Mechanical Engineering considers the design, control, and motive power of fluid, thermal, and mechanical systems ranging from microelectronics to spacecraft to the human body. Specializations allow students to focus their technical electives in the areas of Aerospace Engineering, Energy Systems and Environmental Engineering, Flow Physics and Propulsion Systems, and Design of Mechanical Systems.
Students interested in changing their major to Mechanical Engineering: We cannot guarantee a 4-year graduation plan due to impacted courses. Please expect to be placed on a 5-year plan. Please note that many MAE engineering courses are offered during the summer and open for all students to enroll.
Degree Requirements
Technical Elective Requirements
Catalogue Year 2025-2026
Students select a minimum of 12 units of technical electives. At least 4 units of technical electives must come from ENGRMAE upper-division courses, excluding ENGRMAE 199. No more than 4 units of the remaining 8 units of technical electives should come from ENGRMAE 199.
Upper-division courses from the Schools of Engineering, Physical Sciences, and Information and Computer Sciences are pre-approved as technical electives. Courses that cannot be taken as technical electives include GE 1B Upper-Division writing courses, any course that an ENGRMAE core course lists as an overlap, and ENGRCEE 170, EECS 160A, CBE 120A, CBE 120B, CBE 120C, BME 110A, and BME 147. For courses from other schools, approval from the Undergraduate Advisor is required.
ENGR 7A-ENGR 7B and STATS 67 are exceptions to the upper-division requirement for technical electives. Both ENGR 7A-ENGR 7B must be taken to be counted as one technical elective.
For students majoring in both Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, a core course in one major cannot be counted as a technical elective in the other major. Any upper-division course in the department not used for the degree may be used as a technical elective.
Sample Program PDF
The sample template below is to help you create your own 4-year plan. Please note some courses may get full and when that happens you will have to adjust your schedule accordingly. You are welcome to speak to an advisor if this happens or if you have questions about moving classes around.
Additional Resources
MAE 151A-B Changes for Fall 2023 (Formerly MAE 151 & MAE 189)
If questions, contact- David Copp dcopp@uci.edu & Mark Walter m.walter@uci.edu
Program Faculty Advisor
Prof. Perry Johnson
perry.johnson@uci.edu
Academic Counselor
Mitzi Orme
ormem@uci.edu
Mechanical Engineering is a major within the Mechanical & Aerospace (MAE) Engineering Department