Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Faculty
Professors: Xin-Lin Gao, Hongbing Lu, Mario A. Rotea, Seung M. You
Professor Emeritus: Louis R. Hunt
Associate Professors: Stefano Leonardi, Yaoyu Li, Dong Qian
Assistant Professors: Wonjae Choi, Robert D. Gregg, Fatemeh Hassanipour, Majid Minary, Wooram Park, Yonas Tadesse, Walter E. Voit
Senior Lecturers: Terry V. Baughn, Robert Hart, James Hilkert, Oziel Rios
Affiliated Faculty: Andrew J. Blanchard, Gerald O. Burnham, Yves J. Chabal, Kyeongjae (KJ) Cho, Babak Fahimi, Bruce E. Gnade, Matthew J. Goeckner, Wenchuang (Walter) Hu, Jiyoung Kim, Moon J. Kim, Jeong-Bong Lee, Kaushik Rajashekara, Mark W. Spong, Mathukumalli Vidyasagar, Robert M. Wallace, Steve Yurkovich
Objectives
The objective of the Bachelor of Science degree program in Mechanical Engineering is to produce Mechanical Engineering graduates who will be capable of undertaking challenging projects that require knowledge of the fundamentals of the design of mechanical and thermal systems. The program seeks to educate Mechanical Engineers to meet the analysis, design, and development needs of local and state industry as well as to educate them to be innovators and policy makers. The BS degree program will provide the necessary training and education for future engineers who can effectively identify new problems and develop innovative solutions, including new manufacturing and fabrication technologies.
Facilities
The Engineering and Computer Science Building and the new Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory provide extensive facilities for teaching and research. These include computer cluster, wind tunnels, heat exchangers, hydraulics, material test systems, split Hopkinson bars, ultra-high speed camera, nanoindenter, AFM, DMA, XPS, FTIR, NMR, TGA, DSC, XRD, µ-Raman, Fluorescence Spectrometer, FIB/SEM, and HRTEM, motion and thermal control systems, 3-D printing. A Class 10000 microelectronics clean room facility, including e-beam lithography, sputter deposition, PECVD, LPCVD, etch, ash and evaporation, is available for student projects and research.
Mechanical Engineering (BS)
Program Educational Objectives for Mechanical Engineering
One broad goal for the Erik Jonsson School is an excellent education for our students. Within a few years after graduation, graduates of the Mechanical Engineering Program should:
- Have a successful, long-lived engineering-based career path.
- Meet the needs of industry.
- Contribute to, and lead, engineering-based teams.
- Actively pursue life-long learning.
High School Preparation
Engineering education requires a strong high school preparation. Pre-engineering students should have high school preparation of at least one-half year in trigonometry and at least one year in elementary algebra, intermediate and advanced algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, chemistry, and physics, thus developing their competencies to the highest possible levels and preparing to move immediately into demanding college courses in calculus, calculus-based physics, and chemistry for science majors. It is also essential that pre-engineering students have the competence of reading comprehension, and to write logically, clearly and correctly.
Lower-Division Study
All lower-division students in Mechanical Engineering concentrate on mathematics, science and introductory engineering courses, building competence in these cornerstone areas for future application in upper-division engineering courses. The following requirements apply both to students seeking to transfer to UT Dallas from other institutions as well as to those currently enrolled at UT Dallas, whether in another school or in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.
Although the Mechanical Engineering curricula that follow have been designed to meet these criteria, students have the responsibility, in consultation with an advisor, to monitor their own choice of courses carefully to be certain that all academic requirements for graduation are being satisfied. Students are encouraged to take courses in such subjects as industrial management, finance, personnel administration, and engineering economy.
Academic Progress in Mechanical Engineering
In order to make satisfactory academic progress as a Mechanical Engineering major, a student must meet all University requirements for academic progress, and must earn a grade of C- or better in each of the major core courses. No "Major Requirement" course may be taken until the student has obtained a grade of C- or better in each of the prerequisites. If a higher grade requirement is stated for a specific class, the higher requirement applies.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Degree Requirements (127 hours)
I. Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 hours1
Communication (6 hours)
3 hours Communication (RHET 1302)
3 hours Professional and Technical Communication (ECS 3390)
Social and Behavioral Sciences (15 hours)
6 semester credit hours Government (GOVT 2301 and GOVT 2302)
6 hours American History
3 hours Social and Behavioral Science elective (ECS 3361)
Humanities and Fine Arts (6 hours)
3 hours Fine Arts (ARTS 1301)
3 hours Humanities (HUMA 1301)
Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning (6 hours)
6 hours Calculus (MATH 2417 and MATH 2419)2
Science (9 hours)
8 hours Physics (PHYS 2325, PHYS 2125, PHYS 2326 and PHYS 2126)
4 hours Chemistry (CHEM 1311 and CHEM 1111)3
II. Major Requirements: 79 hours4
Major Preparatory Courses (29 hours beyond Core Curriculum Requirements)
CHEM 1111 General Chemistry Laboratory I3, 4
CHEM 1311 General Chemistry I3, 4
CS 1325 Introduction to Programming
or CS 1337 Computer Science I
ECS 1200 Introduction to Engineering and Computer Science5
MATH 2420 Differential Equations with Applications
MECH 1208 Introduction to Mechanical Engineering5
MECH 2120 Mechanical Measurements Laboratory
ENGR 2300 Linear Algebra for Engineers
MECH 2310 Statics
MECH 2320 Strength of Materials
MECH 2330 Dynamics
PHYS 2125 Physics Laboratory I
PHYS 2126 Physics Laboratory II
PHYS 2325 Mechanics
PHYS 2326 Electromagnetism and Waves
Major Core Courses (38 hours beyond Core Curriculum Requirements)
ECS 3361 Social Issues and Ethics in Computer Science and Engineering6
ECS 3390 Professional and Technical Communication7
MECH 3105 Computer Aided Design Laboratory
MECH 3115 Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
MECH 3120 Heat Transfer Laboratory
MECH 3150 Kinematics and Dynamics Laboratory
ENGR 3300 Advanced Engineering Mathematics
MECH 3305 Computer Aided Design
MECH 3310 Thermodynamics
MECH 3315 Fluid Mechanics
MECH 3320 Heat Transfer
ENGR 3341 Probability Theory and Statistics
MECH 3350 Kinematics and Dynamics of Mechanical Systems
MECH 3351 Design of Mechanical Systems
MECH 4110 Systems and Controls Laboratory
MECH 4310 Systems and Controls
MECH 4381 Senior Design Project I
MECH 4382 Senior Design Project II
Prescribed Electives (12 hours)
Students pursuing the general program take 12 semester hours from the list below:
ECS 3310 Introduction to Materials Science
MECH 3301 Mechanics of Materials
MECH 4330 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics
MECH 4340 Mechanical Vibrations
MECH 4350 Applied Heat Transfer
MECH 4360 Introduction to Nanostructured Materials
MECH 4370 Introduction to MEMS
III. Elective Requirements: 6 hours
Free Electives (6 hours)
Both lower- and upper-division courses may count as free electives but students must complete at least 51 hours of upper-division courses to qualify for graduation.
Degree programs in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science are governed by various accreditation boards that place restrictions on classes used to meet the curricular requirements of degrees they certify. For this reason, not all classes offered by the University can be used to meet elective requirements. Please check with your academic advisor before enrolling in classes you hope to use as free electives.
Fast Track Baccalaureate/Master's Degrees
In response to the need for advanced education in Mechanical Engineering, a Fast Track program is available to well-qualified UT Dallas undergraduate students. The Fast Track program is designed to accelerate a student's education so that both a BS and an MS degree can be earned in five years of full-time study. This is accomplished by (1) taking courses (typically electives) during one or more summer semesters, and (2) beginning graduate coursework during the senior year. Details are available from the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.
Honors Program
The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers upper-division Honors for outstanding students in the BS Mechanical Engineering degree program. This program offers special sections of designated classes and other activities designed to enhance the educational experience of exceptional students. Admission to the Honors programs requires a 3.500 or better GPA in at least 30 hours of coursework. Graduation with Honors requires a 3.500 or better GPA and completion of at least 6 honors classes. These honors classes must include either Senior Honors (MECH 4399) or Undergraduate Research in Mechanical Engineering (MECH 4V98) and a Senior Honors Thesis must be completed within one of those two classes. While the topics may be related, the Senior Thesis does not replace the need for the student to complete a regular Senior Design Project. The other 5 honors classes can come from a mixture of Graduate level (up to a count of 4) classes and special honor sections of regular undergraduate MECH classes (up to a count of 2).
Departmental Honors with Distinction may be awarded to students whose Senior Honors Thesis is judged by a faculty committee to be of exemplary quality. Only students graduating with Departmental Honors are eligible. Thesis/projects must be submitted by the deadline that applies to MS Theses in the graduating semester to allow for proper evaluation. Students interested in Honors with Distinction are encouraged to start working on their thesis/project a year prior to graduation.
Minors
The Department of Mechanical Engineering does not offer minors at this time.
1. Curriculum Requirements can be fulfilled by other approved courses from accredited institutions of higher education. The courses listed in parentheses are recommended as the most efficient way to satisfy both Core Curriculum and Major Requirements at UT Dallas.
2. Six hours of Calculus are counted under Mathematics Core, and two hours of Calculus are counted as Major Preparatory Courses.
3. One hour of Chemistry is counted under Science core, and three hours are counted as Major Preparatory Courses.
4. Students must pass each of the EE, CS, Math and Science courses listed in this degree plan and each of their prerequisites, with a grade of C- or better.
5. Transfer students with sufficient background may petition to substitute upper-division hours in the major for this class.
6. Hours contribute to the Social and Behavioral Sciences component of the Core Curriculum.
7. Hours fulfill the communication component of the Core Curriculum.