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Science and Technology Careers - Engineering Courses

A large number of disciplines come under the umbrella of Engineering. Both auto and aero engineering appeal to a wide cross-section of people who want to be at the forefront of technology and science. The United Kingdom boasts a very technically advanced aerospace sector comprising of over six hundred companies turning over more than seventeen billion between them, according to Loughborough University. With regard to the automotive sector Britain also plays a significant role here, with several hundred thousand people being involved in the industry.

Getting The Right Qualifications

There are approximately 32 UK Universities providing Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering Degrees in Automotive or Aeronautical Engineering. Plus some go on to provide postgraduate-level study as well. At a lower level, vocational training can be found up and down the country.

Undergraduates can take the opportunity to put the knowledge and experience they've gained in the first two years of their degree programme into practice by taking a one year industrial placement in year three.

Those who need the facility to work alongside their study programme may find they can do a sandwich course. 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.

Automotive-Engineering

Automotive engineering covers everything to do with designing and building cars, motorbikes, trucks and buses. The automotive engineer's skills are tested right from the initial design concepts. With new technologies such as ultra low emissions, active suspensions, composite material structures and electric vehicles, there is much to challenge the thought processes of the student.

Generally speaking, we can separate the automotive engineering processes into three distinct fields. Design engineers obviously come up with the vehicle's design, but they also have to check each component part. The development engineers' co-ordinate the engineering attributes of vehicles. Developers supply designers with various specs they have to comply with. Finally, the manufacturing engineers will work out how to actually make the vehicle.

Degree courses in automotive engineering are very demanding, but extremely interesting. 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.

Design engineers test individual components, but they must also be tested to prove synchronicity with the vehicle as a whole. That's why automotive engineering students need to learn about the work of development engineers. 'Trade-offs' come under this function, for example balancing fuel economy with engine performance. The final vehicle must also meet government regulations, which are becoming increasingly environmentally relevant.

Following on from the product and development stages, comes the processes needed for manufacturing. Parts have to be assembled, (usually in separate plants) and vehicles built to the exacting standards of the manufacturing engineers. Safety procedures have to be applied to every stage of manufacture - from design of equipment and layout of people, to machine and line rates and all automated tasks.

Aeronautical Engineers

Aeronautical engineering covers all things to do with flight technology - the design, construction and science of aircraft. Studying for an aeronautical engineering degree will prepare you for a successful and highly respected career within the aerospace industry. (Some aerospace engineers go into Formula One design and development as well.)

Flight vehicles are faced with huge stresses on take-off, flight and landing. An understanding of technologies such as aerodynamics, materials science, avionics and propulsion is needed, and each are very specialist subjects in their own right.

Aeronautical engineering students will be taught design principles throughout their training, and receive a thorough insight into analytical subjects. Analytical subjects like thermodynamics are usually taught through lectures and tutorials. Study is divided into theoretical mathematical elements and empirical testing - much of which is done by computerised simulations in commercial environments. (Students though will still carry out wind tunnel tests, and engage in experiments using jet engines).

When training to be an engineer you need a lot of practical design experience. Both BEng and MEng degree courses will incorporate practical project work to be carried out in teams. Other more broad based vocational skills may be incorporated into an engineering degree programme. Things like oral communication, leadership skills and teamwork might be on the list.

The UK aerospace industry attracts the very best graduates, and the work is both compelling and highly remunerated. Refer to the Engineering Council for details on becoming a Chartered Engineer (CEng) or an Incorporated Engineer (IEng).