2025-2026 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Degree Core Requirements | ||
| ME 2004 | Engineering Analysis Using Numerical Methods | 3 |
| ME 3304 | Heat and Mass Transfer | 3 |
| ME 3414 | Fluid Dynamics (w lab) | 4 |
| ME 3534 | Controls Engineering I (w lab) | 4 |
| ME 3624 | Mechanical Design (w lab) | 4 |
| ME 4005 | Mechanical Engineering Lab | 3 |
| Subtotal | 21 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| CS 1044 | Introduction to Programming in C | 3 |
| or CS 1114 | Introduction to Software Design | |
| ME 3704 | Introduction to Mechatronics | 3 |
| ME 4524 | Introduction to Robotics and Automation 1 | 3 |
| or ME 5704 | Robotics and Automation | |
| ME 4584 | Robotics Laboratory | 1 |
| ME 4734 | Robotics and Mechatronics Seminar | 1 |
| ME 4744 | Mechatronics: Theory and Application | 4 |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Subtotal | 18 | |
| Additional Course Requirements | ||
| ME 2134 | Thermodynamics | 4 |
| ME 3024 | Engineering Design and Economics | 3 |
| ME 3524 | Mechanical Vibrations | 4 |
| CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| ECE 2054 | Applied Electrical Theory | 3 |
| ESM 2104 | Statics | 3 |
| ESM 2204 | Mechanics of Deformable Bodies | 3 |
| ESM 2304 | Dynamics | 3 |
| ISE 2214 | Manufacturing Processes Laboratory | 1 |
| MATH 2114 | Introduction to Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 2204 | Introduction to Multivariable Calculus | 3 |
| MSE 2034 | Elements of Materials Engineering | 3 |
| STAT 3704 | Statistics for Engineering Applications | 2 |
| Subtotal | 39 | |
| Career Bridge Experience 2 | ||
| ENGE 3900 | Bridge Experience | 0 |
| Pathways to General Education | ||
| Pathways Concept 1 - Discourse | ||
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
| ME 4015 & ME 4016 | Engineering Design and Project and Engineering Design and Project (1A) 3 | 6 |
| or ENGE 4735 & ENGE 4736 | Interdisciplinary Design Capstone and Interdisciplinary Design Capstone | |
| Pathways Concept 2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities | ||
| Select six credits in Pathway 2 | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences | ||
| Select six credits in Pathway 3 | 6 | |
| Pathways Concept 4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences | ||
| PHYS 2305 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
| PHYS 2306 | Foundations of Physics | 4 |
| Pathways Concept 5 - Quantitative and Computational Thinking | ||
| MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable (5F) 4 | 4 |
| MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable (5F) | 4 |
| MATH 2214 | Introduction to Differential Equations (5A) | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 6 - Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts | ||
| Select three credits in Pathway 6a | 3 | |
| ENGE 1215 & ENGE 1216 | Foundations of Engineering and Foundations of Engineering | 4 |
| or ENGE 1414 | Foundations of Engineering Practice | |
| Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States | ||
| Select a course with covers both Concept 7 and Pathways Concept 2 or 3 to avoid taking additional credits. | ||
| Subtotal | 50 | |
| Total Credits | 128 | |
Undergraduate students not already accepted into the accelerated BS/MS graduate program should plan to take the 4000-level version of this course. Students taking ME 5704 in place of ME 4524 are NOT exempted from the 1-credit lab (ME 4584). Students within 2 semesters of graduating who have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 or higher who have not been accepted into an accelerated BS/MS program may request permission to enroll in a 5000-level ME course provided that: (1) an undergraduate version of the course is not available, (2) the student cannot otherwise complete the major with current undergraduate course offerings, and (3) the student has earned a B or higher in all previous ME courses. Permission from both the ME department head and the course instructor are required for the student to enroll in a 5000-level ME course. These courses may not be used on the Plan of Study for a graduate degree at Virginia Tech.
Career Bridge Experiences help prepare students for post-graduation life and develop a professional identity. Senior Design (ME4015/4016 or ENGE4735/4736), Internships, Co-ops, and Undergraduate Research are examples of possible Career Bridge Experiences. Students must participate in a Career Bridge Experience to complete the BSME degree. Because some of these experiences are not credit bearing, the ENGE 3900 course is used to track and assess student participation in a Career Bridge Experience and to record fulfillment of this degree requirement on the transcript. Students should enroll in ENGE 3900 during the semester (or one of the semesters) that they undertake the Career Bridge Experience. Enrollment in ENGE 3900 requires approval of a Career Bridge Plan.
Upon entering Mechanical Engineering, students will be added to a Canvas site giving further information about acceptable Career Bridge Experiences and the process for submitting a Career Bridge Plan.
All students should enroll in ME 4015. Students interested in joining an ENGE 4735/ENGE 4736 senior design project should apply through the ME4015 senior design coordinator during the project selection process at the start of the Fall semester. Because participation in all projects is limited, students are not guaranteed a seat in any particular project. Grades earned in ENGE 4735/ENGE 4736 will also count towards a student's in-major GPA. Students must meet all ME 4015 prerequisites to be eligible to enroll in ENGE 4735.
Consult Timetable of Classes or University Course Catalog for minimum required prerequisite grade in MATH 1225 to proceed to other MATH courses such as MATH 1226 and MATH 2114.
Consult ME undergraduate advisor for alternate technical electives including special studies courses (3984, 4984), new courses added after this list was approved, undergraduate research (4994), independent study (4974), or graduate-level courses which are closely related to robotics or mechatronics. Students must meet minimum GPA and course completion criteria to enroll in independent study or undergraduate research for technical elective credit.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ME 3604 | Kinematics and Dynamics of Machinery | 3 |
| ME 4034 | Bio-Inspired Technology 1 | 3 |
| or ME 5034 | Bio-Inspired Technology | |
| ME 4184 | Drone Technology and Flight Operations | 3 |
| ME 4564 | Vehicle Control | 3 |
| ME 4624 | Finite Element Practice in Mechanical Design 1 | 3 |
| or ME 5634 | Finite Elements in Machine Design | |
| ME 4634 | Introduction to Computer-aided Design and Manufacturing | 3 |
| ME 4644 | Introduction to Rapid Prototyping 1 | 3 |
| or ME 5644 | Rapid Prototyping | |
| ME 4754 | Mechatronics: Advanced Topics and Application | 3 |
| ME 4824 | Introduction to Human-Robot Interaction 1 | 3 |
| or ME 5824 | Algorithmic Human-Robot Interaction | |
| ME 4864 | Micro/Nano-Robotics 1 | 3 |
| or ME 5864G | Advanced Micro/Nano-Robotics | |
Undergraduate students not already accepted into the accelerated BS/MS graduate program should plan to take the 4000-level version of this course. Students within 2 semesters of graduating who have a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 or higher who have not been accepted into an accelerated BS/MS program may request permission to enroll in a 5000-level ME course provided that: (1) an undergraduate version of the course is not available, (2) the student cannot otherwise complete the major with current undergraduate course offerings, and (3) the student has earned a B or higher in all previous ME courses. Permission from both the ME department head and the course instructor are required for the student to enroll in a 5000-level ME course. These courses may not be used on the Plan of Study for a graduate degree at Virginia Tech.
University Policy 6305 outlines university-wide minimum criteria to determine if students are making satisfactory progress towards degree (PTD). The Mechanical Engineering Department fully supports this policy. Specific expectations for satisfactory progress for the BSME degree are as follows:
Each student must complete at least 128 semester credit hours with a minimum overall GPA of 2.00 and a minimum in-major GPA of 2.00. In-major GPA is determined from all courses with Engineering Science and Mechanics (ESM), Mechanical Engineering (ME), and Nuclear Engineering (NSEG) designators and ENGE 4735 and ENGE 4736 if applicable.
Required courses in the Robotics and Mechatronics "Major Requirements" category (ME 3704 ME 4524, ME 4744, ME 4584, and ME 4734) and courses used to satisfy the Technical Elective requirement for this major cannot be double counted towards a second Mechanical Engineering major as Technical Elective credit.
Course offerings are subject to change and the availability of sufficient resources. Students should confirm course offerings in advance with their department.
The Robotics and Mechatronics major requires 3 credits of approved technical electives from list. Please see attached list for technical elective choices.
Prerequisites may change. Students are responsible for pre-requisites and pre-requisites of pre-requisites whether specifically listed in the Undergraduate Course Catalog or not.
Be sure to consult the University Timetable of Classes or check with your advisor for the most current prerequisite requirements. Note that some courses, such as MATH 1225, may have a minimum grade requirement to move on to other courses at Virginia Tech such as MATH 2114 and MATH 1226.
Students must have completed 2 years of a foreign language in high school or one year at the college level (6 credit hours) of the same language. College-level credits used to meet this requirement do not count towards the degree.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| ENGE 1215 | Foundations of Engineering | 2 |
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable 1 | 4 |
| Pathways 2, 3, 6A, or 7 2 | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGE 1216 | Foundations of Engineering | 2 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing | 3 |
| MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable 1 | 4 |
| MATH 2114 | Introduction to Linear Algebra 1 | 3 |
| PHYS 2305 | Foundations of Physics (w/lab) | 4 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ME 2004 | Engineering Analysis Using Numerical Methods | 3 |
| ESM 2104 | Statics | 3 |
| ISE 2214 | Manufacturing Processes Laboratory | 1 |
| MATH 2204 | Introduction to Multivariable Calculus | 3 |
| MSE 2034 | Elements of Materials Engineering | 3 |
| PHYS 2306 | Foundations of Physics (w/lab) | 4 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ME 2134 | Thermodynamics | 4 |
| ECE 2054 | Applied Electrical Theory | 3 |
| ESM 2204 | Mechanics of Deformable Bodies | 3 |
| ESM 2304 | Dynamics | 3 |
| MATH 2214 | Introduction to Differential Equations | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ME 3024 | Engineering Design and Economics | 3 |
| ME 3414 | Fluid Dynamics (w lab) | 4 |
| ME 3524 | Mechanical Vibrations | 4 |
| ME 3624 | Mechanical Design (w lab) | 4 |
| STAT 3704 | Statistics for Engineering Applications | 2 |
| Credits | 17 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ME 3304 | Heat and Mass Transfer | 3 |
| ME 3534 | Controls Engineering I (w lab) | 4 |
| ME 3704 | Introduction to Mechatronics | 3 |
| ME 4005 | Mechanical Engineering Lab | 3 |
| CS 1044 | Introduction to Programming in C | 3 |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| ME 4015 | Engineering Design and Project | 3 |
| ME 4524 | Introduction to Robotics and Automation | 3 |
| ME 4584 | Robotics Laboratory | 1 |
| ME 4744 | Mechatronics: Theory and Application | 4 |
| ME 4734 | Robotics and Mechatronics Seminar | 1 |
| Pathways 2, 3, 6A, or 7 2 | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ME 4016 | Engineering Design and Project | 3 |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Pathways 2, 3, 6A, or 7 2 | 3 | |
| Pathways 2, 3, 6A, or 7 2 | 3 | |
| Pathways 2, 3, 6A, or 7 2 | 3 | |
| ENGE 3900 | Bridge Experience | 0 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 128 | |
Consult Timetable of Classes or University Course Catalog for minimum required prerequisite grade in MATH1225 to proceed to other MATH courses such as MATH1226 and MATH2114.
If enrolling in a Pathways Concept 7 elective, choose one that also covers either Concept 2 or 3 to avoid taking 3 additional credits to meet graduation requirements.
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