A specialization within the broad umbrella of all engineering professions, the mechanical engineering discipline is specifically concerned with research, design, and development of machines, engines, and tools. Mechanical engineering professionals undertake detailed technical training at specialty schools and college degree programs to learn the fundamentals of mechanics, energy systems, structural analysis, and thermodynamics.
When the enter the profession, mechanical engineers take work with machine industrial design firms, aircraft and auto manufacturers, heating and air conditioning manufacturers and maintenance shops, in agribusiness, and with civil engineering and structural contracting corporations. A certificate, undergraduate, and graduate degree training program can offer a wide range of mechanical engineering courses in dynamics, hydraulics and fluid dynamics, kinematics, robotics, nanotechnology, and drafting. Courses in design software and tool production are also part of the standard curriculum. Other mechanical niches include biomedical, aerospace, nuclear, and acoustical engineering.
To advance in the profession, mechanical engineers can also attend intermediate and advanced training programs in energy generation systems that include gas, turbine, steam, internal combustion, hydroelectric, nuclear, and alternative resources.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 226,000 mechanical engineers held jobs in 2004, comprising about 15 percent of the total engineering jobs in the land. The BLS predicts a rise in jobs over the next decade for mechanical engineering grads with specializations in materials science, nanotechnology, and biotechnology. 2004 annual wages for mechanical engineering professionals ranged from an average $50,236 for bachelor's degree holders to $68,299 for grads of PhD programs, with top salaries at $97,850.
