Program Overview
Among the most diverse of the engineering fields, mechanical engineering affects almost all aspects of our lives and embraces many areas of specialization: automotive systems; bioengineering; combustion and propulsion; design methodology and tribology; dynamic systems and controls; energy systems and thermodynamics; fluid mechanics; heat transfer; manufacturing and production; materials behavior and processing; and microscale and nanoscale phenomena and systems.
Our ABET accredited undergraduate program in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois is consistently ranked among the best in the United States. Students in our department enjoy access to internationally renowned and award-winning faculty, world-class laboratories, and exceptional resources.
ME Curriculum Requirements
The flowsheets below are a semester-by-semester visual outline of the courses required within the Mechanical Engineering curriculum. These flowsheets are provided to enable students and advisors to visualize pre-, co-, and postrequisites associated with specific courses within the curriculum. This is a tool to enable you to understand how courses are connected throughout our curriculum to provide guidance regarding course registration and scheduling.
Please start by choosing the curriculum flowsheet corresponding to your entering Academic Catalog Year. With departmental approval, students may change to a newer catalog year if the degree requirements change. Students may not move to an older catalog year and may not mix and match requirements between catalog years. Students may request to change catalog years by completing the Academic Catalog Year – Request to Change form.
- Academic Catalog Year 2022 - 2023 and beyond
Visualization of pre-,co-, and post-requisites
- Course prerequisite chain
- Immediate prerequisite
- Credit or concurrent registration required
- Concurrent registration required
- Postrequisite course sequence
| First Year | Second Year | Third Year | Fourth Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall First Year | Spring First Year | Fall Second Year | Spring Second Year | Fall Third Year | Spring Third Year | Fall Fourth Year | Spring Fourth Year |
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ENG 100 (1)1 Introduces students to the Grainger College of Engineering and their respective departments. Students will explore the academic environment at Illinois, developing skills that will aid in learning both inside and outside the classroom, build their leadership and collaborative skills, and build community inside and outside the classroom. Through class discussion and assignments, students will explore campus resources, examine and set goals for academic, personal, and professional development, and develop skills to work in diverse teams through a class project. Class Schedule Information: First-year students should enroll in the section corresponding to their major. MATH 221 (4)2 First course in calculus and analytic geometry for students with some calculus background; basic techniques of differentiation and integration with applications including curve sketching; antidifferentation, the Riemann integral, fundamental theorem, exponential and trigonometric functions. Course Information: Credit is not given for both MATH 221 and either MATH 220 or MATH 234. Prerequisite: An adequate ALEKS placement score as described at http://math.illinois.edu/ALEKS/ and either one year of high school calculus or a minimum score of 2 on the AB Calculus AP exam. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one discussion and one lecture section beginning with the same letter. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. CHEM 102 (3) For students who have some prior knowledge of chemistry. Principles governing atomic structure, bonding, states of matter, stoichiometry, and chemical equilibrium. Course Information: Credit is not given for both CHEM 102 and CHEM 202. CHEM 102 and CHEM 103 are approved for General Education credit only as a sequence. Both courses must be completed to receive Natural Science and Technology credit. Prerequisite: Credit in or exemption from MATH 112; one year of high school chemistry or equivalent. All students enrolled in CHEM 102 should also enroll in CHEM 103. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for a combination of one lecture and one quiz section beginning with the same letter. CHEM 103 (1) Laboratory studies to accompany CHEM 102. Course Information: Additional fees may apply. See Class Schedule. Credit is not given for both CHEM 103 and CHEM 203. CHEM 102 and CHEM 103 are approved for General Education credit only as a sequence. Both courses must be completed to receive Natural Science and Technology credit. Prerequisite: Credit or concurrent registration in CHEM 102 is required. Class Schedule Information: CHEM 103 is the laboratory course that accompanies CHEM 102. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. RHET 105 (4)3 Introduction in research-based writing and the construction of academic, argumentative essays that use primary and secondary sources as evidence. This course fulfills the Campus Composition I general education requirement. Course Information: Credit is not given for both RHET 105 and any of these other Comp I courses: RHET 101, RHET 102, CMN 111 or CMN 112. Class Schedule Information: Students whose second language is English should take an English placement test through the Division of English as an International Language, before signing up for rhetoric. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. ECON 102 (3)4 Introduction to the functions of individual decision-makers, both consumers and producers, within the larger economic system. Primary emphasis on the nature and functions of product markets, the theory of the firm under varying conditions of competition and monopoly, and the role of government in prompting efficiency in the economy. Course Information: Credit is not given for ECON 102 and ACE 100. |
CS 101 (3)5 Fundamental principles, concepts, and methods of computing, with emphasis on applications in the physical sciences and engineering. Basic problem solving and programming techniques; fundamental algorithms and data structures; use of computers in solving engineering and scientific problems. Intended for engineering and science majors. Course Information: Prerequisite: One of MATH 220 or MATH 221 or MATH 231 or MATH 241. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lab-discussion and one lecture section. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. MATH 231 (3) Second course in calculus and analytic geometry: techniques of integration, conic sections, polar coordinates, and infinite series. Course Information: Prerequisite: MATH 220 or MATH 221. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one discussion and one lecture section beginning with the same letter in Fall and Spring terms only. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. PHYS 211 (4) Newton's Laws, work and energy, static properties and fluids, oscillations, transverse waves, systems of particles, and rotations. A calculus-based approach for majors in engineering, mathematics, physics and chemistry. Course Information: Credit is not given for both PHYS 211 and PHYS 101. Prerequisite: Credit or concurrent registration in MATH 231. Class Schedule Information: For students in engineering, mathematics, physics and chemistry. Exams are given in the evening (during fall and spring semesters). Register for a lecture (A) section, a discussion (D) section and a laboratory (L) section. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. ME-SE (4)6 ME 170 (3)3 Geometry and topology of engineered components: creation of engineering models and their presentation in standard 2D blueprint form and as 3D wire-frame and shaded solids; meshed topologies for engineering analysis and tool-path generation for component manufacture; ISO and ANSI standards for coordinate dimensioning and tolerancing; geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. Use of solid-modeling software for creating associative models at the component and assembly levels with automatic blueprint creation, interference checking, and linked bill of materials. Course Information: Credit is not given towards graduation for both ME 170 and SE 101. Class Schedule Information: Reserved for Mechanical Science and Engineering students. Students must register for one lab and one lecture section. |
MATH 257 (3) Introductory course incorporating linear algebra concepts with computational tools, with real world applications to science, engineering and data science. Topics include linear equations, matrix operations, vector spaces, linear transformations, eigenvalues, eigenvectors, inner products and norms, orthogonality, linear regression, equilibrium, linear dynamical systems and the singular value decomposition. Course Information: Credit is not given for both MATH 257 and any of MATH 125, MATH 225, MATH 227, MATH 415 or ASRM 406. Prerequisite: MATH 220 or MATH 221; CS 101 or equivalent programming experience. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for a lecture, a lab, and a discussion section. MATH 241 (4) Third course in calculus and analytic geometry including vector analysis: Euclidean space, partial differentiation, multiple integrals, line integrals and surface integrals, the integral theorems of vector calculus. Course Information: Credit is not given for both MATH 241 and MATH 292. Prerequisite: MATH 231. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one discussion and one lecture section beginning with the same letter in Fall and Spring terms only. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. PHYS 212 (4) Coulomb's Law, electric fields, Gauss' Law, electric potential, capacitance, circuits, magnetic forces and fields, Ampere's law, induction, electromagnetic waves, polarization, and geometrical optics. A calculus-based approach for majors in engineering, mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Course Information: Credit is not given for both PHYS 212 and PHYS 102. Prerequisite: PHYS 211; credit or concurrent registration in MATH 241. Class Schedule Information: For students in engineering, mathematics, physics and chemistry. Exams are given in the evening (during fall and spring semesters). Register for a lecture (A) section, a discussion (D) section and a laboratory (L) section. Engineering students must obtain a dean's approval to drop this course after the second week of instruction. TAM 210 (2) Forces, moments, couples; resultants of force systems; equilibrium analysis and free-body diagrams; analysis of forces acting on members of trusses, frames, etc.; shear-force and bending-moment distributions; Coulomb friction; centroids and center of mass; applications of statics in design. Course Information: Credit is not given for both TAM 210 and TAM 211. Prerequisite: PHYS 211; credit or concurrent registration in either MATH 241 OR MATH 257. Class Schedule Information: Meets with TAM 211. A non-standard term course during the first 2/3 of the term. Students must register for one discussion and one lecture section. ME 270 (3) Introduction to DFM methodologies and tools; material selection (new and traditional materials); designing for primary manufacturing processes (cutting fundamentals, casting, forming, and shaping); designing with plastics (snap-fits, integral hinges, etc.); design for assembly (DFA); geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T). Course Information: Same as TAM 270. Prerequisite: ME 170. ME and EM majors only. ME 290 (0) Lectures by faculty and invited authorities, concerning the ethics and practices of mechanical engineering/engineering mechanics, as well as its relationship to other fields of engineering, to economics, and to society. Offered fall term only. Course Information: Approved for S/U grading only. |
ME 200 (3) Classical thermodynamics through the second law; system and control-volume analyses of thermodynamic processes; irreversibility and availability; relations for ideal gas mixtures. Course Information: Credit is not given toward graduation for ME 200 and either ABE 340 or CHBE 321. Prerequisite: MATH 241. MATH 285 (3) Techniques and applications of ordinary differential equations, including Fourier series and boundary value problems, and an introduction to partial differential equations. Intended for engineering majors and others who require a working knowledge of differential equations. Course Information: Credit is not given for both MATH 285 and any of MATH 284, MATH 286, MATH 441. Prerequisite: MATH 241. ECE 205 (3)7 ECE 205 is an introductory course on circuit analysis and electronics for non-majors in engineering. The course includes bi-weekly electronics lab experiments designed to provide students with hands-on experience. Basic principles of circuit analysis and DC circuits; time-domain analysis of 1st and 2nd order linear circuits; complex numbers, phasors, AC steady-state analysis; frequency response; op-amp, diode, and BJT circuits; logic gates and digital logic circuits. Credit is not given to Computer or Electrical Engineering majors. Course Information: Credit is not given to Computer or Electrical Engineering majors. Prerequisite: PHYS 212. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lecture and one lab. TAM 212 (3) Kinematics and dynamics of the three-dimensional motion of particles; kinematics and dynamics of the plane motion of rigid bodies; methods of work energy and impulse momentum; moving reference frames. Course Information: Prerequisite: TAM 210 or TAM 211. TAM 251 (3) Relationship between internal stresses and deformations produced by external forces acting on deformable bodies, and design principles based on mechanics of solids: normal stresses, shear stresses, and deformations produced by tensile, compressive, torsional, and bending loading of members; beam deflections; elastic energy and impact; multi-dimensional stress states; buckling of columns. Course Information: Prerequisite: TAM 210 or TAM 211. FE (2)8 Free Elective |
ME 310 (4) Fundamentals of fluid mechanics with coverage of theory and applications of incompressible viscous and inviscid flows, and compressible high speed flows. Course Information: Credit is not given for both ME 310 and either TAM 335 or CEE 331. Prerequisite: MATH 285 OR MATH 286 OR MATH 441; credit or concurrent registration in ME 200. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lab and one lecture section. ME 340 (3.5) Dynamic modeling of mechanical components and systems; time-domain and frequency-domain analyses of linear time-invariant systems; multi-degree-of-freedom systems; linearization of nonlinear systems. Course Information: Credit is not given for both ME 340 and either SE 320 or AE 353. Prerequisite: MATH 285 or MATH 286 or MATH 441; TAM 212; credit or concurrent registration in MATH 257 or MATH 415; credit or concurrent registration in ECE 205. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lab and one lecture section. ECE 206 (1) Laboratory experiments in digital logic and controllers; transistor amplifier and switching circuits; DC motor control and voltage regulators; sensors and motion control with feedback; wireless communication. Course Information: Credit is not given to Computer or Electrical Engineering majors. Prerequisite: ECE 205. ME 330 (4) Structures of polymers, metals, and ceramics as the basis for their mechanical behavior. Manipulation of structure through such processes as heat treatment and solidification. Mechanisms of material failure in service (yielding, fracture, fatigue, creep, corrosion, and wear) and simple design techniques to avoid these failures. Strategies for materials selection in design. Course Information: Credit is not given for both ME 330 and either CEE 300 or MSE 280. Prerequisite: CHEM 102 and TAM 251. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lab and one lecture section. ME 370 (3) Kinematics and dynamics of machinery, including introduction to user-centered design and design thinking, analytical and computer-aided design of kinematics, dynamic force analysis, principle of virtual work, cam and gear design, and balancing. Project-based learning of multi-mechanism system design, analysis, fabrication, and evaluation. Course Information: Prerequisite: ME 270, TAM 212, and TAM 251. |
ME 320 (4) Principles and application of heat transfer by conduction, convection, and thermal radiation. Course Information: Prerequisite: ME 200; ME 310 or TAM 335; MATH 285 or MATH 286 or MATH 441. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lab and one lecture section. ME 360 (3.5) Basic electromechanical techniques used in modern instrumentation and control systems. Use of transducers and actuators. Signal conditioning, grounding, and shielding. Analog and digital signal processing and feedback control methods with emphasis on frequency domain techniques. Frequency response of continuous and discrete systems. Course Information: Credit is not given for both ME 360 and ABE 425. Prerequisite: ME 340. Class Schedule Information: Students must register for one lab and one lecture section. ME 371 (3) Design and analysis of machinery for load-bearing and power transmission. Consideration of material failure modes, including yielding, fracture, and fatigue. Design and selection of machine elements: threaded fasteners, springs, rolling-element bearings, fluid film lubrication, gears and friction drives. Course Information: Prerequisite: ME 330 OR CEE 300; ME 370. GEE (3)4 FE (3)8 Free Elective |
STATS (3-4) Solution of a real-world design problem: development, evaluation, and recommendation of alternative solutions subject to realistic constraints that include most of the following considerations: economics, environment, sustainability, manufacturability, ethics, health and safety, society, and politics. Course Information: 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit. Prerequisite: Concurrent enrollment in no more than two required ME courses; completion of all required courses for ME students. Concurrent enrollment in no more than two required TAM courses; completion of all required courses for EM students. Departmental approval required. Restricted to students in the Mechanical Sci & Engineering department. Restricted to students with Senior class standing. Class Schedule Information: Must register for one Lecture and one Laboratory-Discussion section. Students will receive a TIME CONFLICT AND AN APPROVAL ERROR when registering for this course. To receive the necessary overrides to regist ME (3)11 GEE (3)4 FE (3)8 Free Elective |
ME-TE (3)11 ME-TE (3)11 ME (3)11 GEE (3)4 FE (3)8 Free Elective |
| 16 hours | 17 hours | 16 hours | 17 hours | 15.5 hours | 16.5 hours | 15-16 hours | 15 hours |
Notes
Before reviewing the links, students should find their effective Academic Catalog Year. When clicking any links referenced below that take students to the Academic Catalog Year pages, they should be mindful of which Academic Catalog year is displayed.
- External transfer students take ENG 300.
- MATH 220 may be substituted. MATH 220 is appropriate for students with no background in calculus. 4 of 5 credit hours count towards degree.
- RHET 105 (or an alternative Composition I sequence) is taken either in the first or second semester of the first year, according to the student's UIN (SP if UIN is odd). ME 170 is taken the other semester. Composition I guidelines can be found at Degree and General Education Requirements under Written Communication Requirement.
- General Education: Students must complete the Campus General Education requirements including the campus general education language requirement. One of the SBS courses must be an introductory economics course (ECON 102 or ECON 103). ME 470 will satisfy a core course requirement and the Campus General Education Advanced Composition requirement.
- CS 124 or ECE 220 may be substituted.
- Science Elective of 4 hours, semester placement depends on prerequisites. Students may choose from CHEM 104 & 105, MCB 150 (& 151 recommended) or PHYS 213 & 214.
- ECE 110 and either ECE 210 or ECE 211 may be substituted.
- Additional coursework, subject to the Grainger College of Engineering restrictions to Free Electives, so that there are at least 128 credit hours earned toward the degree.
- Statistics Elective totaling 3 hours. IE 300 or STAT 400 (4 hrs). The extra hour for STAT 400 will count towards Free Elective hours.
- ME 470 is taken either the first or second semester of the fourth year, according to the student's UIN (FA if UIN is odd, SP if UIN is even). ME 470 satisfies the Advanced Composition requirement. Technical Elective is taken the other semester.
- MechSE Electives totaling 6 hours and Technical Electives totaling 6 hours, selected from department approved lists. The Technical Elective category can also be fulfilled with MechSE Electives over the required 6 hours.
The code used to present this flowsheet is based on original work shared by the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
ME Tech Electives
MechSE 2.25 GPA and TGPA Requirements
The MechSE Department maintains a cumulative 2.25 grade-point-average (GPA) requirement for lower-level technical courses. In order for a student to move onto upper-level (generally 300/400-level) ME or TAM courses, the 2.25 GPA requirement must be met. Failure to meet the 2.25 GPA will require students to retake previous coursework and potentially reduce course loads to meet the 2.25 GPA requirement.
Once students gets into their upper-level, more specialized coursework, a cumulative technical GPA (TGPA) requirement is implemented in addition to the traditional cumulative GPA requirement (>2.0 GPA to remain clear of academic warning status). Students who do not have a TGPA of atleast 2.0 will be subject to academic warning rules and will not be able to graduate. For more information on academic standing rules, please see the Student Code, Article 3 - Academic Standing Rules.
The back of the ME flowsheet indicates courses in the ME curriculum subject to 2.25 GPA and TGPA rules.