OVERVIEW
OVERVIEW

The BSc in Mechanical Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC) of ABET, www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Mechanical and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

The BSc in Mechanical Engineering program is designed to provide comprehensive engineering education for students interested in mechanics, thermo-fluids, manufacturing, and controls and automation. Complex mechanical systems involve structures, advanced materials, sensors, and thermo-fluid systems. Students are exposed to this core engineering discipline through the study and application of the principles of engineering to a broad range of systems, ranging from nano-devices to large-scale power plants. Laboratories and industry-led projects allow graduates to be ready to create the next generation of ideas and products.

Program Enrolment and Degree Data
Number of Enrolled Students
TERM COUNT
Fall 2023 246
Fall 2022 220
Fall 2021 229
Fall 2020 306
Fall 2019 386
Fall 2018 481
Number of Graduates
Academic Year Count
2023 52
2022 47
2021 67
2020 117
2019 130
2018 113
Program Educational Objectives
  • Graduates will meet the expectations of employers of mechanical engineers in the UAE and beyond.
  • Qualified graduates will pursue advanced study if they so desire.
  • Provide the students with adequate exposure to entrepreneurship and innovation in order to enable them to pursue entrepreneurial efforts upon graduation. 
Program Learning Outcomes

Students graduating with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering will have attained 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.

Career Opportunities

The need for Mechanical Engineers skilled in the contemporary practice of the profession has emerged as a consequence of the strengths, but also the diversification of the UAE economy. Industrial sectors that are new to the UAE economy have the need to employ highly-skilled Mechanical Engineers. These include the nation’s nuclear industry, the rapidly advancing defense industry, the emerging space industry, as well as the already very strong metallurgical industries in the areas of aluminum and steel. This is, of course, in addition to the need of the UAE’s oil-and-gas and petrochemical sectors to demonstrate the technical excellence that will allow them to maintain leadership during the transition that these industries will undergo internationally. Also, graduates of the BSc-in-MEEN program are hired by the expanding sector of services, especially in the areas of Abu Dhabi and UAE government.

Career Specializations

Career specializations within this field include:

  • Energy, sustainability, and the environment
  • Classical and additive manufacturing
  • Automation, sensors, controls, and robotics
  • Internet of things
  • Mobility and transportation (land-based, maritime, and air)
  • Biomechanics and healthcare
  • Security and defense
  • Structures and machinery
Program Facilities

The Mechanical Engineering Program laboratories include:

  • Composites Laboratory
  • Computer Aided Design Laboratory
  • Computer Simulation Laboratory
  • Fluid Mechanics Laboratory
  • Heat Transfer Laboratory
  • Machine Workshop
  • Manufacturing Laboratory
  • Materials Testing Laboratory
  • Measurement and Instrumentation Laboratory
  • Mechatronics & Control Laboratories
  • Robotics and Automation Laboratory
  • Solid Mechanics Laboratory
  • Technical Services Workshop
Professional Chapters (if any)

ASME Student Chapter

The American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME) student chapter serves to help students become more professional and open-minded to new ideas. It aims to develop partnerships with industries, government agencies and other academic institutions. In addition, one of the ASME goals is to achieve international visibility by organizing and participating in technical conferences, seminars, lectures and competitions. It also seeks to offer online courses and workshops that develop engineering and communication skills.

STRUCTURE
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Course Description of Mechanical Engineering 

MEEN 180                           Computer Aided Design (2-3-3)

Prerequisite:      None

 

This course introduces students to key concepts, techniques and applications of a Computer Aided Design (CAD) 3D Solid Modeling. Course emphasizes graphics communication and its role in engineering design. Relevant ANSI/ASME and ISO standards for producing technical drawings are introduced. Topics include projections and visualization, 3-D computer modeling, building computer assembly models, multi-views, section views, dimensioning, tolerancing and engineering drawings.

 

MEEN 200                           Statics (3-0-3)

*(Cross listed with AERO 200; CIVE 200)

Prerequisite:      PHYS 121

 

A vector treatment of force systems and their resultants: equilibrium of trusses, beams, frames, and machines, including internal forces and three-dimensional configurations, static friction, properties of areas, and distributed loads and hydrostatics.

 

MEEN 201                           Engineering Dynamics (3-0-3)

*(Cross listed with AERO 201; CIVE 201)

Prerequisite:      ENGR 200

Co-requisites:    MATH 204; MATH 206

 

This course introduces rectilinear and curvilinear motion of particles and rigid bodies, kinematics and kinetics of particles and rigid bodies, rotational and translational motion of rigid bodies, principle of work and energy, and principle of impulse and momentum in particles and rigid body dynamics.

 

MEEN 225                           Engineering Materials (3-3-4)

Prerequisites:    CHEM 115; PHYS 121

 

This course introduces the three primary groups of engineering materials and the relationship between the structural elements of these materials and their properties. Atomic structure and inter-atomic bonding in metals, ceramics and polymers are discussed. Imperfections in crystal structure, diffusion, phase transformations, and microstructure are studied in relationship to material properties such as tensile strength, hardness, fatigue, and creep.

 

MEEN 240                           Thermodynamics (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      PHYS 121

 

This course introduces the concept of energy and the laws governing the transfer and transformations of energy. Emphasis is placed on the thermodynamic properties of pure substances, the first and second law analyses of closed and open systems, and the concept of entropy and its applications to the analysis of such systems.

 

MEEN 300                            System Dynamics and Control (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MATH 204; MATH 206

Restrictions:       Students majoring in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering are not allowed to take this course

 

The contents include both dynamic modelling of mechanical and electromechanical systems, different types of controller designs and their practical applications. Review of kinematics and kinetics of particles; Kinematics and kinetics of plane motion of rigid bodies; Principles of feedback; Time domain specifications and stability analysis; PID controller design and PID tuning; Root Locus method.

 

MEEN 301                          Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and its Applications in Mechanical Engineering (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:    MATH 204, MATH 243, ENGR 113

This course provides an overview of the general artificial intelligence and machine learning approaches and techniques used to solve mechanical engineering problems. The course covers the concepts of the three main techniques of machine learning: supervised learning, unsupervised learning and reinforcement learning, and provides an introduction to physical and embodied intelligence and their applications in mechanical engineering.

 

MEEN 325                           Mechanics of Solids (3-3-4)

(Cross listed with AERO 225 and CIVE 225)

Prerequisites:    MEEN 200

 

The course is an introduction to the mechanics of deformable solids applied to basic engineering structures. It covers the concepts of stress and strain at a point; factor of safety in design, deformation of axially loaded members; symmetric and unsymmetric bending of elastic and elastic-perfectly plastic beams; torsion of open and closed section; beam deflection; stress and strain transformations, and elastic buckling of columns.

 

MEEN 335                           Fluid Mechanics (3-3-4)

Prerequisite:      MATH 231

Co-requisite:      MEEN 240

 

This course introduces students to concepts relating to fluids and examines the forces on them. Conservation of mass, momentum, and energy are introduced using differential and integral formulations. Introduce inviscid and viscous flows, laminar and turbulent flows and dimensional analysis. Calculations of pressure drop in internal flows and lift and drag forces over immersed bodies.

 

MEEN 343                            Heat Transfer (3-3-4)

Prerequisites:    MATH 231; MEEN 240

Co-requisite:      MEEN 335

 

This course covers the fundamental mechanisms and concepts of heat transfer. Steady and transient conduction, convective heat transfer and the Reynolds analogy, free and forced convection for laminar and turbulent flows, and heat exchangers are covered. Radiative heat transfer is introduced.

 

MEEN 350                           Dynamic Systems and Vibration (3-0-3)

Prerequisites:    PHYS 122; MATH 206; MEEN 201

 

Mathematical modeling of mechanical, electrical, hydraulic, and/or thermal systems; basic concepts in dynamic systems analysis – equilibrium, linearization; mechanical vibrations: free and forced vibration of single degree-of-freedom systems, transient and steady-state response, resonance, free vibration of two degree-of-freedom systems; transfer functions and block diagrams, design specifications based on step response, applications.

 

MEEN 356                           Computer-Controlled Systems (3-3-4)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 350

 

This course introduces control of mechanical, electrical and electromechanical systems, feedback control in mechatronic systems, prototype systems, transient response analyses and servomechanism, root locus method, frequency response techniques, state-space representation. Controller specifications, design and architectures; PID and alternative controller design. Digital filters and principles of Digital Signal Processing, digital controllers. Data acquisition and real-time control, computer-aided control system design and simulation. Industrial control applications.

 

MEEN 360                           Computational Methods for Mechanical Engineers (3-0-3)

Pre-requisite:    ENGR 113; MATH 204

Co-requisite:      MATH 206

 

Understand the concept of numerical methods and their application in solving computational problems related to mechanical engineering using MATLAB.

 

MEEN 370                           Introduction to Manufacturing Processes (3-3-4)

Co-requisite:      MEEN 325

 

Introduction to basic manufacturing processes, including casting, forming, material removal, joining, forming of plastics and composites, powder metals, and ceramics processes.  Additionally, design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA) methodologies and rapid prototyping are introduced.

 

MEEN 380                           Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering (3-0-3)

Prerequisites:    CHEM 115; PHYS 122

 

This course introduces fundamentals, properties and applications of polymers. Classification of polymers, polymer formation, polymer structure, characterization, and the relationship between structure and properties are covered. Mechanical properties of polymers are discussed in relationship to their application as engineering materials. The influence of the various stages of polymer processing on properties of the end product is emphasized.

 

MEEN 387                           Machine Element Design (2-3-3)

Prerequisites:    MEEN 325

 

Design and analysis of machine components for load bearing and power transmission. Consideration of material failure modes. Design and selection of machine elements: shafts, rolling element bearings, bolts, belts, and power transmissions such as gears. Computer aided engineering (CAE) is also introduced in laboratory sessions.

 

MEEN 377                          Undergraduate Research  (Variable course credits from 1 to 3)

Prerequisites:  Department Approval and Junior standing. Students must have a CGPA of 3.3 or more.

This course provides an opportunity for students, working individually or in small groups, to develop an enhanced understanding and application of specific research methods and/or creative practices. The course assists students to enhance their education and become integrated into the KU community by actively and successfully engaging in research, creative, and/or scholarly projects under the supervision of a faculty member.  This course serves as a free or technical elective.

 

MEEN 395                            Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering (3-0-3)

Prerequisites:    Junior Standing and Topic Specific

 

This course mainly deals with new trends in mechanical engineering and emerging technologies. Course is repeatable if title and content differ

 

MEEN 405                           Vibration Analysis (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 350

 

This course covers free and forced vibrations of one- and two-degree-of-freedom systems, vibration measurement and isolation, numerical methods for multi-degree-of-freedom systems, modal analysis techniques, dynamic vibration absorbers, shaft whirling, energy methods, Holzer method and vibration of continuous systems such as bars, plates, beams and shafts..

 

MEEN 410                           Viscous and Boundary Layer Flows (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 335

 

This course covers differential analysis of viscous fluid flow, exact solutions of the Navier-Stokes equations, laminar and turbulent boundary layers, Blasius and Von Karman integral solutions, the Polhausen method, and flow separation.

 

MEEN 420                            Materials: Strength and Fracture (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      AERO/MEEN 220

 

The course is an introduction to the mechanics of fracture for engineering materials. It covers the analysis and prevention of failure in metals, polymers, ceramics and composites; plastic deformation and plastic collapse; initiation and propagation of cracks; environment-assisted cracking, and fatigue.

 

MEEN 421                            Mechanics of Deformable Solids (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 325

 

The course is an introduction to the theory of elasticity. It covers the concepts of deformation, stress and strain in a continuum; Formulation and solution strategy for boundary value problems in linear elasticity; Concepts of work and energy and the principle of virtual work; Problems in plane stress and plane strain in two-dimensional elasticity and solution using stress functions; Solutions to axial deformation, bending and torsion problems for elastic cylinders.

 

MEEN 422                            Fatigue and Fracture Analysis (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 325

 

The course is an introduction to elastic and elastic-plastic fracture mechanics and fatigue. It covers the topics of stress concentration due to defects, linear elastic fracture mechanics, energy methods in fracture mechanics, stress analysis of cracks and stress intensity, stress-life and strain-life methods of fatigue analysis and design, and initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks under cyclic loading.

 

MEEN 423                            Physical Metallurgy (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 225

 

This course introduces students to the processing, structure, and properties of metals, and their correlations. The course includes the fundamental elements of structure, thermodynamics and phase diagrams and diffusion. The fundamental principles are applied to the study of steels including alloying elements in steels, the heat treatment of steel, isothermal and continuous cooling transformation diagrams and hardenability.

 

MEEN 435                            Turbomachinery (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 335

 

This course covers the fundamentals of turbo machines analyses, velocity triangle method, similarity laws, performance characteristics, applications and selection of turbo machines for a variety of engineering situations such as pumping, gas compression and power production.

 

MEEN 439                            Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 350 or AERO 350 or MEEN 300

 

This course introduces fundamentals of kinematics of linkages, cams, gears and gear trains. It also covers position, velocity, and acceleration analysis of machines, static and dynamic force analysis of mechanisms.

 

MEEN 441                            Applied Thermodynamics (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 240

 

This course introduces the concept of exergy, the application of the first and second law of thermodynamics to gas (Brayton-based) and vapour (Rankine-based) power cycles, combined gas/vapour cycles, co-generation, and heat pump and refrigeration cycles (vapour compression, absorption and gas refrigeration cycles). Mixtures of perfect gases and vapours are also introduced, as well as psychometry, stoichiometry and combustion.

 

MEEN 446                            Internal Combustion Engines (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 240

 

The basic operating principles of internal combustion engines. Topics covered include: engine thermodynamics, thermochemistry and fuels, engine fluid mechanics and heat transfer and pollutant emissions. Problem analysis emphasizes propulsion and power-generation applications in mechanical engineering.

 

MEEN 450                            Vehicle Engineering (3-0-3)

Prerequisites:    MEEN 350

 

The course emphasizes the engineering and design principles of road transport vehicles. Topics to be covered include: performance characteristics, handling behavior and ride quality of road vehicles.

 

MEEN 454                            Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Cryogenics (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 343

 

This course covers psychometrics and psychometric processes applied to air conditioning, principles of indoor air quality control, air conditioning equipment, simple and advanced vapor compression refrigeration and absorption cycles, evaluation of building heating and cooling loads, and principles of cryogenics and their application to gas liquefaction.

 

MEEN 455                          Finite Element Analysis (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:    MATH 204; MATH 206; AERO/CIVE/MEEN 200

An introduction to the basic theory of finite element analysis (FEA) with emphasis on stress analysis of trusses, beams, frames, 2D and axisymmetric structures; integration of the FE method into thermal analysis; assessment of the accuracy of FE predictions; computational exercises using commercially available FE software.

 

MEEN 465                            Bioengineering (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:    MEEN 325, MEEN 335, MEEN 225

 

This is an introductory course to bioengineering. Basic mechanical description of the hierarchical structure of an organism: molecules, membranes, cells, muscles, skeleton, and locomotion, will be covered.  The biomechanics of respiratory and circulatory systems will also be covered.

 

MEEN 484                            Mechatronics (2-3-3)

Prerequisites:    MEEN 350 OR AERO 350 OR MEEN 300

 

Principles of mechatronic systems, modeling, time & frequency domain analysis. Electronic components in mechatronic systems. Sensors, actuators, microcomputers, programming. Signal measurement, A/D and D/A conversion, quantization. Analog signal processing and digital circuits. Digital circuits, including Boolean algebra and logic networks, Flip-Flops, TTL and CMOS, integrated circuit system design. Feedback control in mechatronic systems, mechatronic control system design and experiments.

 

MEEN 485                            Introduction to Robotics (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 350 OR AERO 350 OR MEEN 300

 

The course covers the theory and practice of the modeling and control of robotic devices. This includes kinematics, statics, and dynamics of robots, manipulator Jacobian, singularity analysis and manipulability. Motion planning and control of robotics systems will be covered. Including hybrid motion/force control. Different case studies will be presented to support hands-on experiments.

 

MEEN 486                           Sustainable Energy (2-3-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 240

 

The course provides introductory coverage of energy production, conversion, distribution and storage systems for different sources of energy including fossil fuel; nuclear power; biomass energy; geothermal energy; hydropower; wind energy, and solar energy.  Emphasis is placed on the sustainable use of energy in light of economic, environmental, and societal constraints.

 

MEEN 487                           Advanced Mechatronics (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 484, ECCE 300 or ECCE 302

 

This course deals with advanced mechatronic systems design and recent developments from first principles to practical applications. Detailed descriptions of the mathematical models of complex mechatronic systems, developed from fundamental physical relationships, are built on to develop innovative solutions with particular emphasis on physical model-based control strategies. Sensor fusion approaches, system integration, programing languages and implementation.

 

MEEN 488                           Mechatronics Systems Design (2-3-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 485

Co-requisite:      MEEN 487

 

Design and/or implement a product or system. The course uses case studies to overview design process of mechatronics systems, actuator types, sizing and selection, measurement systems and transducers selection, control system algorithms and selection of physical controllers, and case studies of various mechatronics systems. The students use this knowledge to design and implement their specific project.

 

MEEN 489                           Kinematics and Dynamics of Machines (3-0-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 350 or AERO 350 or MEEN 300

 

This course introduces students to mobility analysis, kinematics of mechanisms, vector methods of analysis of plane mechanisms, synthesis of plane linkages, force analysis of mechanisms, static and dynamic balancing of machines, and analysis and synthesis of cams. Modern engineering tools for mechanisms modelling, simulation and analysis will be used.

 

MEEN 477                           Undergraduate Research (Variable course credits from 1 to 3)

Prerequisite:    Department Approval and Senior Standing. Students must have a CGPA of 3.3 or more.

 

This course provides an opportunity for students, working individually or in small groups, to develop an enhanced understanding and application of specific research methods and/or creative practices. The course assists students to enhance their education and become integrated into the KU community by actively and successfully engaging in research, creative, and/or scholarly projects under the supervision of a faculty member.  This course serves as a free or technical elective.

 

MEEN 495                            Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering (3-0-3)

Prerequisites:    Topic Specific

 

This course mainly deals with new trends in mechanical engineering and emerging technologies. Course is repeatable if title and content differ

 

MEEN 497                           Senior Design Project I (1-6-3)

Prerequisite:      Senior Standing

Co-requisites:    MEEN 350; MEEN 370; MEEN 387

 

Participation in team projects dealing with design and development of a product or a system, in accordance with project-specific objectives and constraints. Number of projects will be offered by the different engineering departments, some of which will be multi-disciplinary in nature. This will provide an opportunity to exercise initiative, engineering judgment, self-reliance and creativity, in a team environment similar to the industry environment. The design projects require students to use engineering standards in their design process, developing suitable criteria for selection based on their acquired engineering skills, experience, and other pertinent resources. Oral and written presentations are required.

 

MEEN 498                            Senior Design Project II (0-9-3)

Prerequisite:      MEEN 497

 

Continuation of 497:      Senior Design Project I

TYPICAL STUDY SEQUENCE