Department Profile

A Tradition of Excellence

Welcome to the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) at Michigan Tech. This year, 2012, marks the 85th anniversary of the mechanical engineering program. The department will be celebrating this milestone with special events all year, so please check back for announcements. In addition, our 2011 Annual Report will be dedicated to our anniversary.

Our commitment to our mission of hands-on education of our students, by world-class faculty, through innovative teaching, mentoring, and knowledge creation is evidenced by the following rankings:

  • Undergraduate Program ranked 22nd by the US News & World Report’s 2008 America’s Best, among doctoral-granting mechanical engineering departments.
  • Graduate Program ranked 44th by the US News & World Report’s 2013 Best Graduate Schools, among doctoral-granting mechanical engineering departments.
  • The National Science Foundation ranked mechanical engineering research expenditures at Michigan Tech 20th in the nation with $13.215 million.
  • Undergraduate program is currently 9th* in the nation in number of BSME degrees awarded and has been in the top 9 in this category for 28 consecutive years.

Improving Quality of Life

Our society is becoming increasingly complex. We must provide more food, water, and energy for a rapidly growing population, and we must limit damage to the environment in the process. Mechanical engineering will play a key role in meeting these challenges. So can you.

As a mechanical engineer, you can make a difference in the world by using the latest technologies to help solve today’s grand challenges in

  • Health care
  • Energy
  • Transportation
  • World hunger
  • Space exploration
  • Climate change
  • And more…

The Student Experience

Rigorous curricula, diverse disciplines, state-of-the-art laboratories, and faculty members who are world-class mentors, researchers, and teachers, and who maintain an open-door policy, will make your educational experience at Michigan Tech one-of-a-kind. Students benefit from

  • Hands-on learning in over 50,000 square feet of labs and computer centers, in the 13-story R. L. Smith Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Building.
  • Twenty-plus labs available to undergraduate students.
  • Thirty-three technical electives available to seniors.
  • Working on industry-sponsored, real-world design projects as part of the curriculum cornerstone, Senior Design.
  • Faculty attention in class—each and every course is taught by faculty.

Starting Your Career

Graduates from our department are known for their “hands-on ability,” or the capacity to hit the ground running. Our graduates have experienced a job placement rate above the national average: 92 percent over the last four years.

Once again, welcome to the ME-EM department. Michigan Tech is a great university—and one that I am very proud to be a part of.

*As reported by the American Society for Engineering Education for academic year 2009-10 

William W. Predebon, PhD
Professor and Chair
wwpredeb@mtu.edu