Chair's Welcome

Thomas S. Buchanan Professor and Chair Department of Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical engineering is the broadest of the engineering disciplines giving students a wide range of opportunities; its strong technical foundation makes available opportunities in both practice and research as well as non-engineering fields such as business, law or medicine. Specific areas of focus in mechanical engineering at Delaware include biomechanics, composite materials, environmental fluid mechanics, manufacturing processes, and robotics and controls.


One of the oldest engineering programs at the University, Mechanical Engineering traces its roots back to the establishment of a department of mechanical and electrical engineering in 1891 with the first degrees awarded in 1895. From the very beginning, engineering enjoyed popularity among the students - today that enthusiasm continues as evidenced by the national awards to our faculty and by the strength of both our undergraduate and graduate programs.

The undergraduate program is fully accredited and our curriculum was created to be flexible and responsive to the students' needs: mechanical engineering classes are taught by full-time faculty members, undergraduates are encouraged to work directly with the faculty in their electives and in the University of Delaware Undergraduate Research Program, and our Senior Design experience is structured as a type of practicum enabling students to solve real-world problems for real companies.

The graduate program also provides flexibility including a direct Ph.D. program without the requirements of a Master's degree and the ability to accommodate students with Mathematics and Physics majors into our graduate program. The Department's research program is recognized nationally and includes many cross-disciplinary interests; for example, the Center for Composite Materials.and the Center for Biomedical Engineering Research. Research endeavors span a wide range of applications such as space-based robotics, particulate air pollution, composite hip implants, active aircraft noise suppression, coating flows, neural and biomechanical arm control, and intelligent control in composites manufacturing. The research areas highlight the strength of the faculty and the wide range of possibilities.

Explore our website and discover why our graduates are prepared to face the challenges they will encounter - no matter what path they choose.