Explore About MechE
About Us
The Department of Mechanical Engineering – MechE – embodies the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s motto mens et manus, “mind and hand,” as well as “heart” by combining analysis and hands-on discovery with a commitment to making the world a better place. We train the next generation of mechanical engineers to develop creative products and solutions. By leveraging our strengths, we aspire to solve some of the grand challenges facing our world.
- MIT MechE was ranked the number one mechanical engineering program for our graduate and undergraduate program in 2022 by US News & World Report.
- Our faculty are world renowned experts in their field and have been awarded some of the highest honors in engineering. Meet Our Faculty
- Our researchers are responsible for some of the biggest research breakthroughs of the 20th and 21st century – from the first artificial skin to 3D printing and the robotic cheetah. Learn About Our History
Who are we?
What’s so unique about the MIT MechE spirit? Hear it straight from our students and faculty in this short video.
Our Mission
We educate future leaders in mechanical engineering that can model, design, innovate, and solve grand challenge problems facing our society. Our students and faculty advance science and technology by discovering solutions, designing products, and engineering workflows that help make our world a better place.
Our Education
We encourage students to think outside the box, helping foster an innovative and entrepreneurial spirit that permeates our classrooms and laboratories.
As our department looks to educate engineers who are equipped to solve the problems of the 21st century, we are creating an educational experience that is:
Comprehensive
We ensure our students have a solid foundation in the core principles of mechanical engineering. By designing a broad, deep, and creative educational experience, we hope to create “renaissance mechanical engineers” who have comprehensive knowledge of the field.
Hands-On
We combine in-depth analysis with hands-on experience, giving students an understanding and agility that can only occur through creation. Students have access to cutting-edge tools, machinery, and software, affording them with opportunities to make discoveries, derive theories and methods, and design new products.
Career-Focused
Through career advising, networking, access to industry partners, and programs like the MechE Alliance, we prepare our students for the next decade of their life and give them the confidence they need to pursue their goals — whether that’s working as an engineer, founding a company, or pursuing another degree.
Flexible
Our undergraduate and graduate programs give students the flexibility to pursue their passion while honing fundamental problem-solving skills. Undergraduates can choose between traditional or custom degrees. Graduate students have a wealth of options including a joint program with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, our 2N Graduate
Program in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, and our dual degree with the Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) Program in MIT Sloan School of Management.
Our Research
We conduct cutting-edge research at the new frontiers of mechanical engineering. Faculty often specialize in more than one discipline, ensuring a fluidity of research that promotes cross-disciplinary discovery.
Our People
MechE has a culture of curiosity that combines a rigorous education with hands-on experience. Our passion for pushing boundaries and developing creative solutions to the world’s problems has led to a remarkable number of discoveries along the way – and a lot of fun too.
