Mechanical Engineering Education

Q: Why is it that US universities continue to have ME both Machine Design/Sructures and Thermal/Fluid sciences as part of the ME curriculum? I have often seriously wondered why because the two fields are so so different. I know that in my days at college you could easily separate the students when they took the first thermodynamics class. It seems that about 70% wanted to do machines design/structures after that and the other 30%, like me, enjoyed thermal/fluids systems. Why do US universities teach it that way? I know there are benefits to a thermal/fluids guy knowing how the screws work in a pipe flange but Chemical Engineers are also taught enough of that to get by. I know some of you Phd's have some insight....

A: -When I attended Georgia Tech (early 90's) they were converting to a two track system as you describe. I graduated with an emphasis on Design/Structures (actually I don't remember what they referred to it as) and others could graduate with an emphasis on Thermal/Fluids. I do not know if Ga Tech has stayed with this structure or not and I can remember how significant the differences were. There was no difference in the degree designation either. -Even with an 'emphasis' I'd be suprised if you got out of any of the basic intro courses. Education is not about learning a specific task. I guess if you didn't like being forced to take statics you must really be wondering about all those social science and english writing requirements. -The curriculum, of course, is a throwback to the early decades of the last century when mechanical engineers expected to spend their careers designing and building steam engines, an enterprise requiring mastery of all of the above. I think that the ME departments' reluctance to mess with the curriculum reflects their conviction that a broad practical understanding of the way things work and why they don't forms the intellectual basis for a superior human being. -It's getting a little tough on the ME faculty around here..... But seriously, take a quick hop over to the ABET web site (www.abet.org) and make sure you look at the specific program criteria for Mechanical Engineering. There you will see that it is required that a foundation in *both* mechanical and thermal systems be part of the curriculum. To ignore this requirement is to loose accrediation. Period. Beyond that, this discussion takes place among all othe faculties I've interected with. I agree that the equal emphasis on thermal and mechanical systems is a bit of a hold-over. On the other hand, I have to think that the reputation we (ME's) enjoy for being exceptionally broad in our background owes much to this broad education.

Mechanical Engineering Education

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