Mechanical Engineering Technology, AS

Mechanical Engineering Technology concerns power and the machinery used to convert power to useful work. The Mechanical Engineering Technician is a practically-oriented member of the engineering team who applies existing technology to the solution of engineering problems. Students learn how to extract and analyze engineering data. Microcomputers are integrated into the curriculum to aid in both classroom and laboratory activities. Senior students are assigned projects in which they apply the principles they have learned. Applications to current technology are stressed and individual initiative is encouraged. The program is designed to train students as Mechanical Engineering Technicians ready for entry-level positions in industry upon graduation.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of all program requirements, graduates should be able to:

• Prepare and present technical and laboratory reports using modern computer software and oral presentation skills
• Prepare drawings of machine components both manually and with the help of AutoCAD software
• Understand the nature, science, structure, and properties of metallic, plastic, ceramic, and composite engineering materials
• Measure the mechanical properties (tensile strength, hardness, impact strength, torsional shear strength, toughness, etc.) of a material specimen in a laboratory
• Draw the Free Body Diagram (FBD) of a two-dimensional body and then write and solve its equations of equilibrium
• Perform force analyses of machine and frames
• Calculate the deformation of and thermal stress caused by temperature changes in a metal object
• Calculate the stresses within spherical pressure vessels
• Apply differential and integral calculus to develop the equations of motion for an object
• Analyze the forces acting on an object in free or restricted motion
• Analyze a column and determine the critical load that will cause it to buckle

Students enrolling in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program should plan to spend approximately $60.00 on drafting equipment. For more information, call the Program Coordinator, Cyprian Ukah, at (203) 285-2375 or e-mail at (cukah@gatewayct.edu).