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Mechanical engineering students at CU Boulder can expect some big changes to their curriculum coming soon.

Starting in fall 2026, the��Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering is rolling out two major curriculum changes—guided by student feedback—that aim to rebalance credit allocation and streamline degree requirements.

Janet Tsai, associate teaching professor and associate chair for undergraduate education, said the changes will help improve student learning experiences for all current and prospective students.

Here’s a breakdown of what students can expect starting fall 2026:

1. Splitting MCEN 1025 into two courses����

The first change involves MCEN 1025, currently a four-credit computer-aided design (CAD) and fabrication course required of all mechanical engineering undergraduate students.

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Students performing fabrication work in the Idea Forge.

The course will be split into two courses:��

• A three-credit CAD class (MCEN 1026) that will include classroom lectures and activities centered on learning the basics of CAD software.
• A one-credit fabrication class (MCEN 2026) that will allow students to perform hands-on fabrication work in the��Idea Forge machine shop.��

Student feedback indicates the change will help resolve scheduling issues and improve flexibility—especially for transfer students—as they move through their college journey.

Tsai said the new class structure will also help create a clearer progression of hands-on experiences for students throughout the curriculum.

“The nice thing about the fabrication course is that it will be a 2000-level class,” Tsai said. “Currently, students take MCEN 1025 during their first year and have a year-long gap before their next hands-on course. But starting in the fall, there will be opportunities for hands-on, project-based learning in every year of the curriculum.”

2. Adjusting credit allocations across multiple courses����

The second change tackles a student concern about class workloads not matching credit hours.

Many students expressed that certain classes were much more time consuming and difficult than the course’s allocated credit hours suggested. In order to address this issue, the department is restructuring credit allocations to better represent the amount of time and work students should expect in their courses.

Starting in the fall, students will no longer be required to take a three-credit standalone Math/Science Foundations class. The department will also be eliminating the lab component in MCEN 1030: Introduction to Engineering Computing and reducing the course’s credit hours from four to three.

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Students studying in the Discovery Learning Center.

This frees up four total credit hours that the department will allocate to four other three-credit classes in need of adjustment. The classes that will receive an increase in credit hours are:

• MCEN 3025: Component Design
• MCEN 4026: Manufacturing Processes and Systems
• MCEN 4043: System Dynamics
• MCEN 4045: Senior Design I��

Tsai believes the changes will help streamline degree requirements and stay compliant with registrar guidelines without adding or removing any credit hours. If students get caught between the old and new requirements, they will work very closely with them to ensure they can graduate on time.

“Right now, first- and second-year students are being advised of these changes so that they can schedule accordingly,” said Tsai. “Most juniors and seniors have achieved a majority of the old curriculum so they are still on track. But there are a couple of students in the middle that we are working on moving credits around with and they will definitely graduate just fine.”

Both of the changes were guided by a series of department-led student town hall meetings that began during the fall 2024 semester. The events served as a direct venue for students to voice any concerns they have regarding department leadership, programming or education.

“We believe it’s very important to hear directly from our students,” Tsai said. “So far it’s already led to a lot of great ideas and solutions that leadership and students are looking to build upon together.”

For example, the department is working to create a student advisory board, which will include students with a wide range of journeys and experiences. Tsai and her team are reviewing student-submitted applications to find a cohort that can help represent the student ecosystem and foster healthy discussion.��

Above all, Tsai wants mechanical engineering students to know their changes and efforts are always implemented with their best interests in mind.

“These credit changes are something that we’ve been talking about for a long time and will greatly benefit our students,” said Tsai. “We want to show them that we are actively listening to their feedback and evolving to ensure they are getting credit for their work and receiving the best hands-on experience possible.”