Mechanical engineers are needed for the manufacture of technical products such as vehicles, aircraft, machines, power plants, engines or household appliances. Their services are required in development, project design, testing, production, quality assurance, service and sales. About 50% of all German engineers are mechanical engineers. As such they form the backbone of German industry.

The Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region has always been an engineering stronghold, as exemplified by the presence of companies like ABB, Alsom, BASF, Bopp & Reuther, Borg Warner, Daimler-Chrysler, Freudenberg, Friatic, Heidelberg Printing Machines, John Deere, König & Bauer Albert, KSB Roche, Vögele and many others. An environment of this kind is an ideal location for a mechanical engineering department. Close contacts with industry, numerous collaborative projects and modern laboratories ensure that the study programme is closely geared to practical requirements. 

The  Department runs the on-campus TurboAcademy in conjunction with the Borg Warner company, a global player in the engineering sector, and the Competence Centre for Tribology.

The Department offers two Bachelor programmes, Mechanical Engineering/Design and Mechanical Engineering/Production, as well as a Master programme in Mechanical Engineering providing students with higher qualifications. A binational course organised in conjunction with the Ecole des Mines in Nancy (France) leads to a French and German degree. Numerous cooperative agreements with universities in other countries enable students to broaden their international outlook with a semester spent abroad. The programmes provide sound basic knowledge and modern specialist and methodical skills. All the teaching staff can draw upon long years of experience in industry.