What's next after mechanics of materials?

In most engineering programs, students complete a common core of mechanics courses - statics, dynamics, fluid mechanics, and mechanics of materials. The content of mechanics of materials courses is relatively consistent, including the study of stresses, strains, and deflections of components subjected to axial and shear forces and torsion and bending moments, combined stresses, and static failure criteria. Almost all mechanical engineering programs include a course in machine components, but the coverage of other solid mechanics topics varies greatly from program to program. At East Carolina University, a class titled "Solid Mechanics" has been created as a follow-on course to the mechanics of materials course for students in the mechanical engineering concentration of a general engineering program. This course was intended to include topics such as finite element analysis, non-linear structural analysis, and the analysis of plates and shells, among others. To help determine the content of the course, a random sample of 30 ABET- Accredited ME program curricula was examined. The appropriate balance of theory and applications was also considered. This paper presents the topics addressed in the course, and provides details of some of the exercises and assignments in which modern computational tools are used to supplement theory and tabulated solutions. Also discussed are ways in which this approach can be used to assess several program outcomes, particularly ABET outcomes i (lifelong learning) and j (contemporary issues).