List of Basic Engineering Topics

Aerospace Engineering

Aerospace engineers study and discuss materials, structure and stress analysis as it relates to design of aircraft and spacecraft. Therefore, they must understand design principles as they relate to fluid dynamics, including compressible and non-compressible fluid dynamics. Aerospace engineering also includes rocket propulsion and thermodynamics. Astronomical engineering requires a further understanding of orbital mechanics, altitude determination and even telecommunication.

Civil engineering encompasses a wide range of construction and design possibilities and may overlap environmental engineering in many ways as design of public spaces becomes more earth-friendly. Civil engineers design roads, bridges, and buildings. Therefore, major topics for this field include transportation systems, structural analysis, fluid mechanics, water and waste water systems, systems analysis and economics.

Electrical engineers analyze and design electrical systems that affect daily life from power plants to home electronics. Electrical engineering requires a solid grasp of mathematical principles in addition to how electricity can be harnessed and applied. Electrical engineers must understand both differential equations and multivariable calculus to properly manage problems involving network analysis, electromagnetism, circuit analysis, power systems and communication systems.

Mechanical engineering deals with the construction of physical machines, typically to involve heavy work, and thus covers a variety of topics of practical concern. Mechanical engineers may design machines used in manufacturing or machines used by people on a daily basis, such as automobiles. Primary topics in mechanical engineering include stress analysis, fluid dynamics, microfluidics, kinematics, internal combustion and energy and thermal systems analysis.

Materials engineers design the materials that make up structures. In the course of their work, they deal with the same topics as other engineers, such as thermodynamics, kinetics and stress analysis. However, their interest is in the application and development of materials. Therefore, major topics include the chemical, physical, electrical, mechanical and thermal properties of materials. Functional properties, durability and stress and wear on materials figure into materials engineering topics as well.