Letter 2 The Different Types of Engineers
Dear Natasha and Nick,
I trust this letter finds you doing well. This one took a little longer than I expected because it required a bit more research on my part to make sure it was accurate. In any case, you wanted to know about the different kinds of engineers that exist, so you could have a bigger picture of the profession as a whole. And so, I’ve tried to do my best in providing the following response.
There are, what I like to call, the “Classic 4” engineers. Regardless of which university it is, whether large or small, famous or unknown, the vast majority of them will offer, at bare minimum, chemical, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering programs. One main reason for this is historical. Basically, the technological needs of human civilization after the Agricultural Revolution 10,000 years ago were mainly met by civil engineers (who built roads, waterways, and palaces) and mechanical engineers (who built farm tools, household devices, and weapons).
But, because of the Scientific Revolution of the 1500s and 1600s, as well as the Industrial Revolution of the 1700s and 1800s, there was a growing desire to understand and harness the power of phenomena like electricity (hence, electrical engineers) and atoms, molecules, liquids, and gases (hence, chemical engineers). And then other engineering specialties that came along over time were usually spin-offs from these “Classic 4.” Let’s first take a look at these 4 in some detail (see Figure 2.1).
Figure 2.1 The “Classic 4” engineers and their spin-offs.
Chemical Engineer
To become a chemical engineer, the typical core courses you would take in university include fluid mechanics; fluid dynamics; mass, heat, and energy transfer; mixer design and engineering; process control and optimization; reactor design and engineering; statistics and probability; and thermodynamics. You will also usually have the opportunity to register in several technical and perhaps even non-technical arts, humanities, or social science courses of your choice. A few of these could be from the other “Classic 4” or spin-off disciplines, so you will be a more holistic chemical engineer. Once you graduate and get into the so-called real world, as a chemical engineer your work could be in one of several major industries, such as composite materials, food and drink, metal processing, microbiology, nanotechnology, nuclear energy, oil processing, pharmaceuticals, polymer synthesis, etc., just to name a few. So, for instance, chemical engineers optimize and manage complex systems and processes that deliver products to society. This includes oil refineries that have a vast array of components arranged almost like an assembly line that processes crude oil so it can be transformed into fuel for vehicles and machines. Similarly, food processing plants are more complicated than many people think and, thus, require optimization of the assembly line that takes raw potatoes from the field and transforms them into ready-to-enjoy potato chips.
Civil Engineer
To become a civil engineer, the typical core courses you might study in university are concrete materials; environmental science; fluid mechanics; geology; highway materials; hydrology and water resources; mechanics; pavement materials; soil properties; solid waste management; strength of materials; structural design; surveying; traffic operations and management; transportation planning; and wastewater management. You will also often have a chance to study a few technical and maybe even non-technical arts, humanities, or social science courses of your choosing. Some of these may be from the other “Classic 4” or spin-off disciplines, which are intended to help you be a more holistic civil engineer. Once you complete your studies and find yourself in the real world, as a civil engineer your projects could involve designing, building, inspecting, and/or repairing bridges, buildings, city layout plans, dams, railways, roadways, soil erosion, surveying, suspension cables, traffic flow, water works, wind mills, and so on. It’s emotionally moving to consider just a few of the many iconic structures—old and new—around the globe that typify all the best of what civil engineering has to offer. From the pyramids of the ancient Egyptians to the aqueducts of the ancient Romans. From the Cathedral of Notre Dame in France to the underwater and underground Chunnel that connects Britain with continental Europe. From the sail-like roofs of Australia’s Sydney Opera House to the needle-like profile of Canada’s CN Tower.
Electrical Engineer
To become an electrical engineer, the typical core courses you’ll probably take in university include circuits and circuit design; computer architecture or hardware; computer coding or programming; electromagnetics; signal processing; statistics and probability; and power generation and distribution. You’ll probably have the option to also enroll in several technical and non-technical arts, humanities, or social science courses of your choice. Several of these may be from the other “Classic 4” or spin-off disciplines, to assist you in becoming a more holistic electrical engineer. Once you finish university and join the workforce, as an electrical engineer your work could involve several areas that can be classified as low voltage (e.g., biomedical implants, computers, smartphones, etc.), mid voltage (e.g., aircraft, appliances, robots, satellites, solar panels, vehicles, etc.), or high voltage (e.g., hydro or nuclear power generation and distribution stations). Whether we are at home, at work, or out in public somewhere, we are continually surrounded by the marvels of electrical engineering. For instance, mighty power stations around the world, like at Niagara Falls, harness the force of cascading water and transform it into electrical power that energizes our cities, workplaces, and homes. Similarly, countless medical devices in hospitals and clinics, like pacemakers and ultrasound machines, are vital tools used by healthcare professionals to effectively diagnose and treat the illnesses and injuries that so easily felled our ancestors. And high-tech space telescopes search the cosmic ocean for answers about our solar system, our galaxy, and our universe.
Mechanical Engineer
To become a mechanical engineer, the typical core courses you might take in university are statics (i.e., forces and displacements of stationary objects and structures); dynamics (i.e., forces, displacements, velocities, and accelerations of moving objects and mechanisms); fluid mechanics; fluid turbulence; heat transfer; machine design; mechanical design; mechanical vibrations; strength of materials; and thermodynamics. You will likely be able to enroll in several technical and even some non-technical arts, humanities, or social science courses of your choosing. A couple of these may be from the other “Classic 4” or spin-off disciplines, in order to make you a more holistic mechanical engineer. Once you finish university and find yourself in the real world, as a mechanical engineer your work could involve designing, building, inspecting, repairing, and/or disposing of machines, medical implants and prosthetics, nuclear reactors, pumps, robots, sports equipment, turbines, vehicles, weapons, just to name a few. The beauty and benefits of mechanical engineering are clearly displayed—among the countless possible examples—in the 16.8-m long robotic Canadarm that’s attached to the International Space Station orbiting 400 km above the Earth, the high-speed trains that use magnetic levitation technology to transport people and goods at about half the speed of sound, and the massive number of shoulder, hip, and knee implants inserted into patients every year around the world to help them get back to living their lives actively without pain.
Engineering Spin-Offs
Now, as mentioned briefly above, a huge array of engineering spin-offs of other specializations eventually emerged over time from the “Classic 4” to keep pace with scientific advances and societal needs (see Table 2.1). Sometimes one or more of the “Classic 4” disciplines partnered together deliberately to launch a spin-off discipline, but sometimes this process was unplanned and accidental. Thus, some of these spin-offs are taught at the university as a specialty within one or more of the “Classic 4” engineering departments.
Aerospace |
Geological |
Nuclear |
Agricultural |
Geomatics |
Petroleum |
Automotive |
Industrial |
Railway |
Biochemical |
Manufacturing |
Robotics |
Biological |
Marine |
Software |
Biomedical |
Materials |
Space |
Computer |
Mechatronics |
Systems |
Electronics |
Metallurgical |
Water |
Environmental |
Military |
Wind |
Forest |
Mining |
Other? |
Yet, many spin-offs have become unique in their own right as separate and independent engineering programs; this will vary greatly from university to university. Quite often, however, the spin-off might not be even be recognized formally as a specialty within an engineering program at university, but it’s only called by its particular name within a specific sector of industry. You can probably guess what each spin-off is about just from its name. Otherwise, we’d be here all day going over them one by one in detail. Keep in mind that the spin-offs I mention aren’t all the ones that exist, but they are some of the most popular and well-known. As science and technology continue to advance, other specialties will emerge that no one’s even thought of yet.
Career Dead End?
But, you may ask, doesn’t such specialization lead you to a career dead end? I personally don’t think it does. You’re not necessarily forever stuck in doing only one kind of task for the rest of your career. The reason is that many engineering disciplines overlap because of the unplanned way these specialties emerged over time. So, if you’re already one type of engineer, you may be able to switch to another specialty because you already know something about it. In these cases, it’s not too difficult to transition your career from one kind of engineering to another. People actually have done this due to changes in their circumstances, opportunities, and interests.
For instance, I did my master’s degree in mechanical engineering with a research thesis focused on the aerodynamics of wind flow around overhead electrical power lines that accumulate ice on their surface during winter. But, then I did my doctoral degree in mechanical engineering with a research thesis on using medical ultrasound technology to analyze the performance of total knee replacements under clinical-type stresses. In my case, my home department was mechanical engineering in both instances, thus, it probably made it easier for me to change my research focus.
However, I know a colleague who did a master’s degree in materials engineering, but then became a university professor in mechanical engineering. Other colleagues I know did their master’s degrees in aerospace or mechanical engineering, and then found work as biomedical engineers in industry. There are others I know who were educated and trained as mechanical engineers, but who became university professors in systems engineering departments. These real-life situations clearly show that you can even successfully change engineering disciplines (within reason, of course) because of the many transferable skills and knowledge that all engineers share in common with one another.
So, What’s the “Take Home” Message of This Letter?
I hope my letter has been helpful in answering some of your specific questions about the different types of engineering that exist. And perhaps, it has given you some ideas about what kind of engineer you want to be or what kind of career changes you might consider in the future. I also hope that you can now appreciate how the engineering profession as a whole impacts almost every aspect of people’s daily lives and society at large. And that you too can be part of this great profession.
Best regards,
R.Z.