Mechanical Engineering majors typically take the following courses in the fall semester of their first year:
First-Year Experience Learning Community Courses
We will register you in these courses.
- Philosophy (PHIL 201)
- English Composition (ENG 101) OR Theology (TRS 201)
Why am I taking these classes? Honors students take equivalent honors courses.
Major Courses
You will need to choose and register for these courses.
- Analytic Geometry and Calculus I (Math 121), or other calculus-sequence course depending on calculus placement exam (see below)
- Introduction to Engineering Design and Professionalism (ENGR 102)
- Introduction to Computer Programming with MATLAB (CSC 113)
Math Placement Exam
Your major requires you to take the math placement exam to determine what math course is at the right level for you. You will receive information about the math placement exam from the Engineering School soon.
About Your First Semester Courses
Engineers solve natural and technological problems through creative design. Mechanical engineers protect the environment, increase the quality of life, and contribute to economic growth. There has never been a greater demand for engineers, and over the next four years, we will teach you how to use your problem-solving skills to repair and enhance the world around you.
At CUA, engineers also take courses in the liberal arts. Studying theology, philosophy, and the humanities will help you develop problem-solving skills in new domains and become a more flexible thinker. And they will help you appreciate the ethical and spiritual dimensions of the problems human beings face and the goods we seek by solving them.
Register for Introduction to Engineering Design and Professionalism (ENGR 102), a general introduction to the engineering disciplines' design process.
Take the calculus placement exam and register for the course into which you place. To help you place as high as possible, before taking the exam, you should review the following:
- algebra: expanding and collecting terms; simplifying expressions; solving for a variable; solving simultaneous linear equations
- functions and graphs of functions
- elementary plane geometry analytic geometry, including equational descriptions of lines, conic sections, circles, and spheres
- trigonometric functions (defined as circular functions in terms of radians; also as they relate to right triangles); exponential and logarithmic functions
- recognizing algebraic relationships expressed in ordinary prose and translating those relationships into their symbolic equivalents
Placement can also be determined by an AP or IB exam; consult with your advisor if this applies to you.
And finally, take Computer Programming (CSC 113).
To learn more about the Mechanical Engineering major, consult the School of Engineering’s website.
Know which courses you want? Get registered.