List of engineering branches

Engineering is the discipline, art, and profession that applies scientific theory to design, develop, and analyze technological solutions. In the contemporary era it is generally considered to consist of the major basic branches of chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering.^[1] There are numerous other engineering subdisciplines and interdisciplinary subjects that are derived from concentrations, combinations, or extensions of the major engineering branches.

Chemical engineering 1
Civil engineering 2
Electrical engineering 3
Mechanical engineering 4
Systems engineering 5
Interdisciplinary 6
See also 7
External links 8
References 9

Chemical engineering

Chemical engineering is the application of physical and biological sciences to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms.

Subdiscipline	Scope	Major specialties
Biomolecular engineering	Focuses on the manufacturing of biomolecules.
Materials engineering	Involves properties of matter (material) and its applications to engineering	Metallurgical engineering, studies metals and their applications Ceramic engineering, the theory and processing of raw oxide material (e.g. alumina oxide), and advanced material that are polymorphic, polycrystalline, oxide, and non-oxide ceramics Polymer engineering, studies polymer materials and their applications Crystal engineering, the design and synthesis of molecular solid-state structures
Molecular engineering	Focuses on the manufacturing of molecules.
Process engineering	Focuses on the design, operation, control, and optimization of chemical processes	Petroleum refinery engineering, the design of processes related to the manufacture of refined products Plastics engineering, the design of the production process of plastics products Paper engineering, the design of the production process of paper products Textile engineering, Textile engineering courses deal with the application of scientific and engineering principles to the design and control of all aspects of fiber, textile, and apparel processes, products, and machinery. These include natural and man-made materials, interaction of materials with machines, safety and health, energy conservation, and waste and pollution control. Additionally, students are given experience in plant design and layout, machine and wet process design and improvement, and designing and creating textile products. Throughout the textile engineering curriculum, students take classes from other engineering and disciplines including: mechanical, chemical, materials and industrial engineering.

Civil engineering

Civil engineering comprises the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and natural built environments.

Subdiscipline	Scope	Major specialties
Environmental engineering	The application of engineering to the improvement and protection of the environment	Ecological engineering, the design, monitoring and construction of ecosystems Fire protection engineering, the application of engineering to protect people and environments from fire and smoke Sanitary engineering, the application of engineering methods to improve sanitation of human communities Municipal or urban engineering, civil engineering applied to municipal issues such as water and waste management, transportation networks, subdivisions, communications, hydrology, hydraulics, etc.
Geotechnical engineering	Concerned with the behavior of geological materials at the site of a civil engineering project	Mining engineering, the exploration, extraction and processing of raw materials from the Earth Foundation (engineering), the engineering of below ground foundations that support superstructures
Structural engineering	The engineering of structures that support or resist structural loads	Earthquake engineering, the behaviour of structures subject to seismic loading Wind engineering, the analysis of wind and its effects on the built environment Architectural engineering, application of engineering principles to building design and construction Ocean engineering, the design of offshore structures
Transport engineering	The use of engineering to ensure safe and efficient transportation of people and goods	Traffic engineering, a branch of transportation engineering focusing on the infrastructure necessary for transportation Highway engineering a branch of engineering that deals with major roadways and transportation systems involving automobiles. Highway engineering usually involves the construction and design of highways Railway systems engineering
Water resources engineering	Prediction, planning, development and management of water resources	Hydraulic engineering, concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water; intimately related to the design of pipelines, water supply network, drainage facilities (including bridges, dams, levees, channels, culverts, storm sewers), and canals. River engineering is the process of planned human intervention in the course, characteristics, or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit—to manage the water resources, to protect against flooding, or to make passage along or across rivers easier. Coastal engineering, the study of the processes ongoing at the shoreline and construction within the coastal zone, often directed at combating erosion of coasts or providing navigational access. Groundwater engineering involves the analysis, monitoring and often modelling of groundwater source to better understand how much remains and if the water can be used for e.g. recharging reservoirs and irrigation.

Electrical engineering

Electrical engineering comprises the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism.

Subdiscipline	Scope	Major specialties
Computer engineering	The design and control of computing devices with the application of electrical systems.	Software engineering: the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering and computer science to software. Hardware engineering: designing, developing, and testing various computer equipment. Can range from circuit boards and microprocessors to routers. Network engineering: designing, deploying and maintaining computer networks, such as corporate networks or the Internet.
Electronic engineering	The design of circuits that use the electromagnetic properties of electrical components such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transistors to achieve a particular functionality.	Control engineering, focuses on the modeling of dynamic systems and the design of controllers using electrical circuits, digital signal processors and microcontrollers Telecommunications engineering
Optical engineering	The design of instruments and systems that utilize the properties of electromagnetic radiation.
Power engineering	The generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, and the design of devices such as transformers, electric generators, electric motors, high-voltage engineering, and power electronics.

Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering comprises the design, analysis and usage of heat and mechanical power for the operation of machines and mechanical systems.

Subdiscipline	Scope	Major specialties
Acoustical engineering	Concerns the manipulation and control of vibration, especially vibration isolation and the reduction of unwanted sounds
Manufacturing engineering	Concerns dealing with different manufacturing practices and the research and development of systems, processes, machines, tools and equipment.
Thermal engineering	Concerns heating or cooling of processes, equipment, or enclosed environments
Vehicle engineering	The design, manufacture and operation of the systems and equipment that propel and control vehicles	Automotive engineering, the design, manufacture and operation of motorcycles, automobiles, buses and trucks Naval architecture, the design, construction, operation and support of marine vehicles and structures Aerospace engineering, the application of engineering principles to aerospace systems such as aircraft and spacecraft

Systems engineering

Systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how to design and manage complex engineering projects over their life cycles. Issues such as reliability, logistics, coordination of different teams (requirements management), evaluation measurements, and other disciplines become more difficult when dealing with large or complex projects. Systems engineering deals with work-processes, optimization methods, and risk management tools in such projects. It overlaps technical and human-centered disciplines such as control engineering, industrial engineering, organizational studies, and project management. Systems engineering ensures that all likely aspects of a project or system are considered, and integrated into a whole.

Interdisciplinary

Discipline	Scope	Major specialties
Aerospace engineering	The application of engineering principles to aerospace systems such as aircraft, spacecraft, and ground control systems. Formerly known as aeronautical engineering, concerns the design, construction, and science of both air and space vehicles, primarily on the systems level. Further concerned with the science of force and physics that are particular only to performance in Earth's atmosphere and the expanse of space. Often placed within Vehicle engineering	Aeronautics, the design and development of aircraft and air traffic control systems Astronautics, the design and development of spacecraft with an emphasis on spacecraft systems, the design of ground control systems for spacecraft, and the design of orbital mechanics for spacecraft missions
Agricultural engineering	The application of engineering principles to agricultural fields such as farm power and machinery, biological material process, bioenergy, farm structures, and agricultural natural resources	Bioprocess engineering, the design and development of equipment and processes for the manufacturing of products from biological materials Food engineering, concerns food processing, food machinery, packaging, ingredient manufacturing, instrumentation, and control. Aquaculture engineering, the study of cultured aquatic species and the production systems used in their culture.
Applied engineering	The field concerned with the application of management, design, and technical skills for the design and integration of systems, the execution of new engineering principles, project management, industrial processes, systems integration and control, quality control, and statistics.^[2]	Automation/control systems/mechatronics/robotics Computer-aided drawing and design (CADD) Construction Electronics General Graphics Nanotechnology
Biological engineering	The application of engineering principles to the fields of biology and medicine.	Biomedical engineering, the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical and biological sciences Biochemical engineering, the design and construction of unit processes that involve biological organisms or molecules Tissue engineering Protein engineering, the development of useful or valuable proteins
Building services engineering	Building services engineering, technical building services, architectural engineering, or building engineering is the engineering of the internal environment and environmental impact of a building. It essentially brings buildings and structures to life.	Mechanical engineering, HVAC: heating, ventilation and air conditioning Refrigeration Plumbing or public health (MEP) engineering: Water services, drainage and plumbing Electrical engineering, Artificial lighting and emergency lighting, ICT: Communication lines, telephones and IT networks Low voltage (LV) systems, containment, distribution, distribution boards and switchgear Lightning protection Security, CCTV, and alarm systems Vertical transportation: escalators and lifts Fire engineering, including fire detection and fire protection Natural lighting design Building facades engineering Energy supply – gas, electricity and renewable sources
Energy engineering	Energy engineering is a broad field of engineering dealing with energy efficiency, energy services, facility management, plant engineering, environmental compliance and alternative energy technologies. The domain of energy-engineering expertise combines selective subjects from the fields chemical, mechanical and electrical engineering. It is an interdisciplinary program which has relativity with electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering	Solar engineering, solar energy engineering includes designing and building services based on solar energy, solar energy product development, solar PV systems, Solar Product Manufacturing and Solar Systems Integration. Wind engineering, Wind engineering analyzes effects of wind in the natural and the built environment and studies the possible damage, inconvenience or benefits which may result from wind. In the field of structural engineering it includes strong winds, which may cause discomfort, as well as extreme winds, such as in a tornado, hurricane or heavy storm, which may cause widespread destruction
Railway engineering	Railway engineering is a multi-faceted engineering discipline dealing with the design, construction and operation of all types of railway systems. It encompasses a wide range of engineering disciplines, including civil engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering and production engineering. A great many other engineering sub-disciplines are also called upon.
Industrial engineering	The design and analysis of logistical and resource systems.	Manufacturing engineering, the ability to plan the practices of manufacturing, to research and develop the tool, processes, machines and equipment, and to integrate the facilities and systems for producing quality products with optimal expenditure. Component engineering, the process of assuring the availability of suitable components required to manufacture a product. Systems engineering, focuses on issues such as logistics, the coordination of different teams, automatic control of machinery for complex engineering projects Construction engineering, the planning and management of construction projects Safety engineering, assuring that a life-critical system behaves as needed even when pieces fail Reliability engineering, optimising asset maintenance to minimise whole of life cost
Mechatronics	A hybrid of mechanical and electrical engineering, Commonly intended to examine the design of automation systems.	Robotics Instrumentation engineering Avionics, the design of electronics and systems on board an aircraft or spacecraft
Military engineering	This is loosely defined as the art and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and communications. This discipline of engineering is regarded as the oldest form of engineering and is also the precursor of the civil engineering discipline.	Combat engineering Strategic support Ancillary support
Nanoengineering	The practice of engineering on the nanoscopic scale
Nuclear engineering	The application of nuclear processes to engineering
Petroleum engineering	The application of engineering principles to drilling for and producing crude oil and natural gas	Reservoir engineering, the application of scientific principles to study the flow of fluids in underground reservoirs so as to obtain a high economic recovery. Drilling engineering, the design and application of equipment and techniques to drill wells. Production engineering, the design and application of equipment and techniques to bring well fluids to the surface and then separate out the various components.

External links

Engineering Seminars & List of 111 Engineering Branches 2013

References

^ Julie Thompson Klein, Robert Frodeman, Carl Mitcham. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. Oxford University Press, 2010. (pp 149 – 150)
^ "ATMAE Membership Venn Diagram". atmae.org

Engineering

Civil engineering	Architectural Construction Earthquake Hydraulic Mining Structural Geotechnical Transportation

Mechanical engineering	Aerospace Acoustical Automotive Marine Mechatronics Optical Railway

Electrical engineering	Computer Electronics Electromechanics Power Photonics Telecommunications Radio Frequency

Chemical engineering	Biochemical Biological Molecular Nanotechnology Process Reaction Thermodynamics Transport Phenomena

Interdisciplinarity	Mathematics and Computing Engineering Biomedical Environmental Industrial Materials science Robotics Military Nuclear Systems

List of engineering branches · Engineering portal

List of engineering branches