MAE 2250

Introduction to Mechanical Design

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

The majority of engineering courses focus on achieving quantitative outcomes using the proper applied formulas and metrics. This is not the case for MAE 2250, which focuses on applying a process and justifying decisions which lead to a (hopefully desired) outcome. You can expect to be challenged by the types of complex and open-ended problems regularly encountered in engineering practice and provided with a methodology to begin to navigate these challenges. Many of these challenges will be qualitative in nature, with no one correct answer. Your personal experiences and the experiences of your end user can - and should! - weigh into your final solutions.Our approach will follow the product development process, spanning stages of problem research through prototyping and evaluation. You will design mechanisms and devices to fulfill specific user needs and assess and iterate on various concepts that you develop and prototype. You will learn to create your own evaluation criteria and compare designs based on those criteria. These design experiences will simulate real-world engineering practices and include project management, team organization, version tracking, and oral communication. You will learn how to use computer aided design (CAD) tools effectively through projects.There will be one main group project (the open design project, or ODP) in this course and several individual assignments to support specific content. In the open design project, you will propose a problem that you will research and then spend time ideating, prototyping, and evaluating your solutions. Your group project will focus on combining mechanical constraints and requirements with an understanding of user needs and converging on a solution. The individual projects will include CAD design, mechanism analysis, machine design, and design optimization. Each of these projects will be opportunities to apply specific skills from the course, while the group project will represent the larger design process.

Prerequisites ENGRD 2020.

Enrollment Information Enrollment limited to: Mechanical Engineering (M.E.) students and to students intending to affiliate in M.E.

Fees Materials, $100.

Exploratory Studies (CU-CEL)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2026SP, 2025SP, 2024SP, 2023SP

Learning Outcomes

• Students will be able to stimulate and practice original thinking and creativity.
• Students will be able to introduce the product design and development process.
• Students will be able to integrate engineering knowledge with individual experience in multi-disciplinary applications.
• Students will be able to foster an understanding of the unstructured nature of design.
• Students will be able to provide practice in problem definition and solution synthesis.
• Students will be able to provide training in graphical thinking and communication.
• Students will be able to introduce fabrication methods necessary for practical implementation of designs.

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