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Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
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2026-2027

Mechanical Engineering

College of Engineering

Concentration(s):
Nuclear Engineering
Program description

Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers design and analyze machines of all types including automobiles, airplanes, rockets, submarines, power generation systems, biomedical instrumentation, robots, manufacturing systems, household appliances and many, many more. In addition to well-known areas such as nuclear energy, nuclear propulsion and nuclear medicine, nuclear engineers are involved in many other applications of nuclear science and technology in fields as diverse as agriculture, industry, homeland security, forensics, environmental protection, and even art.


Current areas of research within the department include but are not limited to energy conversion systems, smart materials, corrosion, medical devices, aerosol science, sensors, radiation detection and measurement, nuclear reactor design, robotics, fluid mechanics, nanotechnology, and biomechanics.

Career opportunities

Mechanical engineers research, design, develop, manufacture, and test tools, engines, machines, and other mechanical devices. Mechanical engineering is one of the broadest engineering disciplines. Engineers in this discipline work on power-producing machines such as electric generators, internal combustion engines, and steam and gas turbines. They also work on power-using machines such as refrigeration and air-conditioning equipment, machine tools, material-handling systems, elevators and escalators, industrial production equipment, and robots used in manufacturing. Some mechanical engineers design tools that other engineers need for their work.The key characteristics of the profession are its breadth, flexibility, and individuality. The career paths of mechanical engineers are largely determined by individual choices, a decided advantage in a changing world.

Change of major requirements

The guaranteed acceptance requirements include a VCU GPA of 3.0 or greater with a minimum of 12 VCU credit hours earned. Completion is required of MATH 200, MATH 201, PHYS 207, and CHEM 101 with a GPA of 3.0 or greater, inclusive of all course attempts. The historical repeat is not considered in the calculation of these requirements.


Students who are close to meeting all of these requirements should contact their assigned academic advisor or the Office of Student Services in the College of Engineering.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Automation Engineer
  • Automotive Engineer
  • Design Engineer
  • Maintenance Engineer
  • Manufacturing Engineer
  • Mechanical Engineer
  • Nuclear Engineer
  • Product Development Engineer
  • Robotics Engineer
  • Sales Engineer
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • College Professor
  • Lead Research Scientist
  • Project Lead Engineer
  • Research & Development Engineer
  • Research Engineer
  • Simulation & Modeling Engineer
Professional associations and resources
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 307 and STAT 441
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • 2.0+ cumulative GPA, 2.0+ major GPA
Transfer Maps

Contact information

Department name:
Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering
Building/room location:
401 West Main Street #E3221, Richmond, VA 23284
Phone:
(804) 828-9117
Email:
mechengr@vcu.edu
https://egr.vcu.edu/departments/mechanical/
Campus (where 75% of courses are taken):
Monroe Park
Major map compass icon
Major map

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Apply to live in a program-in-residence or a living-learning community.
  • Connect with Global Education Office to explore leadership and intercultural communication skill-building programs and review resources such as Global Learning's Major Advising Sheets, study abroad fairs or complete Rams Abroad 101. to explore studying abroad opportunities and other global learning opportunities.
  • Consider applying to the Honors College.
  • Create a profile on RamsConnect to explore student organizations and get involved, meet people, and develop your interests.
  • Get involved and meet new friends through the Student Government Association or one of over 450 student clubs and organizations (BSPS Student club, Chemistry, etc.)
  • Register to vote in Virginia and explore Richmond’s many museums and parks.
  • Explore student organizations associated with mechanical engineering and the College of Engineering like ASME, ANS, NSBE, SHPE, SWE, or EWB.
  • Meet peers and make new friends/study buddies at the Weeks of Welcome cookout.
  • Meet peers and make new friends/study buddies at the Weeks of Welcome cookout.
  • Explore student organizations associated with ME and the College of Engineering (ASME, ANS, EWB).
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
  • Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
  • Connect with the Student Alumni Council to connect to VCU alumni.
  • Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
  • Schedule an appointment with your major advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
  • Students in the nuclear engineering concentration students should take EGMN 351and EGMN 359.
  • Continue progression in engineering and mathematics coursework.
  • Learn about double-majors or minors that pair easily with your major.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
  • Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty and apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship.
  • Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
  • Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
  • Participate in a VCU HackaThon.
  • Consider working for the College of Engineering as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Identify ways in which you are culturally uninformed. Begin to learn the historical and current events that have shaped cultures to which you have been underexposed.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
  • Build a professional resume and upload it to Handshake.
  • Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
  • Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
  • Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
  • Attend or present a poster at a scientific meeting or conference.
  • Take ENGR 395 Professional Development and gain key skills for finding internships, co-op’s, or research opportunities.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
  • Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
  • Meet with a coach at the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
  • Consider attending a national career fair (SWE, SHPE, NSBE) to gain exposure to more employers.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Meet with your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
  • Discuss electives for your concentration with your advisor and professors.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
  • Design a community-engaged research project.
  • Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
  • Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
  • Consider joining an in-major mentoring network.
  • Update your engineering resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Work for the College of Engineering as a tutor.
  • Participate in culturally diverse events both at VCU and beyond. Art, music, and food festivals and exhibitions are plentiful.
  • Practice professional communication and interpersonal skills that embrace cultural differences.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • If you have not completed the required internship or co-op experience, meet with Engineering Career Services to discuss your plan for fulfilling this requirement.
  • Attend the Senior Capstone Expo in April.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services or the Writing Center.
  • Make a plan with your academic, career, and faculty advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year. 
  • Talk to advisors, faculty, and Engineering Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
  • Attend Engineering Internship & Career Fair.

Excel
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Apply to graduate for your undergraduate degree.
  • Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
  • Choose courses with content and skills most relevant to your preferred post-graduation opportunities.
  • Consider completing ENGR 411 to review for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam if you are considering becoming a licensed professional engineer
  • Declare any possible outstanding minors for which you may already have credit like math or physics.
EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Attend professional association conferences that offer student rates or scholarships.
  • Carry out globally-oriented research projects with multilingual faculty and international partners.
  • Read scholarly articles about internationalization in your field.
  • Serve in a leadership role on campus in a local community organization.
  • Work as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Continue to explore cultures beyond your own through scholarly and recreational avenues.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
  • Fill out VCU’s First Destination Survey.
  • Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
  • Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Attend as many College of Engineering internship and career fairs as you can.
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2026-2027

Mechanical Engineering

College of Engineering

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING EXPAND YOUR COMMUNITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Apply to live in a program-in-residence or a living-learning community.
  • Connect with Global Education Office to explore leadership and intercultural communication skill-building programs and review resources such as Global Learning's Major Advising Sheets, study abroad fairs or complete Rams Abroad 101. to explore studying abroad opportunities and other global learning opportunities.
  • Consider applying to the Honors College.
  • Create a profile on RamsConnect to explore student organizations and get involved, meet people, and develop your interests.
  • Get involved and meet new friends through the Student Government Association or one of over 450 student clubs and organizations (BSPS Student club, Chemistry, etc.)
  • Register to vote in Virginia and explore Richmond’s many museums and parks.
  • Explore student organizations associated with mechanical engineering and the College of Engineering like ASME, ANS, NSBE, SHPE, SWE, or EWB.
  • Meet peers and make new friends/study buddies at the Weeks of Welcome cookout.
  • Meet peers and make new friends/study buddies at the Weeks of Welcome cookout.
  • Explore student organizations associated with ME and the College of Engineering (ASME, ANS, EWB).
  • Access your free credit report and begin making responsible credit choices to prepare for your future.
  • Build a resume and LinkedIn profile with help from VCU Career Services, make at least 10 connections, and check out the VCU alumni career programs page.
  • Connect with the Student Alumni Council to connect to VCU alumni.
  • Make a 4-year affordability plan with your financial counselor.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
Experience Year 2
  • Get familiar with the research process with the VCU Libraries Research Basics Guide.
  • Schedule an appointment with your major advisor to explore minors, certificates, and plan your required REAL experience.
  • Students in the nuclear engineering concentration students should take EGMN 351and EGMN 359.
  • Continue progression in engineering and mathematics coursework.
  • Learn about double-majors or minors that pair easily with your major.
  • Discuss personal and professional interests with faculty.
  • Investigate globally-focused courses in your major by pursuing language coursework or setting language proficiency goals with advisors and faculty and apply for the Critical Languages Scholarship.
  • Take a service-learning class to get involved with local organizations while earning credit.
  • Volunteer to address a social issue and check out Hands on Greater Richmond for opportunities.
  • Participate in a VCU HackaThon.
  • Consider working for the College of Engineering as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Identify ways in which you are culturally uninformed. Begin to learn the historical and current events that have shaped cultures to which you have been underexposed.
  • Attend career and internship fairs and other professional development events.
  • Build a professional resume and upload it to Handshake.
  • Complete a gap analysis with your career advisor to identify key skills required for your professional field.
  • Pursue a digital badge to highlight the knowledge, skills, and experiences employers and graduate schools value.
  • Seek out practical experience through independent skill-building, internships, shadowing, or part-time work.
  • Attend or present a poster at a scientific meeting or conference.
  • Take ENGR 395 Professional Development and gain key skills for finding internships, co-op’s, or research opportunities.
  • Ask a faculty or staff member to be your academic and professional mentor and to provide future letters of recommendation.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of professional interest.
  • Connect with alumni on VCULink for career advice, industry contacts, and meaningful professional relationships.
  • Meet with a coach at the Financial Success Center to set financial goals, understand student loans, and create spending plans.
  • Attend Engineering Internship/Career Fairs.
  • Consider attending a national career fair (SWE, SHPE, NSBE) to gain exposure to more employers.
Year 3
  • Enhance your business, software, technology, and creative skills using LinkedIn Learning.
  • Meet with your academic and career advisors to discuss graduation progress and career planning.
  • Discuss electives for your concentration with your advisor and professors.
  • Attend civic meetings, such as school board, neighborhood association, city council, or state legislative sessions.
  • Build language proficiency and cultural competence by carrying out your plans for study abroad, internships, and service-learning.
  • Design a community-engaged research project.
  • Explore new cultures at one of Richmond’s wide array of festivals.
  • Make an appointment with the National Scholarship Office to explore post-graduate scholarship and fellowship opportunities.
  • Motivate your peers by presenting at Leaders Unleashed: Student Leadership Conference or at TEDxVCU.
  • Consider joining an in-major mentoring network.
  • Update your engineering resume to include how you have developed your communication and interpersonal skills for future work on multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
  • Work for the College of Engineering as a tutor.
  • Participate in culturally diverse events both at VCU and beyond. Art, music, and food festivals and exhibitions are plentiful.
  • Practice professional communication and interpersonal skills that embrace cultural differences.
  • Apply for the Graduate School Mentorship Program to learn more about graduate school and the graduate student experience.
  • Take advantage of mock interview opportunities through Big Interview or meeting with a career advisor.
  • Update your ePortfolio.
  • If you have not completed the required internship or co-op experience, meet with Engineering Career Services to discuss your plan for fulfilling this requirement.
  • Attend the Senior Capstone Expo in April.
  • Have a personal statement or cover letter reviewed by Career Services or the Writing Center.
  • Make a plan with your academic, career, and faculty advisors for applying to graduate school or land a micro-internship.
  • Prepare for job offer negotiation by researching salaries, benefits, and other opportunities for flexibility.
  • Study for and complete any standardized exams required for graduate school the summer before senior year. 
  • Talk to advisors, faculty, and Engineering Career Services about graduate school versus a job.
  • Attend Engineering Internship & Career Fair.
Excel Year 4
  • Apply to graduate for your undergraduate degree.
  • Choose REAL electives to diversify your skillset and round out your degree.
  • Schedule an appointment with your academic advisor the semester before you graduate to ensure that all graduation requirements will be met.
  • Choose courses with content and skills most relevant to your preferred post-graduation opportunities.
  • Consider completing ENGR 411 to review for the Fundamentals of Engineering exam if you are considering becoming a licensed professional engineer
  • Declare any possible outstanding minors for which you may already have credit like math or physics.
  • Attend professional association conferences that offer student rates or scholarships.
  • Carry out globally-oriented research projects with multilingual faculty and international partners.
  • Read scholarly articles about internationalization in your field.
  • Serve in a leadership role on campus in a local community organization.
  • Work as a tutor in your strongest subjects.
  • Continue to explore cultures beyond your own through scholarly and recreational avenues.
  • Connect with the Office of VCU Alumni Relations at Grad Fair, Grad Bash, and the VCULink Industry Network or alumni chapter.
  • Fill out VCU’s First Destination Survey.
  • Prepare for graduation by making a plan to complete licensing exams, applications, and self-marketing activities.
  • Single out prospective employers and create a job or graduate school search strategy at least 8 months before graduation.
  • Attend as many College of Engineering internship and career fairs as you can.