The mission of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department is to educate and prepare students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels for leadership roles in the fields of Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering and to conduct research for the benefit of society.

The undergraduate program emphasizes fundamental engineering science, analysis and experiments to insure that graduates will be strong contributors in their work environment, be prepared for advanced study at top graduate schools and be proficient lifelong learners. The graduate programs emphasize advanced methods of analysis, mathematical modeling, computational and experimental techniques applied to a variety of mechanical and aerospace engineering specialties including, applied mechanics, dynamic systems, robotics, biomechanics, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, propulsion and combustion. 

The academic and research activities of the department center on the roles of mechanics, thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, and engineering design in a wide variety of applications such as aeronautics, astronautics, biomechanics and orthopedic engineering, biomimetics and biological inspired robotics, energy, environment, machinery dynamics, mechanics of advanced materials, nanotechnology and tribology.