Mechanical engineers design and develop everything that you think of as a machine – from airplanes to wind turbines to dishwashers, as well as everything from macroscopic (large) down to nanoscopic (very small). Mechanical engineers are systematic thinkers with a sense of social responsibility that leads them to constantly seek better ways of doing things. Many mechanical engineers specialise in areas such as materials, dynamics and controls, product design, manufacturing, energy and thermodynamics, and mechanics. Others cross over into other disciplines, working on everything from artificial organs in bioengineering to enhancing the field of nanotechnology. The mechanical engineer may design a component, a machine, a system or a process, and analyse their design using the principles of work, power, and energy to ensure the product functions safely, efficiently, reliably, and can be manufactured economically. Central to a mechanical engineer's role is the design and the use of information technology. UC's Mechanical Engineering department is top in New Zealand for research (the latest Tertiary Education Commission 2012 PBRF Assessment). See the Engineering subject page for a host of other reasons why UC's College of Engineering is a world-class destination for engineering studies.

Mechanical Engineering graduates are well equipped to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world by applying their creativity, scientific principles and engineering skills to find solutions to technical problems. Mechanical engineers may work in areas such as: product design – design and analysis of tools, toys, sporting equipment, domestic appliances, computer-aided design, finite element analysis, environmental lifecycle of products power generation – wind and water turbines, internal combustion engines, fuels, alternative energy sources transport vehicles – cars, ships, aircraft, trains, unmanned vehicles medical technology – medical devices for operating theatres, implants, insulin control building services – heating, ventilation, air conditioning, energy use analysis, water treatment plants manufacturing – design, robots, assembly plants, industrial engineering, production management, minimisation of waste, vibration and noise controls – automatic control of industrial plants, instrumentation, hydraulics, pneumatics materials – metallurgy, composites, polymers, structural failure, recycling.