Admission to Degree Program

The degree program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering carries special enrollment limitations. Please see Professional Program Acceptance below and the college advisement center for specific details.

The Discipline

Mechanical engineers work with concepts, ideas, and products that are primarily mechanical or energy related. Mechanical engineering is a broad discipline that prepares a person to contribute in a wide range of fields such as aerospace, computer graphics, power generation, machine tools, petroleum, agricultural and construction equipment, medicine, government, and all types of transportation. A mechanical engineer may work in research, design, analysis, manufacturing, testing, operations, sales, or management. Engineers use critical problem-solving methods and basic principles of mathematics and science to creatively solve problems.

Educational Objectives

The Brigham Young University Department of Mechanical Engineering bachelor of science program pursues the following objectives:

1. Teach the fundamental concepts of math, science, and mechanical engineering to produce graduates who demonstrate technical excellence and provide service to their profession, community, family, and church.
2. Instill a desire and ability to learn continuously, both through study and faith, to enable graduates to meet the changing demands of their profession and personal life.
3. Provide practical and open-ended engineering experiences to develop graduates who think independently and demonstrate leadership and creativity.
4. Engage students in activities to produce graduates who communicate and work effectively and ethically with people of diverse backgrounds.

Program Outcomes

To assure that these objectives are reached, the department has articulated twelve outcomes of the BS program. Each student graduating from this program is expected to have:

1. A basic understanding of fundamental physical phenomena and governing principles.
2. The ability to develop and solve mathematical models of fundamental physical phenomena and apply them to predict the behavior of engineering systems.
3. The ability to use engineering principles to design an innovative system, component, or process to meet desired needs.
4. The expertise to plan and conduct an experimental program and evaluate the results.
5. The ability to use modern engineering tools and techniques in engineering practice.
6. An understanding of manufacturing processes and planning.
7. Effective oral and written communication skills.
8. The ability to work with and lead others to accomplish goals.
9. An appreciation of history, philosophy, literature, science, and the fine arts and how they influence the culture and behavior of societies.
10. Personal behavior demonstrating and practicing high moral and ethical standards.
11. The ability to practice engineering in a global environment.
12. A desire for and commitment to lifelong learning and service.

All courses in the curriculum are designed to help achieve these outcomes.

The curriculum in mechanical engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET).

Career Opportunities

A bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering provides widely recognized professional training for careers in industry, government, and other areas. Most industrial companies hire some mechanical engineers. Companies that make mechanical or energy-related products may hire mostly mechanical engineers. As a result, many mechanical engineering positions are available worldwide. Mechanical engineers have job opportunities in companies involved in such areas as aircraft and spacecraft design; manufacturing processes; product safety and reliability; solar energy; electronic equipment packaging and cooling; power plant design; jet, train, truck, and automobile engines; environmental protection; artificial intelligence; robotics; medical and hospital equipment; new material development and applications; and technical writing.

A graduate in mechanical engineering is prepared for advanced studies in the field as well as in a variety of other disciplines, including law, medicine, and business administration. Perhaps most important to graduates are the problem-solving strategies and thinking processes acquired in the study of mechanical engineering that help one to succeed in any area of endeavor.

General Information

Any student may choose to major in mechanical engineering and to enroll in all classes in the preprofessional program (items 1 and 2 under BS Mechanical Engineering Major Requirements).

Professional Program Acceptance

Students must be accepted into the professional program before they may take the professional Me En core or technical electives (items 4 and 5 in major requirements). To apply, students must have completed the following five courses at a college or university with an accredited engineering program (neither AP nor concurrent enrollment credit meet this requirement):

1. Phscs 121.
2. One course (the first college course taken) from the mathematics core (item 2 in the major requirements).
3. Me En 101.
4. Me En 191.

Acceptance is based on the average GPA from the courses listed above where all courses will be weighted equally regardless of credit hours for the class. The GPA cut-off is determined by fixing the number of students admitted to the program and will vary from year to year. The current limit of students admitted per year is 180 and the GPA cut-off for the past year was 3.20. Both the limit and GPA cut-off are subject to change.

Only one repeat of each course is allowed for purposes of determining professional program acceptance. The higher of the two grades for a repeated course will be used to calculate the GPA. Transfer students from institutions that do not have accredited engineering programs will be considered for provisional admission for one semester based on transferred courses but will be retained or denied based on three courses taken at BYU. The courses used will be the next three courses on the mechanical engineering flow chart following courses 1-3 listed above.

Normal application deadlines are July 1, October 1, and February 1. Applications from transfer students who have been admitted to the university may be considered at other times.

Professional program application forms are available in the major department and also online.

Academic Standards and Continuance

On gaining acceptance into the professional program, students must maintain a minimum university cumulative grade point average of 2.0. No more than 6 credit hours of grades below C– in major courses (catalog requirements 1-6) may be applied toward graduation. A professional program course (a required course not included in pre-professional program) may not be retaken more than once. At least 30 of the 48 credit hours of Mechanical Engineering (MeEn) courses must be earned in residence on the BYU campus.