Undergraduate Programs

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) offers an ABET-accredited Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering and a five-year combined Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree. Students majoring in mechanical engineering may also elect to study one of the several options offered by the department in: aerospace engineering, patent law, biomechanical engineering, or medical preparation.

Understanding Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

What is Mechanical Engineering?

Mechanical engineering is the broadest of the engineering disciplines, ranging from nanotechnology to large scale manufacturing. Mechanical engineers are concerned with the principles of force, energy and motion, and they work on the design and manufacture of mechanical systems and thermal devices and processes. A few examples of products and processes developed by mechanical engineers include engines and control systems for automobiles and aircraft, robots, and lifesaving medical devices.  

What is Aerospace Engineering?

Aerospace engineers design or build aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles. They also test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design. They are employed primarily in manufacturing, in industries that perform research and development, and in the federal government.

Career paths:

GW’s mechanical and aerospace engineering degree equips students to succeed in a wide variety of exciting and challenging occupations in industry, government and academia. Graduates may choose paths related to manufacturing, engineering management, research and development, fundamental research, defense applications or policy development, among others.  Recent graduates of our department have joined Boeing, Ford, General Dynamics, iRobot, Leidos, Lockheed Martin, and Microsoft, and government agencies such as the Naval Research Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.  Some graduates may wish to pursue advanced degrees that would enable them to work at the intersection of engineering with other fields, such as medicine, biology or physics.  Finally, graduates may also seek advanced degrees in order to pursue careers as university professors. Our recent graduates have commenced Ph.D. studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other top graduate engineering programs. 

Bachelor of Science Degree Program

• Prospective and first-year students:  Please visit the GW Bulletin to find the BS in Mechanical Engineering program requirements.
• All other current students: Please visit the curriculum sheets page on this site to find the program requirements for your degree program.  Each student must follow the curriculum in place during his or her year of entry.

Combined Five-year Bachelor's/Master's Programs: All Students

Please visit our Graduate Admissions site to learn about the program requirements for our combined five-year Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering/Master of Science in mechanical and aerospace engineering degree program.

 

 

 

If you're interested in pursuing a minor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, you can explore the MAE minor requirements here: MAE Minor Requirements.