Mission & Program Educational Objectives

The mission of the Mechanical Engineering Department is to supply quality academic instruction through undergraduate, graduate, and graduate-professional degree programs, conduct fundamental and applied research that achieves national and international recognition, and provide professional service to its constituencies, all in support of broad societal needs and the institutional objectives of the University of Louisville.

Mechanical Engineering Program Educational Objectives (P.E.O.s)

These are the desired ends of our program and provide some detail on how the mission is to be attained.  Specifically, these should be achieved by our graduates once they’ve been in the workforce for three or four years.  At the B.Sc. level, the M.E. Department will produce graduates who:

  1.  Succeed as practicing mechanical engineers in government, industry, academia, and other economic sectors (shorthand reference: “Engineers in Industry”).
  2. Use their knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, engineering, and other disciplines to identify, define, and solve problems, and to anticipate the societal impact of their solutions (Problem Solving).
  3. Comply with professional ethics codes, practice sustainable engineering, undertake professional development, and engage in lifelong technical learning (Lifelong Learning).
  4. Display skills in teamwork, communication, critical thinking, and leadership (Communication and Leadership).

The M.Eng. program has expanded educational objectives consistent with ABET masters level criteria. The formal statement reads as follows:

The M.Eng. program supplements the accredited B.Sc. program with a year of graduate engineering studies. It permits students to make a seamless transition from baccalaureate-level to masters-level academic work, thereby solidifying and expanding attainment of the educational objectives and student outcomes associated with the B.Sc. program. It also includes the additional objective of producing graduates who in their career:

  1. Demonstrate an engineering knowledge base of greater depth and breadth than that expected of baccalaureate-only graduates, helping them understand and influence contemporary technological issues as engineering innovators and managers (M.Eng. Innovation).