About Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the design, production, and operation of machines and tools. It is one of the oldest and broadest engineering disciplines.
The engineering field requires an understanding of core concepts including mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, materials science, structural analysis, and electricity. Mechanical engineers use these core principles along with tools like computer-aided engineering and product lifecycle management to design and analyze manufacturing plants, industrial equipment and machinery, heating and cooling systems, transport systems, aircraft, watercraft, robotics, medical devices, and others.
Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the industrial revolution
in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced
back several thousand years around the world. Mechanical engineering
science emerged in the 19th century as a result of developments in the
field of physics.
The field has continually evolved to incorporate advancements in
technology, and mechanical engineers today are pursuing developments in
such fields as composites, mechatronics, and nanotechnology. Mechanical engineering overlaps with aerospace engineering, building services engineering, metallurgical engineering, marine engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, petroleum engineering, manufacturing engineering, and chemical engineering to varying amounts.
Coursework
Standards set by each country's accreditation society are intended to
provide uniformity in fundamental subject material, promote competence
among graduating engineers, and to maintain confidence in the
engineering profession as a whole. Engineering programs in the U.S., for
example, are required by ABET to show that their students can "work
professionally in both thermal and mechanical systems areas." The specific courses required to graduate, however, may differ from program to program. Universities and Institutes of technology
will often combine multiple subjects into a single class or split a
subject into multiple classes, depending on the faculty available and
the university's major area(s) of research.
The fundamental subjects of mechanical engineering usually include:
Mechanical engineers are also expected to understand and be able to apply basic concepts from chemistry, physics, chemical engineering, civil engineering, and electrical engineering. All mechanical engineering programs include multiple semesters of calculus, as well as advanced mathematical concepts including differential equations, partial differential equations, linear algebra, abstract algebra, and differential geometry, among others.
In addition to the core mechanical engineering curriculum, many
mechanical engineering programs offer more specialized programs and
classes, such as robotics, transport and logistics, cryogenics, fuel technology, automotive engineering, biomechanics, vibration, optics and others, if a separate department does not exist for these subjects.
Most mechanical engineering programs also require varying amounts of
research or community projects to gain practical problem-solving
experience. In the United States it is common for mechanical engineering
students to complete one or more internships while studying, though this is not typically mandated by the university. Cooperative education is another option. Future work skills research puts demand on study components that feed student's creativity and innovation.
