College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Stanford University
• Harvard University
• California Institute of Technology
• Northwestern University

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• University of California at Berkeley
• University of Michigan
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• Purdue University
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Classes in the Major

Math: If you're considering mechanical engineering, hopefully you're at least a little proficient in math…or at least not afraid of it. You'll be taking more higher-level courses than most, so prepare yourself for mathematical delights such as integral calculus, which would make a humanities major cry. Once you knock out the applied calculus, you can move on to the other basic classes that will form the foundation for your mechanical engineering path. Just keep in mind that you'll be taking math in some form or another for approximately four semesters. This isn't a "one and done" sort of thing.

Physics: If you're going to build robots, you should probably understand how to make them move. Is a motionless robot even a robot? Of course not. It's a statue. A wicked awesome metal one, sure, but still. Just like math classes, you'll attend physics lectures for more than a few semesters. It's super important that you know the basics of physics, like the differences in state, as well as energy transfers. This is the next level up after mathematics—foundations upon foundations.

Thermodynamics: With a title like that, you know you've made it into the heavy duty engineering courses. Although the course name can be daunting, it's just an introduction to several ideas and themes held within mechanical engineering. Examples include entropy, enthalpy, internal energy, and absolute temperature.

Machine Design: It's safe to say that if you've decided on this major, you'll be working with machines of some sort during your life. It's here that you'll learn the ins and outs of linkage within mechanisms, such as gears, cams, and flywheels. This is the discipline that many famous engineers can give credit to for their success, like Henry Ford.

Fluid/Solid Mechanics: Here, you'll learn the differences between water and ice, lava and stone, sponge cake and maple syrup. Okay, maybe it's a little more than that. You'll also learn how mechanical behavior is different with different states of matter. For solids, you'll learn about stress and bending, while with fluids, you'll learn about hydrostatic pressure and surface tension. These classes provide much of the practical knowledge you'll use throughout your career. Plus, they lead up to "turbomachinery." You don't even need to know what that is to know it's awesome.