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Jamil A. Khan, Chair

Overview

The Department of Mechanical Engineering offers the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree with a major in mechanical engineering. The mechanical engineer is concerned with the design, development, and manufacture of both mechanical and thermal systems. These systems may vary from the internal combustion engine to power automobiles and airplanes to the use of computer vision in biomedical and automated manufacturing applications.

The objectives of the mechanical engineering undergraduate program are: to educate students in the application of mathematics, science, and engineering principles for solving mechanical engineering problems; to develop students’ professional skills that enable a successful career; and to provide students with the broad education necessary to practice engineering in a global and societal context.

These objectives are met through a curriculum that provides a strong foundation in the basic and applied sciences and in the liberal arts, with increasing emphasis on mechanical engineering topics in the junior and senior years. The curriculum also includes a wide variety of technical electives, a series of engineering laboratory courses to supplement the theory presented in lecture as well as liberal arts courses to give the mechanical engineering student a well-balanced education. A capstone senior design experience gives the student opportunities to integrate and apply the knowledge and skills learned throughout the mechanical engineering curriculum.

The department, jointly with the Department of Chemical Engineering, offers a major in biomedical engineering. Degree requirements for biomedical engineering are listed under the college offerings at www.sc.edu/bulletin/ugrad/EngrHome.html.

Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees Accelerated Program

The Bachelor’s/Master’s Degrees Accelerated Program in Mechanical Engineering allows undergraduate students to complete both the B.S.E. degree and M.E. or M.S. degree in as few as five years. The use of dual credit—courses that can be used toward both degrees—enables acceleration of the program, reducing the total enrollment of the student by one semester.

Mechanical engineering undergraduate students may apply for approval of an accelerated education plan in the semester in which they will complete 90 hours of undergraduate course work. In addition, students must have a sufficient foundation in mechanical engineering course work to enable them to take graduate-level courses. University and department regulations stipulate that applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.40, both overall and in mechanical engineering courses. Students in the accelerated program must maintain a GPA of 3.40 while pursuing the B.S.E. degree.

Students applying to this program must submit to The Graduate School a completed “Application for Admission to a Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Education Plan” with endorsements of the undergraduate advisor, the department graduate director, and the department chair. The dean of The Graduate School has final authority for approving accelerated education plans. A “Senior Privilege Course Work Authorization” must be submitted for each semester in which one or more of these courses are taken.

Participation in the accelerated program does not require acceptance into The Graduate School. After completing the B.S.E. degree, students wishing to continue toward a master’s degree in mechanical engineering at USC must apply formally to The Graduate School by submitting the appropriate form and required supporting documents. Students in the accelerated program will be eligible for graduate assistantships upon admission to The Graduate School.

Only graduate-level courses (numbered 500 and above, including up to three credit hours of project/research work leading to a master’s thesis) satisfying both B.S.E. and masters degree requirements may be used for dual credit. No more than nine credit hours may be used as dual credit. The graduate courses used for dual credit must be taken during the students final undergraduate year. No more than nine credit hours (including those obtained under senior privilege and the college’s Plan “M” for undergraduate juniors and seniors) may be applied toward a master’s degree.

Programs and Courses

Programs

• Aerospace Engineering Minor
• Mechanical Engineering, B.S.E.
• Nuclear Engineering Minor

Courses

• EMCH 101 - Introduction to Mechanical Engineering
• EMCH 111 - Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Visualization
• EMCH 200 - Statics
• EMCH 201 - Introduction to Applied Numerical Methods
• EMCH 220 - Mechanical Engineering Fundamentals for Non-majors
• EMCH 260 - Introduction to the Mechanics of Solids
• EMCH 290 - Thermodynamic Fundamentals
• EMCH 308 - Introduction to Finite Element Stress Analysis
• EMCH 310 - Dynamics
• EMCH 327 - Design of Mechanical Elements
• EMCH 330 - Mechanical Vibrations
• EMCH 332 - Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines
• EMCH 354 - Heat Transfer
• EMCH 360 - Fluid Mechanics
• EMCH 361 - Mechanical Engineering Laboratory I
• EMCH 362 - Mechanical Engineering Laboratory II
• EMCH 363 - Mechanical Engineering Laboratory III
• EMCH 367 - Microcontrollers in Mechanical Engineering
• EMCH 371 - Engineering Materials
• EMCH 377 - Manufacturing Processes
• EMCH 394 - Thermodynamic System Design and Analysis
• EMCH 427 - Mechanical Design I
• EMCH 428 - Mechanical Design II
• EMCH 441 - Automotive System Fundamentals
• EMCH 460 - Special Problems
• EMCH 497 - Design of Thermal Systems
• EMCH 499 - Fundamentals of Engineering Preparation
• EMCH 501 - Engineering Analysis I
• EMCH 502 - Engineering Analysis II
• EMCH 507 - Computer-Aided Design
• EMCH 508 - Finite Element Analysis in Mechanical Engineering
• EMCH 509 - Computer-Aided Manufacturing
• EMCH 516 - Control Theory in Mechanical Engineering
• EMCH 520 - Technology Planning
• EMCH 521 - Concurrent Engineering
• EMCH 522 - Design for Manufacture and Assembly
• EMCH 527 - Design of Mechanical Systems
• EMCH 528 - Product Safety Engineering
• EMCH 529 - Sustainable Design and Development
• EMCH 532 - Intermediate Dynamics
• EMCH 535 - Robotics in Mechanical Engineering
• EMCH 544 - Compressible Fluid Flow
• EMCH 551 - Nuclear Energy in the Hydrogen Economy
• EMCH 552 - Introduction to Nuclear Engineering
• EMCH 553 - Nuclear Fuel Cycles
• EMCH 554 - Intermediate Heat Transfer
• EMCH 555 - Instrumentation for Nuclear Engineering
• EMCH 555L - Nuclear Instrumentation Laboratory
• EMCH 556 - Introduction to Risk Analysis and Reactor Safety
• EMCH 557 - Introduction to Radiation Shielding and Sources
• EMCH 558 - Introduction to Nuclear Reactor Systems
• EMCH 560 - Intermediate Fluid Mechanics
• EMCH 561 - Current Topics in Mechanical Engineering
• EMCH 562 - Micro/nanofluidics and Lab-on-a-Chip
• EMCH 567 - Bio Nano/Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems
• EMCH 571 - Mechanical Behavior of Materials
• EMCH 572 - Physical Metallurgy
• EMCH 573 - Introduction to Nuclear Materials
• EMCH 575 - Adaptive Materials and Smart Structures
• EMCH 576 - Fundamentals and Applications of Fuel Cells
• EMCH 577 - Aerospace Structures I
• EMCH 578 - Introduction to Aerodynamics
• EMCH 580 - Mechanics of Solid Biomaterials
• EMCH 584 - Advanced Mechanics of Materials
• EMCH 585 - Introduction to Composite Materials
• EMCH 586 - Experimental Stress Analysis
• EMCH 592 - Introduction to Combustion
• EMCH 594 - Solar Heating
• EMCH 597 - Thermal Environmental Engineering

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