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What does a mechanical engineering professor do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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Mechanical engineering professor responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real mechanical engineering professor resumes:

  • Lead courses in the digital systems department, including classes focuse on FPGA and microcontrollers.
  • Serve as lab supervisor for the geotechnical and hydraulic lab.
  • Instruct an undergraduate class, organize syllabus, course material, assignments, tests and assign grades
  • Develop an instructional plan (course outline or syllabus) and ensure that it meets college and department standards.
  • Preside over lectures and laboratory instructions for electric circuits, network analysis, transmission engineering, and microprocessors
  • Propose an automatic synthesis and performance characterization methodology for dynamic CMOS circuits & a novel floorplan optimization for hierarchical VLSI design.
  • Experiment with different surface chemistry to improve quality of yields -participate in poster session and presentation to faculty and graduate students.
  • Subject teach for the B.Sc.
  • Propose an automatic synthesis and performance characterization methodology for dynamic CMOS circuits & a novel floorplan optimization for hierarchical VLSI design.

Mechanical engineering professor skills and personality traits

We calculated that 19% of Mechanical Engineering Professors are proficient in Engineering Technology, Aided Design, and Heat Transfer. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.

We break down the percentage of Mechanical Engineering Professors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Engineering Technology, 19%

    Developed and deliver competency-based program in engineering and engineering technology.

  • Aided Design, 12%

    Instructed courses & led lab sessions on Machine Design, Automatic Control and Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM).

  • Heat Transfer, 12%

    Served as teaching assistant in courses such as Thermodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, & Heat Transfer

  • Fluid Mechanics, 11%

    Provided instruction in Structural Analysis and Industrial Construction, plus Fluid Mechanics for Industrial Technical Engineer.

  • Mechanical Design, 9%

    Applied mechanical design and analysis principles in the development of product concepts and detailed designs.

  • Undergraduate Courses, 8%

    Delivered undergraduate course in Spanish to international student body.

Most mechanical engineering professors use their skills in "engineering technology," "aided design," and "heat transfer" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential mechanical engineering professor responsibilities here:

Interpersonal skills. One of the key soft skills for a mechanical engineering professor to have is interpersonal skills. You can see how this relates to what mechanical engineering professors do because "postsecondary teachers need to work well with others for tasks such as instructing students and serving on committees." Additionally, a mechanical engineering professor resume shows how mechanical engineering professors use interpersonal skills: "created original syllabus with emphasis on movement experiences to foster intra and interpersonal awareness. "

Speaking skills. Another essential skill to perform mechanical engineering professor duties is speaking skills. Mechanical engineering professors responsibilities require that "postsecondary teachers need good communication skills to present lectures and provide feedback to students." Mechanical engineering professors also use speaking skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "presented university-level courses in biology, chemistry, and anatomy/physiology. "

Writing skills. mechanical engineering professors are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to mechanical engineering professor responsibilities, because "postsecondary teachers need strong writing ability to publish original research and analysis." A mechanical engineering professor resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "conducted legal research used to create student writing exercises. "

See the full list of mechanical engineering professor skills

The three companies that hire the most mechanical engineering professors are:

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Compare different mechanical engineering professors

Mechanical engineering professor vs. Senior lecturer

As a senior lecturer, you need to have the skills of managing and implementing an online system for better learning. You also need to arrange the laboratory courses and conduct the research, which includes model-based testing. You have to incorporate theoretical exercises to improve the student's knowledge. Besides that, you need to conduct some practical classes to expand the scope of the students.


You can teach them some practical skills such as communication basics and creative thinking. You need to lecture the undergraduate students as well as the postgraduate students. From time to time, you need to teach reaction mechanisms to alternative students as well.

If we compare the average mechanical engineering professor annual salary with that of a senior lecturer, we find that senior lecturers typically earn a $19,732 higher salary than mechanical engineering professors make annually.Even though mechanical engineering professors and senior lecturers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require undergraduate courses, curriculum development, and autocad in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, mechanical engineering professor responsibilities require skills like "engineering technology," "aided design," "heat transfer," and "fluid mechanics." Meanwhile a typical senior lecturer has skills in areas such as "philosophy," "economics," "professional development," and "chemistry." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Senior lecturers tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $82,871. In contrast, mechanical engineering professors make the biggest average salary, $68,049, in the manufacturing industry.The education levels that senior lecturers earn slightly differ from mechanical engineering professors. In particular, senior lecturers are 8.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a mechanical engineering professor. Additionally, they're 14.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Mechanical engineering professor vs. Lecturer/instructor

On average, lecturer/instructors earn a $4,700 higher salary than mechanical engineering professors a year.A few skills overlap for mechanical engineering professors and lecturer/instructors. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "undergraduate courses," "autocad," and "mathematics. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real mechanical engineering professor resumes. While mechanical engineering professor responsibilities can utilize skills like "engineering technology," "aided design," "heat transfer," and "fluid mechanics," lecturer/instructors use skills like "semester," "social work," "graduate courses," and "classroom curriculum."

Lecturer/instructors may earn a higher salary than mechanical engineering professors, but lecturer/instructors earn the most pay in the education industry with an average salary of $57,256. On the other hand, mechanical engineering professors receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $68,049.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Lecturer/instructors tend to reach higher levels of education than mechanical engineering professors. In fact, they're 12.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 14.8% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Mechanical engineering professor vs. Electronics teacher

An average electronics teacher eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of mechanical engineering professors. The difference in salaries amounts to electronics teachers earning a $7,078 lower average salary than mechanical engineering professors.

Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from mechanical engineering professor resumes include skills like "engineering technology," "aided design," "heat transfer," and "fluid mechanics," whereas an electronics teacher is more likely to list skills in "basic mathematics," "circuit design," "lab equipment," and "digital electronics. "

When it comes to education, electronics teachers tend to earn lower degree levels compared to mechanical engineering professors. In fact, they're 5.1% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 5.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Mechanical engineering professor vs. Electronics instructor

Electronics instructors average a lower salary than the annual salary of mechanical engineering professors. The difference is about $5,133 per year.According to resumes from mechanical engineering professors and electronics instructors, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "engineering technology," "curriculum development," and "mathematics. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A mechanical engineering professor uses "aided design," "heat transfer," "fluid mechanics," and "mechanical design." Electronics instructors are more likely to have duties that require skills in "laboratory experiments," "electronic devices," "electronic theory," and "microprocessors. "In general, electronics instructors hold lower degree levels compared to mechanical engineering professors. Electronics instructors are 11.0% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 5.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of mechanical engineering professor

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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