In 1995 the Departments of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Engineering combined to form the Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department. The alliance of these two related programs makes for an efficient department with a healthy mix of ideas, faculty and courses related to both design and manufacturing.
In the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering students can pursue either the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering [BSME] or the degree of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering [BSIE]. Mechanical Engineering deals with product design, and Industrial Engineering deals with manufacturing and marketing these products. This brief document is intended to answer your questions about Mechanical Engineering. For those interested in Industrial Engineering, please see the corresponding document on that program. If you pick either Mechanical Engineering or Industrial Engineering, you will surely be exposed to the other one during your studies.
Any questions about Mechanical Engineering after your visit: Contact Program Director, Dr. Steven Kramer at 419-530-8203 or email: doliver@eng.utoledo.edu. For information about scholarships, admissions, or housing, contact Doug Periat at 419-530-8042 or email at dperiat@eng.utoledo.edu.
The Co-Op Program enables you to work for a company in your field of study to gain experience while still a student. Based on the plan you select in the Professional Development course, you will start your Co-Op work experience 1 in the spring semester of your Sophomore year [Plan A] or in the summer following your Sophomore year [Plan B]. Co-op experience is very important because companies want to hire experienced graduating engineers. Although it will take one-half year longer to graduate and your summers will be involved, you will be much more marketable since you will have one year of engineering experience. Some of the benefits of Co-Op's are:
The Career Management Center is located in NI-1040. Ms. Vickie Kuntz is the contact for all ME and IE students. Her telephone number is 419-530-8054.
Entry-level freshmen in Fall 1999 normally will take MATH 1850 (Calculus I) in the fall semester followed by MATH 1860 (Calculus II) in the spring semester. However, if you are not prepared to take MATH 1850, then you will likely be taking MATH 1330 (Trigonometry) or MATH 1340 (College Algebra and Trigonometry), followed by MATH 1850 in the spring semester. To remain on schedule for your Sophomore year and co-op plan which will start during or after your Sophomore year, you would then need to take MATH 1860 or an equivalent course [perhaps in your hometown] during the summer term. This also applies to students who do not earn a C– grade or better in MATH 1850 in the fall semester because that is the pre-requisite to take Physics I. In addition, during your first semester, freshmen are scheduled to take CHEM 1230 (College Chemistry). However, if you are not prepared for CHEM 1230, then you will be taking CHEM 1090 (Elementary Chemistry). Again, in order to remain on schedule, you would need to enroll in CHEM 1230 during the spring semester, and PHYS 2130 or its equivalent during the summer semester. If this applies to you, it is important to make plans early in the spring semester so that you are not behind in these courses in your Sophomore year. The next page has course equivalencies at various schools. If the school where you will be making up course deficit(s) is not listed see Dr. Kramer this semester with that school's course catalog to have the correct course identified before you go and take it. Not a great idea to take a course that won't count for you.
MIME 3940 is the course number that you need to register for when you are on one of your Co-Op work experiences. This one-credit hour is no charge when you register, but there is a charge of $200, which is paid only after you complete the co-op assignment and fill out the co-op evaluation form. Registering for MIME 3940 will keep your full time status regarding health insurance if you are under your parent's insurance plan, it will keep your engineering computer account uninterrupted, it will get you a discount if you join the UT Rec center, and it will prevent any financial institution to try to start getting you to repay student loans. All are very important reasons to register for 3940.
WHEN IS IT BEST TO REGISTER FOR 3940 ?
It is recommended that you register for 3940 at the advanced registration time just before you go out on co-op or, at the latest, when you get the job offer you want to take. One reason for this is that engineering email-lists are generated based on enrollment. The MIME Department gets this list just before school begins, and it would be helpful to you and us if your email username is on the list. At no time should you start your co-op without having registered for this.
These are the section numbers:
The note ["This section is…."] will be printed in the course schedule booklet.
In order to have the number of people on Plans A and B to be about the same [for the reasons of: company scheduling and class scheduling], not everyone will get the plan they wish. Here is how the selection is determined:
Note on Plan C: Plan C is for varsity athletes who are not permitted to work during the academic year. In some instances Plan C could be approved for an international student who prefers a job in his/her home country and can get an engineering job there on his/her own.
With all the different questions being flung about, you may wonder what exactly the employer is looking for. The following is the list of ten critical success factors that nearly every employer is looking for based on information published in numerous management journals, magazines, and company literature:
Show your competence in as many of the above critical success factors as possible and you will rise above the competition.
Before you get the position
1. If you accept a job offer, you are expected to take that job offer. So, don't be so quick to go with the first one. When in doubt, see Ms. Kuntz.
2. When a company invites you for an interview at their company site, don't say "Can't make it, why don't you come over here." This is because they want to show you their facilities as well as interview you. They pay your travel expenses in most cases.
When you're on the Job
We'd be lying if we said it was easy. It's not easy. But it's not difficult if you know how to study, if you set your mind to it, if you are careful in your work, and if you use your time wisely rather than party every night. Students who have done well in engineering were not fantastically smart. They just made a commitment to put schoolwork first. If you are this kind of person, you will succeed in engineering. It's a sacrifice, no doubt, but after four or five years, you will have a very marketable degree; something not every college graduate can claim.
There are some basic, unwritten rules that organizations expect all employees, including co-ops, to know. Even if your supervisor never discusses these rules, you will be expected to follow them. You need to
· Be reliable This means you get to work on time, and you don’t miss work. If you are forced to miss work for some reason out of your control, you should let people at work know as soon as possible.
· Be willing to work This means doing your job, but it also means doing those extra things to help everyone around you get the job done.
· Be respectful You must show respect for the company you work for, for your boss, and your fellow employees.
· Keep your job separate from your social and personal life Don’t make dates in the office or take up your boss’ or co-workers’ time with discussions of your personal life.
Violation of any of these rules will result in a grade of NC (no credit) for your co-op work experience if the violation is sufficiently serious. The decision to award the NC grade will be made by the student’s co-op director, undergraduate director, and Assoc. Dean. If the infraction is sufficiently severe, the student may not be allowed to co-op again until remedial action is taken. Typically, the student will be expected to write a letter of apology to the company if the infraction involved inappropriate behavior. Additional remedial action may be required in particularly serious infractions.
The above is a policy developed in the College of Engineering and adopted in August 2000.
It is quite likely you will be around high speed machinery and equipment, hazardous materials, noisy environments, and/or in situations where extreme care is needed. Hence, safety will be a very important issue for you [as well as everyone] in the workplace. This may seem obvious, but it does not hurt to mention it here that........
You must follow company policies regarding safety in the workplace.
If you feel a little scared about going into engineering, you are not alone. Just about everyone is. But, most people get over this feeling about two or three weeks into their classes and find engineering to be fun, exciting, challenging and very rewarding. Once again, if you are systematic, organized, and serious about your studies, you'll get through our program and you'll be starting your career before you know it.
The Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Department has a tutoring program that is FREE to its students. The Tutoring Office is staffed by upperclassmen who have done well in the courses they tutor. Check it out if you need to and maybe someday you'll be a tutor in a course you've done well in. In addition, all faculty members keep regular office hours and they are there for students in their classes who need extra help. So, the tuition money you are paying includes this extra help provided by your teacher.
Laboratories are ways of showing students the engineering theories and principles in action and thus provide excellent learning experiences. The laboratories in Mechanical Engineering are: Measurements, Fluid Mechanics, Energy, and Vibrations Laboratories. Part of the laboratory experience is doing the lab and the other part is writing the report. The laboratories enable you to literally see the theory and principles you learn in the classroom.
The professors from other countries bring a different perspective to the university and are generally highly regarded in the academic profession. These professors are very effective in the classroom because their language skills are usually quite excellent. Sure, their accents are different from yours but this is something students get used to in a short time.
Excellent. And that is not just our opinion. In our Mechanical Engineering program five of our professors have received The University of Toledo's Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award over the years. Plus, one other professor received the identical teaching award at his university before he joined our university. In fact the Mechanical Engineering Program has one of the highest percentage of faculty members at this entire university who have received this award - and two of them are from other countries. So, even though a professor is not from the U.S., doesn't mean he/she still can't be an excellent teacher.
The mission at the University of Toledo is both teaching and research. We feel that teaching and research complement each other because research keeps faculty up on state-of-the-art technology in their field. This is very different from some schools which focus primarily on research.
In the College of Engineering, all engineering courses are taught by faculty members - not by graduate teaching assistants. Teaching assistants [called TA's] are graduate students who assist professors in laboratories and help grade papers and reports. In the past, there has been a concern that some TA's had limited communication skills because they were from other countries. However, in the College of Engineering, all TA's are graduates from U.S. universities so it is highly unlikely you will have a problem understanding a TA.
In 1995 we moved into a new 25-million dollar engineering complex on the south side of campus. In Nitschke Hall and North Engineering there is a large amount of space for laboratories, computer laboratory clusters, student lounges, study areas, and faculty offices. Next door is a classroom building, called Palmer Hall which is scheduled for renovation within the next year. You might say you are at the right place at the right time to take advantage of these new facilities.
For information about Financial Aid, Admissions, Housing and the Honors Program, contact the following offices: Financial Aid Office at 419-530-2056, Admissions Office at 419-530-2696, Housing Office at 419-530-2941, or Honors Office at 419-530-6031.