Engineering Disciplines

The concept of engineering consists of numerous factors that directly affect the design process, the ability to create sustainable and safe structures, and the ability to come up with innovative ideas that can lead to revolutionary technology and machinery. Engineering cannot be constrained to a single definition; there are various paths to choose from and although they may vary they still fall under the concept engineering. When studying to become an engineer, choosing a discipline gives an individual the chance to focus on the distinct field that highlights their personal interests. Although each engineering field is constructed to have its own unique set of characteristics, the overall goal of to creating and helping the society remains constant. In each field of study, the individual will gain an immense amount of knowledge that will allow them to become successful in their career path.

Civil engineering revolves around the design, construction, maintenance and the operations of structures around the world. The work done by civil engineers is what makes it possible for society to live in a safe place and to be successfully. With a career path in civil, individuals would often find themselves working as a building control surveyor, employed under the Government, or taking part in construction, mining or land development. The University of New Brunswick offers a wide range of courses that someone enrolling in Civil Engineering would need to take such: Structural Design, Transportation, Construction, Pavement, and Mechanics of Materials (University of New Brunswick, 2014).

Chemical engineering involves the transformation of materials into energy resources. Chemical engineers are known for solving practical problems and making products that are essential to today’s way of life. Everything that the general population is dependent on such as: clothes, food, heating and every piece of technology that requires energy are all dependent on the work that chemical engineers do (Tyson, 2014). If an individual were to graduate from university with a chemical engineering degree, one would expect to find jobs relating to the biomedical field, energy conversion field, or petrochemical industry. To receive a degree in Chemical Engineering, a student would have had to enroll in courses such as: General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Thermodynamics, Physical Chemistry, and Reactor Design (University of New Brunswick, 2014).

Mechanical engineering involves the broad application of physics, design, manufacturing and maintenance of mechanical systems. A mechanical engineer is typically involved in the manufacturing and prototyping aspect of the design process. The likely courses that a mechanical engineer would have need to enroll in would be Dynamics, Engineering Physics, Design of Mechanical Elements and Fluid mechanics.  After studying this discipline, individuals may find themselves working in a wide range of jobs such as: the automotive industry, aerospace industry or often as construction project managers (Mechanical Engineering, 2014).

Geomatic engineering revolves around the understanding of how to operate GPS systems, knowing specific characteristics of landmasses as well as surveying a variety of areas. Surveying is a critical component of geomatic engineering as it is involved in highway design and construction surveying, boundary surveying problems, and satellite surveys (York, 2014).  While studying geomatic engineering, an individual should be familiar with courses such as Geodesy, Geospatial Information Systems, Land Tenure, and Hydrography. Students should also cover the topics regarding social and political dimensions on land and location. Jobs after graduation may potentially be land surveying, land administrator (oil and gas), product development, and institutional research (University of Calgary, 2014).

Geological engineers deal with natural materials and fluids such as fluids, soils, rocks, water and petroleum. The work that they do is vital to the development of mines and resources. They also ensure civil structures (such as buildings and roads) are designed for long term use and are safe, especially taking geological hazards into account. A typical graduate with a geological engineering degree would work within the mining or oil industry. They could also receive jobs working on the environmental aspect, or on the safety aspect as geotechnical (Career Planning Resources 2014). Some classes students would be expected to enroll in would be Geography, Rock Mechanics, Surveying, and Structural Geology (Santina, 2010).

Computer engineering is a faculty that develops expertise with interfacing and integrating computers. It also deals with computer communications for creating new products and services. At the University of New Brunswick electrical engineering is in faculty as software engineering. In general electrical engineering deals with the application of electricity for new and enhanced products and services. The third option is software engineering, which is the combination of electrical, and computer engineering. Software engineering teaches students how to apply engineering to design tests and the maintenance to create software products. The three engineering disciplines all share many of the same traits and skills. Studying these three disciplines could receive you a job in aerospace, biomedical, military, energy, telecommunications or mobile technologies (University of New Brunswick, 2014). Courses taken by these three disciplines would cover computer and software languages, electronic components and circuits, operating systems, communications, system engineering, and programming (University of Manitoba, 2014).