About the Mechanical Engineering Degree
UW’s B.S. in mechanical engineering program trains students in experimental methods,
computational tools, simulation, modeling and design. This foundational education
enables students to succeed in upper-division elective courses, including wind and
ocean energy engineering, computational fluid dynamics, aircraft aerodynamics, biomechanics
of movement and more.
Our mechanical engineering degree is ABET accredited, so you can rest assured you’ll graduate with the skills and experience needed to
pursue an exciting career in a wide range of fields, including energy, manufacturing,
machines, materials and more
The mechanical engineering faculty are an esteemed group of accomplished researchers
and professors in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Among them are Dr. Jonathan Naughton and Dr. Michael Stoellinger, who are co-directors of the Wind Energy Research Center.
One of our junior faculty members, Dr. Xiang Zhang, runs the Computations for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Laboratory (CAMML) on UW’s campus. In addition, Dr. Zhang was recently awarded the prestigious
National Science Foundation CAREER award.
Mechanical Engineering Quick Start, B.S./M.S.
Interested in earning your mechanical engineering bachelor's and master's in a condensed timeframe? Check out our mechanical engineering quick start program and graduate with two degrees sooner!
Learn MoreWhat can you do with a mechanical engineering degree?
A bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering prepares you for careers in industries like aerospace, automotive, energy, manufacturing and robotics. Graduates often work as mechanical, design, manufacturing or systems engineers, focusing on designing and improving machines, tools and processes. This degree also opens doors to roles in product development, quality control, HVAC systems and robotics, and can serve as a strong foundation for graduate study or leadership positions.
- Professor of Mechanical Engineering
- Senior Applied Research Engineer
- Engineering Manager
- Project Engineer
- And many more!
Notable mechanical engineering alumni employers include:
- Los Alamos National Laboratory
- Lockheed Martin
- Intel
- John Deere
- Caterpillar Inc.
- Naval Nuclear Laboratory
- Northrop Grumman
- General Motors
Many mechanical engineering students also go on to receive additional education and/or teach. Here are some of the prestigious universities that recent graduates were accepted to:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Cornell University
- Princeton University
- Brown University
- California Institute of Technology
- University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Northwestern University
Our graduates pursue fulfilling careers in a wide variety of industries, national labs and graduate programs. From 2019-2022, our graduates had an 84% job placement rate in either industry jobs or graduate school.
Get a 360° Look at Engineering at UW
Curious what it’s like to be a mechanical or energy systems engineering student at UW? Take our self-guided virtual tour to explore the labs, classrooms and collaborative spaces where innovation happens. As the broadest engineering discipline, mechanical engineering covers everything from fluid dynamics and robotics to energy conversion and materials science—equipping you to design the technologies of tomorrow.
"The UW Mechanical Engineering program has some of the best professors and student organizations on campus. Opportunities like the QuickStart Masters program have let me go above and beyond in my studies and made me grow as an engineer."
- Alison A. Jensen, Mechanical Engineering '24
