Mechanical Engineering

Bachelor of Science Degree

Mechanical Engineering, one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines, focuses on investigating, designing, analyzing and manufacturing mechanical and thermal systems. The knowledge created by mechanical engineers is essential for solving the important technical, industrial, environmental and societal problems.

SUNY Poly’s Mechanical Engineering program recruits top students into a high-quality, student-focused learning environment guided by nationally competitive faculty. The program is carefully designed to prepare graduates for the broad array of existing and emerging fields in the Mechanical Engineering profession, including, but not limited to, Design, Manufacturing, Energy, Robotics, Automotive, Aerospace and Nanotechnology. What makes the program unique is its strong emphasis on building a solid mathematical foundation as part of the student’s engineering development. Moreover, the Mechanical Engineering program equips students with the necessary fundamentals to support advanced manufacturing. Graduates receive an education which is crucial to understanding and contributing to advanced research and industrial development.

SUNY Poly’s Mechanical Engineering program is designed to meet or exceed EAC/ABET criteria. Mechanical Engineering students at SUNY Poly can further expand their career choices by earning a minor in Applied Mathematics with the completion of two mathematics courses beyond those required by the program.

The educational and career objectives of SUNY Poly’s Mechanical Engineering program follow the EAC/ABET accreditation standards and are designed to provide graduates with:

  • A solid foundation in mathematics, physical sciences, humanities and social sciences and the fundamentals of engineering design and analysis,
  • The technical knowledge and critical thinking skills required for the professional practice of mechanical engineering and for seeking advanced degrees,
  • The development of communication, teamwork and life-long learning skills, and an understanding of professional, ethical and social responsibilities within a global context.

Degree Requirements Overview
The requirements for the BSME program at SUNY Poly are governed not only by the requirements of State Education but also those of EAC/ABET. Following the EAC/ABET criteria, a student’s coursework towards the BSME degree must include:

  • One year of a combination of college-level mathematics and basic sciences (some with experimental experience) appropriate to mechanical engineering,
  • Two years of engineering topics, consisting of engineering sciences, engineering design and other engineering topics appropriate to mechanical engineering,
  • A general education component that complements the technical content of the mechanical engineering curriculum and is consistent with the program and institution objectives,
  • A professional component that covers career issues and provides the flexibility to choose electives that support the business side of engineering (e.g., finance and/or other business courses).

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering —128 total credits

All students must earn a GPA of 2.0 or higher in all the courses presented for the degree. Moreover, all students must earn a GPA of 2.0 or higher in all the engineering, mathematics and science courses presented for the degree. A maximum of three (3) engineering or science courses, excluding the capstone design sequence, are allowed to have a grade lower than C but not lower than D; while all the other engineering, science and mathematics courses must have a grade of C or better. All students shall also satisfy the requirements listed below.

I. SUNY General Education Requirements (30 credits)

No fewer than 30 credits must be attained from the SUNY-approved General Education Course List with the following provisions.

The following three (3) SUNY General Education categories and related courses must be taken:

  • Mathematics (8 credits, MAT 151 Calculus I and MAT 152 Calculus II required)
  • Basic Communication (4 credits, ENG 101 Freshman Composition or equivalent)
  • Natural Sciences (4 credits, PHY 201T & PHY 201L Calculus Based Physics I required)

At least four (4) of the following seven (7) SUNY General Education categories:

  • Social Science
  • American History
  • Western Civilization
  • Other World Civilization
  • Humanities
  • The Arts
  • Foreign Language

NOTE: A student may take more than one course in a given category to complete this 30 credit hour requirement, but also must satisfy at least seven (7) of the ten (10) categories.

II. Liberal Arts/Sciences Requirements (60 credits including the above General Education requirements)

The New York State Education Department (SED) requires a student earning a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree to attain no fewer than 60 credits of Liberal Arts/Sciences courses. There will be overlap between the courses meeting the SUNY General Education Requirements and those meeting the Liberal Arts/Sciences Requirements, but a student may receive course credits only once even if a single course may satisfy the requirements of both general categories. The total number of combined credit hours must be no fewer than 60 credits.

SUNY Poly degree requirements (4 credits):

  • Upper-Division Writing Course (COM 3xx)

Specific requirements for Mechanical Engineering majors:

The following courses are Liberal Arts/Sciences courses that meet the Mechanical Engineering program requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree.

  • MAT 260 Ordinary Differential Equations and Series Solution
  • MAT 253 Calculus III
  • MAT 340 Linear Algebra OR MAT 370 Applied Probability OR MAT 450 Partial Differential Equations
  • MAT 460 Numerical Differential Equations
  • CHE 130T & CHE 130L Introductory Chemistry I
  • CHE 131T & CHE 131L Introductory Chemistry II (optional)
  • PHY 202 Calculus Based Physics II (optional)
  • BIO 101 Introduction to Biology (optional)

III. Engineering Program Coursework (68 credits)

(a) Required Engineering Science Courses (22 credits)           

  • ESC 110 Introduction to Engineering
  • ESC 120 Design Tools and Processes
  • ESC 210 Engineering Mechanics: Statics
  • ESC 220 Materials Science
  • ESC 230 Mechanics of Materials
  • ESC 240 Engineering Mechanics: Dynamics
  • ESC 370 Design of Engineering Experiments

(b) Required ME Courses (34 credits)

  • ECE 260 Electrical Circuits
  • ME 220 Kinematics and Mechanisms
  • ME 310 Design and Manufacturability
  • ME 320 Fluid Mechanics
  • ME 330 Thermodynamics I
  • ME 340 Thermodynamics II
  • ME 390 Machine Design
  • ME 410 Heat and Mass Transfer
  • ME 446 Modeling of Dynamical Systems
  • ME 480 Capstone Design Experience I
  • ME 482 Capstone Design Experience II

IV. Mechanical Engineering Electives: Must complete four (4) courses from the list below one of which may be replaced by a MAT 3xx/4xx or a science course by petition (12-13 credits)

  • ME 422 Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
  • ME 424 Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • ME 425 Sustainable Energy
  • ME 430 Introduction to Nonlinear Dynamics
  • ME 440 Analytical Dynamics
  • ME 449 Finite Element Analysis
  • ME 460 Modeling of Metal Cutting
  • ME 472 Robotic Manipulators
  • ME 471 Introduction to Mobile Robots