Engineering is one of the most progressive, challenging and rewarding careers available. The car you drive, the computer on your desk and the cell phone in your pocket — all these things that make up your daily life come in part from engineers. From building bridges to discovering new medications to writing the software that powers the Internet, engineers do things that make our 21st-century world work.
Engineering is one of the few four-year undergraduate degree programs that can turn you into a fully qualified, high-earning professionals. As an engineer, you can take part in the most exciting research and exploration happening on the planet — and sometimes off it, too! Engineers are the creators, thinkers and innovators whose ideas and inspirations drive our global marketplace.
Why Engineering at UK Paducah?
A degree at UK Paducah offers a great value to students looking to save money and stay close to home while still earning a degree from a nationally-recognized state university. UK Paducah offers an ABET-accredited four-year bachelor’s degree in either chemical or mechanical engineering without ever leaving home.
You’ll take your classes in Paducah while still being a full student at the University of Kentucky, a top-100 engineering institution and the highest-ranked engineering program in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. UK Paducah offers identical curriculum requirements, academic standards and admission criteria as the main UK campus in Lexington, but you don’t have to transfer or travel to get it!
Undergraduate Programs
UK Paducah offers two Bachelor of Science degrees in either chemical or mechanical engineering. All four years of classes can be taken in Paducah. To find out more information on the program curriculum and course descriptions, please click on the links below.
Chemical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Graduate Programs
For more information on the graduate student options, contact Dr. David Silverstein
Non-Thesis Options
A Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering is available at the UK Paducah through a non-thesis option. Total graduate coursework of 30 hours is required, which include two upper-level math courses and 15 hours of 600 or 700 level courses. While some 500 level engineering courses can be taken live at the Paducah campus, the 600 level courses will have to be taken via the interactive television (ITV) connection with Lexington. No traveling is necessary; however, graduate-level courses are usually available only when a cohort of five or more are available at a remote site. To enter this program, a Bachelor of Science in engineering or a closely related field is required. For those with non-engineering undergraduate degrees, up to four undergraduate ME courses are required during a probationary period. Refer to the ME graduate program website for more details. All pre-requisite requirements are available at Paducah.
A new, 100% online Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering (MFS) from the Department of Mechanical Engineering is available. This program may be particularly beneficial to those employed full-time in Western Kentucky.
Thesis Option
While the extended campus in Paducah does not directly offer the thesis option for graduate degrees, students can still earn their degree in cooperation with the Lexington and Paducah campuses. If the research is performed under faculty at Paducah, a student may have the option to split time between the two campuses. Course work will primarily take place in Lexington, while the majority of research will take place in Paducah.