Undergraduate Course Catalog 2012-2013
College of Engineering and Physical Sciences
» http://www.ceps.unh.edu
Mechanical Engineering (ME)
» http://www.unh.edu/mechanical-engineering/
» Click to view course offerings
Chairperson: Todd S. Gross
Professor: Kenneth C. Baldwin, Barbaros Celikkol, Barry K. Fussell, Todd S. Gross, Robert Jerard, Joseph C. Klewicki, James E. Krzanowski, M. Robinson Swift, Igor I. Tsukrov
Affiliate Professor: Donald M. Esterling
Associate Professor: Gregory P. Chini, Diane L. Foster, Brad Lee Kinsey, John Philip McHugh, May-Win L. Thein
Assistant Professor: Yannis Korkolis, Yaning Li, Christopher M. White, Martin M. Wosnik
Affiliate Assistant Professor: Timothy Upton
The Mechanical Engineering Program at UNH is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012, (410) 347-7700.
Mission
In support of the University and college missions, the Department of Mechanical Engineering is dedicated to educating the highest quality engineering professionals and leaders. Graduates will be prepared to creatively solve engineering problems through the use of analysis, computation, and experimentation. Students completing the program should be well-informed citizens who have the ability to grow intellectually and are able to solve new, challenging problems with self-confidence. It is the department’s intent to maintain a general and flexible curriculum that prepares students for both industrial practice and graduate education.
Educational Objectives
The goal of the UNH mechanical engineering program is to produce graduates who are good professionals and good citizens who 1) skillfully apply the fundamental principles of mathematics, science, and engineering; 2) solve engineering problems by integrating strong design, analysis, and experimental abilities with excellent communication skills; 3) successfully contribute to their respective corporate, government, or academic organizations; 4) demonstrate continuous growth by assuming positions of leadership in their profession, or by becoming successful entrepreneurs; by successfully completing advanced degrees and professional education; 5) are broadly educated citizens of society with an understanding of the impact of engineering solutions in a global/societal context; and 6) demonstrate a high level of personal and social integrity through their ethical behavior and service to their peers, employers, communities, the nation, and the world.
Mechanical engineering is a challenging profession encompassing research, design, development, and production of aerospace vehicles, underwater vessels, instrumentation and control systems, nuclear and conventional power plants, and consumer and industrial products in general. The profession also makes contributions through more fundamental studies of material behavior, the mechanics of solids and fluids, and energy transformation. Additional information can be found at the mechanical engineering website, www.unh.edu/mechanical-engineering.
The Program
The program begins with courses in physics, mathematics, chemistry, and computer-aided design. The department has a four-semester mechanics thread, a four-semester thread in the thermal/fluid sciences, and a three-semester thread in systems and controls. Modern experimental methods are taught in a two-semester course starting in the junior year. The two-semester senior design project requires students to utilize the skills they have learned in their courses and to learn how to function in an engineering team. The five technical electives offered in the program give the students the opportunity to focus on advanced technical areas of their choice.
With their advisers’ assistance, students should plan a program, based on the following distribution of courses, that totals not less than 128 credits. The outline that follows is typical only in format. Within the constraints of satisfying all the requirements and having all the necessary prerequisites, schedules may vary because of scheduling needs or student preference. Some mechanical engineering elective courses may not be offered every year.
The mechanical engineering program curriculum requires five technical elective courses of at least three credits each. These may be selected from 600-700 level courses in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, except for one course that may be selected from one of the following 400-500 level courses: ME 442, ME 542, ENE 520, ESCI 501, and ECE 543.
With departmental approval, two technical electives can be used for studying a focused area such as a foreign language, professional program, or minor, with the restriction that only one course can be at the 400 or 500 level. The five technical elective courses should be selected in consultation with a departmental adviser to lead to a balanced program that addresses chosen areas of interest.
Students must satisfy the University’s Discovery Program requirements. The following features are unique to students in the mechanical engineering program:
- All students are required to take an Inquiry course or an Inquiry Attribute course during their first two years. This can be satisfied with ME 441. Students who are exempted from ME 441 due to prior CAD experience must select an Inquiry 444 course or a course with an Inquiry Attribute.
- The Discovery Environment, Technology, and Society category requirement is met upon receiving a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering.
- The Discovery Social Science category must be satisfied with either ECON 402 or EREC 411.
- The Discovery senior capstone experience is satisfied with either ME 755 and 756 or TECH 797.
Some programs may require additional elective courses to reach the minimum of 128 credits required for graduation. Other programs may exceed 128 credits to include all the required courses.
In order to graduate in the mechanical engineering major, students must have at least a 2.0 grade-point average in all engineering and science courses, including required technical electives, normally taken as department requirements after the start of the junior year.
Predictor courses: To enter the junior-year courses in the mechanical engineering major, students must achieve a minimum grade-point average of 2.0 with no grade below C- in the following courses: PHYS 407, MATH 426, ME 525, ME 526, and ME 503.
First Year
| Abbreviation | Course Number | Title | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MATH | 425 | Calculus I | 4 | - |
| *CHEM | 405 | General Chemistry | 4 | - |
| ME | 441 | Engineering Graphics | 4 | - |
| Discovery Program Elective | 4 | - | ||
| MATH | 426 | Calculus II | - | 4 |
| PHYS | 407 | General Physics I | - | 4 |
| Discovery Program Elective | - | 4 | ||
| English | 401 | - | 4 | |
| Total | 16 | 16 |
*CHEM 403 and CHEM 404, General Chemistry, may be substituted for CHEM 405.
PHYS 407 or CHEM 405 satisfies the Discovery Physical Science (with lab) category.
MATH 425 satisfies the Discovery Foundation Quantitative Reasoning category.
ENGL 401 satisfies the Discovery Foundation Writing Skills category.
ME 441 satisfies the Discovery Inquiry requirement.
Sophomore Year
| Abbreviation | Course Number | Title | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **MATH | 527 | Differential Equations | - | 4 |
| **MATH | 528 | Multidimensional Calculus | 4 | - |
| ME | 525 | Statics | 3 | - |
| ME | 503 | Thermodynamics | - | 3 |
| ME | 561 | Introduction to Materials Science | - | 4 |
| PHYS | 408 | General Physics II | 4 | - |
| Technical Elective | 3-4 | - | ||
| ME | 526 | Mechanics of Materials | - | 3 |
| Discovery Program Elective | 4 | |||
| Total | 18-19 | 14 |
**MATH 525 and 526, Linearity, may be substituted for MATH 527 and 528, and a technical elective course.
Junior Year
| Abbreviation | Course Number | Title | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery Program Elective | 4 | - | ||
| ME | 608 | Fluid Dynamics | 3 | - |
| ME | 627 | Dynamics | 3 | - |
| ME | 643 | Machine Design | 3 | |
| ECE | 537 | Introduction to Electrical Engineering | 4 | - |
| ME | 603 | Heat Transfer | - | 3 |
| ME | 646 | Experimental Measurement & Data Analysis | - | 4 |
| ME | 670 | Systems Modeling, Simulation, & Control | - | 4 |
| CS | 410 | Intro to Scientific Programming | 4 | |
| Total | 18 | 14 |
Senior Year
| Abbreviation | Course Number | Title | Fall | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ME | 705 | Thermal System Analysis and Design | 4 | - |
| ***ME | 755 | Senior Design Project I | 2 | - |
| ME | 747 | Experimental Measurement & Modeling | 4 | - |
| Discovery Program Elective | 4 | - | ||
| Technical Elective | 3-4 | - | ||
| ME | 756 | Senior Design Project II | - | 2 |
| Technical Elective | - | 3-4 | ||
| Technical Elective | - | 3-4 | ||
| Discovery Program Elective | - | 4 | ||
| Technical Elective | 3-4 | |||
| Total | 17-18 | 15-18 |
***TECH 797, Undergraduate Ocean Research Project, may be substituted for ME 755 and ME 756. These courses satisfy the Discovery Senior Capstone Experience category.
Mechanical Engineering Minor
The minor, administered by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is open to all students of the University and offers a broad introduction to mechanical engineering.
Students must complete a minimum of six courses as follows: ME 441, ME 525, ME 526, ME 627, ME 503, and ME 608. Electrical and Computer Engineering majors should take the following courses: ME 441, ME 523, ME 526, ME 503, ME 608, and ME 561. Interested students should contact the mechanical engineering chair, Todd Gross, (603) 862-2445.
Materials Science Minor
The minor, administered by the Department of Mechanical Engineering, is open to all students of the University and offers a broad introduction to materials science.
Students must complete at least 18 credits and a minimum of five courses as follows: ME 561 (required); ME 760 (required); and ME 730 (required); and two additional courses from the following: 731, 744, 761, 762, 763, and 795 (materials).
By mid-semester of their junior year, interested students should consult the minor supervisor, James E. Krzanowski, Department of Mechanical Engineering, (603) 862-2315.
