Make a World of Difference in the World's Problems

The Department of Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University is where innovation thrives and the impossible is made possible. This is where your passion for problem-solving and hands-on learning can make a real difference in our world. Whether you’re helping improve the environment, creating safer automobiles, or advancing medical technologies, and athletic performance, the Department of Mechanical Engineering gives you the tools and talent to blaze your own trail to an amazing career.
Why Choose Mechanical Engineering?

Use Your Head and Your Hands

When it comes to hands-on learning, we’re all hands on deck. You’ll hit the ground running as you work alongside a diverse group of highly skilled professors and wicked-smart classmates to create tomorrow’s breakthroughs today. Along with a formal curriculum, you’ll be engaged in research projects, labs, and informal clubs working directly on groundbreaking engineering projects applying the principles you’ve learned firsthand.

student at whiteboard during group session
students welding
student working in fabrication lab

I like that I could pursue my interest in the biomedical field but have the flexibility to go into many different career areas with a mechanical engineering degree.

Abby McCormick, Mechanical Engineering, ’24

Featured News

  • Katie Meyer portrait

    Katie Meyer: College of Engineering student marshal, mechanical engineering

    “My classes have been both challenging and fulfilling. I’ve had so many great professors who have encouraged me to reach my full potential, and the College of Engineering staff have provided so many opportunities to build skills outside of the classroom.”

  • Erick Shoesmith works in the shop.

    Erick Shoesmith on what drives Iowa State’s Formula SAE team

    “We are very proud to perform at the highest level we are capable of, and show off across the country what Cyclone Engineers can do.”

  • Kaylee Herrig

    The bionics (making) woman

    “I realized you could apply the fundamentals of engineering to solve the problem of a lost limb,” Kaylee Herrig, a junior in mechanical engineering, says. “When I learned I could study this in college, I thought, this is the way I can help the world.”

More to Explore

As a Cyclone Engineer, you’ll have endless opportunities. Here’s what’s happening in Mechanical Engineering.