Best Mechanical Engineering Colleges in Pennsylvania

Department of Mechanical Engineering

It may not be Silicon Valley yet, but the city of Pittsburgh is getting national attention for its transformation from a steel town to a tech haven. Much of the credit for this development must go to the exciting ideas coming out of Carnegie Mellon. Consider SolePower, for instance, which makes shoe insoles that harvest the energy taken with each step and stores it in an easily accessible battery. The start-up grew from a classroom project its CEO worked on during her senior year as a mechanical engineering student. Or step into one of the university’s many labs to witness the future, such as the possibility of creating electronics so thin and light that your next Fitbit could be a wearable sticker made on your home printer. To support such ground-breaking efforts, the university is in the midst of a $23 million renovation of its iconic Hamerschlag Hall. Its new MakerWing will include advanced manufacturing laboratories, collaborative research space, micro/nanosystems laboratories, and student-focused maker space. Not that Carnegie Mellon isn’t already dedicated to bringing people together. Its unique Integrated Innovation Institute – a joint initiative of the university’s College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts’ School of Design, and the Tepper School of Business – unites three disciplines to cross-train students to become elite innovators. One of its largest current projects is The Internet of Things, which researches not only how to deliver products that are functionally connected but that also excite the consumer and deliver emotional experiences.

University of Pennsylvania offers 4 Mechanical Engineering Degree programs. It's a large private university in a large city. In 2015, 132 students graduated in the study area of Mechanical Engineering with students earning 61 Bachelor's degrees, 59 Master's degrees, and 12 Doctoral degrees.

Drexel University offers 5 Mechanical Engineering Degree programs. It's a large private university in a large city. In 2015, 295 students graduated in the study area of Mechanical Engineering with students earning 226 Bachelor's degrees, 51 Master's degrees, and 18 Doctoral degrees.