The Mechanical Engineering Academic Curriculum
The Mechanical Engineering undergraduate curriculum contains a core of basic subjects that must be taken by all students. The second and third years provide courses in mechanical engineering and electrical engineering with further development in mathematics and physics. In fourth year, a significant two-term capstone design project will be undertaken that will facilitate and promote integration of the knowledge and skills acquired in previous years of study and development of project management skills. Opportunities for more in-depth study in theme areas exist during the fourth year, where a choice of technical elective courses arranged into five different theme areas of expertise is available. Students may also choose to take the Welding and Joining Specialization. Five required non-technical Complementary Studies Elective (CSE) courses are distributed throughout the curriculum but do not appear in all terms.
The following is the Mechanical Engineering core curriculum, excluding first year.
Credit Courses
- ME 201 Advanced Calculus
- ME 202 Statistics for Engineers
- ME 203 Ordinary Differential Equations
- ME 212 Dynamics
- ME 219 Mechanics of Deformable Solids 1
- ME 220 Mechanics of Deformable Solids 2
- ME 230 Control of Properties of Materials
- ME 250 Thermodynamics 1
- ME 262 Introduction to Microprocessors and Digital Logic
- ME 269 Electromechanical Devices and Power Processing
- ME 303 Advanced Engineering Mathematics
- ME 321 Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines
- ME 322 Mechanical Design 1
- ME 340 Manufacturing Processes
- ME 351 Fluid Mechanics 1
- ME 353 Heat Transfer 1
- ME 354 Thermodynamics 2
- ME 360 Introduction to Control Systems
- ME 362 Fluid Mechanics 2
- ME 380 Mechanical Engineering Design Workshop
- ME 481 Mechanical Engineering Design Project 1
- ME 482 Mechanical Engineering Design Project 2
Non-Credit Courses
Note
In fourth year, a two-term Mechanical Engineering capstone design project must be undertaken under the auspices of ME 481 in the 4A term and ME 482 in the 4B term. This project may include involvement in either an inter-varsity student design competition team, or small group design project of the student's choosing.
Term-by-Term Curriculum
- Term 1A (Fall):
- Term 1B (Winter/Spring):
- Term 2A (Fall/Winter):
- Term 2B (Fall/Spring):
- Term 3A (Winter/Spring):
- Term 3B (Fall/Winter):
- Term 4A (Fall/Spring):
- Term 4B (Winter):
Electives
Complementary Studies Electives
All Engineering students are required to take complementary studies electives (CSEs), as described in Complementary Studies Requirements for Engineering Students. Students entering this plan will take MSCI 261 - Engineering Economics: Financial Management for Engineers (a List B CSE course) plus four Complementary Studies Elective courses in other non-technical subjects. The grades obtained in these courses will be included in the calculation of term averages. Credit for an additional complementary studies elective is earned by obtaining satisfactory evaluations for the required work-term reports. These reports are based on work-term experience and are intended to develop skill in technical report writing; further information on work-term reports can be found in the section on Examinations and Promotions.
Technical Electives
Seven technical electives (TEs) are required in addition to the core courses listed above to fulfil the requirements of the Mechanical Engineering curriculum.
It is possible to combine courses from different theme areas or specialization, to take courses from other departments, and in some circumstances to take graduate-level courses. Students who are contemplating graduate study are particularly urged to discuss their study plans with a faculty member.
Students are responsible for selecting their own combination of electives, in keeping with their ultimate career objective after graduation. To assist in ensuring that course selections satisfy all academic requirements, students (as well as students who have an unusual career goal in mind) are encouraged to discuss and obtain approval by the Department of Mechanical Engineering's undergraduate advisor and/or the associate chair. Students may take any desired combination of technical electives or they may take a majority of their technical electives from one of the theme areas or specialization listed below.
As a guide, typical lists of technical elective courses for the five theme areas and the Welding and Joining Specialization within the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering are given below. Students may take any desired combination of technical electives or they may choose to take a majority of their technical electives from one of the theme areas or specialization. Note that undergraduate students who complete the basic courses in each theme area or the Welding and Joining Specialization (see below) will be permitted and encouraged to take relevant Mechanical Engineering graduate courses in that area.
Automation and Control
- ME 435 Industrial Metallurgy
- ME 538 Welding Design, Fabrication and Quality Control
- ME 547 Robot Manipulators: Kinematics, Dynamics, Control
- ME 548 Numerical Control of Machine Tools 1
- ME 555 Computer-Aided Design
- ME 559 Finite Element Methods
- ME 561 Fluid Power Control Systems
Fluid Mechanics
- ME 562 Experimental Methods in Fluids
- ME 563 Turbomachines
- ME 564 Aerodynamics
- ME 566 Computational Fluid Dynamics for Engineering Design
- ME 567 Fire Safety Engineering
- ME 571 Air Pollution
Machine Design and Solid Mechanics
- ME 423 Mechanical Design 2
- ME 435 Industrial Metallurgy
- ME 524 Advanced Dynamics and Vibrations
- ME 526 Fatigue and Fracture Analysis
- ME 538 Welding Design, Fabrication and Quality Control
- ME 555 Computer-Aided Design
- ME 559 Finite Element Methods
- ME 574 Engineering Biomechanics
Materials Engineering and Processing
- ME 435 Industrial Metallurgy
- ME 436 Welding and Joining Processes
- ME 526 Fatigue and Fracture Analysis
- ME 531 Physical Metallurgy Applied to Manufacturing
- ME 533 Non-metallic and Composite Materials
- ME 535 Welding Metallurgy
- ME 538 Welding Design, Fabrication and Quality Control
Thermal Engineering
- ME 452 HVAC Load Analysis and Design Fundamentals
- ME 456 Heat Transfer 2
- ME 459 Energy Conversion
- ME 557 Combustion 1
- ME 559 Finite Element Methods
- ME 567 Fire Safety Engineering
- ME 571 Air Pollution
- ME 572 Building Energy Analysis
- ME 573 HVAC Systems, Equipment, and Energy Efficiency
Welding and Joining Specialization
Students may also choose to take the Welding and Joining Specialization. The normal sequence of courses for this specialization is outlined below.
Only Mechanical Engineering students may take the Welding and Joining Specialization. To earn the Welding and Joining Specialization designation, students must take five specific technical electives in their 4A and 4B terms: ME 435, ME 436, ME 526, ME 535, ME 538.
A minimum average of 60% in the five specialization courses and a minimum grade of 50% in each of the five courses is required. For students that take and meet the specialization requirements, the credential is recognized on both the diploma and the transcript.
Specialization Sequence
- Term 4A (Fall/Spring): ME 400A, ME 481, ME 435, ME 436, TE, one CSE
- Term 4B (Winter): ME 400B, ME 482, ME 526,
ME 535, ME 538, TE, one CSE