Minor in Mechanical Engineering

Offered by: Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Administered by: M&AE Associate Director
Contact: M&AE Undergraduate Coordinator: 108 Upson Hall, 255-3573, maeug@cornell.edu
Eligibility: Engineering undergraduates affiliated with the following Major Departments are eligible to participate in the Mechanical Engineering minor: A&EP, BEE, CHEME, CEE, CS, EAS, ECE, ENVE, ISST, MS&E, OR&IE, and SES

Students intending to earn a Minor in Mechanical Engineering should seek advice and pre-approval of their Minor academic program from the Associate Director of Undergraduate Affairs in Mechanical Engineering before taking courses toward the Minor.

Educational Objectives: The primary educational objective of this minor is to provide students from outside M&AE the necessary skills and tools to interact technically with mechanical engineers on various multidisciplinary fronts. This minor has the appearance of being very broad since it encompasses nearly all of the MAE upper division courses. However, the prerequisites of the upper-division courses will dictate, to a large extent, that a student concentrate in a sub-area of mechanical engineering. Many upper-level MAE courses have multiple prerequisites. A recommended strategy for designing a minor is to select a few upper-level courses of interest and work backward from them to determine what courses will be needed as prerequisites or prerequisites of prerequisites. (Note: Instructors may waive certain prerequisites in some circumstances.) The prerequisite structure dictates that most curricula will focus either on fluids/thermal systems or mechanical systems/design courses.

Requirements: To complete the minor, the student must choose at least six (6) courses (minimum of 18 credits) from among the following: MAE courses at the 2000+ level; ENGRD 2020(202), Mechanics of Solids; ENGRD 2030(203), Dynamics.

Please note: 

1. The selection of courses must satisfy the following three requirements.
   • At least two courses must be numbered above 3000
   • At least one course must be either
     • numbered above 5000 or
     • numbered above 3260(326) and have as a prerequisite ENGRD 2020(202), ENGRD 2030(203), or an MAE course.
   • Each course must be worth at least 3 credits.
2. All courses used to satisfy the MAE minor must be MAE courses, ENGRD 2020 or ENGRD 2030. No substitution will be accepted from other departments at Cornell or elsewhere. MAE 1110(111) (formerly MAE 101), Naval Ship Systems, and MAE 4980(498), Teaching Experience in Mechanical Engineering, may not be used towards fulfilling the M.E. Minor.  Transfer credit cannot be used to satisfy the MAE minor. 
3. Credits from MAE 4900(490) or 4291(429) may be used for, at most, one course in the minor.

Academic Standards: A letter grade of C- or better for each course in the minor.