2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog
Mechanical Engineering
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Faculty
Chair
Ruey-Hung Chen
Professor
Keith Bowman
B.S., Case Western Reserve University, 1981; M.S., 1984; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1987
Ruey-Hung Chen
B.S., National Chen-Kung University (Taiwan), 1981; Ph.D., The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, 1988
Charles Eggleton
B.S., University of California, Berkeley, 1986; M.S., Stanford University, 1989; Ph.D., 1994
Tim Topoleski
B.S., Cornell University, 1981; M.S., 1984; Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 1990
Paris Von Lockette
B.S., Trinity University, 1993; M.S., University of Michigan, 1996; Ph.D., 1996
Liang Zhu
B.S., University of Science and Technology (China), 1988; M.Phil., The City University of New York, 1995; Ph.D., 1995
Weidong Zhu
B.S., Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China), 1986; M.S., Arizona State University, 1988; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1994
Associate Professor
Soobum Lee
B.S., Yonsei University (South Korea), 1998; M.S., KAIST (South Korea), 2000; Ph.D., 2007
Ronghui Ma
B.S., Zhejiang University (China), 1991; M.S., Southeast University (China), 1994; Ph.D., State University of New York at Stony Brook, 2003
Deepa Madan
B.S., Maharshi Dayanand University (India), 1996; M.S., University of Roorkee (India), 1998; M.T., India Institute of Technology, 2000; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley, 2013
Carlos Romero-Talamás
B.S., Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (Mexico), 1995; M.S.S., International Space University, 1998; M.S., California Institute of Technology, 2000; Ph.D., 2005
Meilin Yu
B.E., Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (China), 2007; Ph.D., Iowa State University, 2012
Assistant Professor
Sayantan Bhattacharya
B.E., Jadavpur University (India), 2009; M.E., Indian Institute of Science, 2011; Ph.D., Purdue University, 2019
Janelle P. Clark
A.S., Monroe Community College, 2012; B.S., Clarkson University, 2015; M.S. Rice University 2017; Ph.D., 2022
Alok Ghanekar
B.Tech., Indian Institute of Technology Madras; M. Tech, 2011; Ph.D., University of Rhode Island, 2018
Ankit Goel
B.E., Delhi College of Engineering (India), 2009; M.S.E., 2014; Ph.D., University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, 2019
Ye Lu
B.S., Northwestern Polytechnical University (China), 2012; M.S., INSA Lyon (France), 2014; Ph.D., 2017
Molly Mollica
B.S., Ohio State University, 2014; M.S., 2016; Ph.D., University of Washington, 2022
Professor of the Practice
Maria Sanchez
B.S. Universidad de Los Andes (Colombia), 1996; Ph.D., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2002
TseHuai Wu
B.S., National Tsing Hua University, 2008; M.S., The George Washington University, 2013; Ph.D., 2016
Assistant Teaching Professor
Adam Bridendolph
B.S., Old Dominion University, 2010; M.S., 2013
Joseph Washington
B.S., University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 1997; Ph.D., 2015; M.S., University of Minnesota Twin Cities, 2004
Professor and Dean Emeritus
Shlomo Carmi
B.S., University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa), 1962; M.S., University of Minnesota, 1966; Ph.D., 1968
Warren R. DeVries
B.S., University of Wisconsin, 1971; M.S.,1973; Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1975
Professor Emeritus
Panos Charalambides
B.Sc., University of Thessaloniki (Greece), 1981; M.Sc., 1983; Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1986
Akhtar S. Khan
B.S., Aligarth University (India), 1961; B.S.E., 1965; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 1972
Uri Tasch
B.Sc., M.E., Technion (Israel), 1976; M.E., Illinois Institute of Technology, 1978; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1983
Associate Professor Emeritus
Christian von Kerczek
B.S., University of Notre Dame, 1963; M.S., 1965; Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University, 1973
Marc Zupan
B.Eng., The University of Dayton, 1995; M.S., The Johns Hopkins University, 1997, Ph.D., 2001
Mechanical engineering focuses on the design and production of energy-producing systems and on mechanical devices or mechanisms. These systems and mechanisms are applied to fields ranging from biology, such as artificial hearts, to transport systems, such as cars and airplanes, and in manufacturing tools and plants. The mechanical engineering curriculum at UMBC, accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, provides students thorough training in mathematics, physical sciences, engineering sciences and engineering design. Mechanical engineering students also gain a broad education by completing a cross section of courses in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and language and culture in accordance with the university General Education Program (GEP).
Program Educational Objectives
The faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at UMBC is dedicated to serving its constituencies, industry, alumni, and faculty by graduating mechanical engineers who will achieve the following milestones 3-5 years from graduation:
- Demonstrate success as a professional mechanical engineer, or a successful transition from the traditional mechanical engineer career path into another career.
- Demonstrate success in advanced education, research and development, or other creative efforts in engineering, science and technology.
Student Learning Outcomes:
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
- an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
- an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies
Career and Academic Paths
Recent graduates of UMBC’s Mechanical Engineering Program have secured starting engineering positions in both large and small firms, as well as in government laboratories. Some large firms that employ UMBC graduates are BGE, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Lockheed Martin Corporation, Black & Decker, Ford Motor Company and Toyota of North America. Other graduates have secured professional positions in government laboratories, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Naval Surface Weapons Center, the U.S. Army Aberdeen Proving Ground and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry is also a large employer of mechanical engineers. Many UMBC Mechanical Engineering graduates are pursuing both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at major universities such as The Johns Hopkins University, University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, University of Cincinnati, University of Maryland, College Park; as well as UMBC. Many graduates working in nearby industries pursue part-time graduate work in mechanical engineering or engineering management at UMBC.
Academic Advising
Mechanical Engineering students obtain academic advising through the College of Engineering and Information Technology’s Office of Undergraduate Student Services. Mechanical Engineering students will be assigned a staff advisor in their first semester and will continue to receive staff advising services throughout their undergraduate career. Academic advisors assist students with developing a graduation plan, selecting appropriate courses, answering questions about the institution, and assisting students make connections throughout the University. Once students pass the gateway requirements for the Mechanical Engineering major they will have the opportunity to be matched with a faculty mentor who will assist students with their future career and education goals.
Admission Requirements
Applicants may designate mechanical engineering as their intended major, however, students are admitted to the Mechanical Engineering Program only when they pass all three of the following Gateway courses: MATH 152 , ENES 101 and ENME 110 with a grade of “B” or better. Students are permitted to retake the Gateway courses one time to earn the required grade. Enrolling in a Gateway course at UMBC or another institution is considered an attempt. Students are not allowed to take any 300-level or 400-level Mechanical Engineering courses until the Gateway requirements are fulfilled.
More information about the Mechanical Engineering academic policies is available from the Academic Policies page of the Mechanical Engineering website.
General Education Program
In addition to the major requirements, students must satisfy the General Foundation Requirements (GFR) or the General Education Program (GEP) requirements as applicable.
Accelerated B.S./M.S. Program
The key advantage of the BS/MS degree program at UMBC is that it often speeds up the process of earning a MS degree by one or even two semesters while slightly reducing total tuition cost. The most current information is available on the Mechanical Engineering website.
Special Opportunities
The Mechanical Engineering faculty strives to make research opportunities available to undergraduate students at any level. Many students are involved in research projects with faculty advisors. Such activities are particularly valuable and effective for students who aim to pursue their bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the combined B.S./M.S. program offered by the department.
Student Organizations
The Mechanical Engineering Department offers various extracurricular activities to enhance students’ professional development. Students may participate in student chapters of major professional organizations such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE); the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE); the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). There is also a chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society and the Engineers Without Borders (EWB).
ProgramsBachelor of ScienceCoursesMechanical Engineering
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