Education
The mission of the manufacturing group is to empower our undergraduate and graduate students to innovate, analyze, control, and manage modern manufacturing machines and operations that make better performing products serving the common good. We offer over 30 courses as well as opportunities to participate in manufacturing research for credit.
Undergraduate Admissions: The Mechanical Engineering department is not involved in the undergraduate admissions process because students do not typically declare a major until sophomore year. Undergraduate admissions are handled exclusively by the College of Engineering Office of Recruitment and Admissions and the U-M Office of Admissions.
Graduate Admissions: All mechanical engineering graduate students apply online through the Rackham Graduate School. Please view the Department's Admissions page for more details.
Undergraduate manufacturing concentration
The Mechanical Engineering core curriculum ensures that undergraduates are equipped to design and analyze manufacturing processes and systems. Knowledge and skills learned across the curriculum are applied and enhanced in the core design and manufacturing courses (ME 250, ME 350, ME 450). Undergraduates can then choose from a range of 400 level technical electives and 500 level advanced courses that explore the foundations and frontiers of manufacturing. We also encourage undergraduates to explore manufacturing research opportunities through the RISE program.
The cross-disciplinary Manufacturing Concentration (MC) is designed to help create leaders in advanced manufacturing for future research and industry positions. It allows students to take both free electives and advanced technical electives that lead to the MC being added to the BSE degree. This concentration is open to undergraduates pursuing a degree in the Mechanical Engineering department.
Concentration requirements:
The MC course offering recognizes that manufacturing operates at the nexus of multiple engineering disciplines. It consists of at least 12 credit hours of coursework in manufacturing related areas; specifically, two concentration core courses and two elective courses. Students may petition to have alternate courses considered by emailing the MC committee (see below) and copying me-aso@umich.edu.
A. Core classes (6 credit hrs.):
B. Choice of a Further 6 credit hours from any of the following courses:
ME 490: Manufacturing relevant research. Needs approval of MC committee.
ME 491: 1-credit Manufacturing Seminar Course (contact Professor Daniel Cooper)
ME 499: Robotics and Mechatronics
ME 585: Machining Processes
ME 586: Laser Materials Processing
ME 599: Residual stresses and Distortions in Modern Manufacturing
ME 599: Introduction to Robotic Manipulation
MSE 440: Ceramic Materials (MSE prerequisite - check with the instructor)
MSE 514: Composite materials (MSE prerequisite - check with the instructor)
MC committee:
Chair: Professor Dan Cooper (drcooper@umich.edu)
Vice-chair: Professor Chinedum Okwudire (okwudire@umich.edu)
Professor Cooper offers a weekly Manufacturing Concentration office hour every Thursday at 4 pm during semester.
Course matrix:
The course matrix below may help you in exploring your MC course selection.
Graduate
We offer a breadth of graduate 500-level courses across the College of Engineering that rigorously expand on earlier manufacturing topics. You can explore these courses below:
Machine Design and Mechatronics
Manufacturing Processes
ME 585: Machining Processes
ME 586: Laser Materials Processing
ME 599: Residual stresses and Distortions in Modern Manufacturing
ME 599: Introduction to Robotic Manipulation
MSE 514: Composite materials (MSE prerequisite - check with the instructor)
Manufacturing Systems & Data analysis