Welcome to the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland.
As Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, I want to inform you that we take great pride in its growth and standing among nationally recognized mechanical engineering programs. The Department has a long tradition of successfully preparing many of the region’s, the nation’s, and the world’s mechanical engineers, dating back to 1898 when the university awarded its first bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. More than half-a-century later, the first master’s degree was awarded in the 1950s, and the first doctoral degree in mechanical engineering was awarded in 1964.
Today, the Department is 1150 undergraduates strong and boasts a graduate student enrollment of 315 students with nearly two-thirds of them being doctoral students. Every year, on average, some 250 bachelor’s degrees and 30 doctoral degrees are awarded by the Department. Forty-six tenured and tenure-track faculty members provide students with high quality academic experience. Together, students and faculty collaborate with government and industry partners on a variety of leading-edge research projects that are making a difference in the world.
During the last decade, we have implemented new programs in energy, electronics, mechanics, microsystems, prognostics, risk and reliability, and smart materials that address critical issues for our changing national needs and have also initiated several international collaborations. We have implemented important curricula related changes to better prepare engineers. Concurrently, we have established a successful record of integrating education, leading-edge research, and collaboration with industrial partners.
The Department has made tremendous strides in increasing the financial opportunities available for the students by offering more teaching and research fellowships. Our alumni find themselves in high demand for positions in some of the top corporate, government, and education institutions and continue to make significant contributions to the field.
Our central goal is to continue on this path of multidisciplinary excellence in all facets of research, education, and service to the state and the nation. We are proud of our accomplishments and pleased to share them with you and welcome your interest in our educational and research activities.
Balakumar Balachandran
Professor & Chair
Minta Martin Professor of Engineering
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