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Scientifically Advanced Mechanical Engineering Courses

There are a great number of areas to consider in the field of engineering. Should you fancy yourself as an aeronautical or automotive engineer, you're probably hoping to stretch yourself technically and logically.

In Britain we have a distinguished history in aeronautical engineering, with around six hundred companies working in the aerospace industry. Well over a quarter of a million people work in the automotive industry, and the UK motorsport industry is acknowledged around the world.

Quality Training

There are many internationally recognised British university degree courses that train students to a very high level in both auto and aero engineering. Also more advanced PhD courses are offered on some campuses. At a lower level, vocational training can be found up and down the country. BEng and MEng courses at university usually follow the same structure for the first two years, and then take on a different format for the final year or two.

Certain course options will offer students the chance to study part-time, on a sandwich course basis. Engineering students can also look into sponsorship options which are provided by both private industry and the Armed Forces. Take time to look into the various university, college and sponsorship options. You have many exciting possibilities in front of you.

Engineering - Automotive

Automotive engineering has come a long way in the last hundred years. Today's auto engineers need to understand electronic and software engineering as well as mechanical and electrical. Things are changing all the time and modern engineers need to lead those changes, for example to produce greater efficiencies in materials and emissions.

Let's take a look at the engineering stages we go through in the production of a vehicle. First comes design. These engineers have to design all the component parts and systems on a vehicle. The second discipline is covered by development engineers, who engineer all the features of the vehicle. These people often provide information to design engineers to regulate performance etc. Last of all come the manufacturers, who determine how to put the vehicle together.

An automotive engineering student will be taught many product disciplines. In addition to gaining comprehensive knowledge of automotive engineering and design, students should also learn transferable skills on a graduate programme. As safety is vital, designs have to go through various crash scenarios to test their impact on the vehicle occupants.

All components have to function well for the job they're designed to do, but they also have to work synergistically with the whole vehicle. That's why automotive engineering students need to learn about the work of development engineers.

Sometimes systems or components have conflicting aims, and a trade-off has to be made to deliver both satisfactorily. Development engineers ultimately have to be sure that everything on the completed vehicle not only meets the manufacturers spec, but is also compliant with the latest regulations.

The next stage of course is to work on the manufacture of the vehicle. This is where it all comes together, and so every last detail has to be planned and engineered. The responsibilities of these engineers specifically include machine design and layout, and project management of every stage of the assembly.

Aero Engineering

Aero engineering is all about turning ideas into reality by applying scientific principles to produce sophisticated flight products. If you are very analytical by nature and have a great capacity for highly technical and innovative thinking, you could do very well building a career for yourself in the aerospace industry. (That said, engineers working in Formula One use aerospace technology too!)

Atmospheric pressure and temperature changes place huge stresses on aircraft during flights. An understanding of technologies such as aerodynamics, materials science, avionics and propulsion is needed, and each are very specialist subjects in their own right.

With a strong emphasis on analytics, training will include all aspects of design, materials, forces and integration of systems. Analytical methods will be developed which allow aeronautical engineers to design and analyse aircraft.

Computational fluid dynamics is used to simulate the behaviour of fluid today, which reduces wind-tunnel testing time and expense. (Nevertheless, students will still get plenty of opportunity to experiment with wind tunnels and other physical testing machines).

Applying yourself to practical applications is an important engineering principle. All academic programmes will involve a mixture of group and individual assignments to design and build actual machines or components. Automotive and Aeronautical Engineering training courses may also cover more broad-based subjects and transferable skills. Things like oral communication, leadership skills and teamwork might be on the list.

Well paid, rewarding and financially attractive careers are available for qualified Automotive and Aeronautical Engineers. To apply for professional status following graduation, engineers should contact the Engineering Council - a national body that promotes and advances the science and practice of engineering.