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What is Mechanical Engineering?

Get a Master's in Mechanical Engineering

The Mechanical Engineering B.S.

Mechanical engineering is all about putting things in motion.

As an academic discipline, it focuses on the analysis, design, fabrication, testing and installation of systems—machines, engines, products and technologies.

With a broad set of technical skills, mechanical engineers find careers in a wide range of industries from aerospace and defense to health care and energy.

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Why Choose Florida Tech for Mechanical Engineering?

Put your career in motion with a degree in mechanical engineering from Florida Tech. Here, you will develop a strong background in how to think like an engineer, gain practical experience with instrumentation and thermal systems, and learn from an expert faculty.

Our expert faculty is one reason we’re among the best schools for mechanical engineering. You’ll learn from well-established professors with research interests in design, structures, mechanisms, thermal-fluid sciences and materials science, among many other areas.

You’ll spend a lot of time in Florida Tech’s F.W. Olin Engineering Complex, a state-of-the-art facility featuring high-tech learning spaces and equipment. Specific to the bachelor’s in mechanical engineering program, you’ll find the Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, Shock Tube and Rocket Test Stand, Robotics Laboratory, Dynamic Systems and Controls Lab, Aerospace Systems and Propulsion Laboratory and Materials Testing Laboratory.

Florida Tech’s mechanical engineering B.S. offers unparalleled internship opportunities with companies around the Space Coast and beyond. You’ll spend a semester (or more) learning alongside professional engineers to solve real-world problems in the field. It’s not uncommon for internships to turn into full-time job opportunities.

Add a career-focused specialization to your mechanical engineering degree. Additional training in a subfield like design and manufacturing, energy systems or robotic and control will help set you apart from other candidates.

Our location in Florida’s High-Tech Corridor gives you access to incredible internship opportunities and after-graduation mechanical engineering jobs with organizations like Lockheed Martin, NASA, Boeing Co. and GE.

Careers in Mechanical Engineering

Our graduates pursue mechanical engineering jobs with companies and organizations such as NASA, Collins Aerospace, L3Harris Technologies Inc., Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Northop Grumman Corp., Blue Origin, Stanley Black & Decker and various state and federal government agencies. And they serve in a variety of roles, including:

  • Design engineer
  • Electronics engineer
  • Ground support equipment (GSE) engineer
  • Manufacturing engineer
  • Mechanical engineer
  • Nuclear engineer
  • Ocean engineer
  • Process/mining engineer
  • Propulsion systems engineer
  • Systems engineer

Looking ahead to your future career can be exciting! Keep in mind that certain roles may entail additional prerequisites, such as an advanced degree.

Florida Tech Career Services assists students, alumni and employers in their search for careers and employee candidates. We help students develop career plans and job-search skills. Explore our Career Toolbox to learn more about our services and access additional resources.

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), provides information about specific jobs including median annual pay, working conditions and job outlook, among other things. Check the handbook for information on mechanical engineering salary and career outlook.

Advanced Degree Options

After earning their bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, our students pursue graduate and professional degrees in a range of engineering, management and business fields, including these programs at Florida Tech:

Explore the Mechanical Engineering, B.S., Curriculum

The Mechanical Engineering, B.S., Curriculum

The mechanical engineering B.S. begins with foundational classes in mathematics, physics and engineering. Then, you’ll dive deeper into the engineering sciences with coursework in areas like thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. The program rounds out with technical electives and a capstone project.

Classes include:

  • Mechanics of Materials
  • Design of Machine Elements
  • Control Systems

Check the catalog for a description of all courses.

Download the Mechanical Engineering, B.S. Curriculum now!

Get Involved. Take the Lead.

Leelai Hayslett, mechanical engineering graduate

As you earn your bachelor’s in mechanical engineering, you’ll find plenty of ways to get involved across campus and maybe even take on a leadership role. Florida Tech is home to 200-plus student clubs and organizations, several of which will appeal to future mechanical engineers, including:

In particular, membership in these student chapters of ASME and AIAA present opportunities for guest speakers, facility tours, competitions, conferences and other career development activities.

Learn more about Mechanical Engineering at Florida Tech on the website.

The Mechanics of Collaboration: Senior Design Showcase

A hallmark of Florida Tech’s mechanical engineering B.S. is an annual senior design showcase, at which you’ll present your capstone project to a panel of industry experts.

Leading up to this milestone moment, you’ll have spent two semesters collaborating with a small group of your peers to develop a solution to a real-world need. You’ll put everything you’ve learned into practice as you conceptualize, design and construct a machine, gadget or structure.

Past student design teams brought to life:

  • Panther 1 Pathfinder Rocket
  • Formula SAE Racecar
  • The Racing Electric Vehicle
  • The Performance Hybrid Race Car

Industry partners often serve as clients for these projects, providing specs and a budget. For example, in 2022, the U.S. Navy enlisted a student team to help develop a payload device.

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The Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor of Science) program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Mechanical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. Additional information can be found on the department’s ABET information page.

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