Department of Mechanical Engineering

Virginia Tech Mechanical Engineering Educational Objectives & Program Outcome

 

The Mechanical Engineering program* is guided by a well-developed set of educational objectives and program outcomes. They are periodically revisited and refined in accordance with our committment to the continuous improvement of our program.

Our educational objectives are the long-term goals of our program. Our program's educational objectives are to produce graduates who utilize the following attributes in their professional careers to attain the indicated achievements:

  1. fundamental technical knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, and engineering to recognize, analyze and solve problems, and to apply these abilities to the generation of new knowledge, ideas or products in industry or government; and to implement these solutions in practice.
  2. practical experience to work well in local and international team environments and to become effective written and oral communicators, both for communicating ideas to other people, mentoring, and for learning from others.
  3. recognition of the importance of and engagement in life-long learning, whether through self-study, continuing education courses or workshops, or through formal graduate level education, and encourage others to have this same motivation.
  4. understanding of ethical responsibility and service toward their peers, employers, and society and follow these precepts in their daily lives.

The department is committed to providing students with an exceptional experience in both the theory and practice of mechanical engineering. Our program culminates in a two-semester senior capstone course in which students are required to apply classroom knowledge to complex engineering problems requiring teamwork, problem formulation, economic analysis, effective communication, and product realization. These projects are updated every year to ensure relevancy to contemporary technical issues and needs. The department encourages the involvement of undergraduate students and students outside the department and college in these projects. Hands-on involvement of our students in this course and other design projects is enabled by the Ware Lab where dedicated machining and welding facilities are located which exclusively serve the undergraduate program. A sophomore-level Manufacturing Processes Laboratory course and certification by a professional machinist are required prior to use of either of these shops. Throughout the curriculum an opportunity for professional development is provided by participation in student professional organizations, such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME.

Underlying our program's educational objectives are our program outcomes. These outcomes are associated with the courses found in our curriculum, and their attainment is assessed on a semester-by-semester basis by testing, surveys, and other assessment instruments.

Our program outcomes describe our efforts to ensure that our Mechanical Engineering students will have the following skills by the time they graduate:

  1. an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics (including multivariable calculus, differential equations linear algebra and statistics), science (including chemistry and in-depth calculus-based physics), and engineering
  2. an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
  3. an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
  4. an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams
  5. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
  6. an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
  7. an ability to communicate effectively
  8. the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
  9. a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
  10. a knowledge of contemporary issues
  11. an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

*The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, telephone: (410) 347-7700.

(updated April, 2008)