Chemical Engineering Degree Career Outlook

 

Chemical engineers are not only the lab coat wearing scientists who stand over beakers, mixing formulas in laboratories. They also work in the field, putting into practice the knowledge gained in laboratories, as well as their own brand of chemistry that applies the physical sciences and the life sciences.

They use mathematics and economics to create processes for converting raw materials or chemicals into forms that are more useful. Today's chemical engineers are involved with biomedical engineering, nanotechnology, and fuel cells, to name a very few of their specialties!

Chemical process engineers focus on the design, manufacture, and operation of industrial plants, their equipment, and the related chemical processes. Chemical product engineers development new or modified substances for consumables ranging from pharmaceuticals and face wipes, to furniture polish, foods, and far beyond.

Chemical engineers may do research at industrial or university levels, designing better pollution control, resource conservation, and safety measures. They can be involved in the design and construction 

Read More: desktop support engineer salary

What is a Biomedical Engineer?

 

Biomedical Engineering Degrees

A relatively new discipline, biomedical engineering involves research and development that combine medical and biological sciences for the advancement of all healthcare disciplines. It is a growing and evolving career field and according to CNNMoney.com, is the #1 Best Job for 2012 in America.

Some biomedically-engineered phenomena include regenerative tissue growth, pharmaceuticals, high-tech prostheses, diagnostic imaging equipment, and micro-implants. Biomedical engineering includes an increasing subset of specialties. Some of those specialties include:

Tissue Engineering

Organ transplants made from patients' own tissue, offer a quality of life not possible with donor organs. This field has produced solid jawbones and tracheas from human stem cells. Artificial bladders have been developed and successfully transplanted into humans.

Genetic Engineering

Manipulates an organism's genes on a molecular level. Some applications include improved crops, synthetic insulin, and the production of mice more suitable for cancer research.

Neural Engineering

Centers on the repair of neural systems—those pathways that tell our muscles when to move. All paralysis victims have an interest in this science on some level.

Pharmaceutical Engineering

Falls into both biomedical and chemical engineering categories. While some pharmaceuticals have upfront need of biological agents, even the development of chemical drugs requires BME knowledge.

Read More: help desk salary

Automotive Engineering Master’s Degree

 

Master’s Degree

A master's degree in automotive engineering is not necessary to work in the field, but such a degree will give students specialized automotive engineering knowledge and skills. Moreover, master's degree programs offer research opportunities for students. It takes about two years to complete a master's degree program in automotive engineering.

Studies include:

• Design and manufacturing
• Energy and environment
• Materials
• Noise and vibration
• Powertrain
• Dynamics and control
• Electronics and computer software
• Ergonomics

To earn a master's degree, the student must satisfy the university's thesis requirements and/or complete a final project.

Online Degree

The few universities that offer online automotive engineering degrees do so only at the master’s degree level. The student gains only theoretical knowledge from an online master's degree. The student does not receive any hands-on experience, which can be important to landing a job in automotive engineering. The online programs assume that the student received hands-on experience while obtaining the bachelor's degree. Therefore, online master's degree programs in automotive engineering are meant for the working automotive engineer.

Read More: wireless connecton

Masters Degree of Audio Engineering

Both the Associate and Bachelor degrees require a minimum of a high school diploma, a GED certificate, or the equivalent. Different schools, particularly those offering Bachelor programs, may also have specific requirements for placement tests or minimum scores for standard college entrance tests, like the SAT or ACT. In addition to the school standards, strong math skills, a good grasp of music, and an understanding of technology are all beneficial skills in pursuing this course of study. 

Master's programs are available to those that desire to extend their education in very specific areas of the industry. These programs provide an intense study of a particular area of interest, like game design, music, acoustics, or recording.

Audio engineering degrees require a blend of music, business, and technical classes. Music fundamentals, acoustics, and theory are some of the music classes that are included in the degree. The technical and business courses encompass recording production, audio signal processing, mixing, editing, digital sound design, live sound production, and studio operations.

Read More: set up wirless network

Salary information and Career for Applied Engineering

The Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering has developed congresses and resources to enhance the visibility of the field and equip practitioners with the latest knowledge and best practices in the industry. Like this organization, the Technology Student Association (TSA) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) offer resources and materials to candidates in the field, including a library of publications, news and technological innovations. These associations work to provide rich mentoring and networking opportunities for members and aspiring candidates to enter and/or advance in the field. At the university level, students capitalize on alumni networks and on-campus recruiting efforts made by leading firms to fulfill their talent needs. Companies such as IBM, Ingersoll Rand, General Mills and CoreComm are a sampling of the firms who have acquired new personnel through these avenues. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a gradual decline in the employment prospects for these types of professionals, as manufacturing activities fall within the United States. O*Net reports that these professionals earn a yearly salary of $60,560.

These professionals demonstrate a proclivity to blend technical expertise with real world applications. In industrial settings such as robotics, aviation, computer drafting, electronics, graphic communications, construction and nanofabrication, applied engineers exhibit a range of skills, as they daily execute a bevy of tasks and duties to realize the fruition of a project. They employ statistics in control charts and tables to monitor system integrity; examine and/or establish quality control systems in a facility; execute production timelines; refine inventory systems; utilize production innovation in enhancing management; maintain standards in accordance with federal and municipal codes in maintaining safety and health standards; develop solutions to industrial organization problems; apply marketing and business acumen in the product lifecycle, and more Top firms looking to hire applied engineers include Northrop Grumman, Ford Motor Company and Motorola,

Read More: wireless connecton

Agricultural Engineering Education

Typical of all B.S. degrees, agricultural engineering studies begin with English, math, political science, chemistry, humanities, economics and other basics. Gradually, students are introduced to their majors, and this one begins in the freshman year with an introduction to agricultural systems management. Agriculture courses that follow can include:

• Farm Tractors and Power Units
• Systems Analysis in Agriculture
• Operations Research and Systems Theory
• Agricultural Machinery Management
• Food Process Engineering Technology
• Agri-Industrial Applications of Electricity
• Water and Soil Management
• Technology for Environmental and Natural Resource Engineering
• Occupational Safety Management
• Processing and Storage of Agricultural Products
• Spatial Technology for Precision Agriculture
• Management of Agricultural Systems
• Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management
• Advanced GIS Analysis for Natural Resource Management
• Agricultural Electronics and Control
• IT for Agricultural Systems

Read More: wirelesscomputer

Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering

 

There are only a handful of universities accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology in the United States that offer aerospace engineering degrees. Aerospace engineers take two years of calculus, differential equations, physics and chemistry and two years of engineering coursework. Aerospace engineering students can expect to see the following engineering courses in their university's curriculum:

• Statics
• Dynamics of aerospace systems
• Control of aerospace systems
• Aerodynamics
• Thermodynamics
• Flight software systems
• Aerospace instrumentation and experimentation
• Aerospace structures
• Aircraft flight dynamics
• Space flight dynamics
• Vibration and elasticity
• Aircraft propulsion and power
• Space navigation and guidance
• Space propulsion and power
• Aeronautical systems design
• Space systems design

In terms of career choices, the aerospace field is projected to grow 5% between 2010-2020 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Aerospace engineering majors can choose variety of career paths, including positions in scientific research, engineering design and development, field service, management, marketing, software development and teaching.

The two main branches of aerospace engineering degrees are aeronautics and astronautics. Some universities have curriculum's that embrace both areas, while others separate the two fields and offer degree programs in either aeronautics or astronautics. Aerospace engineering majors should be prepared to engage in a significant amount of actual design and implementation in addition to coursework.

Read More: what is wlan