Mechanical Engineering

What is Mechanical Engineering?

Mechanical engineering is one of the oldest and broadest subjects in engineering. It is concerned with the production and use of heat and mechanical power for the designing, production and operation of machines and tools. It is very important for students starting a career in this field that they should have a good understanding of core concepts such as mechanics, kinematics, thermodynamics, material science, structural analysis etc. These courses mainly include technical areas such as distribution of electricity through generators, transformers, designing, electric motors, automobiles, aircraft and other heavy vehicles.

What do mechanical engineers do?

Mechanical engineering affects almost every aspect of your life. Most of the things that we use in our daily life are designed and developed by mechanical engineers. For example, micro-sensors, computers, automobiles, sports equipment, medical devices, robots, and many other things. These new devices and equipment help to make our lives better.

Courses and Duration

Mechanical engineering is one of the core fields of engineering. It is also one of the oldest disciplines of engineering. Nowadays, many specializations are included in mechanical engineering. The concepts that are included here are also interrelated with other fields of engineering. For example, subjects such as petroleum, automobile, aerospace, civil, chemical etc. are engineering subjects which are also well related to mechanical engineering. Students who want to take a course in mechanical engineering can enroll in various courses:

• Diploma courses – This course offers students a polytechnic diploma in mechanical engineering and you can do this course after passing 10th and 12th class. Duration or duration of this course is 3 years.
• Undergraduate courses – This is a 4-year duration course, upon completion of which you get a B.Tech (Bachelor of Technology) degree in Mechanical Engineering. You can do this course after passing the 12th class.
• Postgraduate Courses – This is a 2-year duration course that offers an M.Tech (Master of Technology) postgraduate degree in mechanical engineering. You must have an undergraduate degree in the appropriate field before taking admission in this course.
• Doctoral Courses – This is a 3-year duration course for obtaining a doctoral degree or PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) in Mechanical Engineering. To do this course, students should have a postgraduate degree in a suitable subject.

Most popular subtopics

There are many specializations in the field of mechanical engineering and students can continue their studies for specialization in any of these sub-disciplines to get higher degrees after obtaining a Bachelor degree. Some of the most popular specializations of this field are:

• Mechatronics and Robotics – This field is related to many subjects like Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science, Neuroscience, Psychology and many other subjects. There are many great career options available for students specializing in robotics. They can work in various industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, entry and other related industries.
• Thermodynamics and Thermo-Science – This field is associated with the fundamental principles of heat transfer and thermodynamics as well as their application and designing in advanced engineering systems.
• Nanotechnology – This field includes the study and development of technology on a very small scale. Students specializing in this field get many career opportunities in the fields of Chemistry, Engineering, Biology etc.
• Fluid Mechanics – Specialization in Fluid Mechanics is very essential for designing and understanding rocket engines, air-conditioning, oil pipelines, wind turbines etc. This field is also important for analyzing Ocean currents, tectonic plates and other related topics.
• Solid Mechanics – Specialization in Solid Mechanics includes the study of Solid Materials according to Behavior, Motion, Deformation and External Influences. After getting the expertise in this field, you have plenty of opportunities to start engineering careers in manufacturing, civil engineering, aerospace engineering and nuclear technology.

Main subjects in mechanical engineering

Some of the main topics covered in Mechanical Engineering are:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics and Heat Transfer
• Computer Aided Design of Thermal System
• Fundamentals of Casting and Solidification
• Industrial Engineering and Operation Research
• Modeling of turbulent combustion
• Principal of Vibration Control
• Railroad Vehicle Dynamics
• Robot manipulators dynamics and control
• Transition and Turbulence
• wave propagation in solids

Admission Process

Mechanical engineering is one of the most preferred courses in core engineering subjects. Students can take any course in mechanical engineering under various levels such as diploma, undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral. However, out of the above courses, there are some eligibility criterias required for each course and students must have these qualifications. Therefore, following are the eligibility criteria for various courses in mechanical engineering:

Eligibility Criteria for taking admission in various courses in Mechanical Engineering

• Diploma Courses – The student should have passed class 10 examination from a recognized education board. The student should have passed class 12 with core subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
• Undergraduate courses – To take admission in the UG program, the student has to give the appropriate entrance exams. Apart from this, the student should have passed 12th class with core subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics.
• Post Graduate Courses – In order to get admission in PG programs, the student also has to pass the appropriate entrance exams. The student should also have an undergraduate degree in a subject related to a recognized university.
• Doctoral Courses – To take admission in the doctoral program, the student must have a postgraduate degree in a related subject from a recognized university.

Entrance exams for mechanical engineering

Entrance examinations are conducted at national, state and university level for taking admission in various subjects of engineering. To take admission in mechanical engineering, students can give the following popular exams:

• Joint Entrance Exam – Main (JEE Main)
• Joint Entrance Exam – Advanced (JEE Advanced)
• VIT Engineering Entrance Exam (VITEEE)
• The Maharashtra Common Entrance Test (MHTCET)
• Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Exam (UPSEE)
• Birla Institute of Technology and Science Admission Test (BITSAT)
• VIT University Master’s Entrance Exam (VITMEE)
• Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE)
• Birla Institute of Technology and Science Higher Degree Exam (BITS HD)

Top 10 Institutes for Mechanical Engineering

The Indian Institutes of Technologies, ie IITs, are considered as the best colleges for engineering courses in India. As per NIRF ranking year 2018, following are the top 10 engineering colleges affiliated to UGC in India:

• Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Madras
• Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Bombay
• Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur
• Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Delhi
• Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Kanpur
• Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee
• Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati
• Anna University, Chennai
• Jadavpur University, Kolkata
• Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, Hyderabad

Career Prospects for Mechanical Engineers

Mechanical engineering involves various aspects of designing and testing machines along with many other tasks. This job involves the planning and supervision of live projects in various fields, such as thermal power plants, nuclear stations, electricity generation, etc. There are some new and emerging fields in this field like renewable energy, automobiles, quality control, industrial automation etc. After obtaining undergraduate degrees in engineering, there are good job opportunities for students in various fields of manufacturing, production, services and development. Nowadays we are living in the era of machines and where there is a machine, there is a need for a mechanical engineer. Therefore, there can never be a shortage of job options for mechanical engineers.

Popular job profiles for mechanical engineers

Mechanical engineers can work in many industries based on their specialization. Following are some of the preferred job profiles for mechanical engineers:

• Architectural and Engineering Managers

Architectural and engineering managers deal with planning, directing, managing and coordinating activities in architectural and engineering companies.

• drafters

This job involves using software to convert designs created by engineers and architects into technical drawings to help design things like microchips and skyscrapers. Any candidate can specialize in Architecture, Civil, Engineering, Mechanical and other allied fields.

• Material Engineers

In this profile, the properties and structures of metals, ceramics, plastics, composites, nanomaterials and various other materials are studied to create new materials. As a material engineer, you will also be involved in the processing, testing and development of materials used to produce a wide range of products, from microchips to aircraft wings and from golf clubs to biomedical devices, etc.

• Mechanical Engineering Technicians

Mechanical engineering technicians assist mechanical engineers in designing, developing, manufacturing and testing various mechanical devices. You have to do tasks related to creating rough layouts, data analyzing and recording, calculating, applying estimates and reporting the results of projects.

• Nuclear Engineers

Nuclear engineers carry out research and development of useful processes and systems to use nuclear energy and radiation to our advantage.

• Petroleum Engineers

As a petroleum engineer, you have to do work related to designing and developing various methods to extract oil and gas from oil deposits.

• Physicists and Astronomers

Physicists and astronomers study the modalities of various forms of interaction of energy and matter. Some physicists design sophisticated equipment such as particle accelerators, electron microscopes, lasers etc. and also carry out experiments with them.

• Sales Engineers

Sales engineers sell complex scientific and technological products to various businesses. As a sales engineer, you should have a very good knowledge of your product, its parts and functions. You should also have a good understanding of the scientific process involved in the functioning of the product.

Popular recruiters

Following are the names of some popular recruiters offering good job opportunities to mechanical engineers in government and private sectors:

Government Sector

• Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL)
• National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)
• Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)
• Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)
• Coal India
• Electronics Corporation of India (ECIL)
• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
• Steel Authority of India (SAIL)

private sector

• Tata Motors
• Bajaj Auto
• Hero Motocorp
• Leyland Motors
• Ford Motor Company
• Honda Motor Company
• Bhabha Atomic Research Setter (BARC)