Small Classes, Hands-On Experience
Point Park University offers a Bachelor of Science degree program in mechanical engineering that combines rigorous theoretical study with practical, hands-on experience. Students will thrive in an environment of challenging courses, caring and experienced faculty and small class sizes.
Our program's innovative curriculum includes mechanical engineering courses in the freshman year so that students can develop an early understanding of their chosen profession.
Additionally, our distinctive program provides graduates with outstanding preparation for professional practice, graduate school and engineering licensure.
Build Professional Ties Through Real-World Projects
Our mechanical engineering program culminates in a two-course senior design experience in which students form interdisciplinary teams to propose, build and document real-world engineering projects ranging from software applications in design, evaluation and analysis to machine design in various applications.
Many of these projects are sponsored by local engineering firms who use the same engineering software as Point Park students and faculty. These partnerships lend a high level of accountability and realism to the experience and help students to build professional ties to potential employers.
Admission Requirements
In addition to meeting the general university admission criteria, applicants must meet the following program-specific requirements:
- Mathematics courses: A minimum of three years (three units) of college preparatory mathematics in high school, including geometry, algebra and trigonometry and providing sufficient background for the study of a first course in calculus or a minimum of five semester credits of coursework in college-level algebra and trigonometry, providing sufficient background for the study of a first course in calculus.
- Natural science courses: A minimum of one year (one unit) of college preparatory physics or chemistry in high school or a minimum of six semester credits of introductory, algebra-based college-level physics or chemistry.
- Grades: An average of B or better in the mathematics courses specified above and an average of B or better in the natural science courses specified above.
Students who are not prepared to take Calculus I during their first term can still be admitted upon review by the mechanical engineering faculty, with the understanding that they will need to take College Algebra (MATH 180) and Trigonometry (MATH 185) during their first year.
About Engineering at Point Park
Courses & Topics
Our mechanical engineering students gain a solid theoretical foundation of mathematics and science as the basis for their study of required technical courses in fluid mechanics, machine design, strength of materials, heat transfer and thermodynamics.
All mechanical engineering courses in this 132-credit program comprise both a lecture and a laboratory component.
Extensive hands-on experience in laboratories equipped to industry standards ensures that graduates of our program are intimately familiar with current technical practices and are able to apply theory to real-world situations.
Courses Focused on Energy and Efficiency
Graduates entering today's engineering workforce must have a clear vision of how our nation's energy needs will be met in a sustainable way. Recognizing that a combination of efficient production and efficient use of energy leads to needed reductions in carbon emissions, our Thermodynamics course is sharply focused upon this issue. The course drills deeply into the science of the following thermodynamic cycles.
- The Rankine Cycle - Using clean and abundant natural gas as a fuel, students learn how superheat, turbine reheat and feed water heating can all be used to increase thermal efficiency.
- The Brayton Cycle - Again in a quest for higher efficiency, students explore the effects of compressor intercooling, turbine reheat and regeneration.
- The Combined Brayton/Rankine Cycle - Using heat from the Brayton Cycle turbine exhaust, students raise super-heated steam for use in a Rankine Cycle. Power plan efficiency approaching 60 percent is achievable (compared to 38 percent for a stand-along Rankine Cycle).
- Solid Oxide Fuel Cells - This advanced technology can be used to generate electricity directly or in combination with a Brayton Cycle to yield a combined cycle efficiency of 65 percent.
In the Fluid Mechanics course, students explore the aerodynamics of wind turbines and the hydrodynamics of water turbines wind farms that have no carbon footprint and are becoming increasingly attractive. Hydroelectric plants are well established.
On the energy use side of the equation, students keenly focus on refrigeration and liquefaction. With regard to refrigeration we explore the basic vapor compression cycle along with its cascaded and dual compression variants. How do we make air into a liquid? This question is answered as students discover the workings of the Linde and Claude Cycles.
Review the recommended course sequence schedule for the mechanical engineering program.
Flexible Class Schedules, Convenient Downtown Pittsburgh Location
All courses in our mechanical engineering program are available on an evening or weekend schedule, allowing working students to complete the four-year degree requirements without putting their careers on hold.
Numerous day courses, including the core curriculum, are available to serve the needs of traditional students as well.
Point Park's central location in Downtown Pittsburgh makes the program ideal for both residential and commuter students.
With our long-standing commitment to career preparation in the context of a liberal arts education, all students have the opportunity to achieve their personal and professional goals.
Software Courses
Point Park’s four-year Mechanical Engineering program integrates essential software training to prepare students for real-world engineering challenges.
- Finite Element Analysis (FEA): Students gain a deepunderstanding of FEA through a dedicated five-creditsequence. This includes a three-credit theory course, wherestudents explore the fundamentals and develop basicalgorithms used in professional FEA tools. The sequencecontinues with a two-credit hands-on lab using ANSYS®, taught by the same instructor to ensure a seamless transition from theory to application.
- Engineering Design with Creo®: In the engineering designcourse, students learn to use Creo® Parametric, a leading 3D CAD software. Proficiency in Creo® is highly valued by employers, giving graduates a competitive edge in the job market.
Transfer Credit
Subject to the review of the faculty, incoming transfer students may receive credit toward their degree for comparable course work taken at other institutions prior to matriculation at Point Park. Agreements with other local institutions also allow current Point Park students to register for courses that are offered elsewhere in the Pittsburgh area, giving them the opportunity to pursue subjects not taught on campus during a particular term.
Career Options
Mechanical engineers are among the most prolific, versatile and respected practitioners in the modern workplace, and a degree in mechanical engineering is among the most highly valued of all professional credentials.
Our degree program prepares graduates to work productively throughout the engineering enterprise and to further their education in master's and doctoral programs. It also provides graduates with excellent preparation for the study of law, medicine, business and other professions that demand both creativity and mathematically-based analytical skills.
Mechanical engineers assume a wide variety of positions in research, design, testing, sales and support, anywhere a mechanical mechanism (simple or complex) is put to work for the good of society.
Areas of practice in mechanical engineering can include all environments, ranging from start-up firms to multinational corporations and government agencies, in fields such as:
- Power plants
- Auto industry
- Natural resources
- Hi-tech electronics
- Consumer products
Learn more about the Mechanical Engineering Program
Mechanical engineering is the profession that applies mathematics, chemistry, thermodynamics, physics and mechanics to the manipulation of energy and matter in all of their varied forms.
Mechanical engineers work in diverse areas that encompass nearly all applications of the physical sciences. Among the important areas of study and practice in the profession are the following:
Mechanics - This area concerns the application of Newton's laws to the analysis and design of solid objects and mechanisms at rest or in motion.
Fluids - This area concerns the behavior of substances in liquid and gaseous states.
Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer - This area deals with the flow of heat and the exchange of heat and mechanical energy in systems such as engines and air conditioners.
Power and Fuels - This area concerns the conversion of chemical energy into heat through the combustion of fuels such as coal, natural gas, and gasoline.
A student who wants to work in one of these areas should plan to obtain at least a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology. Many students go on to earn Master of Science degrees that prepare them for higher levels of responsibility on the job; some even earn doctoral degrees that prepare them to conduct advanced research or teach at the college level.
An undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering or mechanical engineering technology is also excellent preparation for further study in business, law or medicine.
A mechanical engineer who wishes to offer his or her services directly to the public, or whose work for an employer directly impacts public safety, must be licensed by their state as a Professional Engineer (PE). Licensure requires graduation from an accredited engineering or engineering technology program, a minimum of four years of professional practice, and passing grades on two standardized examinations. Learn more about engineering licensure. Although obtaining a PE license is a lengthy and challenging process, it provides proof that an engineer can practice his or her profession with integrity and technical competence.
Program Educational Objectives are statements of the knowledge and skills that recent graduates of an educational program are expected to demonstrate in their personal and professional lives.
Point Park University faculty, in consultation with the program's industrial advisory committee, have established the three objectives listed below for graduates of the Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering program. These objectives are regularly reviewed to ensure they continue to reflect the program's core values and the needs of the engineering profession.
- Graduates will apply acute analytical skills, draw upon a thorough knowledge of best engineering practices, demonstrate intense application to the task at hand and become leaders within the organization of their affiliation.
- Graduates will recognize and embrace the benefits of higher education and will themselves disseminate knowledge through acclaimed publications.
- Graduates will be pivotal within the community and will inspire others to engage in the betterment of society.
Student Outcomes are statements of the knowledge and skills that students in an educational program are expected to demonstrate by the time of graduation. Achieving these outcomes prepares our graduates to enter professional practice in engineering.
- Students will identify, formulate and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science and mathematics.
- Students will 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.
- Students will communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
- Students will recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments that consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental and societal contexts.
- Students will function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks and meet objectives.
- Students will develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
- Students will acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
The Industrial Advisory Committee comprises practicing professionals from industry and government who meet with faculty twice per year to review the program and discuss possible improvements.
One of the most valuable roles of the committee members is to inform the faculty of current professional practices and to alert the faculty to emerging trends in the workplace; by doing so, they ensure that course content, laboratory equipment, and software can be updated in a timely manner to provide students with the best possible preparation for their careers.
Committee Members
- Ms. Andrea Bucci, PHR, SHRM-CP
The Gateway Enginers, Inc. - Mr. James Converse
Converse Surveying Company - Mr. Bradley Duda, '89
Michael Baker Jr. Inc. - Mr. Graham Ferry, P.E., '02, '04
Sheffler and Company, Inc. - Mr. John J. Frydrych, P.E., '91, '03
National Survey & Engineering - Ms. Susan P. Grant '97
Keystone Structural Solutions - Mr. Robert Horvat, P.E., '06
Entech Engineering - Mr. Jason A. Lewis, P.E., '11
Alfred Benesch & Co.