Wondering if you can actually handle Mechanical Engineering? Every year, thousands of students search for answers to the same question: What classes do mechanical engineers take, and how can I make sure I pass mine? Also, can I survive a BS in Mechanical Engineering?
A Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering has rigorous coursework, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. Mechanical engineering blends creativity with technical mastery, preparing you to design everything from medical devices to spacecraft.
This guide breaks down exactly what you’ll study, when you’ll study it, and how it connects to real engineering careers.
Your four-year Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering roadmap
Before diving into individual courses, here’s how a typical mechanical engineering curriculum unfolds over the course of four years:
Years 1-2: Foundations for a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering
You’ll spend your first two years building a strong foundation in mathematical and scientific skills that every engineer needs. Expect calculus, physics, chemistry, and introductory engineering courses that teach you how engineers think and solve problems.
Years 3-4: Core Mechanical Engineering classes
Junior and senior years focus on specialized mechanical engineering courses, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and machine design. Additionally, you will do lab work and a senior capstone project.
You’ll also have room for electives in areas like robotics, renewable energy, or aerospace. Now let’s break down what you’ll actually learn in each class.
The math you’ll need for a BS in Mechanical Engineering degree
Calculus forms the backbone of engineering. You’ll model motion, energy, and heat flow in nearly every upper-level class. After that, you’ll need differential equations to describe oscillating springs, cooling systems, and vibrating machinery.
Your supporting math hero includes linear algebra, so you’ll be able to run computer simulations and robotics through matrix operations and transformations. Strong math skills are a must if you’re going to successfully complete your BS in Mechanical Engineering.
Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering science requirements
Here are the core science requirements that you’ll need to conquer for success in your Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s degree.
Physics: mechanics, electricity, and magnetism
Physics provides the theoretical foundation for everything you’ll design. Mechanics covers forces, motion, and energy. Then, E&M introduces electrical concepts for sensors, motors, and automation. You’ll run hands-on lab experiments with circuits, pendulums, and optics.
Chemistry
Understanding material behavior at the molecular level is essential. You’ll study bonding, reactions, corrosion, and heat resistance—all critical knowledge when selecting materials for engines, medical implants, or structures in harsh environments. Chemistry helps you understand why steel corrodes and how polymers respond to heat.
Programming and CAD
Modern engineers code. We’re in the digital age, after all. You’ll learn MATLAB, Python, or C++ to run simulations, analyze data, and automate calculations. CAD courses teach you to create 3D models using SolidWorks or AutoCAD—essential for communicating designs and preparing models for manufacturing.
When you earn your Mechanical Engineering degree at UB, you’ll secure your spot in one of the industry’s most rapidly evolving fields.
Core Mechanical Engineering classes
Getting your BS in Mechanical Engineering requires students to understand fundamental science and math concepts in order to progress and succeed in these classes.
Statics and dynamics
Statics analyzes forces on stationary objects. You’ll calculate if bridges will hold and determine tension in cables. Dynamics extends this to motion: car acceleration, gear systems, machinery vibrations, and projectile trajectories.
Difficulty note: Dynamics has a reputation as a weed-out course that challenges incoming engineers to level up their executive functioning in order to succeed. It requires spatial reasoning and careful problem-solving, but drawing clear free-body diagrams makes concepts click.
Thermodynamics
Learn how energy, heat, and work power engines, refrigerators, and power plants. You’ll calculate why car engines waste 70% of fuel as heat, design HVAC systems, and discover why perpetual motion machines violate the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
Career connection: This is critical for aerospace propulsion, renewable energy systems, and any job involving heat transfer or power generation.
Fluid mechanics
In this course, you’ll study how liquids and gases behave under pressure and flow. You’ll design pumps, analyze airplane wing lift, optimize cooling systems, and understand boundary layers and turbulence.
Materials science
Examine how metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites behave under stress, heat, fatigue, and corrosion. Labs include tensile tests where you physically break material samples to observe failure modes.
Why it matters: Selecting the wrong material can cause catastrophic failures. Engineers balance performance, cost, weight, and safety in every design decision.
Mechanical design, aka machine design
Finally, this is where everything comes together. Design gears, shafts, bearings, and springs while analyzing stress, deflection, and failure. You’ll apply safety factors and consider manufacturability—a core skill for product engineers and automotive designers.
Electrical circuits for mechanical engineers
Even mechanical engineers need to understand electricity basics such as current, voltage, resistance, motors, and sensors. This foundation supports work in mechatronics, robotics, and automation; modern mechanical systems integrate electronics everywhere.
Advanced CAD & simulation
In Advanced CAD & Simulation, you’ll move beyond basic modeling to create complex 3D assemblies and run sophisticated simulations, performing finite element analysis (FEA) to predict failure points, simulate airflow and heat transfer patterns, and test designs virtually before building expensive prototypes.
This skill set is essential, as proficiency in advanced CAD software is expected in most mechanical engineering jobs and can save companies significant time and resources during the design phase.
Laboratory and experiential learning
Part of the journey toward a Mechanical Engineering Bachelor’s degree involves lab work, including evaluating heat exchangers and measuring thermal efficiency in real systems. Labs also teach you to identify stress patterns in structural components using strain gauges and load cells.
In the lab, you’ll familiarize yourself with industry-standard equipment, collect and analyze data, and write technical reports that mirror professional engineering documentation.
Senior capstone project
In your final year, you’ll work in teams to solve real engineering problems from concept through implementation. Capstone projects are a mixture of defining the problem, researching solutions, designing, and prototyping your system.
Students are challenged to test and refine their idea and present results cohesively. The capstone simulates professional engineering, managing timelines, budgets, and team dynamics.
Essential skills for success
Success in your BS in Mechanical Engineering program requires problem-solving persistence, as engineering problems often have obscure solutions. You’ll need comfort with abstraction and mathematical modeling, as well as the ability to work effectively in teams.
Perhaps most importantly, you’ll cultivate genuine curiosity about how things work that drives you to understand mechanisms and systems that will carry you through the challenging coursework and into a rewarding career.
Start your journey to becoming a mechanical engineer at UB
UB’s Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering offers ABET-accredited coursework, supportive faculty, and opportunities to turn classroom knowledge into real engineering projects.