The Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEMEC) at UFPE started its activities in January 1969, coming from the Department of Civil Engineering. DEMEC operates in research, teaching and extension, developing and disseminating updated technology in the areas of Materials and Manufacturing, Mechatronics, Metrology, Mechanical Design, Automotive Systems, Metal-Mechanical Industrial Systems, Naval and Offshore Systems and Thermal Systems.

DEMEC's mission is to train qualified engineers who are socially responsible in: Conception and feasibility analysis of projects, systems design, planning, execution and maintenance of systems and services related to its three areas of operation: Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Engineering.

DEMEC currently houses three Bachelor's Degree courses in Engineering: Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering and Naval Engineering, in addition to the Postgraduate Course in Mechanical Engineering (PPGEM, Masters and Doctorate) and is also responsible for a sector of the Postgraduate Program Stricto Sensu Degree in Aerospace Engineering (PPGEA), a postgraduate network program. Additionally, several Lato Sensu and Specialization courses are offered periodically.

The permanent faculty of DEMEC is made up of more than sixty permanent professors, most with a doctorate, in addition to a variable group of visiting professors, DCR/CNPq scholarship holders, Profix/CNPq scholarship holders and substitute professors, being responsible for 90% of the subjects of the Professional Cycle of the Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Engineering courses. DEMEC also serves the disciplines of undergraduate courses in Production Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mining Engineering, Cartographic Engineering, Electrical/Electronic Engineering, Energy Engineering and Industrial Chemistry.

The professors who work in the Postgraduate Program in Mechanical Engineering (PPGEM) held their doctorates in diversified foreign and national institutions of international recognition. The integration between Undergraduate and Graduate is highlighted by the performance of its professors in the courses offered and by the participation of Scientific Initiation students in the research carried out.