Electives for Mechanical Engineering

The information below details information regarding electives and technical electives for undergraduate students in Mechanical Engineering.

The BSME curriculum requires students to take three technical electives and two MIE electives. A maximum of one course from each of these categories can be taken outside of MIE. Any ME technical elective would also satisfy a MIE elective requirement, however MIE electives do not fulfill a technical elective requirement. Other technical courses in Engineering, Math, CS, Kinesiology, and science departments might be acceptable as either an elective or a technical elective. If the course is not listed below, please e-mail your student number and the course description to Dr. Sheehan for approval.

Please note that any course listed below is an approved technical elective or elective. Be sure to carefully read the categories below to determine if the course satisfies the elective or technical elective requirement prior to enrollment. In addition, please verify your eligibility to take the listed electives by reviewing their associated pre-requisite courses in SPIRE.

In your ARR, if the course is listed in the “other courses” section, please message Kevin Romani, who will make the ARR adjustment for you. If it is a course that was taken in a previous semester, he will make the change immediately. For any classes in progress, please wait to request the ARR adjustment until after the add/drop period ends.

ME Technical Electives

Students should determine the area of ME that most interest them and consider elective courses whenever they qualify. To assist in that endeavor, the following themes are offered with potential technical electives to support your interests (including the upcoming semesters that will tentatively be offered).

  1. Aerospace*:
    • MIE 439 – Introduction to Flight: S27
    • MIE 440 – Aerospace Fluid Mechanics: S27
    • MIE 441 – Internal Combustion Engines: S27
    • MIE 442 – Propulsion Systems Performance, Analysis & Design: S27

    • MIE 446 – Mechanics of Aerospace Structures: F26

      *Note that the Certificate in Aerospace Engineering requires three additional classes beyond your BS requirements; only two courses can satisfy both a certificate (or minor) and your undergraduate degree.

  2. Biomechanics:
    • MIE 443 – Mechatronics: every fall
    • MIE 458 – Connections in Medicine, Biology, & Engineering: S28
  3. Design:
    • MIE 414 – Industry-Sponsored Mechanical Design (prior to MIE 415): every fall
    • MIE 550 – Vehicle Automation: S28
    • MIE 556 – Augmented and Virtual Reality Design: every fall
    • MIE 562 – Power Systems Design: S27
  4. Dynamic Systems and Control:
    • MIE 485 – Vibrations: F26
    • MIE 490N – Numerical Methods: TBD
    • MIE 510 – Feedback Control Systems: F26
  5. Energy Conversion:
    • MIE 570 – Solar & Direct Energy Conversion: every spring
    • MIE 573 – Engineering Windpower Systems: every fall
    • MIE 649 – Coastal & Ocean Waves: TBD (requires instructor approval)
    • MIE 652 – Ocean Renewable Energy: F26 (requires instructor approval)
  6. Manufacturing:
    • MIE 422 – Statistical Quality Control: every fall
    • MIE 477 – Production Quality and Control: every spring
    • MIE 522 – Predictive Analytics & Statistical Learning: every spring
    • MIE 524 – Machine Learning for Dynamic Decision-Making: S27
    • MIE 553 – Industrial Automation: every fall
    • MIE 578 – Supply Chain Logistics: S28
    • MIE 690 STB – Industry 4.0 Tech & Systems: every spring (requires instructor approval)
  7. Other*:
    • BCT 540
    • CHE 555
    • CEE 430/530, 462
    • CS 403
    • KIN 460, 530
    • MATH 425, 456, 545, 551, 552
    • MIE 496 (Independent Study; see Reg. Notes for form and instructions)
    • MIE 499 P/T (Honors Thesis Part II; for CHC students only & enrolled by CHC)

*ME students may need special permission from the course department to enroll in the classes below. Please first read the course description of the class in SPIRE to see if enrollment instructions are provided. If not, please contact either the instructor or the course’s home department for assistance.

MIE Elective

Students should determine the area of ME that most interest them and consider elective courses whenever they qualify. To assist in that endeavor, the following themes are offered with potential electives to support your interests (including the upcoming semesters that will tentatively be offered). Please note that the MIE elective requirement can also be satisfied with the ME technical electives listed above.

  1. Mechanical and Industrial Engineering:
    • MIE 360 – Human Factors Engineering; every spring
    • MIE 373 – Intro to Simulation Methods; every spring
    • MIE 379 – Deterministic Operations Research; every fall
    • MIE 380 – Operations Research II; every fall
    • MIE 381H – Inclusive Design in Healthcare; every fall
    • MIE 386H – Climate and Energy Justice; ever spring
    • MIE 396 – Independent Study (see Reg. Notes for form and instructions)
    • MIE 398T – Practicum (Required for first time TAs); every semester
    • MIE 499 Y – Honors Thesis Part I (for CHC students only; enrolled by CHC)
  2. STEM*:
    • CEE 310, 331
    • CS119, CICS 110, or ECE 122 (if none were used to satisfy MIE 124)
    • CICS 210, ECE 241
    • BCT 211, 550
    • CHEM 112
    • KIN 236, 430
    • MATH 235
  3. Other*:
    • Engineering Management Minor (EMM) courses
    • MSEM courses (645, 646, 664, 670, 671, etc)

*ME students may need special permission from the course department to enroll in the classes above. Please first read the course description of the class in SPIRE to see if enrollment instructions are provided. If not, please contact either the instructor or the course’s home department for assistance.

 

Last updated August 2026