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University Park, PA · Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering at Penn State

Penn State graduates about 374 mechanical engineering majors a year, 4% of its graduating class. That puts it 62nd of 332 schools we score for mechanical engineering, a strong program at 73 out of 100. Its current catalog lists 82 undergraduate courses in the field, more than 93% of the schools we've counted. Graduates in the major earn a median $88,000 four years out, about the national figure for the same major. Research spending in the field runs about $155 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

73/100Strong#62 of 332 for mechanical engineering →
Graduates a year3744% of the class
Courses in the catalog82more than 93% of schools
Median pay 4 years out$88,0000.96× the same major nationally
Research in the field$155Ma year, NSF
Admit rate61%whole school
SAT middle 50%1210–1390whole school

Around Penn State

University Park, PA, USA
University Park, PA, USA - panoramio (8)Photo: thomasrive · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
The Thomas Building at Penn State University Park. It contains classrooms, the s
Thomas Building Penn State University ParkPhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source
Hetzel Union Building-Robeson Center at Penn State University
HUB Robeson Center, west side entrancePhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source
A view of part of the Penn State University's University Park campus, seen from
Penn State HUB Lawn and Mt Nittany Seen From HUBPhoto: JohnDziak · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Where mechanical engineering happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: Engineering Design and Innovation Building, Biomechanics Teaching Lab, Radiation Science Engineering Center Storage Building, Agricultural Engineering Building, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Building, Electrical Engineering East, Electrical Engineering West, Engineering Collaborative Research and Education Building, Earth and Engineering Sciences Building, Eric J. Barron Innovation Hub.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 279 · Dorm 62 · Student housing 45 · Athletics 13 · Arts 13 · Dining 8.

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Nearby in the mechanical engineering ranking

  1. Clemson University 74
  2. University of Maryland Baltimore County 74
  3. University of Southern California 74
  4. Yale University 74
  5. Colorado State University 73
  6. University of Connecticut 73
  7. New York University 73
  8. University of Tulsa 73

Other strong majors at Penn State

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Penn State with every school we score in mechanical engineering. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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