Of the many engineering disciplines, mechanical engineering is the broadest, encompassing a wide variety of engineering fields and many specialties. Although it is commonly assumed that mechanical engineers are automotive engineers, in fact, mechanical engineers are employed in an enormous range of technical areas including: acoustics, air-conditioning, automatic controls, computer-aided design, energy management, fluid dynamics, tribology, robotics, biomechanics, and turbomachinery, just to name a few. Mechanical engineering is a challenging, rewarding, and highly respected profession, a profession the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech supports through its commitment to excellence in its teaching, research, scholarship, and service missions.
Department Mission
Virginia Tech's Mechanical Engineering Department serves its students, alumni, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the nation through a variety of academic, community services, and research programs.
The Mechanical Engineering Department educates the engineers of tomorrow by integrating classroom theory and practical hands-on projects, by emphasizing the process of learning and critical thinking, by conducting original research, and by promoting professional relationships among the university, the business community, and engineering colleagues.
Statistics and Rankings
The Department of Mechanical Engineering is one of the largest departments within Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, awarding approximately 270 undergraduate, 50 masters of Science, and 15 Doctoral degrees annually. Virginia Tech's programs in Mechanical Engineering are consistently ranked in the top 10-15% of Mechanical Engineering Departments in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Currently (according to U.S. News & World Report rankings), our graduate program is ranked 15th in the nation(2007), and our undergraduate program is ranked 14th nationally (2006).
Office Location
The main office of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Virginia Tech is located in 100S Randolph Hall. Our office is open from 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday. If you need additional information or if you wish to speak with someone about our research, program offerings, etc., please call 540-231-7183.
News & Highlights:
Graduate Seminars:
Monday, February 8th | Rand 216 at 4pm: |
Monday, March 1st | MCB 113 at 10:10am: |
Monday, March 15th | MCB 113 at 10:10am: |