During Your Degree

Several important opportunities exist for you as a KU-ME student and as a graduated engineer. You will want to take advantage of many of these opportunities

  1. During your time in the Program, you will have the opportunity to Study Abroad - - learning about other cultures and how those cultures address engineering activities.
  2. During your time in the Program, you will have the opportunity to work for an engineering company during summer internships. Through this experience, you will learn what it is to be an engineer and what is expected of an engineer on the job.
  3. During your time in the Program, should you desire to learn what ME faculty do with their expertise, you will have the opportunity to work with one or more of those faculty members on cutting-edge research regarding specific engineering technology.
  4. Upon graduation, your coursework will have prepared you for work in the various areas of the mechanical engineering field. You will have the opportunity to speak with company representatives at the bi-annual Engineering Career Fair events, and to interview with those companies for challenging positions in the industry.
  5. Upon graduation with a 3.0+ GPA, you will have the qualifications and opportunity to apply for graduate studies (MS & PhD) at KU and a large number of other quality institutions. Such a degree program allows you to specialize in the mechanical engineering area(s) of greatest interest to you.
  6. Upon graduation, and having taken the Fundamentals of Engineering exam while at KU, your BS-ME degree puts you in a position to become a Professionally Registered engineer who is authorized to officially sign for Mechanical Engineering work/products/results. Formal study in an accredited engineering program is the principal means of becoming licensed to practice engineering in Kansas and other states. During the junior or senior year, a student should take the national Fundamentals of Engineering examination. This is a demanding examination; but engineers never know whether or not they will need to be professionally registered later in their careers. So, it is best to be prepared for this potential career direction by taking the FE exam while at KU. Since the FE examination comprehensively covers the courses taken while at KU, the FE becomes more challenging as you get further away from having the material fresh in your mind. After a minimum of four years of engineering practice which is satisfactory to the Board of Professional Engineers in the State in which you are working, an engineer may take an extensive examination to become a registered professional engineer. Licensing regulations vary among states, so it will important for you to ascertain what the regulations are in the state in which you are employed. More information about the FE exam can be found at the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying site; and information regarding State of Kansas registration.