Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) - Program Electives

The School of Engineering maintains lists of approved electives in the Humanities, Arts, Social Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Natural Sciences. These lists are updated periodically as the Tufts course catalog evolves. Current versions of the allowed elective lists are maintained on the student information system (SIS). To find these lists:

1. Navigate to SIS
2. On the login page, select Browse Course Catalog
3. Set Course Career to AS&E Undergrad
4. Set Course Attribute to Engineering Requirements
5. Set Attribute Value to one of the following options:
   • SoE-Engineering
   • SoE-HASS-Arts
   • SoE-HASS-Humanities
   • SoE-HASS-Social Sciences
   • SoE-Mathematics
   • SoE-Natural Sciences

BIO-CHEM-PHY Elective

As part of the math and natural science requirements, students must select one course from among BIO 13 (Cells & Organisms), CHEM 2 (General Chemistry II with Lab), ES 11 (Fund. of Biological Systems Engineering), or PHY 12 (General Physics II with Lab).

Humanities, Arts and Social Science Electives

A total of 24 credits in humanities, arts and social sciences (HASS), including English 1 or 3. Acceptable HASS electives have attributes of SoE-HASS-Humanities, SoE-HASS-Arts, or SoE-HASS-Social Sciences. Courses selected must include a minimum of one course in each area of Humanities (H) and Social Sciences (SS). In addition, at least two HASS courses must be taken in the same department.

Probability, Statistics or Numerical Methods

Within the technical requirements, students must take a restricted elective in Probability, Statistics or Numerical Methods. One of the following courses should be chosen to fulfill this requirement:

• EE 24 - Probabilistic Systems Analysis (3 credits)
• ES 55 - Numerical Methods (3 credits)
• ES 56 - Probability and Statistics (4 credits)
• ES 101 - Numerical Methods (3 credits)
• MATH 161 - Probability (4 credits)
• MATH 162 - Statistics (4 credits)
• ME 102 - Statistical Quality Control (3 credits)

Technical Electives

Technical electives are intended to provide Mechanical Engineers with breadth in the technical disciplines. Two technical electives are required for the BSME degree. Each technical elective must either be an engineering management course or have one of the following attributes: SoE-Engineering, SoE-Natural Sciences, SoE-Mathematics.

ME Electives

In general, any Mechanical Engineering (ME) course beyond the required BSME coursework can be selected as a ME elective. The department has structured the electives to offer a great deal of flexibility while maintaining the integrity of the program. Students are encouraged to explore a mix of options that best suit their unique abilities and interests.

Students should consult with their academic advisors to select a ME elective program that fulfills all Degree Sheet requirements. These requirements are summarized briefly below. 

Independent research (ME94) may count as one ME elective. A student interested in pursuing additional research for credit must register for an undergraduate thesis (ME96). No out-of-department courses can be used to count as ME electives. In extraordinary cases, an out-of-department course can be counted as an ME elective, with prior advisor and ABET program director approval through a formal petition. This permission must be obtained in advance of taking a course, and the student is required to outline a rationale for the ME elective choices as a whole.