Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

Shippensburg University has the only Mechanical Engineering program in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.

Mechanical Engineering students will benefit from the department's faculty expertise and strengths, especially pertaining to their focus on first-year student success. In addition to expert faculty committed to providing students with learning experiences they can use in the real world, students will also have access to resources unique to the department:

• Proximity - Shippensburg University is within an hour's drive of the I-81, I-70, and I-270 corridors, and many different manufacturing industries.  The Manufacturer's Association of South Central Pennsylvania has more than 350 members, contributes $11 billion to the local economy, and employs more than 110,000 people.  Major manufacturers in our immediate area include: Danfoss Drives, Volvo, JLG, Grove, Hirschmann, Manitowac, TB Woods, and Johnson Controls.  The number and variety of manufacturers in our area coupled with the lack of competing engineering programs will provide opportunities for internships and future co-op positions.
• Inter-Connections - Students in the Mechanical Engineering program will learn to work on interdisciplinary teams of students from our other engineering programs (Software, Computer, and Electrical Engineering), they will share the common Engineering Core, get advisement from a diverse faculty, and collaborate on interdisciplinary research and development projects.
• Crews - In an effort to increase student to student interaction, every student is assigned a crew when they arrive. They earn points for their crew all year long by participating in extra-curricular activities, helping faculty, doing work beyond course requirements, and through crew competitions.
• CS & Engineering Deck Living-Learning Community (LLC) - Students enrolled in computer science and engineering programs can choose to live in an LLC in one of the new suite-style residence halls. First-year students in the LLC are enrolled in three courses together, and benefit from living with upper-class computer science and engineering majors. Students who choose to live in the LLC will also receive additional support and programming from faculty and staff.
• Student Organizations - Student clubs and organizations can help you develop relationships with your peers and help to build a stronger campus community. Computer science and engineering student clubs include: Women in Computer Science and Engineering, the Software Engineering Club, and the Programming Team, which participates in annual programming competitions.
• BROADSIDE Center - The department continually works with local businesses to place students in internships, and also provides consulting involving faculty and students, through its BROADSIDE Center. Computer science and engineering graduates find employment across the region and nationally.

The Mechanical Engineering degree program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, placing Shippensburg University among 46 Pennsylvania colleges and universities that have ABET-accredited programs. For more information on ABET, visit ABET Information.

ABET accreditation means that the national accrediting organization has spent time on our campus making sure that our curriculum meets national standards, our faculty are well-supported and current in the discipline, and our infrastructure is up-to-date and well-supported. It is your assurance that, not only is our program strong today, but we have also laid the foundation so that it will continue to be strong in the future.

Demand for mechanical engineers is growing, driven by the rapid pace of technological innovation and development. This is particularly true in the area of research and development. Ship students have plenty of opportunities to gain hands-on experience through internships, recruitment, and participation in research projects through department partnerships with regional industries.

Graduates will have the skills necessary to design, build, test, and manage complex systems, skills that are in increasing demand in Pennsylvania and the surrounding region. Pennsylvania forecasts a need for 4,067 new or replacement mechanical engineers by 2024. This makes mechanical engineering one of the most in-demand fields.

The Mechanical Engineering program at Ship was designed to prepare students to meet the challenges of a modern manufacturing environment. Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering programs, and prepares students for jobs across all industries, including: aerospace, automotive, construction, energy, manufacturing, medicine, and transportation.

Graduates will be prepared and encouraged to take the Fundamentals of Engineering exam, the first step to earning their Professional Engineering certificate. Some of our graduates will be expected to go onto earn master's and doctoral degrees in engineering, while others may choose a career track towards project management and work towards a Master of Business Administration.

Ultimately, graduates of this program must be able to analyze and solve complex problems, work to deadlines and under pressure, communicate with others across disciplines, and identify cost/value trade-offs within the social, cultural, economic, environmental, health and safety, and ethical aspects of a project.

To gain admission to the program, students must meet the criteria for admission to Shippensburg University and must be ready to start Calculus 1 as demonstrated through previous completion of advanced math courses, SAT scores, or placement tests. Students who are not ready to start Calculus 1 are placed into the "Computer Science & Engineering General" category and are given courses that will prepare them to meet the challenges and rigors of an engineering program. When they meet the math requirement, they can declare the major. There are no waiting lists.  

Degree Requirements - 124 credit hours

Engineering Core - 15 credits

Math Cognate Courses - 15 credits

Physical Science Cognate Courses - 16 credits

Mechanical Engineering Courses - 51 credits

General Ed Courses - 27 Credits

CMPE499 Engineering Design and Development

Credits: 2
Description:  Computer and Electrical Engineering students will work together in development teams to complete a development task. Starting from a given problem, they will plan and design a solution to that problem, and then go on to implement and test their plan. Students demonstrate their capabilities by using the engineering method to analyze the problem to develop requirements, estimate time and costs, perform safety and risk analysis, and develop an implementation plan. The team will then follow that implementation plan to develop their solution and demonstrate their final product. This course is designated as a capstone course for both Computer and Electrical Engineering. Although the course meets for 2 credit hours per week, students should expect to work substantially more hours with their team, outside of class. Graduate students are not permitted to take this course.

Prerequisites: CMPE 322 with C or better

ENGR100 Engineering Seminar 1

Credits: 1
Description:  The goal of this course is to prepare the student for study in an engineering discipline.   This will include general skills for achieving success in college in addition to an introduction to the engineering disciplines and the engineering development process. 

ENGR110 Modeling and Simulation

Credits: 3
Description:  An introduction to modeling physical systems and simulating them using scientific computation software. Topics will include modeling dynamic systems, the basic mathematics of modeling physical systems, including difference equations, arithmetic and geometric series, spring-damper systems, open- and closed- loop systems. To support these topics, students will learn to use the MATLAB and Simulink systems, including basic expression evaluation, scalar, vector, and multi-dimensional variables, conditionals, repetition, and writing basic functions. 

Prerequisites: Math placement 6.

ENGR120 Programming for Engineers

Credits: 3
Description:  An introduction to programming for electrical engineers. This course is a highly focused introduction to programming in C language. It covers the basics of programming including procedures, variables, types, loop, and control structures. The course introduces basic computing resources, and introduces algorithmic solutions to common engineering and numerical problems.

Prerequisites: Math placement 6

ENGR200 Engineering Seminar 2

Credits: 1
Description:  This course is focused on the tools that teams use to engineer solutions together.  Participation in a team project will help the students learn about and apply current team coordination tools for project management, configuration management, and personal improvement. 

ENGR300 Engineering Seminar 3

Credits: 1
Description:  The goal of this course is to prepare the student for upper class courses and entering the workplace.  Career preparation will include strategies for finding internships and full-time positions and preparing for the hiring process (building a resume, writing a cover letter, and interviewing).  Academic preparation will be focused on how to find and read journal publications on a given topic.

ENGR310 Statistical Process Control

Credits: 3
Description:  The course will develop the students understanding of statistical process control. A variety of control charts will be used for assessing process stability and estimation of process capability. We will also study how engineers design experiments based on statistical quality control for the purpose of controlling, improving, and optimizing the engineering process.

Prerequisites: MAT 375 with C or better.

MECH200 Statics

Credits: 4
Description:  Statics is the analysis of forces acting on physical systems that remain at rest. Students will extend their knowledge of classical mechanics and calculus to two and three dimensional systems of particles and rigid bodies. The goal of this course is to study mechanical systems that must hold their shape or position under some sort of load, such as frames, structures, beams, trusses, and cables.

Prerequisites: MAT 212 with C or better, PHY 206 or PHY222 with C or better.

MECH210 Dynamics

Credits: 4
Description:  Dynamics is the study of systems in motion. Topics include study velocity and acceleration in three dimensions, introduction to frames of reference rotation matrices, angular momentum, impact, and work-energy analysis.

Prerequisites: MECH 200 with C or better.

MECH220 Fluid Mechanics

Credits: 4
Description:  Fluid Mechanics is the study of the flow of fluids. This course extends the topics of statics and dynamics to fluids. Topics include dimensional analysis, density, viscosity, surface tension, control volume analysis, differential fluid flow, laminar and turbulent flow, and a study of flow in pipes.

Prerequisites: MECH 210 Dynamics with C or better, MAT 322 Differential Equations with C or better.

MECH300 Engineering Materials

Credits: 4
Description:  This course examines how materials perform under different types of mechanical loads. This includes deformation, yielding, fracture, fatigue, and wear. The course also analyzes how materials change with heat, age, and repeated loading. Students will learn about possible failure modes and develop maximum safety specifications. Students will learn about the basic materials science that influences materials the properties of materials. Students will also learn how to engineer different materials to meet design specifications.

Prerequisites: MECH 200 with C or better.

MECH310 Manufacturing Processes

Credits: 4
Description:  Introduces the fundamental processes for manufacturing parts. This includes forming, forging, cutting, welding, joining, gluing, casting of materials including metals, plastics, and other materials. Other topics include rapid prototyping methods, including CNC machines, 3D printing technologies, and composite materials.

Prerequisites: MECH 300 with C or better.

MECH400 Design Methods

Credits: 4
Description:  This course is designed to provide a mechanical design experience, moving from general product ideas to completed product. The course is structured around a series of design experiences, moving from user descriptions through design documents, actual design and simulation, user-acceptance, production plans, and final delivery. Students will learn about the different phases of the design process, how to select materials for a project, differences between developing a prototype versus preparing for efficient mass-production, how test and verify the component complies with its design specifications. 

Prerequisites: MECH 300 with C or better and MAT 322 with C or better.

MECH410 Thermodynamics

Credits: 4
Description:  This course is a study of the relationship between machines and thermodynamics. The course reviews the basic thermodynamic concepts and provides an emphasis on the relationships between work, energy, and efficiency. Students will model various mechanical devices and develop heat transfer models. Students will study nozzles, diffusers, throttles, engines, heat exchangers, pistons, refrigeration, compressors, and chemical thermodynamics.

Prerequisites: MECH 300 with C or better and MAT 322 with C or better.

Program Objectives

The graduates of the Mechanical Engineering program will be prepared to achieve the following career objectives:

• Satisfying work in a field of their choice (corporate or academic)
  • Have obtained a satisfying position
  • Have confidence in their ability to move to their next position of choice
• Continue to be an effective and productive member of his/her workplace by applying the fundamentals taught in our program
  • Effective problem solving skills
  • Effective communication
  • Critical thinking
  • Sound business practices
  • Professional standards
  • Behaving in accordance with professional ethics
• Remain a member of his/her larger community by
  • Participating actively in professional organizations
  • Using expertise through volunteering
• Continue to learn and develop within his/her field of interest by participating in
  • Workshops/Training
  • Certifications
  • Graduate School
  • Self study
• Expand breadth of scope and leadership rol and advance toward one or more of the following career paths: technical, managerial, or business.

Student Outcomes

The expected outcomes of this program give students the ability to:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Enrollment & Graduation Statistics for the Civil Engineering Program

Note: Enrolled is the total number of students in the program - not the number of incoming students

• Civil Engineering

• Computer Science

• Computer Engineering

• Software Engineering

• Electrical Engineering

Civil and Mechanical Engineering Programs Advisory Committee Members

Members from Civil and Mechanical Engineering Industry

1.) Megan Swam

2.) William Kick

3.) Robert Slocum

4.) Troy Garland 

5.) Mark Taylor

Members from Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

1.) Moayyad AlNasra

2.) Bahman Naser

3.) Joao Dias