The Six Branches Of Engineering

Civil Engineering

Civil engineering is everything you see that’s been built around us. Civil engineers build roads, railways, buildings, water and power supplies. They are involved in the design and development of everything around us. Learn more about Civil Engineering here >>

This type of engineering is for you if:

• You’re interested in designing and building things.
• You’re interested in mechanics, hydraulics, geotechnics (using knowledge of the Earth’s crust to solve construction problems), materials science and statistical analysis.
• You’d like to develop your design skills, particularly in computer-aided design.

Civil Engineering Careers:

• Building control surveyor
• CAD technician
• Consulting civil engineer
• Contracting civil engineer
• Design engineer
• Estimator
• Nuclear engineer
• Site engineer
• Structural engineer
• Water engineer

Meet the Stemettes:

• Roma Agrawal MBE
• Dr Treena Arinzeh

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering combines maths and physics with material science. Mechanical Engineers play key roles in many of the other branches of engineering as they are responsible for taking a product from concept to the marketplace. They rely on many of the same core components that have been used for thousands of years, including wheels, springs, screws, and axles.

This type of engineering is for you if…

• You like fiddling with mechanical devices (you could also consider aeronautical engineering).
• You’re interested in coming up with new and innovative designs in fields such as sustainable energy and artificial intelligence.
• You’re interested in working as part of an interdisciplinary team to develop and improve mechanical technologies.

Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineers change raw materials into useful products. They can work with microorganisms, food, oils and fuels and often perform experiments and other tasks in labs, many also use computers to design experiments. Biochemical engineering and process engineering are 2 common career paths for this branch.

This type of engineering is for you if:

• You have an analytical mindset.
• You’re also considering studying chemistry or another natural/life science.
• You’re interested in the chemical processes behind producing everyday items.

Electrical Engineering

As an electrical engineer, you’ll design, develop and maintain electrical control systems and components to required specifications. They are involved in projects from the concept and detail of the design, through to implementation, testing and handover.  Most complete tasks in an office or lab, though on-site work is also common.

This type of engineering is for you if:

• You’re interested in how electrical devices and systems work.
• You want to help power the next phase of technological developments.
• You naturally want to understand how any electrical system is set up and have ideas for how it could be improved.

Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineering has two major overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Aeronautical engineering is about how aircraft are designed, constructed and powered, how they are used and how they are controlled for safe operation. Astronautical engineering is a very unique field that involves designing, developing, researching, testing and adjusting complex engineering solutions.

This type of engineering is for you if:

• You’re fascinated by the history and methodology behind flying machines, from the earliest conceptual sketches to the advancement of modern jets.
• You have a keen interest in the mechanics of flight travel.
• You’re intrigued by computer simulations and in seeing how aircraft machinery performs under extreme conditions.

Computer Engineering

Computer engineering combines electronics with computer science. They design and develop computer systems and other technological devices.

This type of engineering is for you if:

• You’re interested in a career related to computers – for example as a software developer or computer engineer.
• You’re interested in mathematics, science and computers, and want to learn more about how computers operate at a physical level.
• You want to produce new products and systems based on the technological advances of computer scientists.