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    Dec 09, 2025  
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Mechanical Engineering


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OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 123

Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: None.

Other GPA requirements to graduate: A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in MEE courses.

Required Course(s) for fulfilling Capstone Experience: MEE 487   and MEE 488  

Contact Information:  Dr. Masoud Rais-Rohani, Mechanical Engineering Chair, Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center, Room 237F, Tel: (207)581-4120.


The mission of the Department of Mechanical Engineering is to educate students for success in the field of mechanical engineering by providing academic programs that promote engineering principles, experiential learning, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, teamwork, leadership and outreach, and to pursue innovative research and scholarly achievement for advancing the State and developing technology solutions to societal needs.

Mechanical engineers work in transportation, energy, chemical, and biomedical industries, among many others. They work for small and large companies, consulting firms, laboratories, and government agencies. Many mechanical engineers are employed by manufacturers in aerospace, automotive, and shipbuilding. Mechanical engineers solve problems by developing systems that involve moving parts, ranging from small biomedical devices to giant machines used in mining, agriculture, and construction. Mechanical engineers conduct research in solar and wind energy, advanced materials, computer modeling, additive manufacturing, jet and rocket propulsion, among many other topics.

The undergraduate program has been developed to enable the student to begin a professional career in engineering after graduation or to pursue advanced studies in graduate school. Additional information can be found online at https://umaine.edu/mecheng/.

Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years after graduation, those holding a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from UMaine are expected to:

  1. Successfully practice engineering in roles of increasing responsibility to serve local, state, national, and international industries and government agencies.
  2. Demonstrate a spirit of lifelong learning by pursuing professional licensure, graduate education, short courses or other training programs in engineering or related fields.
  3. Demonstrate professional and ethical responsibility, and awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion, in their work and daily lives.
  4. Participate in their community and in so doing advocate for the profession.

Student Outcomes

By the end of their undergraduate degree program in mechanical engineering, students will have:

  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.

Program Description

The undergraduate mechanical engineering program develops the student’s creative potential to meet the increasingly complex needs of industry, government and graduate education. It provides a foundation of knowledge in mathematics, basic physical sciences, thermal sciences, dynamic systems, materials science, fluid and solid mechanics and design of systems.

Since engineers must address problems requiring awareness of economical, ethical, political, social and legal issues, the curriculum includes an introduction to the humanities and social sciences as well as mathematics, science and engineering fundamentals.

In consultation with an academic advisor, the student plans a program based on the recommended curriculum. The format can be modified within the constraints of all the departmental, college, and university requirements and course prerequisites to satisfy scheduling needs or student preferences.

In addition to meeting all university academic requirements, a mechanical engineering student must also have a minimum GPA of 2.0 in all mechanical engineering (MEE designator) courses.

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 Engineering. This program leads to a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering.

Required Courses in Suggested Sequence for the B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering


The recommended sequence of the four-year curriculum is shown below and can be accessed online at https://umaine.edu/mecheng/ugcurriculum/. This program can be adapted to a student’s special scheduling needs in consultation with an academic advisor.

First Year - First Semester


First Year - Second Semester


Third Year - Second Semester


Fourth Year - First Semester


Fourth Year - Second Semester


  • Technical Elective Credits: 3 (Footnote 6) 
  • Technical Elective Credits: 3 (Footnote 6) 
  • Human Values and Social Context Elective Credits: 3
  • Human Values and Social Context Elective Credits: 3

Aerospace Engineering Concentration


Aerospace Engineering is an ever evolving and highly challenging career choice. Aerospace engineers are on the leading-edge of that evolution, involved in research, design and development of a wide range of fascinating vehicles, some traveling at astounding speeds through both air and space. These systems can include satellites, launch vehicles, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, marine vessels, projectiles, airdrop vehicles and an ever-widening range of unmanned autonomous stems. The skills developed in these courses can be applied in several different industries, including those associated with aerospace science missions, defense missions and commercial applications. as well as in the automobile and marine industries.

For more information on the Undergraduate Aerospace Engineering Concentration, please contact Dr. Alex Friess.

Requirements


The Aerospace Engineering Concentration will require completion of 9 credits (any three courses) from the list below with a grade of C or better.

Offshore Wind Energy Concentration


By completing this concentration, students will gain skills essential for serving roles in the growing offshore wind industry here in Maine, including understanding socio economic and political factors, core wind energy industry concepts, hydrodynamic and structural design of floating platforms, offshore wind farm planning and operation, and/or offshore wind system-specific numerical engineering analysis techniques.

Requirements


The Offshore Wind Energy Concentration will require completion of 9 credits (three core courses or two core courses and one supporting course) from the list below with a grade of C or better.

Special Requirements and Footnotes:


1General education requirements mandate ENG 101  and two writing intensive courses. MEE 365  and ENG 320  are designated as writing intensive courses within the MEE major.

2The following may be substitued for MEE 125  ECE 177 - Programming I: From C Foundations to Hardware Interaction   Credits: 4

3A grade of C or better is required in MEE 150 , MEE 230 , MEE 251 , and MEE 270  for those courses to be used as prerequisites for other courses.

4MEE 456  or MEE 463  fulfilles this requirement

5Accepted courses for Engineering Electives:

Other 300 or 400 level courses in the Maine College of Engineering and Computing (BEN, CHE, CIE, CET, ECE, EET, MET, SVT), Innovation Engineering (INV), or Pulp and Paper (PPA) may be accepted as the Engineering Elective with MEE Department approval.

6At least one Technical Elective must be from the following list:

Other technical elective courses not listed above may also be used with MEE Department approval. 

Students may use the technical elective courses to broaden their knowledge or to specialize in areas like aerospace, biomedical engineering, composites, computer graphics, computer programming, control, engineering design, fluids, heat transfer, manufacturing, materials, robotics, solar energy, structures, and wind energy.

Master’s Degree - Accelerated Track

Undergraduate engineering and engineering physics students can work toward earning a master’s degree in mechanical engineering starting in their senior year. Qualified students can complete up to three courses (maximum of two at 400 level and minimum of one at 500 level) that can fulfill both undergraduate (technical elective) and graduate degree requirements. Both thesis and non-thesis options are available. Details may be found online at (https://umaine.edu/mecheng/graduate-program/).

Scholarships
There are several scholarships available to undergraduate Mechanical Engineering students who qualify. The University of Maine uses ScholarshipUniverse (https://umaine.scholarshipuniverse.com/), a scholarship matching platform, to match students with available scholarship opportunities. The Office of Student Financial Aid has more information about using ScholarshipUniverse in your scholarship search process available on their website (https://umaine.edu/stuaid/types-of aid/scholarships/).

Internship and Co-op Opportunities

Students are encouraged to pursue internship or co-op opportunities to gain practical experience while pursuing their mechanical engineering degree program. CareerLink (https://umaine.edu/career/careerlink/), managed by the Career Center, may be used to identify the available opportunities.

Study Abroad

Mechanical engineering students can engage in study abroad programs in several countries for completion of one or more courses that meet the undergraduate degree requirements. Through a partnership with University Studies Abroad Consortium, mechanical engineering students can complete their Fall-semester sophomore year at Valencia Polytechnic (Universidad Politécnica de Valéncia) in Spain while staying on a 4-year graduation plan. All courses are taught in English by qualified instructors. Details may be found online at (https://umaine.edu/mecheng/undergraduate-program/).

Undergraduate Research

Mechanical engineering students can engage in undergraduate research by working side-by-side with our highly research-active faculty and their graduate students. Interested students should review the mechanical engineering faculty profiles at (https://umaine.edu/mecheng/mee-faculty-staff/) and contact the faculty. Additional research opportunities are available at centers with significant engineering related activities such as the Advanced Manufacturing Center (https://umaine.edu/amc/), Advanced Structures and Composites Center (https://composites.umaine.edu/), and Frontier Institute for Research in Sensor Technologies (https://umaine.edu/first/).

Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination

Students are recommended (but not required) to take the FE examination in their senior year before graduation. For more information, visit https://umaine.edu/mecheng/fepe/.

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