Engineering is one of the most popular and lucrative professions. Engineers explore phenomena, invent machines, and improve processes in fields ranging from electronics and transportation to medicine and space. But becoming a good and in-demand engineer is not easy. To gain advanced experience and monetize their talent, many dream of working for large foreign and international companies, and the shortest path to such a career would be a foreign university.
Major fields of engineering
Engineering is always about designing, creating, maintaining, and improving machinery and materials, but it includes many branches that are sometimes intertwined or, conversely, as far apart as possible. Chemical, aerospace, and biomedical engineering are considered the most complex engineering fields, while industrial engineering, civil engineering, and computer science are considered the simplest.
The work on an engineering project is done by a whole team of specialists.
The major branches of engineering include:
Mechanical engineering: involves the design and production of mechanical systems. Such specialists create automobiles, airplanes and ships, household appliances, weapons, etc.
Industrial Engineering: combines engineering and business to reduce costs, improve product quality and increase process efficiency.
Electrical Engineering: deals with electrical equipment and electronics. Electrical engineers design, test and maintain devices that use or produce electricity, from small objects like microchips to large-scale projects like power plant generators.
Civil engineering is the oldest engineering discipline, focusing on the design, construction, and maintenance of structures: roads, bridges, dams, water systems, airports, etc. Civil engineers work in many fields, from urban planning to space.
Chemical engineering: develops materials and products, innovative processes, etc. Such professionals can work with microorganisms, food products, pharmaceuticals, and fuels.
Why you should study engineering: 5 reasons
Engineering is constantly evolving and implies an ever-increasing choice of specialties. And here are five more reasons why you should become an engineer:
Not only do the best universities for engineers offer quality academic programs and valuable internships, but they also conduct research in mechanical, electrical and electronics engineering, aerospace and chemical engineering, and civil engineering.
U.S.
Of the top 500 engineering schools, 74 are in America: among them MIT, California Institute of Technology, Stanford.
This country has a mature system for training engineering personnel and integrating them into the economy: universities train specialists, focusing on the requirements of the professional community, and the quality of education is controlled by the state.
Germany
An important argument for those who want to enter a German university is free tuition in public universities (if you study in German). A feature of the education system in Germany is dual training programs: students learn professional skills, working at the company and studying at the university at the same time. After graduation, many graduates stay in companies, because by that time they have become experienced employees.
United Kingdom
The engineering and technology sector is a huge contributor to the UK economy, accounting for 27.1% of GDP. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) specialists earn some of the highest salaries in the UK. Higher technical education is being reformed, so that future engineers have much more opportunities for learning – both theoretically and practically. You can read more about technical universities in England in this article.
France
The structure of higher education in France is quite complex: this country has several types of higher education institutions that train specialists of different levels. Classical technical schools practice a system of training from two stages: preparatory classes and engineering schools. There are also other programs, which accept bachelor’s degree holders.
Italy
We associate Italian engineering with the genius of da Vinci, Galileo and Fermi, and the Fiat, Ferrari and Olivetti companies. The country can also be proud of its modern engineers, as can the universities that train them. The Technical University of Milan is one of the leading technical universities in the world, while the University of Bologna – the oldest continuously operating university in Europe – is also famous for its technical faculties. Practical training plays a major role in Italian education: students complete real-world projects during their internships in companies.