A degree in mechanical engineering opens up opportunity in many different industries. Mechanical engineers are skilled in physical mechanics such as propulsion, heat transfer, fluid dynamics, and strength of materials.
At JBU, you will earn a strong background in robotics, machine design, 3D computer-aided drafting and computational modeling. But your JBU education goes far beyond the fundamentals. Here, students are challenged to solve real-world problems with innovative solutions from their first semester. Become immersed in the full design process, starting with brainstorming ideas, refining design, fabrication and troubleshooting, final testing, and ultimately presenting a final product unique to you and your inventiveness. This type of creative design space is the environment in which engineers thrive.
Learn how JBU's mechanical engineering program is structured
Why Study Mechanical Engineering at JBU?
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Experience Awesome Facilities
Engineering students have access to 40,000 square feet of state-of-the-art lab space and equipment like a jet engine and 3-D prototyping tools for projects in Balzer Technology Center.
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Get Prestigious Internships
Our students regularly take summer internships at top companies including NASA.
Each year, a team of students builds a robot and competes in the NASA Lunabotic Mining Competition. In 2012, JBU’s team won fourth place out of 50 international teams.
Research and build your project at JBU, then take it global like a former student aquaponics project that now helps a village in Cambodia.
Students work with professors on grant-funded projects like an EPA grant to develop a drinking water disinfection system for rural Guatemala.
JBU engineering students are recruited to graduate programs both in the U.S. and abroad including Caltech, UT-Austin, Virginia Tech, University of Arkansas, Tulsa University, UT-Arlington, Vanderbilt, University of Maryland, Iowa State and more.
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Path To Professional Licensure
JBU’s Engineering degree path is sufficient for graduates to successfully complete the Fundamentals of Engineering exam. That exam is administered by NCEES. Details on the exam may be found here. For complete state licensure, a graduate must complete 5 years of experience and then meet the licensure requirements of their current state of residence. Requirements for each state can be found here. This site is updated regularly as various state requirements may change.
Balzer Technology Center is a 40,000-square-foot facility that is dedicated home for JBU's engineering and construction management programs.
The lobby in Balzer Technology Center is a common area for students to gather to study and hang out.
Each year, students have the ability to build a robot and enter it into competition at the NASA Lunabotic Mining Competition.
The engineering section of Peer-Andrus Studio and Project Barn, a 16,800-square-foot facility that provides essential studio and project space for art and engineering students, includes one large project area with 17 flexible workstations for engineering students.
Mechanical Engineering Faculty
Kevin Macfarlan
Chair, Division of Engineering and Construction Management
Professor of Engineering
Dr. Kevin Macfarlan received his B.S.M.E. and M.S.M.E. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and his Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas. His doctoral dissertation was in the area of computational modeling of gas turbine combustion and the prediction of their pollutant levels. He was employed for nine years at GE Aircraft Engines in Cincinnati where he received three achievement awards. While at GE, he worked on several military jet engine programs, including those for the B-1B, F-14, F-16, F-18 and F-22 aircraft. He also contributed on several novel engine concepts, such as a commercial engine called the Unducted Fan (UDF) and a vectoring exhaust nozzle for the F-16. Dr. Macfarlan has done research for Westinghouse/Siemens and Honeywell Aerospace in the field of gas turbines. Kevin and his wife, Laura, have taught several Sunday school classes. Dr. Macfarlan has participated in a short-term mission trip to Russia. He and his wife have four children: Kyle (a JBU alum working as a Chemical Engineer in the greater Houston area), Ginger (another JBU alum who works for Clorox in Bentonville), Luke (a JBU engineering alum now working toward his PhD in Chemical Engineering at UT-Austin), and Lydia (currently studying Dietetics). He also has two beautiful daughters-in-law and two precious granddaughters. He enjoys skiing, working on his car, hiking, and biking.
John Lee
Assistant Professor of Engineering
Dr. John Lee joined the Engineering Faculty at John Brown University in the fall of 2018. Dr. Lee received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at Oklahoma Christian University in the spring of 2008 and his Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering with an emphasis in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in the spring of 2018. His doctoral dissertation is in fluid phase separation via nanochannel arrays for space propulsion. During his academic career he was afforded the opportunity to participate in numerous internships, including a research experience for undergraduates at the University of Arkansas, process engineering at Eaton Corporation, and a dynamics lab at Los Alamos National Labs. While finishing his dissertation research, he worked for WattGlass, a solar panel coating start-up at the University of Arkansas Engineering Research Center.
Dr. Lee and his wife, Nicole, enjoy spending time with their wonderful daughter, Zoey, and amazing son, Zane. They enjoy traveling as a family and experiencing other cultures, cuisines, and foreign landscapes. In his free time, Dr. Lee enjoys sporting events, golf, and woodworking. He and his family are members at Cross Church, Fayetteville.
Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Instructor of Mechanical Engineering
Mr. Juan Carlos Rodriguez joined the faculty of JBU in 2016. He received his B.S.M.E from John Brown University in 2006 and earned his M.S.M.E. from the University of Tulsa in 2008. His Master’s research was studying the effects of viscosity and particle size in erosion for multiphase flow. He returned to his home country of El Salvador and worked for Unilever at one of their regional manufacturing facilities. He worked five years as a Project Engineering and one year as a Manufacturing Manager. These experiences allowed him to develop a special interest for technical and management aspects of the manufacturing industry. He returned to JBU in 2014 and received his second Master’s Degree in Higher Education and Leadership in 2016. During this time he also served as the Resident Director for one of the on-campus residence halls.
Mr. Rodriguez and his wife, Lulu, have one beautiful baby daughter, Emma. They have a heart for serving young people in the Lord and have co-lead youth groups, community groups, and provided mentoring to many high school and college students. They also enjoy watching movies, traveling and spending time with family.
Careers
A degree in mechanical engineering opens up opportunities in many different industries. Demand for mechanical engineers is high and generally remains stable, even in an unstable economy. Mechanical engineers have a median salary of $87,370. For more occupational outlook information, visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
Potential Career Paths
Aerospace Engineers manufacture, analyze, design, research and develop products in aeronautical or astronautical industries.
Systems Engineers manage and monitor installed operating systems, application software and system management tools to ensure the highest levels of systems and infrastructure availability.
Automotive Engineers specialize in vehicle design, development, manufacturing, testing, marketing and sales.
Manufacturing Engineer evaluates manufacturing processes of product design, fabrication, assembly, tooling and materials.
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Electromechanical Engineer
Electromechanical engineers monitor, maintain, troubleshoot and repair manufacturing parts and systems. They also read blueprints and design documents for mechanical assembly, fabricate various metal machine parts, and calibrate hydraulic systems and mount electronic parts.
Alumni Profile
Zachary Huffaker '15
Zachary Huffaker is the NASA Ethos Controller. As part of Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, the prime contractor on NASA's IMOC II contract, Huffaker supports mission operations for the International Space Station. As part of the Environmental and Thermal Operating Systems (ETHOS) flight controller group, he completes weekly Mission Control Center (Houston) consumables reports for Mission Control Center (Moscow), provides weekly updates to tools that track consumables hardware and remaining quantities for his Russian counterpart group at MCC (Moscow), updates console tools, creates new applications to increase ETHOS console use efficiency, and accurately predicts future consumables operations executed on console based on systems trending analysis.
Accreditation & Enrollment Data
The legacy B.S. Engineering degree (not available for new student enrollment) is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
JBU will be seeking ABET accreditation for the new B.S. Electrical Engineering and B.S. Mechanical Engineering degrees at the earliest possible date after our first class of B.S.E.E. and B.S.M.E. students graduate (anticipated in May of 2020).
To find out more about why choosing an accredited program is key, visit the ABET website.
In compliance with ABET Accreditation Public Release Requirements, the links shown below will provide direct access to information that include program educational objectives, student outcomes, enrollment and graduate rates:
