About Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at UVA

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at the University of Virginia is a thriving program of undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty with a commitment to exploration, innovation, and engineering excellence. MAE’s focus on engineering excellence has led to many international and national awards, scholarships and fellowships along with prestigious accolades and new research centers.

The Aerospace program’s research strengths include the Applied Research Laboratory, the Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Center for Advanced Propulsion, and projects in combustion and wind energy.

Key research strengths for the Mechanical program include the Center for Applied Biomechanics (world leaders in auto safety engineering with $10 million in annual research), the Center for Rotating Machinery (more than 40 member companies), a  $7.8 million MURI in bio-propulsion and award-winning nano-scale research.

Our department ranks nationally:

#1 Public University for Women in STEM —Forbes

#3 Online Mechanical Engineering Program -- Best Schools

#11 Aeronautical Engineering Program -- Best Engineering Colleges

#12 Online Mechanical Engineering Master's Program -- U.S. News & World Report

#22 Mechanical Engineering Graduate Program -- Best Engineering Colleges

#25 Aerospace Engineering Graduate Program -- U.S. News & World Report

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Vision

The vision of the University of Virginia’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is to realize its mission through an educational framework that is embedded in a vibrant community of scholars and is underpinned by critical thinking in science, engineering, and humanities.

Mission

The mission of the University of Virginia’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering is to educate undergraduate and graduate students to apply the principles of the physical sciences, mathematics and engineering to solve challenging multidisciplinary problems; to empower the students to teach themselves new knowledge and ideas to solve problems far beyond the factual boundaries of their education; to develop socially conscious, informed, articulate, and transformative leaders of the profession, academia, and society as a whole.