Department of Mechanical Engineering in TCE is as old as the college itself, established in 1957 and granted autonomy in 1987. It offers Bachelor of Engineering (B.E) degree programme in Mechanical Engineering since inception and Master of Engineering (M.E) degree programme in Engineering Design from 2022. Earlier, it offered Post Graduate degree programmes in Industrial Engineering (1986 - 2019) and Manufacturing Engineering (1997 - 2021). The B.E degree programme is accredited by National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and the department is supported with Fund for Improvement of S & T Infrastructure in Universities and Higher Educational Institutions (FIST) Program - DST and AICTE - MODROBS, New Delhi.
    The department has the credit of offering collaborative curriculum with M/s T.V.S Motor company, Hosur for B.E Mechanical Engineering since 2010 and presently following CDIO framework in curriculum design. Department is an approved centre for Quality Improvement Program (QIP) under AICTE, New Delhi and Research Centre for Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) programme under Anna University, Chennai. The department has undertaken research projects funded by DRDO, DST - SERB, DST - FIST, UGC, AICTE - RPS, AICTE - MODROBS, ISHRAE and TEDA.
    The department is backed with highly qualified and professionally experienced faculty members and supporting staff. It has 18 academic laboratories and 8 research facilities with sophisticated equipment to carry out research in the area of Rapid Prototyping, Reverse Engineering, CAD, CAM, Robotics, Machine Vision, Nanotechnology, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Automotive Engineering, CFD, Composite Materials and Industrial Engineering. The department actively  engages with higher learning institutions and industries through curriculum development, collaborative teaching & research and consultancy services.
    The department regularly organizes seminars, technical workshops and faculty development programmes in cutting edge areas. To enhance the employability skill of the students, department arranges guest lectures, industry supported courses and industrial internships. The students are encouraged to actively participate in various professional society activities like SAE, IEI, ISHRAE, EWB, IWS and various National and International technical contests like SAE-BAJA, GO-KART, SAE - Bicycle and Effi-Cycle.
    The department has established in collaboration with TVS Motors Ltd, an Industry Sponsored Research Centre (TCE–TSS - Centre for Automotive Research) equipped with modern machines and instruments/test rigs in 2019. The Centre would lead to improved research and consultancy by the faculty members and students of our college, which is built as per the Japanese TQM (Total Quality Management) with all the required facilities and is capable of undertaking novel research projects in various domains.
    Also, in 2019, the department has implemented a unique Visionary Learning Community of India (VLCI) approach in collaboration with M/s. TAFE Pvt. Ltd., Madurai as an industrial demonstrator with an objective “To create next generation of Manufacturing Change Leaders by transforming Engineering graduates into role ready Engineers”.