Why Choose Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering?

• Mechanical Engineering (Mech E) is an exciting field of study, where math and physics are used for practical purposes: to design, build and improve the mechanical devices of a modern world.
• Nuclear Engineering (Nuke E) is the fusion of atomic physics and mechanical engineering to design, build, and improve nuclear equipment. 
• Mechanical Engineers design the latest vehicles (sea, air, or ground) and the engines that propel them.  They create prosthetic devices for wounded service members.  They seek to harness clean, renewable energy sources like wind, water, and solar power.  They make materials for armor and aircraft lighter and stronger, and our daily lives safer in countless ways. 
• Nuclear Engineers design the latest nuclear propulsion plants (sea and space), medical devices, microscopes, and power plants.  Due to the thousands of nuclear isotopes there are many undiscovered possibilities for power generation is even the most extreme environments. 
• Mech E is the broadest engineering discipline, which as a student means more variety in coursework, and an education that is highly respected and highly versatile.
• Although Nuke E may be more specialized than Mech E, still has a wide range of applications and subspecialties.

What is special about Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at the Naval Academy?

• The Mechanical & Nuclear Engineering Department has a great faculty.  We are teachers, researchers, civilians and officers who are interesting people, and interested in you.  Most importantly, we are fully engaged in the education of midshipmen.  See for yourself: find a friend in Mech or Nuke E, and ask them what they think!
  
  
• Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering has world-class laboratory facilities, and they are all for you.  Engineering is a hands-on discipline - learning in a classroom about material failure, lift and drag on a wing, or nuclear fission is just the first step.  At the academy, midshipmen get to experiment with a subcritical reactor, break steel beams, and feel the aerodynamic forces in a wind tunnel. Graduates of our program don't just learn from books.  They are great engineers because they have seen it and done it for themselves.
  
  
• As a mechanical engineer, you will take a wide range of classes, some that are required and some that you choose.  The required course titles are things like "Strength of Materials," "Applied Thermodynamics," "Engineering Experimentation" and "Introduction to Design."  In your last year or two, you will take several elective courses, where you can choose the topics that are most interesting to you.  Some popular electives are "Engines: Principles, Design and Applications," "Design of Robotic Elements," "Reactor Physics," and "Engineering Project Management."
  
  
• As a nuclear engineer, you will take a wide range of classes, some that are required and some that you choose.  The required course titles are things like "Nuclear Physics," "Applied Thermodynamics," "Nuclear Material Science" and "Nuclear Plant Design."  In your last year or two, you will take several elective courses, where you can choose the topics that are most interesting to you.  Some popular electives are "Engines: Principles, Design and Applications," "Nuclear Weapons and Effects," and "Engineering Project Management."
• All permanent faculty members in Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering hold a doctorate degree, and they are all engaged in research related to their area of expertise. Research is where knowledge is created - discoveries are made, both large and small, that contribute to our understanding of the world around us. For this research, we need you! For course credit, 1/C midshipmen may engage in collaborative research with a faculty member, or may pursue their own idea under the supervision of a faculty advisor. In the past, midshipmen contribution to research has been substantial. It is not unusual for mids to be authors on a technical paper, or travel to present their work at a conference or symposium.
  
  
• The Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.