Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering is a discipline of engineering that uses the principles of physics and materials science for the analysis and design of mechanical and thermal systems. The objectives of the Mechanical and Materials Science and Engineering Track of the Engineering Sciences A.B. program are to provide students a solid foundation in mechanical engineering study within the setting of a liberal arts college for preparation for a diverse range of careers in industry and government or for advanced work in engineering, business, law, or medicine. Students are also eligible to apply for an A.B./S.M. degree program.
Mechanical Engineering concentrators receive a foundational education in a discipline central to challenges in energy, transportation, manufacturing, robotics, and the development of public infrastructure. Mechanical Engineering deals with the study and application of mechanical and thermal systems and covers a range of subtopics including mechatronics and robotics, structural analysis, thermodynamics and engineering design including the analysis of mechanical systems using finite element methods, the science of new materials, and devices for micro electromechanical systems (MEMS) and biological and nanotechnology applications.
Harvard School of Engineering offers a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) degree in Engineering Sciences — Materials Science & Mechanical Engineering, conferred through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering ranges from fundamental work in solid and fluid mechanics to diverse studies in materials, mechanical systems, and biomechanics. Materials scientists and mechanical engineers at Harvard are pursuing work in the mechanics of materials structures; geophysical and biological systems involved in phenomena such as elasticity, plasticity, buckling, fracture, and wave motion; the self-organizing behavior of living systems; and biomedical instrumentation, teleoperated robots, and intelligent sensors.