About This Department

The Department of Mechanical Engineering (http://www.me.vt.edu/), which includes a Nuclear Engineering Program, has 67 faculty, 30 affiliate faculty, annual research expenditures of over $18M, and a current enrollment of 300 graduate students with 180 students at doctoral level, and over 1100 undergraduate students. With about 400 BS ME degrees awarded each year, the Department is the third largest in the nation in graduating mechanical engineers (2017 ASEE Data.) The Department is ranked 15th (8th in public schools) and 23rd (12th in public schools) out of all mechanical engineering departments in the nation in undergraduate and graduate education, respectively, by the 2019 U.S. News and World Report. The department operates under five thrust areas: Robotics and Dynamical Systems (RADS); Bio, Micro, and Nano Systems (BMNS); Energy Engineering and Science (ESS); Design, Materials, and Manufacturing (DMM); and Nuclear Engineering and Science (NES). The Department includes several research centers, and its faculty members are engaged in diverse multidisciplinary research activities. The mechanical engineering faculty also benefit from a number of university-wide institutes such as the Institute for Critical Technology and Applied Science (ICTAS), the Biocomplexity Institute, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI); College-level centers such as the Rolls-Royce University Technology Center (UTC) and the state-level Commonwealth of Virginia Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems (CCAPS), the Virginia Center for Autonomous Systems (VaCAS) and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM). Blacksburg is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains and is widely recognized by national rankings as a vibrant and desirable community with affordable living, world-class outdoor recreation, an active arts community, and a diverse international population.