UGA Specific Information for Mechanical Engineering

Engineering is about creating new solutions to existing or future problems. Engineers are problem solvers who employ science, math, analysis and synthesis to design unique and practical solutions to everyday problems. They must accomplish this often under the constraints of time, budgets, and safety and health issues. Engineers also must be concerned about the environmental, political and social impact their answers will create.

The mechanical engineering discipline applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the design, production, and operation of machines and tools.



Class of 2023 Career Outcomes for Mechanical Engineering*

** Includes Self-Employed


Campus Resources


Additional UGA Career Center Recommendations

Potential Career Paths in Mechanical Engineering

  • Automotive Engineer: Develop new or improved designs for vehicle structural members, engine, transmissions, or other vehicles systems by using computer-assisted design technology. Direct building, modification, or testing of vehicle or components. 

  • Biomedical Engineer: Bridge the medical engineering disciplines by providing an overall enhancement of healthcare. Design and build innovative designs (artificial limbs and organs, new-generation imaging machines, advanced prosthetics, and more) and improve processes for genomic testing, or making and administering drugs.  

    Key focus areas include: biomedical electronics, biomechatronics, bioinstrumentation, biomaterials, biomechanics, bionics, cellular, tissue, and genetic engineering, clinical engineering, medical imaging, orthopaedic bioengineering, rehabilitation engineering, systems physiology, bionanotechnology, neural engineering 

  • Energy Engineer: Design, develop, or evaluate energy-related projects or programs to reduce energy costs or improve energy efficiency during the designing, building, or remodeling stages of construction. May specialize in electrical systems; heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; green buildings; lighting; air quality; or energy procurement. 

  • Manufacturing Engineer: Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs. 

  • Product Design Engineer: Research and develop day-to-day products and improve the performance of already-existing products. 

  • Robotics Engineer: Research, design, develop, or test robotic applications. Review or approve designs, calculations, or cost estimates. 

  • Mechatronics Engineer: Research, design, develop, or test automation, intelligent systems, smart devices, or industrial systems control. 

  • Aerospace Engineer: Design, construct, and test aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques. 

  • Nuclear Engineer: Conduct research on nuclear engineering projects or apply principles and theory of nuclear science to problems concerned with release, control, and use of nuclear energy and nuclear waste disposal. 

  • Marine Engineer/Naval Architect: Design, develop, and evaluate the operation of marine vessels, ship machinery, and related equipment, such as power supply and propulsion systems. 

  • Distribution Engineer: Design and coordinate maintenance of electrical utilities and associated power distribution systems. Perform inspections, performance evaluations, troubleshooting and sunsetting of systems. 

Additional Job Titles: Distribution Engineer, Quality Specialist, Transmission & Distribution Line Designer & Estimator, Propulsion Engineer, Aeronautical Engineer Associate, Industrial Engineer, Drilling Engineer, Reliability Engineer, Office Engineer, Aircraft Maintenance Support Engineer, SCADA Engineer


Additional Career Research Resources

  • O*NET Online – The O*NET database includes information on skills, abilities, knowledge, work activities, and interests associated with over 900 occupations.  
  • My Next Move – An interactive tool for students and job seekers to learn more about their career options.  
  • Occupational Outlook Handbook – The OOH is a career resource offering information on the hundreds of occupations that provide most of jobs in the United States.  
  • Vault – Vault.com provides in-depth intelligence on what it’s really like to work in an industry, company, or profession – and how to position yourself to land that job.  
  • Candid Career – This resource provides you with access to thousands of informational video interviews with real professionals through an easy-to-use website.  
  • UGA Mentor Program – Connect with a mentor (alumni, faculty, staff) to research and explore industries and careers. Research industries and careers by connecting with a mentor for a quick chat or formal 16-week mentorship through the UGA Mentor Program.  
  • Interstride - Interstride is an interactive tool for both international and domestic students to enhance their international experience and employment potential. The platform consists of job-listings, hiring trends, employer information, self-assessments, and up-to-date immigration guidance. 
  • Glassdoor - Glassdoor is a free jobs and career community that offers an inside look at jobs and companies through "employee generated content" – anonymous salaries, company reviews, interview questions, and more – all posted by employees and job seekers.  
  • Steppingblocks - Research your future career with real-world stats about your major, your interests, and your dream job title with career and education searches designed to find your best path based on millions of others. It’s data-powered career exploration for doers like you.


Employment Websites

GENERAL: 

  • Handshake (scroll down to the bottom of the page; login with your UGA MyID and password)  
  • LinkedIn (this popular networking site also has a job board!) 
  • Idealist (non-profit jobs) 
  • USAJobs (federal jobs)

MAJOR/ENGINEERING-SPECIFIC:


Professional Associations/Resources

MECHANICAL ENGINEER-FRIENDLY PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

ADDITIONAL ENGINEERING PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

COMPANY & SALARY RESEARCH - Career Bliss • GlassDoor • Salary.com

LINKEDIN GROUPS - Join LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your career interests.  To search, select "groups" & type in your keywords.  Review the groups that professionals in your field of interest have joined & consider joining those as well. To login, visit the LinkedIn main page. 


Employers/Position Title Reported by Class of 2023 Mechanical Engineering majors

The information below represents employers and position titles from the Class of 2023 Career Outcomes Survey. To view historical Career Outcomes for this major, click here and select "Historical Data" from the navigation menu.

Employer Position Title(s)
ABB Proposal Engineer
Advanced Control Solutions Automation Specialist
Alarm.com Quality Engineer
Applied Technical Services, LLC Project Lead
Arclin Quality Engineer I
AT&T TDP Network Engineer I
Atlas Roofing Corporation Process Engineer
Batchelor and Kimball, Inc. Assistant Project Manager
Battelle Savannah River Alliance Equipment Development Engineer
Beach Road Precision Manufacturing, LLC Mechanical Engineer
Beach Road Precision Manufacturing, LLC Mechanical Engineer
Berry Global, Inc. Maintenance Engineering Associate
BITZER US Project Engineer
Bloomberg Software Engineer
Boeing Multidiscipline Engineer
Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC Assistant Project Manager
Burns & McDonnell Assistant Mechanical Engineer
CAPPSTONE ENERGY GROUP, LLC Distribution Engineer
Caterpillar, Inc. Pre-Field Fleet Manager for Mining
Caterpillar, Inc. Manufacturing Engineer II
Converge Design, LLC Mechanical Design Engineer
Cox Communications LEAD Internal Consultant
Dell Technologies Mechanical Engineer I
Delta Air Lines Associate Engineer
Delta TechOps Sheet Metal Repair Engineer
DPR Construction Project Engineer
ensembleD Architecture and Engineering LLC BIM Specialist
ENTRUST Solutions Group Design Engineer
EY Supply Chain Consultant
EY Technology Consultant
FM Global Consultant Engineer
Frito-Lay Supply Chain Leader
GE Gas Power Fluid Systems Design Engineer
Georgia Power Company Distribution Engineer
Georgia Power Company P&C Test Engineer
Georgia Power Company P&CFS Engineer I
Georgia-Pacific LLC Project Engineer
Georgia-Pacific LLC Engineering Development Program Associate
Georgia-Pacific LLC Engineering Development Program Associate
Georgia-Pacific LLC Process Engineer
Gulfstream Aerospace Completion Mechanical Design Engineer
Gulfstream Aerospace Mechanical Design Engineer I - Aircraft Outfitting
Gulfstream Aerospace G700 Aircraft Outfitting Mechanical Engineer
Hood Patterson & Dewar Commissioning Engineer
House of Cheatham, LLC Process Engineer
IMMEC, Inc. Assistant Project Manager
iSpace, Inc. Propulsion Tester
JE Dunn Construction M/E Engineer I
Johnson, Spellman & Associates, Inc. Staff Engineer
Johnson, Spellman & Associates, Inc. Engineer in Training (EIT)
Kajima Building & Design Group, Inc. Project Engineer
KEYENCE CORPORATION Technical Sales Engineer
Kroger Maintenance Engineer
Kubota Industrial Equipment Corporation Manufacturing Engineer
Kubota Industrial Equipment Corporation Quality Control Engineer
Kubota Manufacturing of America Manufacturing Engineer
Kubota Manufacturing of America Manufacturing Engineer
Kubota Research & Development North America Design Engineer
Landmark Properties, Inc. Preconstruction Engineer
Liberty Mutual Insurance Risk Engineer
Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Engineer
Lockheed Martin Production Manager Associate
Lockheed Martin Structural Design Engineer
Lynk Mechanical Design Engineer
Lynk Mechanical Design Engineer
Manhattan Associates Software Implementation Consultant
Manhattan Associates Software Implementation Consultant
Manhattan Associates Software Consultant
McKenney's, Inc. Project Engineer
McKenney's, Inc. Assistant Mechanical Engineer
Millenium Space Systems Satellite Engineer
Mohawk Industries Quality Assurance Manager
NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Flight Controller
Newcomb & Boyd, LLP Heating and Air Conditioning Design Engineer
Paulson-Cheek Mechanical, Inc. Preconstruction Manager
PET Systems, LLC Controls Engineer
Pond & Company Mechanical Engineer I
Price Industries Position Not Specified
Price Industries Design Engineer
Red Clay Consulting Associate Consultant
REI Shop Service Manager
RMF Engineering, Inc. Design Engineer
ROBOPAC USA Project Manager
Rockwell Automation Associate Systems Design Engineer
Rockwell Automation Associate Mechanical Engineer
Rohde & Schwarz GDP Engineer
Sargent & Lundy Associate Transmission Line Engineer I
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions Associate Engineer
SEC Industrial Mechanical Designer
Seoyon E-Hwa Manufacturing Savannah Mechanical Engineer
Shaw Industries Operational Management Trainee
Shaw Industries Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Technician
Shell Production Test Systems Engineer
Siemens Sales Development Program
Takeda Manufacturing Associate I
Textron GSE Sustaining Engineer
Textron Specialized Vehicles Compliance Engineer
Textron Specialized Vehicles Mechanical Engineer I
TLC Engineering Solutions Graduate Plumbing Engineer
Trane Technologies Associate Project Manager
Triad Consulting Solutions, LLC Engineering Project Manager
U.S. Navy Mechanical Engineer
United States Air Force Pilot
United States Air Force Officer
United States Air Force Pilot
United States Army Position Not Specified
Valmet Design Engineer
Xylem Associate Application Engineer
Xylem Associate Application Engineer
Xylem Engineering Sales Representative
* denotes no responses received.

*Source: Areas above marked with an Asterisk (*) have been created utilizing data taken from the UGA Career Outcomes Survey. The "Employers Hiring...," "Job Titles of...," "Career Outcomes for...," and "Graduate/Professional Schools and Programs..." information listed above represent UGA Class of 2023 Graduates. The lists are not exhaustive and therefore do not represent all potential career options. Click here for more detailed Career Outcomes information regarding this major.

Graduate/Professional Schools attended by Class of 2023 Mechanical Engineering majors

The information below represents graduate/professional schools and programs reported through the Class of 2023 Career Outcomes Survey. To view historical Career Outcomes for this major, click here and select "Historical Data" from the navigation menu.

Graduate School Program(s)
Clemson University Automotive Engineering, MS
Georgia Institute of Technology Mechanical Engineering, MS
Kennesaw State University Mechanical Engineering, Degree Not Specified
University of Chicago Applied Data Science, MS
University of Georgia Poultry Science, MS
University of Georgia Law, JD
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Business Administration, MBA
University of Georgia Mechanical Engineering, PhD
University of Georgia Engineering - Mechanical Engineering Emphasis, MS
University of Georgia Engineering - Mechanical Engineering Emphasis, MS
University of Georgia Engineering - Mechanical Engineering Emphasis, MS
University of Georgia Engineering, Degree Not Specified
University of Georgia Engineering, Degree Not Specified
University of Georgia Engineering, Degree Not Specified
University of Georgia Engineering, Degree Not Specified
University of Georgia Engineering, Degree Not Specified
University of Georgia Engineering, Degree Not Specified
University of Michigan Electrical and Electronics Engineering, MS
* denotes no responses received.