Mechanical Engineering undergraduate program

Innovate

The Department of Mechanical Engineering’s (MechE) undergraduate program prepares the next generation of mechanical engineers for rewarding careers in industry and academia, fostering their ability to adapt to rapidly changing technologies. The department offers flexibility for students seeking specialization and additional experiences throughout their studies. Students may choose to pursue additional majors or minors to enhance their experiences gained in Mechanical Engineering.

Graduates have gone on to work at companies like Apple, Amazon Robotics, Deloitte, and Google and pursue graduate degrees at academic institutions such as CMU, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, and Stanford University.

students pose for photo at MechE Design Expo

Degree programs

Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Students in the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering program learn to analyze situations and solve practical problems by converting concepts into reliable, cost-effective devices and processes. Our graduates leave prepared to design, analyze, and manufacture innovative products and technologies. The curriculum emphasizes collaborative problem-solving, hands-on experience, and technical skills.
Integrated Master’s/Bachelor’s (IMB) in Mechanical Engineering
The Integrated Master’s/Bachelor’s program allows students who excel academically to achieve both a bachelor's and master's degree in any of the major programs without needing to apply separately. The primary purpose of the IMB program is to provide students with superior breadth and depth in technical material, which will better prepare them for careers in industry. Experience has shown that students complete the IMB program in eight to ten full academic semesters after enrolling at CMU.

Student experience

Carve your own path at the intersection of technology, creativity, and innovation. With 400+ student-run organizations, industry connections with the world's most innovative companies, and unprecedented access to cutting-edge technology and workspaces, CMU’s boundless combinations of academic pursuits and experiential opportunities will surpass your expectations.

Related organizations

News

Mar 20

Advanced Manufacturing

These defects are not to be mistaken as scratches

Shrinkage porosity, a common defect in metal castings, has been identified in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing.

A recent study analyzes the relationship between EV battery chemistry and supply chain vulnerability for four critical minerals across particular countries that are key contributors to production.

Anticipating and reducing EV battery supply disruptions

Mar 15

Health & Biomedicine

Safety first: DNA armor protects regenerative medicine

Using DNA origami, researchers in Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering have developed a synthetic cell armor to protect cells during the stress of clinical practice.

Watch the Video

Mar 12

News & Events

Rethinking neck protection in hockey

Brynn Broaddus and 15 of her peers spent spring break developing advanced neck protection to improve hockey players’ safety on the ice in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Covestro.

Mar 5

News & Events

Managing the Unmanageable

New book by Jon Cagan and Peter Boatwright answers how to build and manage successful innovation teams, combining academic research with practical applications

Mar 1

News & Events

Micro mirage: the infrared information carrier

Researchers fabricate the world’s smallest QR code that, invisible to the naked eye, encrypts information to only be visible by an infrared camera lens.

Feb 23

Advanced Manufacturing

AI accelerates process design for 3D printing metal alloys

Researchers use AI and high-speed in-situ imaging to optimize process parameters for 3D printing metal alloys.

Research paper

The new Robotics Innovation Center (RIC) will serve as a home to well-established programs connecting CMU and the Hazelwood community.

New Robotics Innovation Center will anchor community outreach programs in Hazelwood

Feb 15

Energy & Environment

Shifting gears in the transition to electric vehicles

Electric vehicle emissions costs are anticpated to continue to decline through 2025, after which they will be affected by key factors such as the evolution of the power grid, battery technology, and public policy.

Feb 13

Robotics

RoboTool enables creative tool use in—you guessed it—robots

Large language models enable robots to “brainstorm” creative tool use and perform seemingly impossible tasks.

Jan 30

Artificial Intelligence

Head-to-head: Human vs. AI-human teams

New research from Carnegie Mellon University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Human+AI Design Initiative underlines the adage “teamwork makes the dream work,” especially when it comes to human-AI collaboration.

Jan 16

Artificial Intelligence

Automating consistent product design

Researchers develop AI-driven method to automate the discovery of brand related features in product design.

Novel drone navigation technology developed by Kenji Shimada was put to the test in an active Japanese tunnel construction site, enabling drones to approximate where a collision may occur and prevent it.

Drones CAN navigate dynamic environments

Dec 19

Robotics

In a world run by catalysts, why is optimizing them still so tough?

CatBERTa, an energy prediction Transformer model, was developed by researchers in Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering in an approach to tackle molecular property prediction using machine learning.

Dec 15

Advanced Manufacturing

Scaling in-situ process monitoring to qualify AM parts

Mechanical Engineering alumnus Luke Scime uses artificial intelligence in the development of Peregrine, a process monitoring software stack to qualify additive manufactured parts at the U.S. national laboratories.

Dec 11

Robotics

Big picture, small robot

A team of mechanical engineering researchers create “Mugatu,” the first steerable bipedal robot with only one motor.

Watch the Video

Dec 8

News & Events

Conrad Tucker named new director of CMU-Africa

Conrad Tucker has been named the next director of Carnegie Mellon University Africa. In his new role, Tucker will also serve as the College of Engineering’s Associate Dean for International Programs in Africa.

Nov 29

Artificial Intelligence

Chop, chop: Improving food prep with the power of AI

Researchers at CMU combined two vision foundational models—models trained on large visual data sets—to help a robot arm recognize the shape and the type of fruit and vegetable slices.