Guide to Engineering

Engineering Mechanics


What is Engineering Mechanics?

Mechanics pervades modern research and development problems. Current work in the field of engineering mechanics includes fluid flow, materials, vibrations and oscillations, fracture, turbulence, applied mathematics, elasticity and plasticity, large-scale computer simulations, acoustics, nonlinear dynamics and chaos, biomechanics, geophysical processes, combustion and detonation, microelectromechanical systems, space technology and exploration, energy development, and electronic packaging.

What do students with an Engineering Mechanics degree do?

Engineering mechanics is the basis of all the mechanical sciences: civil engineering, materials science and engineering, mechanical engineering, aeronautical and aerospace engineering. Students go on to pursue careers in research and development in all those fields.

Engineering Mechanics at UIUC

Engineering Mechanics (EM) is a fully accredited engineering program. It is a rigorous curriculum in the science of mechanics with an emphasis on physics and applied mathematics. Design experiences and computer applications are emphasized throughout. Students spend the first two years taking a set of core classes that emphasize a broad education covering the basic areas of science and engineering that are fundamental to all branches of engineering.
In addition to the classes required by the core curriculum, engineering mechanics allows students to specialize in one of several secondary fields. The secondary field is chosen in consultation with a faculty advisor and consists of 12 hours of course work in technical courses in mechanics and closely related subjects. During their junior and senior years, EM students specialize in one of the following areas of engineering mechanics:

Career Opportunities

Engineering mechanics provides excellent preparation for graduate study in mechanics and related areas. About half of all graduates enter graduate school immediately. Students not continuing full time in graduate school generally take project-management positions in industry, involving applications, design, testing, quality assurance, and customer support. The fundamental training in mechanics serves them well in both small and large corporations. Some recent larger companies that have hired bachelor.s degree engineering mechanics students include IBM, Boeing, Raytheon, and Caterpillar.

Why Engineering Mechanics?

The question you have now is this: Is engineering mechanics for you? Ask yourself these questions: Do you do well in and enjoy math and physics? Are you interested in how things work? Do you like tinkering with mechanical things? If you answer .yes. to these questions, then engineering mechanics may be for you.

Department Contact Information:

Department of Theoretical & Applied Mechanics
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
216 Talbot Laboratory, MC-262
104 S. Wright St.
Urbana, IL 61801

Telephone: 217-333-2322
Fax: 217 244-5707
Web page: http://www.tam.uiuc.edu

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