Hands-on experience

The Department of Mechanical Engineering is all about getting down (and sometimes dirty) applying the concepts learned in class. Through our labs, design projects, research and collaborations with Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and many local high-tech companies, students have fun while putting their skills to work.

UNM has smaller departments, which means more personal attention. Also, the proximity to Sandia and all of its opportunities is a huge selling point.

Notables

• The department is home to 4 fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1 fellow of the American Astronautical Society, and 2 fellows of IEEE.
• A hallmark of the department is the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers program. In the three-semester program, students take three courses worth 10 credit hours, where they learn how to design, build, and test a race car. The culmination of the program is an opportunity to compete with that car against the best schools in the world in an international competition. In 2014, the program was ranked fifth-best in the United States and 17th-best in the world, according to rankings issued by the Formula Student Combustion World Rankings.

A high-tech experience

The Department of Computer Science offers students the resources of not just our faculty, but of nearby institutions, including Santa Fe Institute, Sandia National Laboratories, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. These partnerships provide research experience, internships, and job opportunities.

I was able to get the hang of programming right away. My freshman year, I was already in the zone.

Notables

• Many of our faculty are awarded grants from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, DARPA, and the National Institutes of Health, among others.
• Our programs are accredited by the Computer Accreditation Commission of ABET

A constructive experience

The Department of Civil Engineering has extensive collaborations with design and construction firms, federal agencies, and Sandia National Laboratories and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

I’ve been around construction my whole life, and I wanted to take it to the next level by being an engineer.

Notables

• The Department of Civil Engineering has an emphasis on corporate relationships, so our students benefit from the research and career opportunities that these partnerships provide
• Our hydraulics lab gives students the ability to simulate real-world scenarios in water projects

An electrifying experience

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s strength is found in its research laboratories and centers, where students can apply what they’ve learned in the classroom.

The Center for High Technology Materials and the Center for Micro-Engineered Materials offer students nanotechnology cleanroom experience, in addition to research opportunities in optoelectronics, microelectronics, optics, and materials science.

Students have fun while learning, designing experiments and projects in electronics laboratories, and getting experience measuring electrical components.

UNM has great professors and a good partnership with Sandia, and in my mind, that's what sets the program apart.

Notables

• The department is home to 8 fellows of IEEE
• The department is home to 4 UNM Distinguished Professors

A solutions-based experience

Students have many opportunities to do research in the labs at UNM’s Center for Biomedical Engineering, UNM’s nanomedicine laboratory, and the Advanced Materials Laboratory on UNM’s south campus.

Many of our students also work at Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The professors are very experienced, and many have industry experience and ties with bigger companies and Sandia. Because of that, there's a lot of collaboration that you couldn’t get elsewhere.

Notables

• 2 faculty are jointly appointed by UNM and Sandia National Laboratories
• 2 faculty are Innovation Fellows, recognized by UNM for their outstanding research discoveries