The Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) program is a 2+2 program. Students spend their first two years taking lower-division courses in math, science, and engineering. At the end of their sophomore year, students apply for admission to the BSME upper-division program. Upon admission into the BSME, students will have an opportunity to take courses in specialty areas and explore undergraduate research.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, the median annual earnings for Mechanical Engineers, one year after graduation, is $72,000. Upon graduation, students find they are well-equipped to enter the workforce with the following industry partners: Autodesk, Blount, Blue Origin, Boeing, Daimler Trucks North America, Galois, Hewlett-Packard, Hyster-Yale, Intel, Jacobs Engineering Group, NASA, Nike, PAE Consulting Engineers, PCC Structurals, Portland General Electric, Precision Castparts, 3D Systems, Tektronix, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Warn Industries, Xerox, and others. Common jobs titles within these industry partners are:
- Bioengineer
- Energy Engineer
- Manufacturing Development Engineer
- Mechanical Designer
- Mechanical Engineer
- Mechatronics Engineer
- Powertrain Control Lead
- Process Engineer
- Project Engineer
- Quality Engineer
- Research Engineer
- Software Engineer
- Structural Engineer
- Sustaining Engineer
- Systems Engineer
- Test Engineer
The mechanical engineering Bachelor of Science program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Mechanical and Similarly Named Engineering Program Criteria.
Portland State University serves the Portland metropolitan area, which is a vibrant and growing community with a culturally diverse population. Portland State University's motto, "Let knowledge serve the city," highlights the campus as a leader in location and international university-community partnerships. The BSME Program opens students up for various industry and internal opportunities, such as the freshman engineering sequence, MECOP, EWX, Bachelor's + Master's Pathway, and senior capstone.
Freshman Engineering Sequence
Our freshman engineering sequence is a unique, fast-paced, hands-on series designed for freshmen to dive into mechanical engineering. These courses are designed around the belief that successful engineers (and successful engineering students) need to have a willingness to tackle problems without obvious solutions.
MECOP
The Multiple Engineering Cooperative Program (MECOP) is a highly competitive five-year undergraduate program that includes two six-month paid internships. This hands-on experience allows students to immediately apply what they are learning in class to give them a competitive edge when they graduate. MECOP students are often sought after by the companies with which they interned during the program, and are able to be immediate contributors in the workplace.
EWX Internship Program
The Engineering Work Experience (EWX) Internship Program is a highly competitive internship opportunity available for BSME-admitted juniors. Candidates will be mentored and coached to prepare for the interview process, and have the opportunity to specify company preferences.
Bachelor's + Master's Pathway
The Bachelor's + Master's Pathway Program allows currently admitted BSME students to get a head-start on their master's degree. Students admitted into the Pathway Program are able to take up to 16 credit hours of 500 level course work as an undergraduate, at an undergraduate tuition rate*, and apply the credits to their undergraduate and graduate degrees. Admitted Pathway students have the potential to start their graduate program with 16 credits already completed.
*Post-bac students will be charged graduate tuition rates per PSU policy.
Capstone
The MME Capstone Experience is like a first engineering job. Capstone projects involve design, fabrication, testing, and reporting on a device that meets the needs of a sponsor. Along the way, students also learn about teamwork, project management, and effective communication.
At the end of Spring term, capstone teams make final presentations and demonstrate their prototypes in a design fair. We encourage sponsors to attend the design fair and bring their colleagues.
Upon graduation, students find they are well-equipped to enter the workforce with the following industry partners: Autodesk, Blount, Blue Origin, Boeing, Daimler Trucks North America, Galois, Hewlett-Packard, Hyster-Yale, Intel, Jacobs Engineering Group, NASA, Nike, PAE Consulting Engineers, PCC Structurals, Portland General Electric, Precision Castparts, 3D Systems, Tektronix, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Warn Industries, Xerox, and others.
Careers in the Mechanical Engineering field can span various industries, including:
- additive manufacturing
- aerospace
- automotive
- biomedical
- construction
- defense
- electronics
- energy
- heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
- industrial
- materials and metals
- mechanical design
- patent law
- railway
- research and development
About the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science
The Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science includes five departments, 95 full-time faculty and more than 2,700 students. We offer academic programs that provide transformative opportunities within the classroom and beyond. If you join our college, you'll be connected to Portland’s growing, innovative industries and prepared to gain competitive jobs in engineering and computer science. Our close ties to leading tech companies give you the opportunity to build your professional skills through internship programs while you complete your degree. You can participate in undergraduate research, community-based learning projects and opportunities to develop your own ideas from proposal to prototype through our innovation programs. Our students are in demand in the Portland job market and beyond, and they report the highest annual earnings of all PSU graduates one year after graduation.