ME and BioE are both useful disciplines for students interested in engineering new tools and treatments for the health field. BioE undergraduates receive more fundamental training in chemistry and biology, which may include chemically constructing a nanoparticle or working with biological samples. ME students gain more training on how to create a medical device or diagnostic testing systems, such as engineering an antibody test to a device. 

The strong fundamental skills in solids, fluids and robotics provided by an ME education are all needed in the medical field. Technologies created by mechanical engineers work to improve mobility, better diagnose diseases, measure medication adherence using microfluidics and investigate the cardiovascular system through cell mechanics. 

Students can get involved in various undergraduate research opportunities, including hands-on collaborations with clinicians through the Engineering Innovation in Health program. An ME undergraduate class introduces biology fundamentals for engineers, covering mechanisms and biomechanics of DNA, proteins, cells, tissue and more. Equipped with versatile skills, ME graduates can readily move from one field to another. For example, someone creating titanium materials for the aerospace industry can transfer their skills to making prosthetics in the biotechnology field. 

ME provides a broad and versatile foundation that is valuable for students interested in aerospace. ME students acquire a deep understanding of core engineering principles such as mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics and materials science, all of which are crucial in aerospace applications. Courses in ME consider a wide range of conceptual and fundamental backgrounds, including but not limited to: thermodynamics to understand energy systems, manufacturing processes and material sciences to understand how to make things, and mechanics of materials to see how things break. ME students gain understanding on how to design automotive or airline structures, fabricate lightweight composites and advanced alloys, and more. 

While ME and A&A share common ground in foundational engineering concepts, they diverge in specialization and application. A&A majors focus more specifically on the principles governing flight, both within Earth’s atmosphere and in space. In contrast, ME students might study these principles more generally, with applications spanning a broader range of industries. A&A students typically engage in more specialized courses where they learn about the intricacies of designing engines and structural components specifically for aerospace vehicles. ME students, on the other hand, might take a more generalized approach to propulsion and structures, studying these topics with applications in various fields, including automotive, robotics, medical devices, soft matter and energy systems.

When deciding between ME and A&A, prospective students should consider their long-term career goals and interests. If a student is passionate about a broad range of engineering disciplines and wants flexibility in their career path, an ME degree offers diverse opportunities. Mechanical engineers can work in various industries, from aerospace to automotive, energy, manufacturing, biomedical and beyond. However, if a student has a strong interest in the specific challenges of flight, spacecraft and propulsion systems, and envisions a career focused primarily on the aerospace sector, an A&A degree might be more appropriate. Ultimately, both paths can lead to successful careers.

In both Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, students will learn basic mechanics, basic electronics and measurement and actuator technology. They learn similar concepts of dynamics and control theory. 

ME focuses on a broader perspective of how mechanics, hydraulics and heat play into mechatronic systems. In EE, there is less emphasis on physical moving systems, and more focus on properties of electrical components and signal processing considerations such as noise. Students who want to work on making a mechanical system work may be more interested in ME, while students who want to improve the electrical aspect may be more interested in EE.

Data is increasingly gathered from both physical experiments and simulations, making it important to make sense of complex information, build more effective models and predict outcomes. That’s why data science and machine learning (ML) — a process of building models to manage and describe complicated data sets and automate their analysis — are increasingly important tools for mechanical engineers. For example, being able to estimate fluid dynamic forces using data science enables engineers to build better fuel-efficient cars, artificial hearts and wind turbines. 

ML and AI will be critical in engineering our future. However, in the coming decades, these advances will increasingly involve physical and mechanical systems, not just advances in software. In an ME degree, students can learn about the interface of classical physics-based engineering and emerging techniques in ML for engineering. These involve robotics, digital twins, reduced-order models, accelerating simulations with ML, and leveraging simulation and experimental data with ML. Applications are tremendous, including robotics, health systems, advanced materials, energy systems and more.   

In ME, we focus on physics-informed ML, and ML for physical systems. This involves modeling for complex systems, as well as using known physics to improve machine learning for systems with limited and noisy data. We also focus on sensor systems, which generate the wealth of data used to train ML models, and control systems, which are where these models are most useful.  

ME provides a strong technical foundation in mechanical engineering that students can customize to their specific interests and apply to many different industries, from aerospace to medical device design. While HCDE and ME have overlap in their focus on design, ME also has core pillars in dynamics, mechanics and controls that support the development, testing and use of complex systems. 

In their final year in ME, students experience the rigor and structure of a full-cycle design, from defining the problem to developing and testing prototypes, through their capstone projects. 

ME is a core discipline that involves studying anything that moves. In undergraduate core classes, students learn about heat transfer, mechatronics, fluids, materials, system dynamics, machine design and manufacturing processes. Mechanical engineers have a broad enough understanding of engineering to converse with and understand issues within more specialized disciplines. For example, a foundation in dynamics could apply to biomechanics and gait analysis. Another example is that studying passive adaptive control strategies for underwater turbines requires awareness of energy, fluids, instrumentation, control and material science. 

The “systems engineering” aspect of ME touches on almost every other engineering discipline, as well as disciplines outside of engineering. For example, robotics is adjacent to electrical and computer engineering and several forms of energy conversion are adjacent to materials science and chemical engineering. 

Nearly 60% of recent graduates are employed full-time a few months after graduation. About 16% of recent BSME graduates pursue continuing education soon after graduation. There is  a growing number of full-time career opportunities for people who graduate with a BSME degree, with the 2022-23 projected job growth rate at 10%. 

Graduate school can be a great way to specialize and refine specific skills within an interest area, as well as lead to greater career mobility. Working as an engineer before attending graduate school helps you identify the areas of ME that you are most interested in and where you need more skills or depth to progress in your chosen industry. Working as an engineer for a few years can also help graduates gain financial stability and some companies may help pay for graduate education. Ph.D. degrees can open unexpected doors, with graduates starting their own company, working in academia and working in an R&D research lab, for example. Ph.D. candidates become in-depth critical thinkers and world-leading experts in their specific field.