Mechanical Engineering
What this engineering major studies in college, how to prepare in high school, the licensing exams, and careers open with a bachelor’s degree. Every fact below names its source.
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What it is
Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines, and it is divided into two broad areas: mechanical systems and thermal systems. [1]
Mechanical engineers create things that help improve the health, happiness and safety of our everyday lives. [1]
Typical college courses
ABET-accredited programs in this major must include principles of engineering, basic science and mathematics (including multivariate calculus and differential equations), coverage of both thermal and mechanical systems, and the modeling, analysis, design and realization of physical systems. [2]
The B.S. requires, each with a grade of C or better, Statics, Dynamics, Strength of Materials, Engineering Thermodynamics I, Fluid Flow, Heat Transfer, and Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations. [1]
The rows below show one named program as an example: the Penn State bachelor of science in this major, 2026–2027 bulletin. Course descriptions are in our own words. Course names and numbers differ at every college; confirm each college’s own list.
| Course | Status | What it covers (example: Penn State bulletin) | Comes after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Statics | Required in this example program[1] | Statics (EMCH 211) covers the equilibrium of force systems in a plane and in space, the analysis of frames and trusses, friction, and centroids and moments of inertia. [3] | It comes after MATH 140. [3] |
Get ready with these topics: Newton's first law and forces · Newton's second law: net force, mass and acceleration · Friction and inclined planes · Torque, rotation and equilibrium · Vectors: components and operations · Dot product and applications · Vectors and navigation | |||
| Dynamics | Required in this example program[1] | Dynamics (EMCH 212) covers the motion of a particle, relative motion, translation, rotation and plane motion, work-energy and impulse-momentum. [3] | It comes after EMCH 211 (or EMCH 210) and MATH 141. [3] |
Get ready with these topics: Describing motion: position, velocity and acceleration · Circular motion · Momentum and its conservation · Work and power · Conservation of energy: modeling energy in a system · Derivatives in context: motion and rates | |||
| Strength of Materials | Required in this example program[1] | Strength of Materials (EMCH 213) covers axial stress and strain, torsion, stresses in beams, how beams bend and deflect, combined stress, and columns. [3] | It comes after Statics (EMCH 211). [3] |
Get ready with these topics: Newton's first law and forces · Torque, rotation and equilibrium · Volume of prisms, cylinders, pyramids and cones · The definite integral | |||
| Engineering Thermodynamics I | Required in this example program[1] | Engineering Thermodynamics I (ME 300) covers basic thermodynamics, the properties of pure substances, and first and second law analysis of systems and control volumes. [4] | It comes after CHEM 110, with MATH 141 before or at the same time. [4] |
Get ready with these topics: Heat flow and thermal equilibrium · Thermodynamics: the laws and heat engines · Conservation of energy: modeling energy in a system · Energy in chemical reactions · Calorimetry and specific heat · Entropy, free energy and why reactions happen · Gas laws | |||
| Fluid Flow | Required in this example program[1] | Fluid Flow (ME 320) is an introduction to fluid mechanics that emphasizes basic concepts and ways to solve problems. [4] | It comes after EMCH 212, MATH 251, ME 201 or ME 300, and MATH 230 or MATH 231. [4] |
Get ready with these topics: Fluids: pressure, buoyancy and flow · Momentum and its conservation · Conservation of energy: modeling energy in a system · The derivative as a limit · The definite integral | |||
| Heat Transfer | Required in this example program[1] | Heat Transfer (ME 410) covers how thermal energy moves by conduction, convection and radiation, the lumped parameter method, heat exchangers and an introduction to numerical methods. [4] | It comes after ME 320 (or BME 409), a programming course (CMPSC 200 or CMPSC 201) and MATH 220 (or NUCE 309). [4] |
Get ready with these topics: Heat flow and thermal equilibrium · Thermodynamics: the laws and heat engines · Calorimetry and specific heat · Differential equations and slope fields | |||
| Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations | Required in this example program[1] | Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations (MATH 251) teaches how to solve differential equations of the first, second and higher orders, including with Laplace transforms, and introduces special functions, Fourier series and partial differential equations. [5] | It comes after MATH 141. [5] |
Get ready with these topics: Differential equations and slope fields · Separation of variables and exponential models · Higher-order derivatives · Antiderivatives and indefinite integrals · Exponential functions and the number e | |||
Typical high school preparation
- In addition to university requirements, its applicants need 4 units of high school math, including Algebra I, Algebra II, geometry, and pre-calculus/trigonometry or calculus, and 3 units of high school science that must include physics and chemistry, and they must also meet one of its ACT or GPA standards. [6]
- If the minimum admission has not been met, a student may be admitted based on an individual review. [6]
This is one university’s admission list for its engineering college, not a rule for every college. Confirm each college’s own list.
Other engineering majors
Each card opens that major’s page. Compare the courses before you choose, and confirm each college’s own list.
Engineering: the first-year core
First-year courses, ABET accreditation and licensing, with sources.
Aerospace Engineering
Aerospace engineering emphasizes the analysis, design and operation of aircraft and spacecraft. [7]
Industrial Engineering
Industrial engineering offers an education in manufacturing, operations research, ergonomics and service, grounded in mathematics and the physical and engineering sciences. [8]
Materials Engineering
Materials such as ceramics, metals, polymers and composites are critical to many industries and key to most engineering disciplines. [9]
Where this degree can lead with a bachelor’s
National figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay varies by state, setting and experience. This is not a promise of pay or a job.
Examples from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Other careers may need more study after the bachelor’s degree.
Mechanical engineers
Mechanical engineers design, develop, build and test mechanical and thermal sensors and devices. [10]
The median annual wage for mechanical engineers was $104,110 in May 2025. [10]
Employment of mechanical engineers is projected to grow 11 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. [10]
Mechanical engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. [10]
Health and safety engineers
Health and safety engineers apply their knowledge of industrial processes, mechanics, psychology and other disciplines to promote worksite or product safety. [11]
The median annual wage for health and safety engineers was $115,160 in May 2025. [11]
Employment of health and safety engineers is projected to grow 5 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations. [11]
Health and safety engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field, often in an engineering discipline such as chemical, mechanical, industrial or systems engineering. [11]
Getting licensed: the FE and PE exams
Overview only. For dates, registration, rules and scoring, see each test maker's own site.
The FE exam
The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is generally the first step in the process of becoming a licensed professional engineer (PE). [12]
The FE exam is designed for recent graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program. [12]
The PE exam
The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam tests for a minimum level of competency in a particular engineering discipline and is designed for engineers who have gained a minimum of four years of post-college work experience. [13]
NCEES offers more than 20 different PE exams, including three mechanical exams: HVAC and Refrigeration, Machine Design and Materials, and Thermal and Fluids Systems. [13]
The path to a PE license
To use the PE seal, engineers must earn a four-year degree in engineering from an accredited engineering program, pass the FE exam, complete four years of progressive engineering experience under a PE, and pass the PE exam. [14]
All states and the District of Columbia require mechanical engineers who sell services to the public to be licensed. [10]
Exam names are trademarks of their owners. NCEES and NSPE are not affiliated with and do not endorse UpOnly Learning.
Questions people search
Chosen from our search-question research. Every answer is cited.
What can you do with a mechanical engineering degree?
Mechanical engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. [10]
Health and safety engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related field, often in an engineering discipline such as chemical, mechanical, industrial or systems engineering. [11]
How to become a mechanical engineer
Mechanical engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. [10]
To use the PE seal, engineers must earn a four-year degree in engineering from an accredited engineering program, pass the FE exam, complete four years of progressive engineering experience under a PE, and pass the PE exam. [14]
All states and the District of Columbia require mechanical engineers who sell services to the public to be licensed. [10]
Your next step
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Sources
- The Pennsylvania State University. Mechanical Engineering, B.S.. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/engineering/mechanical-engineering-bs/. 2026–2027 Undergraduate Bulletin. Checked .
- ABET. Criteria for Accrediting Engineering Programs, 2026–2027. https://www.abet.org/2026-2027_eac_criteria. 2026–2027 review cycle (Engineering Accreditation Commission). Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Engineering Mechanics (EMCH) course descriptions. https://bulletins.psu.edu/university-course-descriptions/undergraduate/emch/. current University Bulletins (the MATH and EDSGN course pages show the 2026–27 edition). Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Mechanical Engineering (ME) course descriptions. https://bulletins.psu.edu/university-course-descriptions/undergraduate/me/. current University Bulletins (the MATH and EDSGN course pages show the 2026–27 edition). Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Mathematics (MATH) course descriptions. https://bulletins.psu.edu/university-course-descriptions/undergraduate/math/. University Bulletins, 2026–27 edition. Checked .
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln, College of Engineering. Admission Requirements. https://engineering.unl.edu/undergraduate-programs/admission-requirements. no edition stated (page footer © 2025). Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Aerospace Engineering, B.S.. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/engineering/aerospace-engineering-bs/. 2026–2027 Undergraduate Bulletin. Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Industrial Engineering, B.S.. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/engineering/industrial-engineering-bs/. 2026–2027 Undergraduate Bulletin. Checked .
- The Pennsylvania State University. Materials Science and Engineering, B.S.. https://bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/earth-mineral-sciences/materials-science-engineering-bs/. 2026–2027 Undergraduate Bulletin. Checked .
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Mechanical Engineers. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.htm. OOH page last modified August 27, 2026 (pay data May 2025; projections 2025–35). Checked .
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Health and Safety Engineers. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/health-and-safety-engineers.htm. OOH page last modified August 27, 2026 (pay data May 2025; projections 2025–35). Checked .
- National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). FE exam. https://ncees.org/exams/fe-exam/. no edition stated. Checked .
- National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES). PE exam. https://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/. no edition stated. Checked .
- National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). What is a PE? https://www.nspe.org/about/about-professional-engineering/what-pe. no edition stated. Checked .
Format: Publisher. Page title. URL. Edition or catalog year. Checked date.