Engineering is a diverse field with many distinct disciplines. The four most prominent are Mechanical, Chemical, Electric and Electronic and Civil, follow the links to learn more about each of these disciplines. While engineers may start their career focusing on one specific field many will become multi-disciplinary as their career progresses, gaining experience and education in a broader range of engineering fields.
Engineers work closely as part of a team of professionals. Many of the engineering disciplines listed below will intersect and collaborate on a wide range of projects to meet business objectives. Engineering offers excellent management opportunities. With their problem-solving skills, engineers make great managers and many CEOs of the top 500 Fortune companies have an engineering degree.
This section will provide a brief guide to a selection of the engineering fields you can work in, providing you with a sense of how your career will offer opportunities to specialise in an area of particular interest to you.
Aeronautical/Aerospace Engineering: Employed in the designing, testing and making of aircraft engines and other such aeronautical productions.
Automotive Engineer: Works on the design, development, manufacture, and production of vehicles including safety systems using computer assisted design technology.
Agricultural Engineering: Focused on improving farm productivity through the development and maintenance of farm machinery and the design of agricultural systems and infrastructure.
Building Engineer: Building engineers are concerned with the planning, design, construction, operation, renovation, and maintenance of buildings, as well as with their impacts on the surrounding environment
Biomedical Engineer: Works at the intersection of engineering/biology and medicine to improve human healthcare. They design medical devices and cutting-edge technologies to diagnose and treat disease.
Chemical & Process Engineer: Transfers raw materials such as matter and energy to produce products across a wide range of industries such as petrochemical, bio-pharmaceutical, food and drinks production.
Electrical Engineer: Works on the design and construction of power lines, in the control and management of power stations, or in the design and installation of electrical systems and machinery, such as transformers, electric motors and power electronics.
Electronic & Computing Engineer: Integrates hardware and software to design and develop products for the communications, IT, healthcare, and entertainment industries. Examples include mobile phones, robotics, medical devices, virtual reality headsets.
Energy Engineer: Works on ways of producing energy from renewable or sustainable sources such as wind power, solar power or biofuels, or on more traditional sources such as oil and gas.
Environmental Engineer also known as Sustainability Engineer: Assesses and monitors the impact of human activities on the environment in areas such as pollution control, environmental protection, elimination of hazards, sustainable energy solutions, waste, and water management.
Manufacturing Engineer: Takes on the complex task of producing goods in large numbers. They design, develop, and maintain manufacturing systems to continually improve and optimise efficiency in the manufacturing process.
Marine Engineer: Works on the design, development, production, maintenance and repair of machinery and equipment used at sea and on board sea vessels such as ships.
Mechatronics Engineer: Researches, designs, develops, or tests various automation, intelligent systems, smart devices, or industrial systems controls.
Mechanical Engineer: Works with a wide range of mechanical devices, tools, engines, and machines such as construction machinery, manufacturing equipment, robots, and aircraft. They are involved at all stages of their lifecycle, designing, manufacturing, and maintaining them.
Nuclear Engineer: Works on problems related to nuclear energy production and nuclear waste disposal.
Structural Engineer: Designs and supervises the safe construction of structures like bridges, stadiums and large buildings.
With over 400 engineering courses offered across undergraduate and postgraduate level, there are no shortage of entry routes to a career in engineering. Most of these courses focus on a specific field of engineering and at postgraduate level the degree of specialisation becomes greater.
If you’re set on a field there is likely to be a course that will allow you to study it from the outset, but many undergraduate engineering programs offer a general entry option, allowing students to study a range of topics and make a decision on their area of focus later, with the benefit of direct experience.
