What is Mechanical Engineering?

Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest and oldest branches of engineering.  Mechanical engineers are involved with the design, analysis, testing, manufacturing, control, operation, and maintenance of mechanical systems - that is, any system that has a moving part!   Mechanical systems can vary greatly in complexity and magnitude from the valve in an artificial heart to a car engine to a mammoth nuclear power plant.  It deals with all aspects of the conversion of thermal energy into useful work and the machines that make this possible.

This seems awfully broad, right?  Although that is one of the great advantages to mechanical engineering (and why the world always needs mechanical engineers!) our students do earn a concentration during their senior year.  Concentrations give you the chance to specialize in one area of mechanical engineering.  You can choose to take elective courses all related to your concentration, or choose a few outside your concentration to maintain a slightly broader background - your choice! 

 We offer concentrations in:

1.  Applied Mechanics

2.  Automotive Engineering

3.  Biomechanical Systems

4.  Design and Manufacturing

5.  Dynamics, Vibrations, and Controls

6.  Energy Systems

7.  Nuclear Engineering

Want to learn more about each concentration?  Great - click HERE! 

Has mechanical engineering caught your interest? 

Read on for some more information specific to Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State!

Career Opportunities for Mechanical Engineers

Mechanical Engineering is a diverse field in engineering - in fact, it's the most broad of any of the engineering disciplines. Students in Mechanical Engineering study topics ranging from numerical methods to fluid dynamics to heat transfer to automatic control systems and beyond. ME graduates find jobs in an equally diverse market; some work closely with Industrial Systems Engineers in manufacturing while others may be in product design for an automaker or even a toy company. Going down another level within each of those broad job classification headings, Mechanical Engineers find themselves as managers, researchers, applied mathematicians, and, of course, performing purebred Mechanical Engineering duties.

So what is the ultimate reason to study Mechanical Engineering? It's different for everybody, but if you like the challenge of a wide range of projects, the prospect of working with a broad spectrum of other professionals, and of course, the fact that you will be reimbursed well for your skills, then Mechanical Engineering is for you. Furthermore, at Ohio State, you can enroll as a pre-major in ME and get involved in one of our affiliated student projects to be sure you get exposed to what ME is all about early on. If your interests change at some point and decide that ME really isn't for you, the prerequisites for our program often transfer over to other fields of study, especially the other fields of engineering - giving you flexibility to change your mind. We're willing to bet that won't happen.

How to Major in Mechanical Engineering @ OSU

High School Preparation

Students who wish to major in Mechanical Engineering should have a solid high school background in math and science, as with any field of engineering.  In fact, we recommend thaking as much math and science coursework as possible.  They should also have a natural interest in how mechanical things work, and how they might be improved. Perseverance, imagination, and the ability to invent and analyze are necessities for a career in this field.

Admission to OSU

Information for future students, including criteria for admission to The Ohio State University, can be found at on the Future students | admissions webpage.  All students interested in the College of Engineering must first apply to OSU through University Admissions. 

Admission to the College of Engineering

Students can be admitted to the College of Engineering in one of two ways:

1. Students who meet the enrollment criteria upon admission to OSU can be directly enrolled in the College of Engineering.
2. Current OSU students who wish to change majors to engineering need to have successfully completed Chemistry 121 or Physics 131, Math 151, and have a minimum 2.00 cumulative point-hour ratio (CPHR).   

Admission to the Mechanical Engineering Major

Finally, all students need to be accepted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering before starting their major courses.  Admission to the major is competitive, and is based on a student's performance in their pre-requisite math, physics, chemistry, and Fundamentals of Engineering coursework.  Most students apply to the major during their second year. 

Information for Transfer Students

Students who are considering transferring from another institution to The Ohio State University often have additional concerns about their previous coursework and about starting their major courses.  We try to address some of these concerns here.  If you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact an advisor at meadvisor@osu.edu or (614) 292-0515. 

Previous Coursework

Most coursework taken at other colleges or Universities will transfer to OSU - however, it often does not correlate to a specific course at OSU.  In this case, students should have their previous coursework further evaluated before attending their orientation session.  Please see the file "Evaluation of Transfer Credit"  at the bottom of this page for more information. 

 www.Transfer.org

This website is a valuable tool for in-state transfer students who wish to see how their coursework at another in-state institution will correlate to OSU coursework.  Click on "Guest Login" and then on "Course Equivalency Guide", and follow the instructions. 

Application to the Mechanical Engineering Major

Admission to the mechanical engineering major is competitive, and is based on a student's secondary point-hour ratio (SPHR).  The SPHR is a student's point-hour ratio in the following courses or their equivalents:

• Math 151-153 and 254
• Chemistry 121 and 125
• Physics 131 and 132
• Engineering 181 and 183
• Mechanical Engineering 410

It is important for transfer students to note that although any of these courses taken at previous institutions will count towards your completion of the pre-requisite courses, only grades for coures taken at Ohio State will count as part of your SPHR.  For example, if a student transfers to Ohio State with credit for all of their math courses, both chemistry courses, the first Physics course, and Engineering 181 and 183, then their SPHR would be based on the grades in the two courses that they took at OSU: Physics 132 and ME 410.  All transfer students should discuss application to the mechanical engineering major when they meet with their undergraduate advisor at orientation so that they clearly understand what courses will be included in their SPHR when they apply to the major.

Receiving Transfer Credit for Previous Mechanical Engineering Coursework

Students seeking transfer credit for mechanical engineering coursework from the Department of Mechanical Egnineering should provide the following information to the Undergraduate Advising Office (N250 Scott Laboratory):

• Evidence that the student has completed the courses for which transfer credit is sought.  This evidence can be an official transcript or similar document.
• Course catalog description of the courses from the original institution.
• Syllabus for each course being evaluated.  Each syllabus must clearly indicate the topics that were covered in the course, the time devoted to different topics, the hours of lecture/recitation per week, the nature of any projects, and the frequency of exams and homework.
• Textbook for each course being considered.  Provide the actual textbook unless it is a book currently used at Ohio State. 
• Indication of the courses at OSU for which credit is being requested.  If the student does not believe that any course at OSU is equivalent to the course they took at their previous institution, indicate that "General Mechanical Engineering Credit" is sought.  Please note that the student should not submit material expecting the advising office or faculty to determine the equivalent courses.  If a student is uncertain for which courses to request credit, they should meet with an undergraduate advisor for assistance. 
• Students should gather the information above, and then submit these materials along with a "Request for Evaluation of Transfer Credit" form, available in the Undergraduate Advising Office. 
• Additional Information:
  • If the faculty evaluator is not familiar with the student's previous institution, he/she may ask for additional information such as course notes, copies of exams, project reports, etc.  Therefore, the student should be prepared to provide these if asked.
  • To receive credit for a course offered by the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Ohio State, the student's previous coursework must be substantially equivalent to the requirements of the OSU course for which credit is requested.  Transfer credit for a specific OSU course will not be given when essential topics or laboratory work is missing from previous coursework, or when the previous coursework is not of the appropriate rigor. 
  • Traditionally, transfer students have difficulty obtaining credit for any mechanical engineering courses beyond the first thermodynamics course (ME 501).  If this is a concern, please contact an undergraduate advisor at meadvisor@osu.edu or (614) 292-0515 for more information.

Visit Us!

We've provided as much information here as we can, but know that you'll probably have more questions that we didn't even consider.  That's why, if you're considering attending Ohio State, you should schedule a visit to come see us!  You can get an overview and tour of the entire University, just the College of Engineering, or both.  Further questions about scheduling a visit to the College of Engineering should be directed towards Lisa Barclay, College of Engineering Recruitment Coordinator, at barclay.4@osu.edu or at (614) 292-0550.  And, our undergraduate advisors can always be reached at meadvisor@osu.edu or at (614) 292-0515 if you have questions.