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Studying Engineering Careers At Engineering Colleges

There are a great number of areas to consider in the field of engineering. If either automotive or aeronautical engineering appeal to you, you're probably the sort of person who enjoys a technical challenge. According to Loughborough University, there are more than 600 companies in the aerospace industry in Britain alone, with a combined turnover in excess of 17 billion pounds. Similarly the automotive industry here provides design, development and manufacturing work for around three hundred thousand people.

Reputable Training

Training in the UK is excellent - in fact there are over thirty British universities offering aeronautical engineering based courses alone. In addition, some offer post-grad courses for Engineering and Physical Sciences graduates.

(There are of course less academic college courses available around the country). The option of a one year placement in industry is available with most university degree courses, and most students choose to take this between the second and final year.

Certain course options will offer students the chance to study part-time, on a sandwich course basis. Equally, it's also possible for some students to arrange sponsorship (for example from the Army) if they're prepared to commit to them after training. With so many variables open to you, it's a good idea to really research everything that's on offer.

Automotive Engineers

This area involves everything to do with the production of motorised vehicles. It takes in elements of many other engineering disciplines. There are many new technologies in the automotive arena, so a great deal to think about for the student who's just getting started.

In the life cycle of a vehicle, design engineering comes first, followed by development engineering and then manufacturing engineering. The designers have to create the parts on a vehicle and ensure that they meet all of the stated requirements. We have development engineers next, who are rather like systems engineers. They liaise with designers with regard to technical specifications and so on. Determining how to make the automobile is the job of the manufacturing engineers.

Auto engineering courses are very in-depth, and mastering the detail will take time and experience. Throughout your training you will learn about all three stages of the automotive engineering processes. Safety is a top priority, and so all elements of a design will be tested via crash simulations and test dummies etc.

All the components of a vehicle have to do the job they're individually designed for, but also be brought together and function harmoniously. And so training must include elements of development engineering. Development engineers have to look at tradeoffs to gain an acceptable level of performance in all areas. Ultimately development engineering must meet the standards dictated by the manufacturer, the government and of course the buying public.

When the design and development work are completed, the vehicle is ready for the manufacturing process. Manufacturing engineers need to learn how to plan and engineer both the individual parts and the whole vehicle assembly.

At every assembly plant, manufacturing engineers have to plan out the body shop, the area for engine and transmission placement and the chassis and trim area.

Aeronautical Engineering

Our obsession with flight over the years has created this very diverse and exciting branch of engineering. Those who study aeronautical engineering should be able to challenge conventional thinking. The aerospace industry needs people who are technical, analytical and lateral, who can also work well with others. As an aside - Formula One racing cars share a common technological base with modern airliners.

Many severe conditions have to be endured for an aircraft to fly safely, with immense structural loads being placed upon them. As such, aircraft vehicles are usually the product of many aerospace engineering technologies, for example avionics, propulsion and aerodynamics. The aeronautical engineer will choose his or her speciality.

Students will use software to learn about design and the layout of essential aeronautical systems. All studies will focus on analytical concepts. Examples of analytical subjects are Fluid Mechanics, Thermodynamics and Dynamics.

The behaviour of fluid can now be tested with computerised simulations, reducing the time and expense spent on wind tunnel testing. (Nevertheless, students will still get plenty of opportunity to experiment with wind tunnels and other physical testing machines).

Engineering students will get a lot of practical hands-on experience. All academic programmes will involve a mixture of group and individual assignments to design and build actual machines or components. Engineering degrees will also allow students to learn various other subjects and skills. Employers often expect graduate entrants to have additional soft skills when they get into industry.

The aerospace industry provides excellent career development into a variety of technical and managerial roles. Completing an accredited engineering degree course will allow you to obtain the status of a professional Incorporated Engineer or Chartered Engineer.