Mechanical engineers are engagedin creative design, applied research, development and management.
A degree in mechanical engineering also frequently forms the base for entering law, medical or business school, as well as for graduate work in engineering. The B.S. degree program in mechanical engineering has been accredited since 1980 by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. Because engineering is based on mathematics, chemistry and physics, students are introduced to the basic principles in these areas during their first two years of study. The design project course draws on much of the student's previous learning through a simulated industrial design project. Throughout the four-year program, courses in communication, humanities and social sciences are required because mechanical engineers must be able to communicate effectively in written, oral and graphical form.