ABET Accreditation

The B.S. program in Mechanical Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org

The B.S. program in Mechanical Engineering with a Nuclear Engineering Concentration is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org


Enrollment and Degrees Awarded (2019-2020)

Undergraduate Enrollment (Fall 2019): 498
Mechanical Engineering: 442
ME with a Nuclear Engineering Concentration: 56

B.S. Degrees Awarded (2019-2020 Academic Year): 103
Mechanical Engineering: 93
ME with a Nuclear Engineering Concentration: 10

Program objectives

The Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering faculty and its Mechanical Engineering Industrial Advisory Board and Nuclear Engineering Industrial Advisory Board have developed the following set of program educational objectives for our undergraduate mechanical engineering programs. These are broad statements that describe what graduates are expected to attain within a few years of graduation. Attainment of these objectives will satisfy the needs of our program’s constituents and fulfill the missions of the programs, school, and university. These objectives were revised and approved by our advisory boards in 2017.

  1. Graduates will become successful in engineering and other diverse careers.
  2. Graduates may pursue advanced study in engineering or other disciplines.
  3. Graduates will engage in self-development activities that lead to opportunities for leadership, management, and/or professional advancement.

Student outcomes

Student outcomes describe what students are expected to know and be able to do by the time of graduation. These relate to the skills, knowledge, and behaviors that students acquire as they progress through the program.

The 11 student outcomes listed below and labeled (a) through (k) were established by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. These outcomes have been adopted by the VCU Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering faculty and its advisory boards for our undergraduate mechanical engineering programs. We have added a keyword identifier to each outcome, as shown in bold.

By the time of graduation VCU mechanical engineering students will demonstrate the following:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics
  2. 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
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies