Concentration in Manufacturing Engineering

Manufacturing engineering is a cross-cutting field that covers a broad range of engineering disciplines. The concentration in Manufacturing Engineering is designed for engineering undergraduates to obtain both a foundational degree in engineering and acquire fundamental knowledge of the manufacturing discipline. The multi-disciplinary concentration courses cover the main aspects of computer-based design, the conversion of research ideas into product development, cost control and optimization, company startups, cost proposal preparation, operating plan development and supply chain management. The required courses will provide an introduction to manufacturing, with a focus on the design, scheduling, budgeting, and building of a specific project.

The 12-credit concentration is available to all engineering students. The concentration is noted on students’ official transcripts and will prepare students for careers including green manufacturing, materials and systems, MEMS and computer-aided design.

It is recommended that students interested in pursuing a Concentration in Manufacturing Engineering declare their concentration as early as possible in their degree program in order to facilitate course planning, but in no case later than May 1 of a student’s junior year. Course requirements are found below,  in addition to details regarding the required experience component.

Concentration Requirements

1. A sequence of three courses (12 credits) consisting of one required course and additional courses chosen from the list below. Students are expected to have the prerequisites necessary to complete all concentration courses.

Required Course (4 credits)
ENG ME 345 – Automation and Manufacturing Methods

Additional Courses (must total 8 credits)

ENG ME 357  – Introduction to CAD and Machine Components (2 credits) (cannot be applied for ME majors)
ENG ME 358 – Manufacturing Processes (2 credits) (cannot be applied for ME majors)
ENG ME 420 – Supply Chain Engineering
ENG ME 500 (Boley) — Advanced Manufacturing: Functional Materials & Automation
ENG ME 500 (Chomyszak) — Manufacturing Processes for Design and Production
ENG ME 510 – Production Systems Analysis
ENG ME 518 – Product Quality
ENG ME 535 / ENG MS 535 – Green Manufacturing
ENG ME 537 – Product Realization
ENG ME 555 – MEMS: Fabrication and Materials
ENG ME 557 – Additive Manufacturing
ENG ME / MS 576 – Nanomanufacturing and Hierarchical Materials
ENG ME/MS 579 – Nano/Microelectronic Device Technology
ENG ME 560 – Precision Machine Design and Instrumentation
ENG ME 584 – Manufacturing Strategy

Please note that courses required (by name/number) for the student’s major cannot also be counted towards the three courses applied to fulfill the concentration. Therefore, ME Students cannot use ENG ME 357 and ME 358 towards the concentration.

Students who are not majoring in Mechanical Engineering are strongly encouraged to take ENG ME 357 and ENG ME 358 as four credits highly relevant to the concentration.

2. Experiential Component Requirement

The experiential component required for the Manufacturing Concentration is intended to exercise and apply learnings from Manufacturing curriculum and is ideally performed after completing the 12-credit sequence specified above. Options for experiences include senior design, laboratory research, internships, directed study, experiential courses, and others by approval. Students must complete either ME 345 or ME357/ME358 to be eligible to undertake an approved experience. 

This requirement must be approved by the Concentration Coordinator and the Experiential Component Approval form, along with a written proposal, must be submitted to the Undergraduate Records Office. Upon conclusion, an Experiential Component Summary form including a written summary, must also be submitted for approval.

Resources

Declaration
Experiential Component Proposal
Experiential Component Summary
Experiential Component Instructions
SARA Complaint Process

Contact

Records Office: 617-353-6447 or engrec@bu.edu
Concentration Coordinator: Prof. Jim Perkins (perkins@bu.edu)