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Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Mechanical Concentration

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Mechanical Engineering: Problem-Solving Products and Processes

Mechanical engineers combine physics and mathematics to develop and manufacture systems that make the world better.

When you decide to study mechanical engineering, you’re choosing one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines. Since the Industrial Revolution, mechanical engineering has become an essential industry for modern living. Mechanical engineers are responsible for designing, developing, and manufacturing countless systems, mechanical devices, and products that affect daily life.

Mechanical engineering is a highly competitive career field, and at Pensacola Christian College, you’ll be trained to stand out. You’ll complete 60 credits of in-depth engineering training along with basic liberal arts courses, preparing you to be a qualified and well-rounded professional. Lectures, projects, and lab hours will equip you with the training and hands-on application you need to be a successful and confident engineer. You’ll study in well-equipped labs, alongside experienced faculty who push you to pursue excellence.

PCC’s mechanical concentration will provide you the scientific and mathematical foundation needed to understand God’s natural laws and apply them to profoundly improving life.


Faith-Based Mechanical Engineering

The mechanical engineering classes at PCC train students to see the opportunity they have to make a positive difference. Even in engineering courses like Thermodynamics or Fluid Mechanics, biblical worldview is emphasized, and biblical principles are taught. Students are equipped with the skills to harness, control, and direct nature’s forces both to achieve human goals and to glorify God.

student working in robotics

Engineering Program Educational Objectives

Within the first five years after graduation, our engineering alumni are expected to make measurable contributions in the following spiritual and professional objectives:

  • Entry-Level Employment—apply technical knowledge, engineering skills, professional ethics, and Christian principles in the workplace;
  • Christian Ministry—support a local church and other Christian ministries;
  • Leadership—demonstrate Christian leadership through career, church, or community opportunities; and
  • Lifelong Learning—advance professionally through achievements such as licensure, certification, or continuing education.

Mechanical Concentration Learning Outcomes

As a graduate of the mechanical concentration, you will be equipped to demonstrate:

  • Technical Competence—an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics;
  • Engineering Design—an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors;
  • Communication—an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences;
  • Professionalism—an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts;
  • Teamwork—an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives;
  • Experimentation—an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions;
  • Intellectual Skills—an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies;
  • Mechanical Design—apply calculus and differential equations, basic science, and engineering principles to modeling, analysis, design, and realization of mechanical engineering components, systems, or processes; and
  • Integrated Design—solve open-ended design problems in the mechanical engineering disciplines of HVAC and Refrigeration, Mechanical Systems and Materials, and Thermal and Fluids Systems.
Mechanical Concentration Course Schedule
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The baccalaureate degree in engineering at Pensacola Christian College is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Program Highlights

Machine Design I & II

In ME 412 and 413, students in the mechanical concentration work over the course of two semesters to complete a team project. In the fall, students apply the principles of mechanics of materials and materials science to the design of machine elements, including shafts, bearings, mechanical drive elements, brakes, and joints. In the spring, they design machine elements required in a power transmission system and predict failure for different types of loading. The design and manufacture of functioning mechanisms is completed as a team project, and the final product is raced at the annual Electric Vehicle Race.

Senior Mechanical Engineering Design

The major design experience for the mechanical concentration occurs in ME 442, where seniors complete two design projects for practical application of their engineering training in simulated real-world experience. For the first project, students complete a complex design problem patterned after actual consulting services performed by a research professional for a military laboratory. The second project gives students experience typically encountered in a consulting firm with licensed professional engineers who work in teams. Through this course, students gain skills in teamwork, effective communication, and iterative decision-making as they work together to gather information, coordinate design concepts, and meet deadlines.

Your Mechanical Engineering Future

What can you do with a mechanical concentration?

When you choose PCC’s mechanical concentration, you’re joining a program that has produced successful engineers since it began in 1984. Your bachelor’s degree in engineering will equip you to pursue graduate studies or step right into your mechanical engineering career.

Here are a few of the countless career opportunities available to you.

  • Aircraft/Automotive
  • Consulting Engineering
  • Machine Design
  • Manufacturing
  • Power Generation
  • Research

Here are a few of the grad schools our mechanical concentration alumni have attended.

  • Clemson University
  • Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
  • Purdue University
  • Texas A&M University
  • University of Virginia
  • University of Wisconsin, Platteville

Here are a few of the many places that our mechanical concentration alumni have worked.

  • Collins Aerospace
  • Ford Motor Company
  • GF Linamar
  • Intel
  • Lockheed Martin Space Systems
  • NASA Space Power Facility
  • Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
  • Spirit Aerosystems
  • U.S. Navy

Faculty Highlight

Joel Porcher

Dr. Joel Porcher, P.E.

M.Div., Bob Jones University
B.S., M.S., Ph.D., Clemson University

“Our faculty love the Lord Jesus Christ, our students, and our profession of engineering. As a faculty member, my mission is to promote the cause of Christ by producing skilled engineers with a biblical worldview and Christ-like character.

When I first joined the team in 1991, I shared that ‘the calling was clear, the mission was ministry, and the results are rewarding.’ It is as true to me today as it was then. I have watched students graduate and establish their careers in engineering, and I find joy in being a part of their training to prepare for the calling God has given them.”

Read more about Dr. Porcher
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Alumni Spotlight

Jared Sommer
Jared Sommer ’20

Mechanical Engineer at Arup

“I would highly encourage prospective students to consider studying mechanical engineering at PCC for several reasons. The first main reason is its godly foundation as a Christian college. By having the Word of God as the bedrock of your education, you will grow in your knowledge of engineering and your walk with the Lord. I would encourage future students to consider the mechanical engineering program at PCC because it provides a well-rounded education in the various industries that students can work in after graduation. Unlike other degrees that apply to a niche market, an engineering degree opens the door to many different opportunities for work. PCC’s engineering program is ABET-accredited, which helps tremendously if you are looking to become a licensed professional engineer in your state. If you are a hands-on learner, the labs offered throughout the mechanical engineering program at PCC will allow you to gain the hands-on experience you are looking for.

If you have prayerfully considered where to go to college to learn how to become a mechanical engineer, I would highly suggest considering PCC and seeing how God will empower you to be a Christian leader to influence this world for Christ as a mechanical engineer!”

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About the Mechanical Concentration

The purpose of the mechanical concentration is to promote the cause of Christ by providing engineering education in a Christian and traditional, liberal-arts setting to develop undergraduates who are biblical in their philosophical worldview, Christlike in their character, and exemplary in their practice of mechanical engineering.

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The baccalaureate degree in engineering at Pensacola Christian College is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.

Modern engineering education demands much specific high school preparation. Ideally, the beginning engineering student should have a good understanding of basic physical sciences, a highly developed ability in mathematics, and competence to read rapidly with comprehension. Minimum adequate preparation includes 2 units of algebra and 1 unit each of plane geometry, advanced mathematics (trigonometry and analytical geometry or precalculus), chemistry, and physics. While prior computer knowledge is helpful, it is not required.

Students not prepared to enter directly into the engineering curriculum will be able to make up certain deficiencies. In this case, time required to complete an engineering degree could be expected to increase.

Mathematics may be claimed as a minor by completing one additional 3-credit mathematics elective (MA 224 or higher; EG 341 counts as a mathematics elective).

All students in the engineering program are required to be full-time students taking a minimum of 12 semester hours. First consideration for acceptance into the program will be given to residence hall students. Residence hall living space is not provided for married students or their families.

Mechanical students can apply for scholarships to receive financial aid.

Roger and Eloise Anderson Scholarship
Up to $3,000 scholarship awarded to a continuing sophomore with a business major, mechanical or pre-medicine concentration, or pre-law emphasis who has a financial need, to be applied in the 3rd, 5th, and 7th semesters of consecutive attendance.

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Engineering Career Support

With Career Services and Career Link, students can start making connections with employers while on campus during Career Fair events. These services provide tools and resources designed to empower you for your mechanical engineering career.

Need help? Career Services staff are ready to assist you in researching employment opportunities, exploring job qualifications, and providing mock interviews and résumé support.

Related Degree Programs


Engineering Major,
Electrical Concentration

Mathematics Major
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