MECH&AE M168 · MAE M168Introduction to Finite Element Methods
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering · 4 units · Undergraduate upper division (100-199)
(Same as Civil Engineering M135C.) Introduction to basic concepts of finite element methods (FEM) and applications to structural and solid mechanics and heat transfer. Direct matrix structural analysis; weighted residual, least squares, and Ritz approximation methods; shape functions; convergence properties; isoparametric formulation of multidimensional heat flow and elasticity; numerical integration. Practical use of FEM software; geometric and analytical modeling; preprocessing and postprocessing techniques; term projects with computers.
Letter grading.
When it runs
Not on the schedule for any of Fall 2025 through Spring 2027. UCLA publishes only that window, so this does not mean the course is gone — check the official listing.
Requisites
Official UCLA wording
Requisite: course 156A or 166A or Civil Engineering 130.
BruinTree reads · Prerequisite
confidence 1.00 · from textRequires
Everything that has to come before this course, not just the courses named in the requisite above.
MECH&AE M168
- MECH&AE 156AAdvanced Strength of Materials
- MECH&AE 82Mathematics of Engineering
- MECH&AE M20Introduction to Computer Programming with MATLAB
- MECH&AE 101Statics and Strength of Materials
- MATH 31BIntegration and Infinite Series
- MECH&AE 166AAnalysis of Aerospace Structures
- C&EE 130Elementary Structural Mechanics
3 direct requisites. Showing 17 courses over 3 levels; the branches marked with a count carry on past it. Every course here opens its own tree.
Unlocks
What this course is a requisite for, and what those courses lead to in turn.
MECH&AE M168
- MECH&AE 261BFinite Element Analysis for Solids and Structures
1 course lists this as a requisite. The whole downstream is here — 1 course over 1 level. Every course here opens its own tree.