School of Mechanical Engineering

An Overview

Mechanical Engineering comprises a wide range of activities that include researching, designing, developing, manufacturing, managing and controlling engineering systems and their components. The many industrial sectors to which mechanical engineers make substantial contributions include:

aerospace/defense,
automotive,
biotechnology/pharmaceutical,
chemical/petroleum,
computers/electronics,
construction,
consumer/food products,
energy/nuclear,
heavy/off-road equipment,
engineering consulting,
thermal systems,
graduate education,among others.

Beyond these traditional roles, mechanical engineers are increasingly pursuing a number of non-traditional career paths including:

business/financial services,
dentistry,
education,
engineering and public policy,
law (patent law and intellectual property), and
medicine/healthcare (prosthetics, surgical robotics and instruments, human motion kinetics, etc.).

As such, mechanical engineering is the broadest of all of the engineering disciplines and provides the widest range of career opportunities. Graduates of the School of Mechanical Engineering have gone on to become CEOs, entrepreneurs, chief engineers, business analysts, astronauts, faculty, physicians, dentists, patent lawyers and public policy leaders, and entrepreneurs.

Faculty

Students interested in pursuing undergraduate research opportunities in the School of Mechanical Engineering are encouraged to contact faculty who conduct research in their chosen area of interest. A comprehensive list of Mechanical Engineering faculty along with a brief resume for each is provided at the link listed below.

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME/People/index.html