Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineers make an impact in almost every aspect of modern society due to the vital roles they play in the design and production of material goods.

As a graduate, you leave Clarkson with the ability to apply principles of engineering, science, and mathematics (including multivariate calculus and differential equations) to model, analyze, design and realize physical systems. Clarkson prepares you for a successful career in industry as an engineer or manager.

Click here for a sample curriculum schedule

Common First-Year Curricula

All students majoring in a program offered by the School of Engineering (excluding engineering & management majors) take courses that are part of a common curricula during the first year. Therefore, students may defer the selection of a major field of study until the sophomore year. Beginning with the junior year, a significant amount of specialized material is incorporated into each curriculum. In the senior year, coursework is concentrated in the student’s chosen field. Courses in humanities and social sciences are taken throughout the 4-year program as part of the Clarkson Common Experience.

During the first year, students majoring in a program offered by the School of Engineering (excluding engineering & management majors) must complete the following courses:

• CM131 General Chemistry I (4 credits)
• ES100 Introduction to Engineering Use of the Computer (2 credits)
• ES110 Engineering & Society (3 credits)
• MA131 Calculus I (3 credits)
• MA132 Calculus II (3 credits)
• PH131 Physics I (4 credits)
• PH132 Physics II

Core Requirements

Students majoring in mechanical engineering are required to complete the following courses:

• ES220 Statics (3 credits)
• ES222 Strength of Materials (3 credits)
• ES223 Rigid Body Dynamics (3 credits)
• ES250 Electrical Science (3 credits)
• ES260 Materials Science & Engineering I (3 credits)
• ES330 Fluid Mechanics (3 credits)
• ES340 Thermodynamics (3 credits)
• MA231 Calculus III (3 credits)
• MA232 Elementary Differential Equations (3 credits)
• MA330 Advanced Engineering Mathematics (3 credits)
• ME201 Introduction to Experimental Methods in Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering (1 credits)
• ME212 Introduction to Engineering Design (3 credits)
• ME301 Experimental Methods in Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering (1credits)
• ME310 Thermodynamic System Engineering (or ME455 Vibrations & Control) (3 credits)
• ME324 Dynamical Systems (3 credits)
• ME326 Intermediate Fluid Mechanics (3 credits)
• ME341 Mechanics of Machine Elements (3 credits)
• ME401 Advanced Experimental Methods in Mechanical & Aeronautical Engineering (1 credits)
• ME411 Introduction to Heat Transfer (3credits)
• ME442 Engineering Analysis Using the Finite Element Method (3 credits)
• ME445 Integrated Design I (3 credits)
• ME446 Integrated Design II (3 credits)
• ME455 Mechanical Vibrations & Control (or ME310 Thermodynamic System Engineering) (3 credits)

Core Electives

The following are electives students are required to complete for the mechanical engineering major. Students must select a 3-credit engineering elective in mechanical engineering, aeronautical engineering or engineering science. Typical courses include ME444 Computer-Aided Engineering (CAD), ME443 Optimal Engineering, ES380 Biomechanics, ME390 Additive Manufacturing or ME429 Welding and Metallurgy.

Professional Electives

This requirement can be satisfied with upper-division courses in mathematics, physics, other engineering disciplines and mechanical engineering (e.g., STAT383 Applied Statistics, MA339 Fourier Series and Boundary-Value Problems).

Knowledge Area/University Course Electives

Students majoring in mechanical engineering are required to take at least 15 credit hours to satisfy the Knowledge Area and/or University Course electives requirement. This, for mechanical engineering majors, must include ES110 Engineering & Society and a course in economics, such as EC350 Engineering Economics.

Free Electives

Students majoring in mechanical engineering have at least 6 credit hours available to use toward courses of their choice.

Clarkson Common Experience

The following courses are required for all students, irrespective of their program of study. These courses are offered during the fall semester, with FY100 First-Year Seminar being required of only first-year students. Both FY100 and UNIV190 are typically taken during the fall semester of the first year at Clarkson.

FY100 First-Year Seminar (1 credits)
UNIV190 The Clarkson Seminar (3 credits)

The Professional Concentration in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering provides undergraduate engineering students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of manufacturing‐related topics such as production management, statistical quality control, and manufacturing processes.

Advanced Manufacturing Engineering Curriculum & Requirements

The requirements for the professional concentration in Manufacturing Engineering are listed in the table below. Interested students must fill out an application form available from the MAE Department office. Changes to the Manufacturing Engineering concentration requirements must be approved by the MAE department chair or executive officer. Students successfully completing the following requirements receive a Dean’s Certificate in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering.

Required Courses for Advanced Manufacturing Engineering:
ES 260 Materials Science & Eng. I
ME 390 Additive Mfg. Processes
ME 444 CAD
MA 330 Adv. Eng. Math (or MA 383)
OM 331 Operations & Supply Chain Management

Elective Courses for Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (minimum of two required):
ME 385 Design of Electromechanical Systems
ME 443 Optimal Eng.
ME 492 Welding Metallurgy
ES 360 Materials Science & Eng. II
ES 365 Polymer Materials
ES XXX Corrosion Engineering
AE/ME/MG* 3XX or above and requires approval of Professor D.K. Aidun

As various fields of medicine and healthcare increasingly depend upon advances in technology, graduates who possess combined expertise in biomedical engineering principles and knowledge of biological sciences at all levels will be in high demand. The minor in biomedical engineering enhances opportunities for you to meet this need while you graduate with a traditional engineering degree.

The biomedical engineering minor is just one of the examples addressing the Coulter School of Engineering’s motto, “Technology Serving Humanity.”

All courses are 3 credits unless noted.

About the Biomedical Engineering Minor 

Engineers with skills that integrate engineering principles with an understanding of the human physical and psychosocial characteristics are in increasing demand. The minor in biomedical engineering meets this need. Combining a traditional engineering degree with this minor is an attractive opportunity for engineering students who have a strong desire to use their talents to improve the quality of life for people with medical conditions or disabilities.

The biomedical engineering minor is connected closely with the minor in biomedical science and technology. Students from both minors participate in shared core courses along with a multidisciplinary capstone design course. Students can take only one of the two minors (not both).

Biomedical Engineering Core Requirements

Students are required to complete the following courses:

Physiology/Anatomy

• BY471 Anatomy and Physiology I
• and BY473 Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory
• or BY472 Anatomy and Physiology II
• and BY474 Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory
• or BY360 Comparative Physiology
• and BY362 Comparative Physiology Laboratory
• BR200 Introduction to Biomedical and Rehabilitation Engineering, Science and Technology
• BR450 Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Technology Capstone Design I
• or equivalent engineering design course with a BEST approved project
• BR400 Biomedical Engineering Fundamentals

Mathematics/Science

• MA131 Calculus I
• MA132 Calculus II
• PH131 Physics I
• PH132 Physics II
• BY160 Biology II: Cell and Molecular Biology

Biomedical Engineering Core Electives

Engineering Depth Elective

Students must complete 1 3-credit course from the approved list of upper-level biomedical engineering related courses.

Breadth Elective

Students must complete 1 3-credit course from the approved list of upper-level biomedically related courses.

The minor in business is designed for students with a major outside of the Reh School of Business who wish to pursue a collateral area in business.

Completion of the minor provides broad exposure to the foundations of major business functions, complementing technical majors very well. These areas include accounting, economics, finance, law, organizational behavior, operations management and marketing.

All courses are 3 credits unless noted.

Business Core Requirements

All students choosing to minor in business must complete 18 credit hours, or six courses, from among the following:

• EC150 Principles of Microeconomics or Economic Principles and Engineering or EC350 Economics
• EC151 Principles of Macroeconomics or Economic Principles and Engineering or EC350 Economics
• AC205 Introduction to Accounting for Decision Analysis
• LW270 Law and Society I
• OS286 Organizational Behavior
• FN361 Financial Management I
• OM331** Operations & Supply Chain Management
• MK320** Principles of Marketing

*Students who complete EC350 Economics are exempt from taking EC150 and EC151. EC350 covers material from both EC150 and EC151. EC350 will satisfy one course toward the minor. Students must then choose their remaining five classes from AC205, LW270, OS286, FN361, OM331 or MK320.

**Students choosing to take either OM331 or MK320 must also complete IS200 Computer Application Fundamentals (1 credit) or IS211 Intro to ERP Tools and Applications (3 credits) either as a prerequisite or a co-requisite.

A minor in electrical engineering is available to students in any degree program.

An electrical engineering program minor provides you with a foundation in learning energy systems, basic electrical science and digital design. Why choose to minor in electrical engineering? It is and will continue to be key to a future that balances energy resources and production with human quality of life. Many engineering students can complete the minor in four years.  

All courses are 3 credits unless noted.

Electrical Engineering Minor Core Requirements

Students are required to complete the following courses:

• ES250 Electrical Science 
• EE264 Introduction to Digital Design
• EE331 Energy Conversion 
• EE381 Electromagnetic Fields and Waves 

Electrical Engineering Minor Core Electives

Students must complete two of the following courses:

• EE221 Linear Circuits
• EE321 Systems and Signal Processing 
• EE324 (ME324) Dynamical Systems 
• EE333 Power System Engineering 
• EE341 Microelectronic Circuits 
• EE360 Microprocessors

Many engineers and scientists are employed in the materials processing and manufacturing industries. Increasing demands on the mechanical and environmental durability of national infrastructure require improving the strength and useful life of steels, concrete, ceramics and other engineering/structural materials. Space exploration and miniaturization of electronic devices, for example, are made possible by the development and processing of nanostructured composite materials through nanotechnology.

To help students improve employment opportunities in materials-related areas, Clarkson University's Coulter School of Engineering offers a minor in Materials Engineering for undergraduate students. 

A Clarkson undergraduate student can qualify for a Certificate from the Dean of the Coulter School of Engineering verifying satisfactory completion of the coursework necessary to create a minor in Materials Engineering.

Materials Engineering Curriculum

A Clarkson undergraduate student can qualify for a Certificate from the Dean of the Coulter School of Engineering verifying satisfactory completion of the coursework necessary to create a minor in Materials Engineering. 

Students seeking the minor must complete 2 required courses and 3 electives from the listed courses below for a minimum of 15 credit hours. Alternative elective courses can seek approval from the Materials Engineering Minor program director.* 

Required Courses for Materials Engineering 

• ES260 Materials Science and Engineering I
• ES360 Materials Science and Engineering II

Courses & Prerequisites (choose three from the two lists below):

Engineering Electives

• ES222 Strength of Materials 
  • Prerequisite: ES220 or permission of the instructor
• ES241 Solid-State Materials Systems for Advanced Technologies
  • Prerequisites: PH131, CM103 or CM131, MA131 and MA132
• ES361 Fine Particle Technology
  • Prerequisites: CM104 or CM132
• ES365 Polymer Materials 
  • Prerequisites: CM104 or CM132
• ES452 Biomaterials and Biomedical Applications
  • Prerequisites: Junior or Senior Standing
• ES464 Corrosion of Metals
  • Prerequisites: CM132 or CM104 and ES260 
• MSE451 Advanced Materials Characterization 
  • Prerequisites: CM371, CH210, PH132, and ES260 
• CE411 Construction Materials Engineering.
  • Co-requisite: CE441
• CE453 Properties and Performance of Concrete
  • Prerequisite: ES260
• CH441 Introduction to Nanophotonics 
  • Prerequisites: PH132 and MA232
• CH484 Polymer Engineering
  • Prerequisites: CH301 or ES330 (either can be taken as a co-requisite)
• EE341 Microelectronics
  • Prerequisite: ES250
• EE439 Dielectrics
• EE443 Semiconductor Material and Devices for Engineers
  • Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission by instructor
• AE/ME457 Composite Mechanics and Design
  • Prerequisites: ES222 and ES260
• ME390 Additive Manufacturing
  • Prerequisites: ES260 and ES222 or equivalent
• ME457 Composite Mechanics and Design 
  • Prerequisites: ES222 and ES260
• ME492 Welding Metallurgy
  • Prerequisites: ES260 and ME411

Science Electives

• CM221 Spectroscopy
  • Prerequisites: CM104 or CM132
• CM430 Colloids and Interfaces
• CM435 Better Materials through Chemistry
  • Prerequisite: CM241
• CM475 Sustainable Nanotechnology
  • Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission by instructor
• CM481 Computational Chemistry
  • Prerequisites: CM371 and CM372
• CM483 Introduction to Polymer Science
  • Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission by instructor
• CM485 Nanostructured Materials
  • Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission by instructor
• PH331 Quantum Physics
  • Prerequisites: PH231 and MA232
• PH341 Solid State Physics I
  • Prerequisites: PH231, or ES260, or permissions by instructor
• PH442 Solid State Physics II
  • Prerequisites: PH341 or permission by instructor
• PH487 Applications of Synchrotron and Electron Based Techniques
  • Prerequisites: PH132 or permission by instructor; ES260 and/or PH231

 *Possible alternative courses include those at the graduate level, such as:

• ME506 Mechanical Behavior of Materials
  • Prerequisite: permission by instructor
• ME508 Fracture Mechanics
  • Prerequisite: permission by instructor

The minor in Robotics is designed to provide students with a solid and coherent introduction to the field and consists of two parts: four required core courses (9 credit hours) to give students a strong, working foundation in the associated technology and three elective courses (9 credit hours) that allow students to explore various sub-areas within the field or specialize more deeply in one area. 

What is Robotics?

Robotics is an interdisciplinary field that involves the application of mechanical engineering, electrical, computer and software engineering, and computer science knowledge for the design, construction and operation of automated machines that can take the place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, or resemble humans in appearance, behavior, and/or cognition. 

Commercial and industrial robots are now in widespread use performing jobs more cheaply or with greater accuracy and reliability than humans, or that are too dirty, dangerous or dull to be suitable for humans, e.g., in manufacturing, assembly and packing, transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry, laboratory research, and the mass production of consumer and industrial goods. 

Robotics Core Courses

To graduate with a minor in Robotics, students must earn an average GPA of 2.0 in six courses (18 credit hours).

• MA339 - Applied Linear Algebra (3 credits) OR MA330 - Advanced Engineering Mathematics (3 credits)
• EE455 - Introduction to Mobile Robotics (3 credits)
• EE456 - Introduction to Robot Manipulators (3 credits)
• MP414 - Applied Robotics or equivalent robotics project experience (0 credits)

Robotics Elective Courses

With elective courses, some course substitutions are possible - a list of acceptable substitutions will be maintained by the Coulter School of Engineering in conjunction with the Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering department, the Electrical and Computer Engineering department, and the Computer Science department and updated annually. 

Electrical and Computer Engineering

• EE260 - Embedded Systems
• EE401 - Digital Signal Processing
• EE408 - Software Design For Visual Environments
• EE446 - Instrumentation
• EE450 - Control Systems
• EE451 - Digital Control
• EE452 - Optimization Techniques in Engineering
• EE465 - Computer Graphics
• EE506 - Image Processing and Computer Vision
• EE652 - Computer Vision

Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering

• ME385 - Design of Electromechanical Systems
• ME443 - Optimal Engineering
• ME444 - Computer Aided Engineering
• ME450 - Control Systems

Computer Science

• CS449 - Computational Learning
• CS451 - Artificial Intelligence
• CS452 - Computer Graphics
• CS459 - Human-Computer Interaction
• CS461 - Mixed Reality
• CS465 - Mobile Robotics/Human-Robot Interaction
• CS652 - Computer Vision