Umass Lowell Plastics Engineering Courses

The University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Plastics Engineering program prepares students to work in a variety of industries, from the automotive industry to medical manufacturing. The courses offered aim to provide students with the skills and knowledge required to understand and design processes and products made from polymers and plastics. The plastics engineering program consists of several core courses, including Plastics Processes, Product Design for Plastics, and Polymer Compounding. Through these core classes, students are exposed to the fundamentals of plastics, including processing methods such as injection molding, blow molding, and extrusion; the properties of plastics, including physical, mechanical, and electrical properties; the principles of polymer science and engineering; and the impact of product design on plastic manufacturing processes and performance. In addition to the core courses, there are a wide variety of specialized course offerings, such as Design and Finite Element Analysis with Plastics, Tooling and Molds for Plastics Manufacture, and Chemistry of Plastics. These classes provide students with the opportunity to learn more advanced concepts and gain experience in state-of-the-art manufacturing and design technology. Finally, students have the option to participate in hands-on laboratory and workshop classes, such as Fundamentals of Injection Molding and Mold Design, along with CNC Machining and Design of Plastics Parts. These courses offer the chance to learn more about industrial plastics engineering processes and to experience how the different components of a plastics process come together to form a complete product. The UMass Lowell plastics engineering program is designed to give students the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to succeed in the field. With the combination of core courses, specialized courses, and laboratory and workshop courses, students have a full range of options to choose from when it comes to developing the skills and knowledge necessary to work in the plastics industry.