Department Office: 6195 Etcheverry Hall, (510) 642-1338
Chair: David A. Dornfeld, Ph.D.

Faculty Lists and Departmental Web Sites

Mechanical Engineering faculty

Mechanical Engineering web site

Related Course Descriptions

Mechanical Engineering courses

Overview

Mechanical engineers contribute to society by solving problems in transportation, energy, the environment, and human health. The mechanical engineer needs a thorough preparation in mathematics, physics, chemistry, manufacturing processes, properties of materials, mechanics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, as well as intensive design and laboratory experience. The program of study includes basic subjects common to all engineering fields, fundamental subjects important to all mechanical engineers and specialization in one or more phases of mechanical engineering.

Undergraduate Program

The freshman and much of the sophomore years of the program emphasize mathematics, physics, chemistry, computing, graphics, materials, and statics. Students are introduced to the profession of engineering in their freshman year in Engineering 10 and first exposed to engineering design in their sophomore year in Engineering 28. In their freshman year students are also introduced, in Engineering 7, to solving engineering problems using computers. Part of the sophomore and much of the junior year curricula focus on engineering science. The sophomore and junior year courses Mechanical Engineering 40, C85, 104, 106, 108, and Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences 100 are engineering science courses covering dynamics, fluid mechanics, strength of materials, and thermodynamics, with elements of design and computing included. They also introduce students to the use of engineering concepts as tools to analyze component and system performance. From this solid foundation, a student synthesizes tools from different engineering sciences and applies them to design problems. This is the rationale for placing much of the design component of the program in the senior year. Specialization may be provided in the choice of technical electives from the subject areas of applied mechanics, automatic controls, electrochemical systems, energy conversion, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, manufacturing systems, materials processing, mechanical design, cryogenics, robotics and automation, bioengineering, and environmental engineering.

Because of the widening range of technical problems and the limited amount of specialization available in the undergraduate curriculum, qualified students should consider graduate study to expand their scientific and technological capability. Further details on undergraduate and graduate fields of emphasis in mechanical engineering are available in the College of Engineering Announcement: A Guide to Undergraduate and Graduate Study at coe.berkeley.edu/college-of-engineering-announcement. Please visit the department's website for information detailing the undergraduate and graduate program.

The B.S. program is accredited in mechanical engineering by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc., 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012; (410) 347-7700.

Mechanical Engineering Minor

The department offers a minor in mechanical engineering that is open to all students not majoring in ME who have completed the necessary prerequisites for the minor requirements. Information is available on the department's website.

Graduate Programs

Both master's and doctoral programs are available. The student may choose either a scientific emphasis in particular areas or integrated studies directed to professional objectives. Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees are the relevant degrees for the scientific emphasis, and the M.Eng and D.Eng degrees for the professional one. The department also offers a program leading to dual degrees in Master of Science in Engineering and Master of Public Policy. Specialization is offered in the following mechanical engineering disciplines: (1) controls and dynamics, (2) design, (3) fluids, (4) mechanics, (5) materials, and (6) energy science and technology. Specialization is also offered in the following focus areas: (1) bioengineering, (2) manufacturing, (3) micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and nanoengineering, (4) mechatronics, (5) energy and environment, and (6) ocean engineering. Details on various aspects of graduate study are available at me.berkeley.edu and from the College of Engineering Announcement.