIN International Inc.,Collins Aerospace, Danfoss
Relevant Courses: ME 411, ME 413, ME 414, ME 511, ME 574, ME 575; EE 475; Cpr E 308
More to Explore:
- What is control theory?
- People interested in dynamic stability, robotics, avionics, or correcting mechanical error should consider courses involving control theory.
- What is a dynamical system?
Energy
Companies: Alliant Energy, Black & Veatch, Burns & McDonnell, Halliburton, MidAmerican Energy, Omaha Public Power District, Schlumberger Technology Corporation
Relevant Courses: ME 433, ME 443, ME 444, ME 446, ME 475, ME 484, ME 530, ME 540; any Biorenewable Resources Technology (BRT) courses
More to Explore:
- What is Biomass?
- Who on the ME faculty is an expert in biomass research?
- What Professor on the ME faculty is an expert at modeling thermal phenomena using Virtual Reality?
- In ME 433 – Alternative Energy Conversion, you will learn about alternatives such as geothermal resources, wind energy, and other alternative energies.
- Professor Ted Heindel is an expert in the area of multiphase flow.
- “How Hydropower Plants Work”
- “How Solar Cells Work
Environmental
Companies: Black & Veatch, BP, Exxon, Shell
Relevant Courses: ME 433, ME 484; Con E 380; Any Biorenewable Resources Technology (BRT) courses; Any 300-400 level Environmental Science (EnSci) courses
More to Explore:
Government
- Military/Defense
- Companies: Northrop Grumman, CIA, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
- Public Policy
- Companies: Dept. of Energy, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. Dept. of Transportation
- Relevant Courses: ME 466, ME 484, Con E 380
- Space
- Companies: NASA
- Relevant courses can be found on the Tech Elective lists
More to Explore:
- “How Submarines Work”
- “How Rocket Engines Work”
- “How a U.S. Spy-plane Works
- Do you know who the Director of Graduate Education is for the Mechanical Engineering Dept?
- Are you considering a career as an engineering professor?
- What is the GRE?
Heating, Cooling, and Refrigeration
Companies: Amana, Carrier, Lennox, Maytag, Trane, Danfoss
Relevant Courses: ME 441, ME 442
American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)
What is the name of the ME faculty member that teaches both HVAC elective courses?
Relevant Courses: ME 412; Con E 380
Patent Law
Manufacturing
Companies: 3M, Alcoa, Andersen Corporation, Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc., General Mills, Pella Corporation, Rhodia, Inc., Lyondellbasell
Relevant Courses: ME 418, ME 466, ME 520, ME 521, ME 528; EM 362, EM 362L; IE 348, IE 361, IE 419, IE 439, IE 448, IE 545X
Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
Who is the ME faculty member with expertise in tribology?
Professor Chandra is interested in nano-scale fabrication
Mechatronics and Robotics
Companies: Goodrich Corp, Micron Technology, Genesis Systems Group
Relevant Courses: ME 410, ME 411, ME 418, ME 511; TSM 465
Do you know what a neural net is?
What is mechatronics?
MEMs/Nanotechnology
Companies: Bioscale, Boston Scientific, SRI International, Zyvex Corporation
Relevant Courses: ME 528
What is nanotechnology?
What are MEMs?
Want to see some MEMs in action?
Professors Olsen, Shrotriya, and Sundararajan are experts in MEMs and nanotechnology.
Transportation
- Aircraft
- Companies: Boeing, General Electric, Lockheed Martin, Rolls-Royce, Woodward, Rockwell Collins
- Automotive
- Companies: General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Toyota, Honda
- Motorcycles/Recreation Vehicles
- Companies: Harley-Davidson, Mercury Marine, Polaris, CF Moto USA
- Railroads
- Companies: Burlington Northern, Union Pacific
- Relevant Courses for the above Transportation areas:
- ME 417, ME 449, ME 549; EM 425, EM 544; TSM 335; A E 342
- Any courses for a minor in Non-Destructive Evaluation
- Other relevant courses for Aircraft can be found at the Tech Elective lists
Relevant Courses: ME 417, ME 449, ME 549; EM 425, EM 544; TSM 335; A E 342, any courses for a minor in Non-Destructive Evaluation, other relevant courses for Aircraft can be found on the Tech Elective lists
More to Explore:
- Solar Car Organization
- Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
- What is Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)?
- NASA needs experts that understand CFD.
- Professor Subranamian has expertise in the area of CFD.
- “How Airplanes Work”
- “How Diesel Locomotives Work”
- “How Car Engines Work”
- “How Auto Stuff Works”