History of the Department
The College of Engineering was instituted with the Mechanical and Civil Engineering programs in 1914, making the College and Department nearly 100 years old. The first department head for Mechanical Engineering was Dr. Fred S. Griffin, who served until 1952. In addition, the department has over 5000 alumni, beginning with 3 in the class of 1919, and adding 110 in the 2008-2009 academic year.Historical Milestones
| 1914 | Civil and Mechanical Engineering Departments established |
| 1924 | Minimum Credit Hours for BS degree for all departments – 280 (probably quarter system) |
| 1932 | Students assigned to Co-Op |
| 1936 | Aeronautical Option added to Mechanical Engineering (Terminated in 1947) |
| 1939 | Industrial Option added to Mechanical Engineering (Terminated in 1968) |
| 1941 | Mechanical, including Industrial and Aeronautical Options, first accredited by ECPD |
| 1945 | Minimum Credit Hours for BS degree for all departments – 155 |
| 1948 | Mechanical Engineering Department: Fred S. Griffin, Prof., and Head; E. Kenneth Hamlen, Assistant Prof.; William M. Petry, Assistant Prof., Clarence R. Upp., Associate Prof.; Bernard Wieczorek, Instructor; Earl R. Wilson, Associate Prof. |
| 1956 | MS in Engineering Program Approved |
| 1967 | Freshman Design courses added |
| 1967 | PhD program approved |
| 1968 | Engineering located in ASEC |
| 1970 | Optional Co-Op established |
| 1973 | Transfer to College required 45 credit hours |
| 1977 | Semester calendar approved |
| 1968 | First MS Degree: "Stress Relaxation of Pre-stressing Steel Wire at Slightly Elevated Temperature by Ramesh W. Shahani"; Advisor : Robert G. Dubensky |
| 1973 | First PhD Degree: "An Analytical and Experimental Investigation of the Random Vibrations of a Four-wheeled Vehicle Traversing a Non-Deterministic Terrain" by George R. Doyle; Advisor : Namerto L. Chu |
| 1998 | Mechanical Polymer engineering Program established |
| 2000 | Mechanical Engineering Advisory Board established |
| 2009 | Aerospace Systems Engineering Program established |