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Howdy! Welcome to Texas A&M University's Department of Mechanical Engineering! As you surf these pages, you'll discover that we have strong academic, research, and professional service programs. We’re one of the largest mechanical engineering programs in the U.S. Our undergraduate and graduate students are provided an education, solidly based in the fundamentals, infused with creativity and innovation, and geared to instill a strong ethical responsibility commensurate with the engineering profession, as well as a genuine sense of leadership qualities.
The department offers a wide range in topics for both undergraduate and graduate courses. The department has approximately 1000 undergraduates and 300 graduate students. Annual degrees awarded include about 200 BSME degrees, 60 master's degrees and 20 Ph.D. degrees. While we are large, we still feel quality of education is important. In 2003, U.S. News and World Report ranked our undergraduate and graduate programs in the top 20 nationally. While we are pleased with our rankings, we strive to improve our programs so we can move to the top 10 in the U.S. for public institutions. Our high quality and substantial numbers of graduates generate strong interest and support from industries and employers from around the country. Besides careers in industry, a number of our students go on to graduate school, medical school, and law school.
Students in our program have an opportunity to participate in a variety of international experiences. We have an ongoing exchange program with the University of Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico. The College of Engineering also has a summer abroad program in Europe where students can take engineering classes taught by A&M instructors in countries such as Italy or Germany.
Our department has several active student societies including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the Society of Automotive Engineering (SAE), and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). Our ASME student chapter is one of the largest in the country.
We have over 45 faculty, most of whom are registered Professional Engineers. Our faculty and student body represent a wide range of nationalities from across the globe. Many of our faculty are highly recognized in their fields and have earned numerous honors and awards by different engineering societies. In recent years, five of our faculty have served as presidents of national engineering societies.
Our faculty are very active in research and generating new engineering knowledge. With annual externally funded research expenditures exceeding $7 million, research support is derived from major federal research funding agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the State of Texas, and industry. The department has several large nationally recognized research laboratories in the areas of Turbomachinery, Energy Systems, Polymer Technology, and Aerosol Sampling. Other research areas include:
•Combustion
•Heat Transfer
•Metal & ceramic materials
•Fluid flow
•Composite materials
•Biomechanics
•Continuum mechanics
•Control Systems
•MEMS and Mechatronics
•Computational Mechanics
•Finite Elements
•Design Methodologies
As you look through our web site, you'll find information on our research programs and the faculty who work in these areas.
The faculty publishes regularly in refereed archival journals and more than fifteen of them serve as editors or associate editors of these journals. Several faculty members are authors of engineering texts.
Fun things happen here, too. For example, students from our department annually design and build a vehicle for the Formula SAE Competition in Dearborn, Michigan. Our department won the event in 2000. It isn't a competition for the faint of heart. The Texas A&M entry was a 650 pound vehicle (including fuel and driver) with an engine modified to produce 80 HP. It could do zero to sixty in about 3 seconds and could pull more that 1.2 lateral G's in a turn.
Every year, we also have our seniors work on “real world” design projects sponsored by a variety of companies such as 3M, FMC, Fluor Daniel, Haliburton, and Trane. These projects range from fiber optic couplers, to control systems, to drilling equipment for use 3000 m below the ocean surface. Students must develop conceptual designs and in many cases, build a prototype. These designs can lead to a patent.
Whether you're a prospective undergraduate or graduate student, a faculty or staff member, a former student, or an industry advisor or recruiter from industry or government, you'll find that the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M University is a great place. This web site tries to feature aspects that will interest most people, but if you don't find what you're looking for or if you'd like additional information, please contact me by mail, telephone, fax, or E-mail. I'll do my best to help you.
Dennis L. O’Neal, Ph.D., P.E. ‘73
Holdredge/Paul Professor and Head
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Texas A&M University
College Station, Texas 77843-3123
Phone: 979-845-5337; Fax 979-845-3081
E-mail: doneal@tamu.edu
Dennis L. O’Neal, Ph.D., P.E. ‘73
Holdredge/Paul Professor and Head
More about Our Department ...
