Of all the disciplines of engineering, this branch of study is the broadest. It deals with the designing of tools and mechanical devices for the industry. Each and every industry, whether it may be thermal power station, air conditioning industry, gas turbines, jet engines or refrigeration industry, needs the services of mechanical engineers for designing, developing, installing, operating and maintaining the varied kind of machines.
These engineers are mainly responsible for creating future and developing technology. They are the ones who are the driving force behind better and innovative industrial processes and have played a key role in developing mobiles, PCs and DVDs etc. They work as a part of team of engineers along with financial and business management professionals to complete the various projects.
These engineers can find employment in both public and private sector industries. They can find jobs in automobile industry, steel plants, space research organization, oil exploration and refining, technical wings of armed forces etc. They can even work as consultants or can find work in technical/sales or marketing. Government departments like PWD, CPWD, Defense, and Post and Telegraph also need the services of mechanical engineers. Aeronautical, chemical, agriculture and power plants also require mechanical engineers for designing, developing and maintaining machines for them. India being a predominantly an agricultural country, requires their services for maintenance of tractors, oil engines, pump sets, electric motors and other agricultural equipments. For holding of a gazetted post in government one needs to clear the Engineering Service Examinations, which are held annually by the U.P.S.C or S.P.S.C.
A three-year BEng degree course entitled Mechanical Engineering is offered. This course is also accredited with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for Chartered Engineer status. The various polytechnics offer 2-3 year diploma courses. Those who want to be mechanical engineers should possess a degree in mechanical engineering i.e. B.E/B.Tech or M.E or a diploma.
The specializations include in areas like thermal engineering, design, and production engineering etc. Those who want to go for higher studies can opt for research work at developing new processes and applications for manufacturing purposes or experiment on the use of new materials. Specializations include subjects like:
- Robotics
- Computer aided designs,
- Biomechanics,
- Automation
- Thermal/Fluids Engineering
- Systems and Design Engineering
- Materials Science Engineering
