Ave Maria University is launching mechanical engineering as a new major this fall, which aims to teach students the design, build, testing, and practical application of complex systems for the purpose of solving societal problems in innovative ways and in light of the Catholic faith.

Program director, Alex Tsai, Ph.D., P.E., expounded on the value and need for Catholic engineers, saying, “Catholic engineers contribute to society in a healthy way that glorifies God, by developing ethical and moral solutions to the world’s problems.”

AMU Provost Dr. Roger Nutt said, “Ave Maria University was founded by Tom Monaghan to be a place where the brightest Catholic students could receive the best formation in the Catholic tradition. Ave Maria University was also founded to be a comprehensive university. The new program in mechanical engineering brings these aspects of the founding vision to fruition.”

Dr. Nutt continued, “The program in engineering will be rigorous and demanding, and also fully integrated with the University's Catholic liberal arts core curriculum. This is rare in engineering programs, and it will make the graduates of AMU's mechanical engineering program unique among their peers.”

Within the new program, students will cultivate a strong problem-solving mindset to accurately assess the feasibility of a design under given constraints; gain practical experience through hands-on exercises, building mechatronic systems, programming sensors and actuators, soldering, wiring, assembling mechanisms and machines, and analyzing existing systems; create mathematical models of complex physical systems via analytical and empirical methods; and learn the principles of engineering and their integration with the Catholic faith.

This program will be arranged in three major tracks: thermal sciences, machine design and automation, and instrumentation and controls.

The major is especially well suited for students who have a keen interest in robotic and mechatronic systems. Students will learn about engineering modeling, analysis and design, CAD software, sensor and actuator dynamics, programming, and system control. These courses outline modern engineering methodologies, in practical, hands-on ways. Graduates from this program will be well prepared for manufacturing and industrial jobs requiring knowledge of automation and mechanical engineering subjects.

Dr. Alex Tsai is an associate professor of physics and mechanical engineering at Ave Maria University. Before coming to AMU, Dr. Tsai taught mechanical engineering courses as an associate professor at the United States Coast Guard Academy in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

The engineering major will launch in the fall 2025 semester. To learn more about course content, email Dr. Tsai at alex.tsai@avemaria.edu. For details on registration, speak with an admissions counselor at 239-280-2556.