Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines. Mechanical engineers design and analyze machines of all types, including automobiles, airplanes, rockets, submarines, power generation systems, biomedical instrumentation, robots, manufacturing systems, household appliances and many, many more.The VCU Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering offers an accredited B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a Nuclear Engineering Concentration. The curriculum for the freshman year is the same with or without the nuclear concentration. A student may declare their intention to enter the nuclear concentration at any point during their undergraduate studies, however, most students will make this choice as they begin taking nuclear engineering courses in the fall of their sophomore year.