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Home > 2013-14 Undergraduate Guide > 2013-14 Academic departments and programs > 2013-14 Mechanical Engineering

2013-14 Mechanical Engineering

Contact

Engineering Student Services

230 Bechtel Engineering Center # 1702
Berkeley, CA 94720-1702
(510) 642-7594
ess@berkeley.edu

Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

6141 Etcheverry Hall #1740
(510) 642-1338
me.berkeley.edu
Chair: David Dornfeld, Ph.D.

Department Overview

Mechanical engineers serve society by solving problems in transportation, energy, the environment, and human health. The activity of mechanical engineers extends from investigation of physical phenomena governing the behavior of our surroundings to the manufacture and evaluation of products. The technical domain of the mechanical engineering profession encompasses topic areas, including acoustics, automatic control, bioengineering, combustion, cryogenics, design, dynamics, energy conversion, engines, environment, heat transfer, lubrication, mass transfer, manufacturing and sustainability, materials processing, mechanics of solids and fluids, mechanisms, petroleum, plasma dynamics, propulsion, thermodynamics, vibration, and wave propagation.

Undergraduate Program

The undergraduate program in Mechanical Engineering at U.C. Berkeley seeks to provide students with a broad education emphasizing an excellent foundation in scientific and engineering fundamentals. The program prepares undergraduate students for employment or advanced studies with four primary constituencies: industry, the national laboratories, state and federal agencies, and academia (graduate research programs). The capstone of the program is the senior design experience, which assists in developing a deep understanding of the process. Detailed program information and Mechanical Engineering Minor information is on our website.

This program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

Joint Major Programs

The department offers two joint major programs with either the Department of Nuclear Engineering or the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Learn More About Our:

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Undergraduate Program in Mechanical Engineering*
Course Fall Spring
Freshman Year
Chemistry 1A and 1AL-General Chemistry or Chemistry 4A-General Chemistry and Quantitative Analysis(1)
4
–
E 7-Introduction to Computer Programming for Scientists & Engineers
–
4
Engineering 10-Engineering Design and Analysis(2)(6)
3
–
Mathematics 1A-Calculus
4
–
Mathematics 1B-Calculus
–
4
Physics 7A-Physics for Scientists and Engineers
–
4
Reading and Composition Course from List A(3)
4
–
Reading and Composition Course from List B(3)
–
4
Optional Freshman Seminar or E 92 (Survey Course)
1
1
Total
15-16
16-17
Sophomore Year
Engineering 28-Graphic Communication in Engineering
3
–
Mathematics 53-Multivariable Calculus 
4
–
Mathematics 54-Linear Algebra and Differential Equations
–
4
ME 40-Thermodynamics
–
3
ME C85-Introduction to Solid Mechanics
–
3
Physics 7B-Physics for Scientists and Engineers
4
–
Additional Humanities/Social Science Courses(3)
3-4
3-4
Total
14-15
13-14
Junior Year
EE 100-Electronic Techniques for Engineering
–
4
ME 104-Engineering Mechanics II (Dynamics)
3
–
ME 106-Fluid Mechanics
3
–
ME 108-Mechanical Behavior of Engineering Materials
4
–
ME 109-Heat Transfer
–
3
ME 132-Dynamic Systems and Feedback
–
3
Technical Electives(4)
3
3
Additional Humanities/Social Science Courses(3)
3-4
3-4
Total
16-17
16-17
Senior Year
ME 102A-Experimentation and Measurement
4
–
ME 102B-Mechanical Engineering Design
–
3
ME 107-Mechanical Engineering Laboratory
–
3
Technical Electives(4)
6
6
Free Electives(5)
3-4
3
Total
13-14
15

 

Notes

1Chemistry 4A is for students intending a major in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering.

2If the prerequisites are met, students may take E 7 in Fall and E 10 in Spring. (See E 7 readiness exam at coe.berkeley.edu/E7)

3The Humanities/Social Science (H/SS) requirement includes two approved reading and composition courses and four additional approved courses, with which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied.  Reading and Composition “A” and “B” must be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year.  The remaining courses may be taken at any time during the program.  See coe.berkeley.edu/hssreq for complete details and a list of approved courses.

4Technical Electives: 18 units of technical electives are required, of which at least 15 must be upper-division mechanical engineering courses.  Of these 15 units, 3 units must be a design course selected from the following list:      

  • E 128*-Advanced Engineering Design Graphics
  • ME 101-High Mix/Low Volume Manufacturing
  • ME 110-Introduction to Product Development
  • ME C117-Structural Aspects of Biomaterials
  • ME 119-Introduction to MEMS
  • ME 128-Computer-Aided Mechanical Design
  • ME 130-Design of Planar Machinery
  • ME 135-Design of Microprocessor-Based Mechanical Systems
  • ME 146-Energy Conversion Principles
  • ME 165-Ocean-Environment Mechanics
  • ME C176-Orthopedic Biomechanics

Also, one of the technical elective courses must be taken from the quantitative science list below: 

  • E 117*-Methods of Engineering Analysis
  • E 177*-Advanced Programming with MATLAB
  • Math 128A*-Numerical Analysis
  • ME 120-Computational Biomechanics Across Multiple Scales
  • ME C180-Engineering Analysis Using the  Finite Element Method

Any upper division course taught by mechanical engineering faculty may be used as part of the 15 units of upper-division mechanical engineering courses. In addition, any course listed above with an asterisk (*) can count toward the 15 unit upper division ME course requirement.

Students may receive up to three units of technical elective credit for work on a research project in either ME 196 (Undergraduate Research) or ME H194 (Honors Undergraduate Research-restrictions apply).

The other three (3) technical elective units can be chosen from courses in engineering, physical science, mathematics, or statistics. Physical science is defined to include physics, chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, and the biological sciences. Only one lower division course, chosen from the approved list below,  can be used to satisfy part of the technical elective requirement. This list consists of the following courses: Any lower division technical course required by another major in the College of Engineering; Astronomy 7A; Biology 1A, 1B; Chemistry 1B, 3A; Civil Engineering 70; Engineering 45; Molecular and Cell Biology 11, 32 (32L not required); and Statistics 20.
Technical Electives cannot include any course taken on a P/NP basis; courses numbered 24, 39, 84; BioE 100; CS C79, CS 195, CSH195; Engin 125, 130AC, 140; IEOR 190 series; IEOR 191; ME 191AC, 190K, 191K.

5Free electives can be any technical or non-technical course.  A course of your interest offered by any department at Cal; there are no restrictions.

6Junior Transfer admits are exempt from completing Engin 10.

* A minimum of 120 units is required for graduation.

Technical Electives

The following groups of elective courses should help undergraduates focus on their specific professional goals. The electives need not be from any single group. For the most current list, please see http://me.berkeley.edu/StudentAffairs/Courses/TechnicalElectives.html.

Biomechanical Engineering:
Biology 1A; EE C145B, C145L C145M; Integrative Biology 131, 132; ME C115, C117, 127, 133, 134, 135, C176, Molecular and Cell Biology*, 130

Combustion:
CE 111; Chem E 140, 141, 142; E 117; ME 140, 151

Computer-Aided Engineering:
E 128, 177; ME 128

Controls:
E 177; EE 120; ME 133, C134, 135, 146, 175, 190L, 190Y.

Energy:
EE 134, 137A, 137B; ME 140, 146

Environmental Engineering:
CE 111, 173, 175; ME 110, 140, 151, 165, 173; NE 162; Suggested non-technical courses: Architecture 100A, 100B, 140; Geography 144

Fluid Mechanics and Aeronautics:
E 117; CE 131; ME 133, C134, 151, 163, 165, 167, 173, 175, 185

General Mechanical Engineering:
E 117, 128; ME 110, 133, C134, 165, 173, 175, 190A

Heat and Mass Transfer:
Chem E 150B, 171; E 117; ME 140, 151

Materials Processing and Manufacturing Management:
E 120; ME 101, 110, 122, 127, 128, 133, C134, 151, 190A

Mechanical Engineering Design:
E 128; ME 110, 118, 119, 127, 128, 130, 133, C134, 135, 151, 165, C176

Mechatronics:
ME 101, 128, 130, 133, C134, 135

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS):
ME 118, 119, 138

Nuclear Engineering:
ME C134, 151, 173; NE 101, 120, 150; Physics 137A

Ocean Engineering:
ME 101, 127, 128, C134, 164, 165, 167; CE 120, 180

Robotics and Automation:
EE C125; ME 101, 133, C134, 135, 170, 175

Theoretical and Applied Mechanics:
E 117; Mathematics 104; ME 127, 133, C134, 163, 165, 170, 173, 175, C180, 185

* ME students are not required to take Molecular and Cell Biology 32L with Molecular and Cell Biology 32.

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