The Department was established in 1985 under the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, with two academic staff and two students. The department has grown and developed considerably during the past three decades. Presently, there are 24 Academic staff as at 2022/2023 academic session. (8 Professors, 3 Associate Professors, 3 Senior Lecturers, 4 Lecturers I, 4 Lecturers II, 1 Assistant Lecturer; 1 Graduate Assistant), 9 Technical staff, and 2 Administrative Staff. There were 786 students who registered for the 2022/2023 session.
The department offers the following options for the undergraduate students:
ii Industrial and Production Engineering; and
iii Applied Mechanics and Engineering Design.
PHILOSOPHY
The philosophy of the department is to train engineers who will be able to translate into reality the ideas and ideals of the community in a manner which will be of benefit to mankind. There will be opportunity to participate in the development of technology and reward for achieving something tangible and useful. Qualities such as inventiveness, imagination and initiative must be displayed by those who aspire to succeed in the field of mechanical engineering. The engineering graduates should not only be able to design, manufacture and run the machines and equipment but also be innovative in their designs, processes, etc. to reflect the needs of the society.
Vision
The Department of Mechanical Engineering will strive to be a Centre of Excellence for teaching and training high calibre, practically- oriented, self-employing enterprising graduates for public and private industries, organisations, and research and development works of international standard in order to be self-reliant.
Mission
To produce graduates and postgraduate mechanical engineers with high level practical skills/expertise with sound information and communication technology background through excellence in teaching, learning, research and outreach programmes, capable of generating employment opportunities and self-reliance as catalysts for the transformation of Nigeria into a modern nation.
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. It is one of the oldest and broadest of the engineering branches
Production Engineering defines and works out how the product will be manufactured and/or assembled on the production line including design of packaging, ensuring the right quantity of components/products are delivered and aligned to support the speed of the production line
Metallurgical & Materials Engineering encompasses three inter-related engineering disciplines: mineral processing, extractive (or process) metallurgy, and materials science and engineering
hermofluids is the combined study of heat transfer, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and combustion. The applications of Thermofluids range from efficient engine design to heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC).
Solid mechanics is a discipline that studies materials and structures and how they deform under load. Broadly, the area interfaces with physics, chemistry, materials science, and computational science and engineering. Approaches vary from continuum to discrete description of material responses.
Katsina Christopher Bala is Professor of Mechanical Engineering with specialization in Industrial and Production Engineering at the Federal University of Technology, Minna. He started his academic career as an Assistant Lecturer, Federal University of Technology, Minna in 1993 and since then has risen through the ranks to become a Professor. He has supervised a great number of students at undergraduate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters and PhD levels. He has several academic publications in both national and international journals and has attended several and conferences and workshops. He has served the University in various capacities as Examination officer, Coordinator of Postgraduate Programme of Mechanical Engineering Department, member of several University Committees, Senate member, and the Director of the Centre for Preliminary and Extra-Mural Studies (CPES), F.U.T. Minna. He is a Register Engineer of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and Nigerian Institution of Mechanical Engineers (NIMechE). His research interests are in the areas of simulation of solidification, development of foundry materials in terms equipment, sand testing, manufacturing and characterization of casting materials.
