Do you like math, but wonder what it really can be used for? Or do you like to understand how things work with your hands and your head? Do you see energy and mechanical problems that need smart solutions? Then consider harnessing the power of mechanical engineering!
Behind every automobile, elevator, bicycle, wind turbine, airplane, engine, and water pump, mechanical engineers are designing solutions to help us transport and power our world. These machines and energy systems make the dark light, the slow fast, and the weak strong. By designing and building better technology, we can move faster with less power, save lives with artificial hearts and search-and-rescue robots, build safer, more profitable automated manufacturing systems, reduce traffic with high-speed trains, reduce pollution with more environmentally-friendly power generation such as solar energy systems, wind turbines or fuel cells – these are just some of the creative products designed and developed by mechanical engineers.
Mechanical engineers are designers and problem solvers. They use the powerful tools of math, science, and technology to analyze and solve problems, but they must also use their knowledge of society and inner creativity to come up with the best solutions to society's needs. Your concerns, curiosities, and passions are sources of knowledge and powerful motivators – coupled together with a deeply enriching and empowering engineering education – you can go anywhere!
A degree in mechanical engineering can lead to careers in many fields: design, patent law, manufacturing, research and development, biomedical engineering, technical consulting, product testing, technical sales, administration, and higher education. Today's mechanical engineer may work in many different industries: automotive, aerospace, power generation, chemical, solar, petroleum, plastics, and metal processing are some of the possibilities. And within each industry no career is exactly the same: automotive engineers, for example, are involved in every aspect of vehicle design, from creating an aerodynamic exterior to the details of wiring and engine efficiency under the hood, from the safety of new air bag designs to the innovation of a new suspension system.
Graduates from the ME program at Ohio University have gone on to work for leading companies including Boeing, Daimler Chrysler, General Electric, Goodyear, Honda, and NASA, and some have been hired to work for professional racing teams and experimental aircraft manufacturers. Some of our graduates have also used their ME degree as a robust preparation for the challenges of law school, medicine, and MBA programs.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering grants B.S. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering, and a Ph.D. degree in integrated engineering. A biomedical M.S. program is now accepting applications for fall 2007.
