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Asked by mau1 to Alex, Claire, Kate, Marcus, Neil on 13 Jun 2014.
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Neil Dhir answered on 13 Jun 2014:
There are lots and lots of types of engineers. But usually there are a few large categories of engineers and their specialties, into which even more specialised engineers are counted.
At my old university, the engineering courses available are:
Aeronautics Engineering
Bioengineering
Chemical Engineering
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Computer Engineering
Earth Science and Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Materials Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
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Kate Niehaus answered on 14 Jun 2014:
Like Neil said, there are many types of engineers. Another one at my old university is something that is often called “Operations Research” or “Management Science and Engineering,” which basically deals with engineering efficient ways to allocate resources. These people will solve problems like, how should we design this factory to be most efficient, or, how can we change our healthcare system to provide better care for more people?
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Marcus Johns answered on 14 Jun 2014:
How specific do you want to be? Of the types mentioned by Neil and Kate, I think they can be put into 4 broad categories – mechanical, civil, chemical and electrical engineers. But if you want to get really specific the number increases dramatically. Take my undergraduate degree for example, I did chemical engineering but the types of engineer in the work place that studied chemical engineering include process engineers; reactor engineers; tissue engineers; biochemical engineers; biomedical engineers; environmental engineers; process control engineers; nuclear engineers, etc. The list just goes on and on.
A lot of people who studied an engineering subject at university then go on to do jobs that you wouldn’t think are engineering related. I have friends working in banks and IT. Some have gone on to become teachers and others, like myself, now do research in areas that aren’t traditionally seen as ‘engineering’. Are we still engineers? -
Claire Brockett answered on 16 Jun 2014:
I think everyone else has answered this really well – you can get very specific engineers (I’m a medical engineer) but they often fit within a broader category (for me, I’m also a chartered mechanical engineer). The great thing about engineering is that it is all around you. Everything you interact with during your daily life has some element of engineering – whether that’s the street lights, the chair you’re sat on, the computer you’re working with, or the toothbrush you cleaned you teeth with this morning – engineering has an influence on everything. It’s what makes it so exciting.
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Alex Lyness answered on 17 Jun 2014:
Hey mau1,
I really like Marcus and Claire’s answers which show they many different types of engineer there are and the amount of different things they can work on.
Just as you train as one type of engineer does not mean that you cannot branch into other types. I trained mostly as a design engineer, then did a lot of maths to become a mechanical engineer, then learnt a lot of biology to become a bio-mechanical engineer!
Some days I find myself on a computer doing CAD designing things. Other days I do complex maths problems like a mechanical engineer would. Other days I work with skin and tissue samples and do mechanical engineering. I’m not sure what type of engineer that now makes me? one of them? or all three?
Engineering is based around applying a problem solving approach. If there is a problem out there, there will be a type of engineer who will be able to solve that problem.
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