Energy

The Mechanical Engineering department offers a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering with a concentration in energy. The energy concentration is intended for students who want to focus their mechanical engineering studies on energy production and utilization.

The energy concentration is designed to allow students to deeply explore how energy is produced and utilized. The efficient production and use of energy plays a vital role in our future as we strive to increase global equity and decrease environmental harm. Energy enables wealth generation and thereby powers economic prosperity, but choices about how energy is produced can have large environmental consequences.

The energy concentration includes courses on the basic sciences at the core of energy production, such as advanced fluid mechanics and thermodynamics, and also courses focused on the design and analysis of a wide variety of energy generation technologies including wind, solar, steam and tidal power.

Our program emphasizes hands-on education by providing small lab sections and lab and computer facilities dedicated to undergraduate teaching.

You'll choose from courses in thermal systems design, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, and wind power. The culmination of your work will be your senior project, which allows you to solve real-life engineering problems.

For the BS in mechanical engineering, you'll complete 40 credits in mechanical engineering courses and a total of 123 credits overall.

With the minor in mechanical engineering, you have the option to specialize in controls, design, manufacturing, and thermal sciences—or you may choose an open path of studies.

For the minor, you'll complete 20 to 22 credits.

UMassD advantages

Capstone projects: most senior engineering students work in small teams on real-world, industry-specific challenges that demand analysis, proposals, prototypes, and solutions
Experience: participate in co-op and internship programs to gain valuable experience with regional industries, often while also earning money for college
Community: join organizations such as the Society of Women Engineers, the National Society of Black Engineers, and Engineers Without Borders
New initiatives: collaborate, create, and explore at the Center for Scientific Computing and Visualization Research

Expand your opportunities

Accelerated BS/MS Program: This fast-track program enables qualified BS degree students in mechanical engineering to complete both the BS and the MS degrees.
MS in Mechanical Engineering: Expand your career options with a master's degree in mechanical engineering.
PhD Program in Engineering and Applied Science: Emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of modern research at the interfaces of engineering, the applied sciences, and technology.