Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
What is Mechanical Engineering?
Career Opportunities
Mechanical engineering is the discipline that deals with the study of principles of engineering, physics, and materials science for the design, analysis, manufacturing, use and maintenance of mechanical and thermal systems.
It derives its breath from the need to design and manufacture everything from small individual parts and devices such as a mouse, sensors, computers e.t.c to large systems such as spacecraft engines, ships, cooling systems, refrigeration, robots, wind turbines etc. Nearly every product or service in modern life has been touched in some way by a mechanical engineer.
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Responsibilities Of a Mechanical Engineer
The role of a mechanical engineer is to take a product from an idea to the marketplace. In order to accomplish this, a broad range of skills are needed. The mechanical engineer needs to understand the forces and the thermal environment that a product, its parts, or its subsystems will encounter; to design them for functionality, aesthetics, and the ability to withstand the forces and the thermal environment they will be subjected to; and to determine the best way to manufacture them and ensure they will operate without failure. As a Mechanical Engineer you will apply the principles of force, motion, energy and materials to design products that are reliable, safe and cost-effective.
Study Areas
The fundamental subjects of mechanical engineering usually include: Mathematics (Calculus, linear algebra), basic physical sciences, statics and dynamics, mechanics, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics & dynamics, instrumentation and measurement, mecha-tronics and robotics, material science, manufacturing processes and environmental science.
Career Opportunities:
Practically every company that designs and produces a product employs a mechanical engineer.
Design & Manufacturing jobs cover nearly everything involved in developing a product, from selecting the appropriate materials to choosing the correct machinery to manufacture the product.
READ ALSO :What Is a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering?
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Most mechanical engineers in this industry work for equipment manufacturers, aerospace companies, mining & mineral processing companies, road and railway transport, forestry, fish and food processing, ship building, transportation companies, and petroleum companies. They also work with small firms, consulting practices, universities, and government research labs.
Specific assignments might involve research and development, design of equipment or systems, supervision of production, plant engineering, administration, sales engineering, the testing and evaluation of machines and entire plants.
Career Options
Some mechanical engineering titles and their functions include:
- Automotive engineer: ME design many car parts for the automobile industry.
- Biomedical engineer: ME work with a variety of medical professionals to design mobility aids, prosthetics, and artificial organs.
- Consultants/ contractors.
- Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning engineer: ME design refrigeration systems for making frozen foods, or air-conditioning and heating systems for businesses and industrial buildings.
- Nuclear engineer.
- Robotics engineer: A ME may design machines that build other machines.
- Reseacher/ Teaching careers
- Acoustics engineer.
- Design enginee
- Energy conservation engineer
Are you a potential Mechanical Engineer?
Evaluate your potential future as a mechanical engineering major by asking yourself these questions:
- How are your grades in math and science? If you struggle, choose another specialty. If you do well and ask for more, mechanical engineering might be the right choice.
- Do you have a curiosity about how things work? Have you found yourself taking things apart and putting them back together? This is a natural attribute of the mechanical engineer.
- If you live to discover new or better ways to do things, you are definitely on the right course.
- Do people turn to you for advice or trust your decisions? That means you think clearly and have demonstrated decision-making abilities in the past. It is an important requirement for a mechanical engineer.
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